Comets knocked out of playoff hunt
By Greg Seubert
Only one of the area’s seven football teams picked up a win in games played Oct. 6-7.
Iola-Scandinavia handed Pacelli a 57-14 loss in a Central Wisconsin Conference-Small matchup in Stevens Point.
Other results from week 8 included Seymour 34, Waupaca 0; Shawano 34, New London 22; Spencer/Columbus Catholic 13, Manawa 10; Stratford 56, Weyauwega-Fremont 0; Coleman 26, Clintonville 22; and Wausau West 14, Hortonville 6.
Iola-Scandinavia 57, Pacelli 14
Iola-Scandinavia clinched a Central Wisconsin Conference-Small football championship Oct. 6 with a 57-14 win over Pacelli.
The Thunderbirds scored touchdowns on their first eight drives and led 14-0 after one quarter, 34-6 at halftime and 49-14 after three quarters.
Kyrylo Kopytsia had rushing touchdowns of 7, 33, 32 and 1 in the first half before adding another 1-yard score in the third quarter and finished with 199 yards on 24 carries.
Jensen Rice added a 15-yard touchdown run to open the scoring and added a 32-yard pass to Alex Robbins in the third quarter. He finished the game with 93 rushing yards.
Aiden Bowen capped the scoring with a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Pacelli’s touchdowns came on Andrew Van Order’s 58-yard pass to Logan Mayer in the second quarter and Bryce Flaker’s 62-yard run in the second quarter.
The T-Birds outgained the Cardinals 313-12 on the ground and Pacelli had a 74-33 advantage in passing yards.
Central Wisconsin Conference-Small results: Oct. 6: Iola-Scandinavia 57, Pacelli 14; Loyal 44, Rosholt 0. Oct. 7: Aurora Central Catholic (Illinois) 35, Assumption 14 (NC). Oct. 12 schedule: Loyal at Pacelli, 7 p.m. Oct. 13 schedule: Iola-Scandinavia vs. Kingdom Prep Lutheran at St. John Military Academy, Delafield, 3 p.m. (NC); Assumption at Rosholt, 7 p.m.
Seymour 34, Waupaca 0
Seymour took a 22-0 halftime lead after scoring a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter and one in the second.
Mason Bunnell capped Seymour’s opening drive of the Comets’ Homecoming game with a 1-yard run and Brandon Poch added a 3-yard run on the Thunder’s second drive. Seymour also found the end zone on its third drive, as Xavier Salzman scored from 6 yards out to finish a drive that took more than nine minutes off of the clock.
Neither team scored again until the Thunder added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Salzman’s 12-yard run on the second play of the quarter gave the Thunder a 28-0 lead and Poch scored on a 16-yard run on Seymour’s next drive.
Seymour outgained the Comets 233-53 on the ground and 93-52 through the air.
Salzman led all rushers with 111 yards.
Shawano 34, New London 22
A pair of unanswered touchdowns in the second half lifted the Hawks to the Homecoming win.
After the game’s first two drives ended in a turnover on downs and a punt, the Hawks and Bulldogs combined for six touchdowns and headed to halftime tied at 22-22
Shawano opened the scoring with Kaden Ewert’s 19-yard run with just over a minute to go in the opening quarter.
New London answered with a two-play drive that included Tyler Gerrits’ 61-yard pass to Hunter Beebe. Gerrits’ pass to Michael Helsten on the two-point conversion tied the game at 8-8.
Shawano regained the lead on its next drive with Jerzy Brocker’s 79-yard pass to Aiden Rasmussen that made it 14-8. Tommy Fields scored from a yard out for the Bulldogs and his two-point conversion run gave New London a 16-14 lead.
New London’s defense recovered a fumbled snap at the Shawano 47-yard line and took advantage of the short field with Gerrits’ 14-yard touchdown pass to Brett Marquardt for a 22-14 lead with just under a minute remaining before halftime.
The Hawks then drove 70 yards in less than a minute. Brocker’s 13-yard pass to Rasmussen on the final play with time running out cut New London’s lead to 22-20 and Brocker’s pass to Alex Zierden on the two-point conversion tied the game at 22-22.
Ewert’s touchdown run in the third quarter gave Shawano the lead for good and Brocker added a 20-yard pass to Zierden in the fourth quarter.
Brocker led all rushers with 147 yards and also completed 10 of 20 passes for 200 yards.
Fields led New London with 120 rushing yards on 29 carries. Gerrits completed 13 of 30 passes for 176 yards. Beebe caught three passes for a team-high 87 yards.
Bay Conference results: Oct. 6: Seymour 34, Waupaca 0; Xavier 45, Winneconne 19. Oct. 7: Shawano 34, New London 22. Oct. 13 schedule: Waupaca at Winneconne, 7 p.m.; Xavier at New London, 7 p.m.; Shawano at Seymour, 7 p.m.
Spencer/Columbus Catholic 13, Manawa 10
The Rockets held the Wolves without an offensive touchdown.
Carter Luepke gave Spencer/Columbus Catholic a 7-0 lead with a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Thomas Bartelt returned the kickoff after the touchdown 94 yards and Dakota Stroud added a 35-yard field goal that gave the Wolves a 10-7 lead.
Landon Beselich gave the Rockets the lead for good with a 1-yard run in the third quarter.
The Rockets held the Wolves to two rushing yards, 91 passing yards and seven first downs.
Stratford 56, Weyauwega-Fremont 0
Stratford outgained the Warhawks 373-117, forced four turnovers and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns.
The Tigers scored three touchdowns in the first quarter; two in the second and third quarters; and one in the fourth quarter.
Stratford scored in the first quarter on Gavin Leonhardt’s 46-yard run, Kaleb Krummel’s 38-yard fumble return and Koehler Kilty’s 2-yard run.
The Tigers added to their lead in the second quarter on Payton Glenn’s 4-yard run and Jack Tubbs’ 24-yard pass to Leonhardt.
A running clock in the second half limited the possessions for both teams, but Stratford still managed to find the end zone three times.
Tubbs scored on a 3-yard quarterback keeper and Glenn returned an interception 52 yards in the third quarter before Brady Berg hit Brandon Drexler with a 7-yard pass in the fourth quarter.
Dawson Lind led Weyauwega-Fremont with 62 rushing yards and Leonhardt led Stratford with 75 yards on only three carries.
Central Wisconsin Conference-Large results: Oct. 6 results: Stratford 56, Weyauwega-Fremont 0; Spencer/Columbus Catholic 13, Manawa 10; Amherst 39, Nekoosa 8; Wittenberg-Birnamwood 46, Shiocton 0. Oct. 13 schedule: Wittenberg-Birnamwood at Weyauwega-Fremont, 7 p.m.; Manawa at Amherst, 7 p.m.; Shiocton at Nekoosa, 7 p.m.; Spencer/Columbus Catholic at Stratford, 7 p.m.
Coleman 26, Clintonville 22
If the Clintonville Truckers want to qualify for the upcoming WIAA state football playoffs, they’re going to need a road win in the final game of the regular season.
The Truckers fell to 3-3 in Northwoods Conference play Oct. 6 with a 26-22 loss to Coleman and will wrap up the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, on the road against the Tomahawk Hatchets.
Coleman opened the scoring in the first quarter on Brady Gross’ 11-yard run, but the Truckers tied the game at 6-6 with Kade Rosenow’s 10-yard pass to Zachary Johnson. The Cougars found the end zone one more time in the opening quarter with Micah Kuchta’s 1-yard run.
Both teams added a touchdown in the second quarter. Gross scored on a 45-yard run and Rosenow connected with Samuel Wegener for a 50-yard pass.
Coleman added to its 18-14 halftime lead in the third quarter on Kuchta’s 2-yard run.
Rosenow and Johnson hooked up for a 30-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Rosenow’s pass to Jonathan Scherschel on the two-point conversion cut the Cougars’ lead to 26-22, but the Truckers never scored again.
All of Coleman’s 396 yards came on the ground, as Gross led the Cougars with 231 yards on 20 carries.
Rosenow completed 16 of 30 passes for 202 yards. Scherschel caught seven passes for 62 yards.
Northwoods Conference results: Oct. 6: Coleman 26, Clintonville 22; Oconto Falls 32, Crandon 20; Tomahawk 7, Westfield 0 (NC); Crivitz had open date. Oct. 13 schedule: Clintonville at Tomahawk, 7 p.m.; Crandon at Coleman, 7 p.m.; Crivitz at Oconto Falls, 7 p.m.
Wausau West 14, Hortonville 6
Hortonville’s string of four straight Valley Football Association football wins ended Oct. 6 with a 14-6 loss to Wausau West.
Wausau West took a 7-0 lead halftime lead after Jackson Ngo’s 63-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and the Warriors added to their lead with Jaden Durr’s 26-yard run in the third quarter.
Hortonville’s only score came on the final play of the third quarter, as Gavin Vallner scored on a 21-yard run.
Vallner finished with 52 of the Polar Bears’ 86 rushing yards and Broden Butzin completed 11 of 28 passes for 127 yards.
Valley Football Association results: Oct. 6: Wausau West 14, Hortonville 6; D.C. Everest 28, Wausau East 0; Wisconsin Rapids 31, Appleton West 0; Stevens Point 21, Marshfield 0. Oct. 13 schedule: Hortonville at Marshfield, 7 p.m.; Wisconsin Rapids at Wausau East, 7 p.m.; Appleton West at Stevens Point, 7 p.m.; Wausau West at D.C. Everest, 7 p.m.