Winneconne looking to finish undefeated season with Division 4 state championship
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There’s a confidence, even a bit of swagger, in the way the Winneconne football team has approached each and every game this season.
This team is good. The coaches and players know it. The fans know it. The opponents know it, too.
And now the Wolves (13-0) are in position to finish a brilliant undefeated season with a championship as they prepare to face Little Chute in the WIAA Division 4 title game Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
Standing in the way of their first state title since 2013 are the Mustangs (12-1), the same team the Wolves had to battle to get past in Week 1 back in August. It was a hard-fought 14-6 victory that forecasts to be the same in the championship game.
“It’s an amazing experience,” Winneconne senior offensive/defensive lineman Hudson Samolinski said of the journey to Madison. “Not just for myself but for everybody. We’re very, very excited.”
The Wolves have played well all season but the postseason has seen this veteran team, which returned 18 seniors, blossom into one of the state’s more formidable title contenders.
It starts with do-everything senior quarterback Brody Schaffer, a University of Iowa recruit. Schaffer followed a breakthrough season last year with another strong campaign this season. He’s improved as a passer, completing 67% of his passes (115-for-172) for 1,734 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 1,075 yards (6.8 average) and 22 touchdowns.
Schaffer has 45 total touchdowns when you include his scores on defense and special teams.
“He’s one of the toughest kids we’ve had,” Winneconne co-head coach Nate Ryf said. “He doesn’t go out of the game. Late in the game when we’re up, if we’re up, we try not to have him carry the ball because he doesn’t go out of bounds. He’s just relentless.”
Schaffer’s also a terror at defensive back. His 78-yard interception return for a touchdown helped catapult the Wolves past Baldwin-Woodville, 28-8, in the semifinals.
“He kind of does everything,” Winneconne co-head coach Ryan Krings said. “He’s a kid that is going to put the weight of what he needs to on his shoulders. When things aren’t going his way, he can step up and be that person that makes the changes that we need on both sides of the ball.”
Bryce Jones, a senior running back, also has 618 yards and seven scores with Mason Mathe totaling 422 yards with seven scores. Ryan Quigley (30 catches, 635 yards, 21.2 average, 8 touchdowns) and Jordan Nettekoven (31-394-12.7-4) have been Schaffer’s favorite targets with Karter Hawthorne (14-325-23.2-3) also a threat.
“We’re really peaking at the right time, I feel,” Schaffer said after the win against Baldwin-Woodville. “I’m so grateful to play with these guys and they all give it their all and I give my all for them. It’s pretty special.”
The Wolves’ offensive line and defensive line is headlined by Samolinski, an Illinois State recruit. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound senior has been a dominant force on both sides of the ball. Jesse Michaud, Hugh Sleeman, Baylor Van Bommel and Dallas Walker round out a formidable offensive line.
Winneconne’s defense has been spectacular, allowing just seven points a game in the postseason. Ethan Duel and Samolinski lead the team in total tackles with 73 and 71, respectively. Samolinski and Jovan Zeller each have 19 tackles for loss, with Zeller leading the team in sacks (3).
Michaud (13), Walker (11) and Hawthorne (10) also have double-digit tackles for loss. Schaffer leads the team in interceptions (5) with a pair of scores and is also the team’s top kick returner with two touchdowns on kickoffs and one on a punt return.
The Wolves beat the Mustangs 14-6 in the first game of the season with the Mustangs rushing for 254 yards on 46 carries. Schaffer proved to be the difference as he finished with two touchdowns rushing and also made several touchdown-saving tackles at defensive back.
“I think we made the comment after that game that we were fortunate to get away with the [win],” Ryf said. “We thought they were going to be undefeated on the season after playing us. We knew they were a real good team.”
Paramount for the Wolves’ defense will be stopping Little Chute’s Flexbone/Wing-T offense, which allowed the Mustangs to win a competitive North Eastern Conference, roll through the playoffs and control the clock in their postseason victories.
Junior running back Reece Joten is the main threat, rushing for 1,675 yards on 204 carries (8.2 average) with 20 touchdowns. The team has rushed for 4,238 yards total this season (7.4 average) and has four other players over 300 yards for the season: Jaden Hermsen (112 carries, 866 yards, 15 touchdowns), Charlie Vanden Heuvel (119-574-3), Tyler Hietpas (50-511-7) and Trevor Verhagen (39-386-3).
Little Chute coach Mark Krommenacker said his team felt they might meet the Wolves again after their Week 1 matchup.
“I think both sides knew, ‘Well, this is a couple of pretty good teams,’ ” he said. “And as the season kept going it’s like, ‘OK, yeah, we do have a shot here and this could happen again.’ Luckily with the new playoff system, we didn’t have to play in the first or second round and to see it here in the championship game is pretty cool.”
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Winneconne Wolves in WIAA high school football Division 4 title game
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