By Mike Ramczyk
BURLINGTON – In 2009, the last time the Union Grove varsity football team made the playoffs, the iPad had yet to be released.
Green Bay Packers all-universe quarterback Aaron Rodgers was still a young, unproven NFL player, and rapper Soulja Boy of “Superman” fame was still relevant.
Broncos head coach Craig McClelland was still a 20-year-old kid playing college football and hoping to one day coach his alma mater, Union Grove.
Well, fast forward to 2015, and McClelland technically still plays quarterback, for the Racine Raiders.
His dream of becoming a head coach is now a reality, and in his first season as the man at his alma mater, the Broncos are going to the WIAA playoffs.
On Friday night, the Broncos scored 14 unanswered second-half points to knock off host Burlington, 28-16, in a winner-take-all showdown for a playoff spot. The Demons (5-4, 3-4 Southern Lakes) missed the playoffs by a game, and the Grove (6-3, 4-3 SLC) will begin its second season Friday.
Union Grove beat Burlington for the first time since 2009, snapping a five-game skid.
“It’s great,” said McClelland. “It’s a great feeling to bring a program back to the playoffs. Tonight we made a couple more plays than they did. Burlington’s a great team with great athletes. Hats off to them. It shows how tough this conference is.”
“We got over our little hump of losing late in the game. We had our run game going a little bit more than usual. TJ Cadd played a hell of a game tonight. He’s a tough kid.”
Was Cadd tough Friday night?
He compiled 119 yards on 15 carries, none more consequential than his game-sealing, 50-yard jaunt with five minutes left in the ball game.
The Broncos had been running the ball well the entire game. They racked up 209 rushing yards, the second straight week the Demons gave up more than 200 on the ground. It worked out against Elkhorn, but the Elks didn’t boast a dynamic quarterback like the Grove’s Matt Nelson, a 6-foot-3 junior who made clutch plays look routine in the second half.
On third and 7 with 5 minutes to play, Union Grove clung to a 21-16 lead, but the Burlington defense was inspired. The Broncos only punted once in the ball game, hence converting on multiple fourth-and-long situations.
Burlington had the right call, a nickel package featuring five defensive backs. This meant only six in the box to stop the run.
McClelland saw this and called a delayed handoff to Cadd, who broke through off right tackle untouched, cut back toward the left sideline, barely broke a tackle downfield thanks to some high-stepping and dove out of bounds at the Burlington 1-yard line.
Nelson punched the ball in the end zone on a sneak on the next play, and the Demons were cooked. Burlington went four-and-out on its next possession.
“It was a twins right weak, and when lead blocker John Rawley stuck his nose in there, I was looking for my cut,” Cadd said after the game. “Once I saw my lane, I took it outside and tried to score.”
A business-like response from the soft-spoken Cadd, who registered a season high in rushing yards and a second 100-yard game of the season.
“They went to their nickel, and we had been passing a lot,” McClelland said of Cadd’s long run. “I figured if he didn’t get it, we may have a fourth and short. We had positive drives, and we had the field position to go for it on fourth down all night. The offensive line had one of their best games all season.”
For Nelson, whose line looks like an off night with a touchdown and two interceptions (three total turnovers in first half), it took a 34-yard touchdown pass to lifelong friend Joe Peterson late in the first half to get back to his normal performance.
Nelson and Peterson are both from Racine, and the duo met in sixth grade and have clicked ever since. Chants of “Matty Ice” echoed from the Union Grove student section as Nelson picked apart the Burlington secondary with big plays in the second half.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Nelson said. “Joe and I have been best friends since we were really little. We’ve been dreaming about this. It’s a dream come true.”
Peterson credits McClelland with his willingness to push his players to the limit.
“The work he’s put us through this year is unmatchable,” he said. “The conditioning and pure tenacity, we’re a tenacious team and we grind it out until the end.”
Burlington must watch the playoffs from home one year after winning its first conference championship in nearly 20 years. At 5-4, it was still a winning season, and the Demons had quality victories against playoff teams Racine Horlick and Delavan-Darien, but injuries and inconsistencies plagued the team in the final three games (1-2).
A somber, humbled Tenhagen couldn’t put his finger on what went wrong Friday night.
“It hurts, you know,” he said. “We were in a number of these games this year where we didn’t make plays when we had opportunities. We just didn’t get it done. It hurts bad.”
The fourth quarter was particularly back-breaking for the Demons. Union Grove converted on a 4th-and-19, and a 30-yard pass-interference call, which could’ve gone either way, set up Cadd’s go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth.
After a nifty scramble and throw and third-and-long from Cal Tully to Jake Leonard, the Demons were in business at the Grove 20. But a dropped would-be first down over the middle to Jake Weidert and a dropped screen pass to Nick Klug led to a fourth-down quarterback sack.
On the ensuing drive, Grove sealed the victory.
Tully was frustrated all night, as he finished 9-of-24 for 117 yards and a touchdown. Klug had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. Leonard caught three passes for 45 yards.
The Demons ran for 4.9 yards per carry but only 79 yards on 16 carries. Grant Tully, who had 50 yards on nine carries, started the scoring with a six-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Burlington was winning by 16-7 in the second quarter, and a turnover thwarted another promising drive that could’ve extended the lead.
“We had a group that we had high expectations for this year,” Tenhagen added. “We jumped out to a lead, but at the end of the first half they overcame a fourth-and-25 and then a fourth-and-15 and got a score. That was a huge turning point in the game, going from a two-score lead to being down by a touchdown.”
“We know we’re close. It’s finding a way to get over that hurdle, and the great teams do it. We had a great group of kids that were dedicated and committed to our program. Unfortunately, it didn’t end the way we wanted.”
McClelland, who had preached the “1-0” mantra all season and talked playoffs since Day One in August, said the Broncos will face a tough challenge in the playoffs.
“We know whoever we play, it will be a good team,” he said. “If we keep playing like this, I think we’re going to be a dangerous team.”
-
-
-
-
-
Union Grove was clearly the better team. One negative was a couple of the fans. One was just obnoxious, a real classless woman. Hearing how the refs were awful, the announcer is awful, this place is awful, and “why do we need to sit near all these fa**ots?”. Well when you sit on the 50 yard line you are right on the edge of the home and away crowds. I’m not a rocket scientist but I think that is why. Just had to vent because it made a decent game un-enjoyable. I would assume she has gotten in many fights at sporting events because I think that is her goal.
After going to high school football games to close to 30 years, I can say without a doubt Union Grove has the most obnoxious fans of any of the area teams. I wouldn’t take it personally Gail, it’s pretty standard behavior for them.