Besides wrapping up a Central Wisconsin Conference-8 championship, the Marion/Tigerton football team is also back in the WIAA 8-player playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The Thundercatz headed to Wild Rose on Oct. 10 with a chance to win the conference title outright and did that with a 51-16 win over the Wildcats.
The win helped the Thundercatz wrap up a No. 2 seed for the 8-player playoffs, which kick off at 1 p.m. Oct. 18 with 16 Level 1 games. Marion/Tigerton will host seventh-seeded Alma Center Lincoln in Marion.
This is the final 8-player season for Marion/Tigerton, which will compete in 11-player football starting in 2026.
Two other area teams have also qualified for the 8-player playoffs. Lena/STAA, last year’s state runner-up, is one of four No. 1 seeds and will host No. 8 Princeton/Green Lake in Lena. Meanwhile, Suring received a No. 6 seed and will head to Door County to face third-seeded Sevastopol for the second time this season.
Like he has all season, Braylon Mielke led the Thundercatz’ ground game with 313 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns.
“If I need a yard, if I need 70 yards, he’s the guy that I can put the ball in his hands and I know what I’m going to get,” coach Micah Schwantes said. “It comes down to the guys up front. It’s our offensive line that sets the tone.”
The defense came up with the first big play against the Wildcats, as Anthony Pagan picked off a Braxton Landwehr pass and returned it 65 yards for the game’s first touchdown with 8:07 remaining in the first quarter.
The Thundercatz added to the lead on their next drive, as Jolanzo Perez scored from 11 yards out with 3:40 to go in the opening quarter.
Mielke’s first touchdown, a 47-yard run, made it 22-0 in the final minute of the quarter.
The Wildcats answered on their next drive, as Landwehr connected with Landon Anderson for a 32-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the second quarter.
Mielke added a 70-yard touchdown run with 4:20 to go in the first half, but Landwehr and Anderson teamed up for a 37-yard touchdown pass on Wild Rose’s next drive that cut the lead to 30-16.
A turning point in the game came after that touchdown, as the Wildcats recovered the fumbled kickoff return and drove to the Thundercatz’ 30-yard line.
The Wildcats ended up punting and Marion/Tigerton took over at its own 26-yard line. Mielke carried the ball on three straight plays to give the Thundercatz a first down at the Wild Rose 23-yard line. Shane Blum found Anthony Pagan in the end zone on the next play with three seconds to go in the half, and the Wildcats trailed 38-16 at the break.
“I thought that was big when our defense came out and stopped them,’ Schwantes said. “Our offense came out with less than a minute left and scored a touchdown. We’re not a passing team, but it comes when we need it. That kind of took the wind out of their sails.”
The Thundercatz wrapped up the scoring with touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half on Mielke’s 15-yard run and a 5-yard run from Sam Anheuser.
The co-op football program between Marion and Tigerton high schools has worked out for both communities, according to Schwantes.
“Back in the day, there was a big rivalry between the two schools,” he said. “The guys know each other and that’s the big thing that I preach to them. We’re a family. I don’t care if it’s Marion or Tigerton, we’re the Thundercatz. The guys play well together and there’s no animosity.”
The WIAA expanded the 8-player playoff field from 16 to 32 teams this year.
“The last time we were (in the playoffs) was 2019, so this team has never been in the playoffs,” Schwantes said. “It’s going to be something new for all of them. We’re going to lean on our nine or 10 seniors. They’re the ones that got us to this point. They have the experience. We have to do what we do: control the ball offensively and let the defense come up with the big plays. If we can keep doing that, the ceiling’s the limit.”
Winning a conference championship was one of the team’s goals this season, Schwantes said.
“I knew coming into this year that we could do something special,” he said. “These guys came together throughout the season. We started with a rough loss to Rosholt, but we just kept building every week after that. It’s on those guys. I’m just here for the ride.”
