Edgar, Stratford football win on field goals

Edgar junior Anthony Trawicki made a 25-yard field goal with only 2-1/2 seconds remaining to lift the Wildcats varsity football team to a 9-6 home win on Friday against Marquette Academy of Ottawa, Ill., at DeForest High School. Edgar remains undefeated with a 4-0 record this season.

The Wildcats were originally scheduled to play a home Marawood Conference game against the Rosholt Hornets on Friday, but Rosholt switched to playing eightman football this season. Marawood Conference commissioner Mark Lacke received an e-mail from Jake Beschta, WIAA assistant director, who told him that all Rosholt conference games are considered forfeits for the 2025 season. Beschta said if a school does play a different opponent in place of Rosholt, the school will receive the most favorable outcome (when determining the week’s playoff qualifying points total).

Edgar scored its touchdown against Marquette Academy on Friday on senior quarterback Tucker Streit’s one-yard keeper early in the second quarter. Streit handed the football off to senior Maverick Butt who pitched the ball to senior Gavin Mauer, but Mauer’s two-point pass attempt was deflected.

The teams were tied at six points apiece until Trawicki’s game-winning kick at the end of the fourth quarter.

Mauer led Edgar’s rushing attack with 13 carries for 71 yards and he had an interception on defense. Butt had 22 rushing attempts for 68 yards and three receptions for 18 yards.

Fisher kicks game winner

Stratford’s varsity football team came back from a 13-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to win Friday’s road game against Wittenberg/ Birnamwood, 16-13, on sophomore Declan Fisher’s 32-yard field goal in overtime.

The Tigers scored first in the Central Wisconsin Large Conference (CWCLarge) game against the Chargers when junior John Mews caught a 23-yard touchdown from senior quarterback Brady Berg. Senior Mason Miller made the extra point kick. Stratford led, 7-6, at halftime but was losing 13-7 at the end of the third quarter.

Junior Kolton Haupt’s 19-yard kickoff return gave Stratford great field position at Wittenberg/Birnamwood’s 25-yard line with only two minutes, 14 seconds left in the game. Stratford had no timeouts when it began its final offensive drive in regulation. Berg completed a short pass to senior Zander Zawislan. On the next play, Wittenberg-Birnamwood received a 15-yard pass interference penalty on Berg’s throw into the end zone. The football was moved up to the 11-yard line on the penalty. Berg then threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to junior Connor Kraft to tie the game with one minute, 42 seconds left in the game. Miller missed the extra point kick to win the game in regulation.

The Chargers got the football first in the four-minute overtime, in which teams receive the football on the 25-yard line. Stratford senior Brooks Vanderhoof knocked down Wittenberg/Birnamwood junior quarterback Bo Davis’ pass in the end zone on fourth down, turning the ball over to the Tigers.

Stratford started its game-winning offensive drive on the 25-yard line in overtime. Junior Aaron Knetter ran for seven yards and Vanderhoof then rushed for the first down. Vanderhoof ran the ball for a short gain. Stratford’s center then snapped the football over quarterback Berg’s head for an 18-yard loss back to the 26-yard line. Haupt ran for a 14-yard gain, resulting in fourth down and 16. Fisher, who only does kickoffs, then entered the game to boot the game-winning 32-yard field goal in overtime.

Tigers senior Jaegar Ormond led the team’s defense with 11 tackles, which 10 of them were solo. Junior Tyler Budtke had seven tackles and five of them were solo. Budtke also tallied a sack and 2-1/2 tackles for loss in the win.

Stratford improves its record to 2-0 in the CWC-Large and 2-2 overall this season.

Passehl has huge night

Athens senior Evin Passehl ran the football 30 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 26-16 road win against Bruce on Thursday. Passehl caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Kamden Zarnke, and he also had an interception on defense.

Bluejays head coach Todd Diethelm was elated with the win. Athens improves its eight-man football record to 3-1 this season.

“What a team effort,” he said. “Playing through many injuries and the next man mentality paid off. Our players made plays when they had to and my staff had our team well prepared for this game.”

Athens scored first against Bruce on Passehl’s 16-yard touchdown run with seven minutes, 48 seconds left in the first quarter. Passehl caught the two-point conversion pass from Zarnke to give the Bluejays an 8-0 lead.

Blake Nyhagen of Bruce ran for a 70yard touchdown with three minutes, 44 seconds left in the first quarter. Nyhagen then caught the two-point conversion pass from Tyler Stevens to tie the game at eight points for each team. Passehl ran for a 15yard touchdown. The extra point kick was no good but Athens still had a 14-8 advantage at the end of the opening quarter. Neither team scored in the second quarter.

Passehl ran for a 16-yard touchdown with four minutes, 11 seconds left in the third quarter to give Athens a 20-8 lead after the failed extra point kick. Bruce closed the gap when Brockton Poppe caught a 15-yard touchdown from Nyhagen with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Athens still held onto a 20-16 lead. Passehl caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Zarnke with 30 seconds left in the game to seal the win, despite the failed extra point kick.

Red Raiders fall to Falcons

Marathon’s varsity football team succumbed to a tough Amherst squad, 44-7, on the road Friday. Amherst remains undefeated this season and is tied for first place in the Central Wisconsin Large Conference (CWC-Large) with Loyal/Greenwood and Stratford. Each of the three teams have 2-0 conference records. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, are 0-2 in the CWC-Large and 1-3 overall this season.

The Red Raiders scored their lone points against the Falcons when senior Garrett Bracewell caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback True Thurs early in the second quarter. Junior Ben Stowell made the extra point kick. Marathon was only losing, 15-6, at this point in the game.