It was an offensive game plan that worked well for the Marion/Tigerton football team.
The plan? Hand the ball to Braylon Mielke and let the junior work his magic.
That “magic” added up to 337 rushing yards and five touchdowns Sept. 19 in a 48-38 win over Newman Catholic in Marion.
The win is the third straight 8-player victory for Marion/Tigerton, as the Thundercatz improved to 3-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Central Wisconsin Conference.
Players and fans who showed up for the game didn’t head home until 10:30 p.m. after two 30-minute lightning delays, one in the final minute of the first quarter and the other at halftime.
The teams combined for seven touchdowns in the first quarter alone.
Mielke opened the scoring on the game’s second play with a 51-yard run, and he found the end zone for a second time from 15 yards out to cap a 68-yard drive on the team’s second possession.
The Thundercatz needed only one play on its third drive to score, as Anthony Pagan scored on a 60-yard run.
Mielke added a 21-yard touchdown run that gave the Thundercatz a 28-24 lead heading into the second quarter.
While the Cardinals’ defense didn’t have an answer for Mielke, Newman Catholic had no problem finding the end zone, especially in the first quarter before the first lightning delay.
The Cardinals’ first three drives ended in touchdowns, as Quincy Pfender scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper and added passes of 49 yards to Everett Puent and 21 yards to Griffin Puent.
The Thundercatz’ 28-24 lead heading into the second quarter didn’t last long, however, as the Cardinals answered on their next drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Michael Fox to go up 32-28 early in the second quarter.
Mielke gave the Thundercatz the lead for good – 36-32 – with a 2-yard touchdown run with three minutes remaining in the first half.
The Thundercatz opened the second half with an 81-yard drive that ended with Mielke’s fifth trip to the end zone. The Cardinals blocked the extra point try, but Marion/Tigerton had a 42-32 lead.
Another 10-yard touchdown pass from Fox cut the lead to 42-38 later in the half, but Sam Anheuser’s 3-yard run late in the game pushed the lead back to 10 points.
“Teams know that we’re going to run the ball with Braylon Mielke, but if we don’t have the guys up front, we don’t have the quarterback running the offense the way it’s supposed to be ran, it doesn’t work no matter who you have back there,” coach Micah Schwantes said. “He’s a horse.”
The game was the first for the Thundercatz in two weeks, as Menominee Nation forfeited their scheduled game Sept. 12.
The win over the Cardinals allowed the Thundercatz to keep pace with Tri-County on top of the conference standings. The Thundercatz and Penguins will face each other Oct. 3 in Marion.
“We’re in a good place,” Schwantes said. “We’re healthy, but teams know we’re going to give it to (Mielke). That’s what I tell the guys up front: You have to do what you have to do and get (Mielke) his yards.”
The Thundercatz will head to Port Edwards Sept. 26 to face the Blackhawks, with kickoff set for 4 p.m.
“No matter who the opponent is, we want to do the best for ourselves moving forward, even if they are the Newman Catholics or the Almond-Bancrofts. It doesn’t matter,” Schwantes said. “If we can come into the game and do what we do, they have to be ready for us. It doesn’t matter who we play week to week. The goal is to do the best we can.”
