Football team gets back on track

By Jennifer Eisenbart
SPORTS EDITOR
After opening week produced a 22-6 loss for the Waterford football team, head coach Adam Bakken said the problems his team had shown were fixable.
Consider them fixed – at least, to where they need to be at this point in the season.
The Wolverines held Wilmot to just 31 yards total rushing at Wilmot Friday night, bringing home a 28-13 victory.
Waterford is now 1-1 overall, 1-0 in the Southern Lakes Conference.
For Bakken, the game was a nice step forward for his team.
“We played more aggressive,” Bakken said. “Our offensive line did a really good job. We took care of the ball a little bit better.
“We didn’t put up a lot of yards or anything, but we were able to move the ball when we needed to,” he added.
The Wolverines knew they would need to address two different aspects of the Panthers’ potent offense – receiver Matt Christensen and rusher Bennett Kothe.
Kothe was held to just 14 yards rushing, while Christensen had just two catches for 12 yards. One was a touchdown, while Kothe caught three passes for 82 yards and a score.
However, those two amounted for a large majority of the Panther offense, and Waterford managed to achieve more balance.
Quarterback Ryan Danbrea was 8-for-12 passing for 75 yards, including a touchdown pass to Alex Schwalbach. He did not have a turnover in the game.
“I think he felt a little bit more comfortable,” Bakken explained. “I think some of the week one nervousness was put aside.
“He made some really nice throws that were exactly where we wanted them.”
And Waterford didn’t fumble away the ball this week, either. The Wolverines finished with 150 yards rushing, including 95 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns by Alex Thomaschek, and 55 yards and a touchdown by Kody Azarian.
Bakken also thought his team got the job done defensively.
“We gave up a big play,” he conceded. “(But) we kind of made them more one dimensional, which is not what they wanted to do.”
Next up for Waterford is hosting Burlington tonight at 7 p.m. The Demons are coming off a 33-12 loss at home to Badger last week, and Bakken is prepared for a tussle.
“With them being beat by Badger, they’re kind of in a must-win situation,” Bakken said. “It’s obviously a big rivalry game.
“It’s not going to get any easier for us this Friday, that’s for sure.”