Jerry Sinz has been there and done that in his more than 50 seasons as Edgar High School’s football coach.
His list of accomplishments include nine WIAA state championships — including the Division 7 title last year — and plenty of close games. Those nailbiters include a 8-7 win over Bonduel on Nov. 7 in a Division 6 Level 3 playoff game on the Wildcats’ home field.
The loss ended Bonduel’s season at 9-3 and snapped a seven-game winning streak, while Edgar improved to 12-0, advanced to a Level 4 game against Mondovi and is one win away from playing for a state championship for the second year in a row.
Fans expecting a high-scoring game didn’t get their wish, as the first half ended in a scoreless tie. Bonduel’s defense held the Wildcats to 52 rushing yards and 3 yards through the air over the first two quarters, while Edgar kept Bonduel’s leading rusher, Carter Moesch, in check with 30 yards and held the Bears to 35 yards of offense.
Both of the game’s touchdowns came on consecutive drives to open the second half.
Bonduel took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards in a drive that took nearly half of the third quarter. Quinn Wesenberg broke the scoreless tie with a 7-yard pass to Beckett Hartlaben, and Jayden Popp added the extra point with 6:33 left in the third quarter.
The Wildcats answered with a 61-yard drive that ended with Tucker Streit’s 25-yard pass to Isaiah Kraft with 1:35 to go in the quarter.
The touchdown cut the Bears’ lead to 7-6, but instead of tying the game with an extra point, Sinz elected to try a two-point conversion. Streit looked for an open receiver, couldn’t find one, scrambled, headed for the end zone and scored what turned out to be the game’s final two points.
Each team punted after their next drive and Edgar took over at its own 44-yard line with 1:54 to go in the game.
Edgar’s Maverick Butt scored on a 56-yard touchdown run that was called back because of an illegal shift penalty on the Wildcats.
Edgar ended up punting to give Bonduel the ball at its own 10-yard line with 1:06 left on the clock, and the Wildcats eventually forced the Bears into a fourth-and-3 situation at the 17-yard line.
Gavin Mauer ended Bonduel’s comeback by picking off Wesenberg’s pass intended for Gavin Hundt and the Wildcats ran out the clock to keep their undefeated season intact.