By Jennifer Eisenbart
Sports Editor
Friday night’s regular season football finale between Badger and Waterford can be filed firmly under the following head.
“Are you kidding me?”
Following a defensive battle that last until the final two minutes of the game, Waterford scored with about 1:15 left on the clock and held on for a 6-3 victory over the Badgers at home.
The win clinched the Southern Lakes Conference championship for the Wolverines for the second year in a row. Last year, Waterford beat Badger 7-0 in double overtime to clinch a share of the SLC crown in the final regular-season game.
Waterford head coach Adam Bakken told his team after the game that it had been the best game he’d been a part of as a coach, and stood by that statement Monday.
“Defensively, yeah, for sure,” Bakken said.
The two teams combined for just 18 first downs and 301 totals yards rushing – shocking for two squads that rely on the run.
And until the final few minutes, the only score on the board was a 28-yard field goal by Badger’s Thomas Ritzman.
Waterford had a chance to score in the first quarter, but ended up turning the ball over on downs. The Wolverines were quite possibly down to their final downs in the fourth quarter when Alex Thomaschek ripped off about a 50-yard run on third and long.
“Alex made a really good cut, ran through a couple of tackles,” Bakken said.
On the next play from scrimmage, quarterback Ryan Danbrea kept the ball and went in from 21 yards out. The extra point attempt was blocked, and it looked like Badger would get the ball back with a little more than a minute left to try and go back ahead.
“At that point of the game…most of the things we had tried hadn’t worked,” Bakken said. “It’s a huge plus and positive for everybody.
“Obviously, the excitement level is sky high.”
However, a miscue on the kickoff turned into the equivalent of an onside kick for the Wolverines – who recovered the ball, got a critical first down and ran out the clock.
“He almost missed the ball and we got really, really lucky,” Bakken said of kicker Jacob Schuyler.
In spite of referring to luck, though, Bakken said the game wasn’t about it.
“I’m not sure where any luck is involved,” Bakken said of the Wolverines’ win – both this year and last. “At no point in time was anybody in either game a clear-cut (favorite) or well out in front.
“It just comes down to executing,” he added. “We just made two really big plays when we had to.”
Waterford will host a WIAA Division 2 Level One playoff game tonight at 7 p.m., with Waukesha West coming to town.
West, also the Wolverines, enter the game with a 4-4 overall record, 4-3 in the Classic Eight conference.
“They’re a really talented team,” Bakken said. “They’ve got a lot of size, pretty good skill players. A number of guys who are
“Records are irrelevant once the playoffs start,”he added. “Everyone in the playoffs is good. That’s why you’re in the playoffs.”
Bakken said the key to the game would be to allowing no big plays on defense, make more first downs and get in better position to score.
“(And) just play really hard,” Bakken added.
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