The rushing game has been a big reason behind the Pulaski football team’s success this season.
That trend continued Oct. 3, as the Red Raiders piled up 334 yards on 31 carries in a 55-20 Fox River Classic Conference-North win over Appleton West.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Marion/Tigerton, Bonduel, Lena/STAA and Suring also kept their playoff hopes alive with wins over Colby, Tri-County, Peshtigo, Wausaukee and Gibraltar, respectively.
Pulaski 55, Appleton West 20
Not only did Pulaski average more than 10 yards a carry against the Terrors, the Red Raiders also had three touchdown runs of 50 or more yards at Saputo Stadium.
Bohdan Schmidt opened the scoring for Pulaski with a 50-yard touchdown in the game’s opening minute, and Brayden Weideman added a 51-yard scoring run later in the first quarter.
Cole Nowak returned a fumble 1 yard for the Red Raiders’ third score as Pulaski took a 21-0 lead into the second quarter.
Brock Weideman added a pair of 6-yard touchdown runs in the second quarter as the Red Raiders built a 34-0 halftime lead.
Schmidt found the end zone for a second time on a 6-yard run in the third quarter before the Terrors scored the first of their three touchdowns on their next drive on an 80-yard run.
The Red Raiders answered with Bruno Gajewski’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Andre Burnett in the final minute of the third quarter.
A 5-yard touchdown run and successful two-point conversion cut Pulaski’s lead to 48-14 in the fourth quarter before Eli Heuser scored Pulaski’s final touchdown on a 52-yard run.
The Terrors added a 44-yard pass with just under four minutes to go in the game to complete the scoring.
The Red Raiders didn’t have a 100-yard rusher, as Schmidt led the team with 78 yards on five carries. Gajewski, Schmidt and Bryce VanLannen also teamed up to complete eight of nine passes for 94 yards as Pulaski improved to 4-1 in conference play and 5-2 overall.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood 52, Colby 33
The Chargers have struggled to put points on the scoreboard in some of their Central Wisconsin Conference-Large games this season, but that wasn’t the case against the Hornets.
Kaden Yaeger scored on a 70-yard run on the first play from scrimmage.
Colby answered on its first drive and took a 7-6 lead on Luke Hannula’s 4-yard pass to Dany Nunez Jr., but the lead didn’t last long, as Tommy Gagnon returned the kickoff to give the Chargers a 13-7 lead.
Hannula tied the game with a 1-yard quarterback keeper before Yeager’s 32-yard run with 2:25 remaining in the first half made it 20-13.
Connor Meverden’s interception set the Chargers up at midfield, and the drive ended with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Bo Davis to Zandyr Barke.
The Chargers led 26-13 at halftime. Yaeger had touchdown runs of 64 and 8 yards in the third quarter, while Alberto Sanchez added scoring runs of 3 and 34 yards in the fourth quarter.
Colby trailed 39-13 heading into the fourth quarter but scored a pair of touchdowns in 14 seconds to cut the lead to 12 points.
Backup quarterback Logan Reynolds found Chase Heeg for a 79-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the quarter, and the Hornets recovered a fumble on the kickoff. Reynolds found Carsen Thomsen in the end zone the cut the Chargers’ lead to 39-27,
Sanchez’s first touchdown gave the Chargers a 45-27 advantage, but Reynolds and Thomsen hooked up again, this time from 21 yards, with just under seven minutes remaining.
Sanchez capped the scoring with his second touchdown run and the Hornets never scored again.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood improved to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in CWC-Large play.
Marion/Tigerton 57, Tri-County 24
It was the Braylon Mielke show in Marion, as the junior rushed for 340 yards and five touchdowns in a Central Wisconsin Conference-8 8-player win over the Penguins.
Marion/Tigerton led 14-0 after the first quarter, 36-6 at halftime and 51-18 after three quarters.
Other scores: Bonduel 43, Peshtigo 19; Xavier 28, Shawano 7; Lena/STAA 64, Wausaukee 0; Suring 38, Gibraltar 12; Algoma 74, Gillett 12.
Upcoming games
Oct. 9: Shawano at Waupaca, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 (all games 7 p.m.): Northland Pines at Oconto Falls; Bonduel at Oconto; Wittenberg-Birnamwood at Marathon; Pulaski at Green Bay Preble; Marion/Tigerton at Wild Rose; Gillett vs. Green Bay NEW Lutheran at Oneida Nation; Suring at Algoma; Lena/STAA at Gibraltar.