Piotrowski throws four TD passes
By Greg Seubert
Amherst’s football team gave up more points than it had all season in its third-round playoff game.
Winnebago Lutheran found the end zone four times against the Falcons, but it wasn’t enough, as the defending WIAA Division 5 state champions handed the Vikings a 44-27 loss Nov. 4 in a Level 3 game at Amherst High School.
The 11-1 Falcons will now face Stanley-Boyd in a state semifinal game at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at a site to be determined. The Orioles advanced with a 31-20 win over Durand.
The Vikings didn’t have an answer for Amherst’s Brandon Piotrowski, who threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score.
His first touchdown pass, a 1-yarder to Marcus Glodowski with 8:43 remaining in the first quarter, capped an eight-play 51-yard drive.
Amherst soon had the ball back at the Winnebago Lutheran 32-yard line, as Colby Daves fumbled on the Vikings’ first play from scrimmage and Cole VanNuys recovered the loose ball. Piotrowski hooked up with Glodowski for a 31-yard pass play to start the drive and Chandler Benn scored from a yard out on the next play to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead with 8:10 to go in the quarter.
Winnebago Lutheran cut into Amherst’s lead on the Vikings’ next drive, as Eric Schmitz scored on a 3-yard quarterback keeper. However, the Falcons blocked the extra point try.
Amherst’s third touchdown came on its third drive, as Glodowski connected with Josh Cisewski for a 55-yarder with 9:53 to go in the first half. A two-point conversion made it 22-6.
The Vikings answered on their next drive with Mason Herkstroeter’s 25-yard option pass to Brennan Kulibert with 5:59 left in the half. The two-point conversion failed.
The Falcons came up with their fourth TD drive in a row later in the quarter, as Piotrowski hit Glodowski for a 19-yard pass with 2:21 remaining in the half.
Amherst added to its lead with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter on Piotrowski’s 41-yard pass to Cisewski that capped an 83-yard drive.
Winnebago Lutheran wasn’t finished, as Schmitz came up with a 35-yard TD pass to Eric Schwark with 9:33 left in the game. Schmitz then hit Daves for the two-point conversion and the Vikings had trimmed Amherst’s lead to 36-20.
The Vikings turned the ball over on downs at their 33-yard line and Piotrowski gained 23 yards on the first play of the drive to set the Falcons up at the 10-yard line. He later scored from 9 yards out with 3:28 remaining.
Schmitz scored from a yard out with 1:13 to go, but the Vikings never got the ball back after the Falcons recovered an onside kick.