I-S outscores Manawa 28-0 in second half
By Greg Seubert
Four unanswered second-half touchdowns turned a close game into a rout.
Iola-Scandinavia had scoring drives of 86 and 87 yards Aug. 19 and went on to post a 42-8 win in the season opener for both teams.
The teams had competed together for years in the Central Wisconsin 8 Conference, but the matchup is now a nonconference game, as Manawa moved to the Central Wisconsin 10 Conference this season.
Jayden Sivertson capped the game’s opening drive, as the I-S quarterback scored from a yard out with 8:06 to go in the first quarter. Gio Fredheim added a 6-yard run with 3:48 remaining in the first half to give the Thunderbirds a 14-0 lead, but the Wolves answered with Zach Kreklow’s 6-yard quarterback keeper, Kreklow then ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-8 with 24 seconds to go in the half.
Jalen Block’s long kickoff return and a completed pass gave the T-Birds a first-and-goal from the 5-yard line with five seconds on the lock, but Sivertson’s pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
I-S then scored on four of its five possessions in the second half.
Sivertson found the end zone from 13 yards out, Fredheim scored on a 10-yard run to cap an 86-yard drive, Bryce Huettner scored from 12 yards out to cap an 87-yard drive and Fredheim wrapped up the scoring with a 40-yard fumble recovery.
Both teams will host nonconference games at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26. Manawa will entertain Coleman, while the T-Birds will host Rosholt.