Iola-Scandinavia kept pace with Amherst and Shiocton in the Central Wisconsin 8 Conference football standings Sept. 27 with a 54-12 win over Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
Nick Wavruk had a hand in six of the Thunderbirds’ eight touchdowns, as he ran for three and threw for three more.
The senior put the T-Birds on the board in the first quarter with a 1-yard quarterback keeper. Tanner Krusa kicked a 17-yard field goal to give the visitors a 9-0 advantage, but Wavruk wasn’t finished in the opening period, as he tossed a 20-yard TD pass to Isaac Lashua to give the T-Birds a 15-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
Wavruk’s 34-yard run gave I-S a 21-0 lead, but Brian Szutkowski put the Chargers on the board with a 63-yard run. The T-Birds added two more scores before halftime on John Prahl’s 2-yard run and Wavruk’s 76-yard pass to Lashua that gave I-S a 35-6 lead at the break.
The T-Birds added to their lead with Wavruk’s 61-yard TD run before Szutkowski found the end zone again, this time from 36 yards out. Wavruk and Lashua teamed up one more time for a 23-yard TD pass before Krusa wrapped up the scoring with an 8-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The T-Birds had a 20-4 advantage in first downs and outgained the Chargers 329-143 on the ground and 194-5 through the air.
Wavruk led the team in rushing with 141 yards on 10 carries, while Krusa and Kristian Welch added 71 and 61, respectively. Wavruk also completed nine of 12 passes for 194 yards, with Lashua catching four of them for 129 yards.
Szutkowski led the Chargers with 99 yards on the ground, but no other W-B rusher had more than 28.
The T-Birds improved to 3-1 in the CWC-8 and 5-1 overall. I-S will travel to Stevens Point Pacelli at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, before hosting Manawa the following Friday for Homecoming.