Schmidt, Menzies, Canterbury score twice

By Greg Seubert

It wasn’t pretty, but it was good enough for the Waupaca football team’s first win of the season.

The Comets overcame three first-half turnovers, but scored on five possessions of the second half Sept. 8 in a 55-6 win over Green Bay West at Comet Field.

Each team scored in the first quarter. Jack Menzies broke the scoreless tie with a 46-yard punt return with 1:37 remaining in the quarter, but Brandon Dudley scored on the first play of the Wildcats’ next drive on a 65-yard run. That score tied the game at 6-6, but it was the last time that West would reach the end zone.

Waupaca fumbled the ball away on the kickoff return to give the Wildcats the ball at the Comet 40-yard line, but West couldn’t take advantage of the turnover.

Brenden Canterbury’s 4-yard quarterback keeper less than three minutes into the second quarter and his two-point conversion run gave the Comets the lead for good at 14-6. Waupaca added another score before halftime on Canterbury’s 35-yard TD pass to Jake Pankratz that gave the home team a 21-6 advantage.

Waupaca found the end zone three times in the third quarter on Canterbury’s 8-yard run, a 3-yard run from Terry Schmidt and Menzies’ 7-yard run.

A blocked punt set up Schmidt’s score, while Nick Gotto’s interception return to the West 7-yard line set up Menzies’ second touchdown.

Schmidt scored his second touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard run, while backup quarterback Davis Levine wrapped up the scoring with 1:35 to go on a 40-yard run.

Waupaca outgained the Wildcats 274-126 on the ground and 93-1 through the air. Schmidt finished with 83 yards on 13 carries, while Canterbury added 71 yards on 10 rushes.

The Comets will host former Eastern Valley Conference rival Freedom at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, for Waupaca’s nonconference game. The Irish are 3-1, while the Comets come into the game with a 1-3 record.

Correction: The story originally listed Alex Gotto as getting an interception for the Comets. It was actually Nick Gotto.