By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
A stout performance on defense helped lead the Waterford High School football team to a 28-0 victory against Delavan-Darien Oct. 17 at Delavan and a share of the Wolverines’ fourth consecutive Southern Lakes Conference title.
“We took this game as a conference championship game, and the kids played like it,” Waterford coach Adam Bakken said. “I give them a lot of credit. They played like they were playing for a conference championship.”
Elkhorn beat Burlington 35-28 at Burlington and Wilmot defeated Westosha Central 35-0 Oct. 17 in SLC play. The Wolverines’ victory over the Comets meant Waterford, Burlington, Elkhorn and Wilmot ended the regular season tied atop the SLC standings. Each team won five games in SLC play.
Bakken said the Wolverines learned they won a share of the SLC title on the bus ride home from Delavan, which prompted a de facto celebration en route to Waterford.
The Wolverines (6-3 overall) play South Milwaukee in a WIAA Division 2 Level 1 playoff game. Waterford plays at South Milwaukee at 7 p.m. tonight. Waterford is seeded sixth in its bracket and South Milwaukee is seeded third.
The Wolverines limited the Comets (4-5, 2-5 SLC) to a miserly 89 yards of total offense.
“We played very solid on defense,” Bakken said. “We were able to dictate things defensively and put our offense in really good situations.
“The kids played really hard and put themselves in the right position to make plays over the course of the game.”
Bakken said Waterford’s defense forced Delavan-Darien to be one-dimensional on offense. The Comets’ vaunted passing attack managed just 82 yards. Waterford limited Delavan-Darien’s rushing game to seven yards on 25 attempts.
Waterford also proved it is not one-dimensional on offense. The Wolverines scored a touchdown through the air and three more on the ground.
“I’m very satisfied with how balanced we are on offense,” Bakken said.
Dylan Malecki threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Johnny McCormick in the first quarter for the Wolverines’ first touchdown.
Dyln Ross scored on a five-yard touchdown run and Anthony Miller scored on a two-yard run in the second quarter and Waterford led 21-0 at halftime.
Ben Michalowski rushed for a four-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring.
Malecki completed 8-of-10 pass attempts for 154 yards and a touchdown. Waterford rushed for 161 yards on 47 carries. Miller rushed for 51 yards on 13 carries.
South Milwaukee suffered its first loss of the season in its regular season finale. Greendale beat the Rockets 42-7 Oct. 17 in a Woodland Conference crossover game.
South Milwaukee finished 5-1 in conference play and shared the Woodland East Conference title with Brown Deer.
The Wolverines face a stout test against a potent offense on the road.
“They’re 8-1 for a reason,” Bakken said, adding that the Rockets are talented at the skill positions and run a spread offense similar to Delavan-Darien’s.
South Milwaukee quarterback Justin Oliden passed for 1,611 yards and 21 touchdowns and wide receiver Mitchell Dess caught 51 balls for 964 yards and 14 touchdowns. Ian Pribyl rushed 1,311 yards on 210 attempts and scored 20 touchdowns.
Bakken said the Wolverines will prepare for the Rockets’ offense in similar fashion to how the team game-planned for Delavan-Darien.
“It’s kind of the same philosophy,” Bakken said. “We can’t let them pass effectively, and we can’t let them run effectively. We’ve got to try and minimize their production, either running or passing, and make them a little bit one-dimensional.”
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