A pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns lifted Iola-Scandinavia to a 19-12 Central Wisconsin 8 Conference football win over Manawa Friday.
The Thunderbirds trailed 12-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Bradly Hardel gave the T-Birds the lead for good by picking off a David Sell pass and returning it 15 yards for a touchdown. Devin Peterson added a 29-yard touchdown run as I-S improved to 2-2 in league play and 3-3 overall.
Peterson put the T-Birds on the board with a 6-yard run in the second quarter, but the Wolves answered with Sell’s 30-yard scoring pass to Jestin Heimbruch. Heimbruch gave the Wolves the lead in the third quarter with a 28-yard run to make it 12-7.
“We played good at times and other times, we were sloppy,” coach Scott Erickson said. “We gave them two big plays and that’s something we have to cut out.”
Hardel’s interception gave the momentum back to the T-Birds.
“We had a Brett Favre moment at the end of the game,” Manawa coach Bob Sell said. “We just needed to have a sustained drive and run some clock off. On third and 5, we threw a slant to the outside, the receiver bobbled it and a defender intercepted it and ran in for touchdown.”
The Wolves outgained the T-Birds 323-260. Peterson led the T-Bird ground game with 140 yards on 20 carries. Sell threw for 262 yards to account for most of Manawa’s offense, with Raythan Mann catching eight passes for a team-high 123 yards and Heimbruch adding five catches for 95 yards.
Erickson said his team’s standouts included Rick Melum on the offensive line, Cole Sorenson on the defensive line and Hardel as a linebacker. Peterson also came up with the hit of the week.
I-S will host Amherst at 7 p.m. Friday. The Falcons can clinch a playoff spot with a win.
“This is go time now,” Erickson said. “It’s time to put it together.”