Bulldogs become playoff eligible
By Erik Buchinger
The New London football team created seven turnovers in a 42-0 win over Green Bay West on Friday, Sept. 28.
New London safety Logan Locy scored two defensive touchdowns with a 34-yard interception return followed by a 55-yard fumble recovery for a score late in the first half to give the Bulldogs a 42-0 halftime lead.
“I’ve had a few picks on JV and freshman level but never on varsity, so this was a pretty special game,” Locy said.
New London head coach Marc Marsh said Locy has really come on over the last few weeks.
“We challenged him early on and said he needed to step up his game,” Marsh said. “It could have gone two ways, and he definitely rose to the challenge. He got a fumble recovery and the pick tonight. He’s creating turnovers the last few weeks, and he’s doing a great job in the secondary.”
Marsh said he was happy with the amount of takeaways the defense was able to make.
“Our secondary is pretty tough and got some picks,” Marsh said. “Any time they see that ball on the ground, they’re going to try to score and grab that thing. It’s just that mentality on defense where we want that ball back and that’s what our guys do.”
Offensively, Myles Parker completed 7 of 8 passes for 120 yards with one touchdown.
New London’s starting running back Makaio Harn sat out the game after being ejected last week for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Justin Wohlrabe got the start and carried the ball 10 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Brady Rodgers caught four passes for 67 yards with one touchdown.
“I think our O-line did a nice job executing our scheme we wanted to, and Myles threw the ball nicely,” Marsh said. “Brady made a nice catch on the first play of the night. Justin came in at tailback and ran the ball very well.”
The Bulldogs became playoff eligible with the win, but a victory in either of their next two games would guarantee a playoff spot.
“We told the guys the term is eligible but it’s not guaranteed yet,” Marsh said. “We still have work to do. We’ll enjoy this one before the weekend. We’ll give them 24 hours to enjoy it because it’s homecoming weekend, and on Monday we’ll get to work on Seymour.”
The game was Senior Night for New London, and Marsh said it was nice to win for the seniors on the roster.
“You want to win every game obviously, but senior night and homecoming makes it extra special,” Marsh said. “You want to send those guys out the right way, and I think we did that tonight.”
Locy said the team is hoping for another game in New London in the playoffs.
“It’s tough looking around here thinking it might be our last game here, but we’ve got to go make a statement next week and Shawano the week after that to have another game here,” Locy said. “That’s what we’re all hoping for.”
Locy said he is happy to leave with a victory on homecoming.
“It’s homecoming and we wanted to come out here and make a statement and we did that,” Locy said. “Now we’ve got to have fun at the dance. That’s what it’s all about.”