Darlington routs Edgar to win Division 6 state football championship
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Darlington won the WIAA Division 6 state football championship with a 42-18 victory over Edgar on Nov. 20 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
Quarterback Zeke Zuberbuhler ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard run just before the end of the first half, as the Redbirds won their first gold ball since 1995.
It is the fifth state championship for Darlington.
“I didn’t think we were nervous. They didn’t appear to be,” Edgar coach Jerry Sinz said. “Darlington was just playing with a little more emotion, a little more quickness, maybe, than us. I’m happy for them. They’ve got, I don’t know, numerous second places in a row, so it’s nice for them to win one. They have a very good program.”
After seven consecutive appearances in state-title games without a win, Darlington won convincingly with a roster full of juniors. With only four seniors on the field, the Redbirds took a 21-0 lead over Edgar in the first quarter and never looked back.
Darlington finishes the year having averaged 45 points per game over 14 wins in its undefeated season.
Edgar’s Maverick Butt ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, but the Wildcats were denied the opportunity for a 10th WIAA state title that would have matched Stratford for the most of any program in state history.
Darlington led 35-6 at halftime.
The 35 points were not a record for a Division 6 title game, with Owen-Withee scoring 42 points in a half in 1999, but it’s the second-most points a D6 team has scored in a half of the state championship game.
Zuberbuhler had 125 yards rushing on eight carries with two touchdowns in the first half and also passed for a touchdown before halftime.
Darlington had 351 total yards of offense and held Edgar to 231 yards.
Calum Crist had nine tackles (8 solo) to lead the Darlington defense, which finished with five sacks. Crist also ran for 104 yards on 16 carries.
Darlington was in the championship game for the 14th time and for the second time in the past three seasons. The Redbirds won Division 5 titles in 1987, 1990, 1991 and 1995.
Edgar was the Division 7 champion the past two seasons before moving up to D6 this season. The Wildcats were playing in the title game for the 16th time, which is the most for any program.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Darlington wins WIAA Division 6 state football championship over Edgar
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