Despite valiant effort, Demons knocked out of playoff contention
By Jason Arndt
With playoff implications on the line for Wilmot Union High School Friday at Bucci Field, where the Panthers celebrated Homecoming, it all came down to senior kicker Jeff Shoopman’s leg in a 21-21 deadlock against Burlington.
Shoopman, summoned with 19 seconds left in regulation, delivered on a 36-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 24-21 victory.
After Friday’s contest, the Panthers improved to 6-1 (4-1 Southern Lakes Conference) to secure a WIAA Division 2 playoff appearance.
Entering the contest, the thought of a playoff spot was not on Wilmot coach Erick Kaiser’s agenda, noting he was focused on the game.
“I was just worried about this game and I will think about the playoffs later,” said Kaiser.
While Shoopman received accolades for his second game-winning field goal of the season, the kicker said it would not have been possible without the team.
“I am just honored to be part of these great group of guys,” Shoopman said. “We worked hard over the summer and we have just grown together as a team.”
Shoopman’s game-winner, however, came at the expense of a Demons’ Nick Klug fumble on a Jake Raiman punt with 1:45 left in regulation.
According to Burlington coach Steve Tenhagen, Klug felt dejected after the contest, where he produced three total touchdowns as the quarterback.
“Any time a player has a play that happens like that, there is not a whole lot you can do,” Tenhagen stated. “I talked to him after the game, told him to keep his head up.”
“He will be alright, it is obviously tough on him right now,” Tenhagen added.
Klug, who completed 13 of 29 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown, also accumulated a team-leading 78 yards rushing on 14 carries with two touchdowns.
But, for every Klug touchdown, Panthers’ junior quarterback A.J. Frisby answered.
The two quarterbacks waged in a back-and-forth battle, trading touchdowns in five straight possessions, which led to three ties in the contest.
Frisby, who had no completions, contributed on the ground with a team-leading 127 yards on 22 carries with three touchdowns.
The Panthers quarterback scored on runs of 38, 1 and 2 yards.
Klug, however, scored on runs of 1 and 17 yards.
Additionally, Klug connected with senior Zach Campbell on a 26-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the third deadlock of the contest.
Despite the late fumble, Tenhagen credited Klug for keeping the Demons in the contest.
“He definitely played well, and we played better in the second half,” Tenhagen stated. “We are still looking to put those four quarters together.”
Courtesy of a Frisby 38-yard touchdown run in the opening drive, and a scoreless second quarter, the Panthers entered halftime with a 7-0 edge.
Klug opened the third quarter, when he scored on a 1-yard sneak to pull the contest even, before Frisby added a 1-yard touchdown run of his own with 30 seconds left.
However, Klug deadlocked the game, when he ran for a 17-yard run to start the fourth quarter.
But, Frisby added his third touchdown in the ensuing possession, punching in for 2-yard score.
Klug responded with a 26-yard strike to Zach Campbell in the left corner of the end zone with 5:23 left in regulation.
Nearly four minutes later, with the Panthers in their own territory on fourth down, they were forced to punt.
As Klug attempted to receive the punt, the ball slipped through his hands, and recovered by Wilmot with 1:45 left in regulation.
After several short runs, the Panthers were in ideal field position for Shoopman, who acknowledged the team was ready to win with 19 seconds left.
“We knew going out there that we were going to execute,” said Shoopman.
Based on Shoopman’s work ethic, Kaiser believed the senior kicker would deliver, which he did as the clock stopped at 15 seconds when the ball cleared the uprights.
“Shoopman is a guy that puts in the time and effort in practice, he works at his job responsibilities and I felt extremely confident that he would do his job,” Kaiser stated.
Wilmot’s victory knocked the Demons, who dropped to 2-5 (1-4 SLC), out of playoff contention.
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