Game ends in rare tie

Stratford and Mosinee fight to stalemate

By Casey Krautkramer

The Stratford and Mosinee varsity football teams engaged in a 20-20 tie in the season opener on Friday night in Marshfield. Both head coaches decided to call the game at the end of the third quarter because of continued lightning in the area.

Jason Tubbs, Stratford head football coach, said this is the first tie he’s witnessed while coaching at Stratford during the past 20 years. It was a typical first game of the season in which the Tigers made an equal amount of good and bad plays on both offense and defense.

“I thought the team played well at times but we have things to work on for our upcoming games,” Tubbs said.

Stratford did an excellent job running the football against Mosinee while the Indians enjoyed success through the air against the Tigers.

Tigers junior fullback Koehler Kilty gashed Mosinee’s defense for 190 yards on 21 carries. He scored a pair of touchdown runs. Senior quarter- back Braeden Schueller ran five times for 14 yards and he kept the ball for a one-yard touchdown plunge. Senior halfback Conner Weigel rushed five times for 18 yards on counter run plays.

Indians junior quarterback Gavin Obremski completed 14 of 20 pass attempts for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw an interception to Stratford middle linebacker Koehler Kilty in the third quarter, which led to Schueller’s touchdown keeper to tie the game at 20 points for each team.

Mosinee junior wide receiver Keagan Jirschele used his speed to catch six passes for 135 yards and one touchdown. He scored the first touchdown of the game on a short pass from Obremski and raced down Mosinee’s sideline for a 75-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Senior Noah Stencil kicked the successful extra point to give the Indians a 7-0 lead.

Indians senior tight end Davin Stoffel caught three passes for 79 yards and one touchdown. Stoffel caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from Obremski in the second quarter to give Mosinee a 14-6 advantage on junior Aidan Shaughnessy’s successful extra point kick.

Stratford went to its traditional power running game after Jirschele’s long touchdown run for Mosinee. The Tigers fed Kilty the ball six straight times until he found the end zone. Kilty obtained four first down runs and he capped off the long scoring drive with a seven-yard touchdown to get Stratford on the scoreboard in the first quarter. The team’s holder botched the snap on the extra-point kick attempt.

Stratford’s defense then arose to the occasion when strong safety Conner Weigel and junior cornerback Cole Tichy broke up Obremski’s pass attempt to Stoffel on a key fourth down play. Mosinee held a slim 7-6 advantage at the conclusion of the first quarter.

Stoffel’s 51-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter gave the Indians a 14-6 halftime lead against the Tigers.

Stratford bounced back to score 14 points in the third quarter. The Tigers capped off a seven play, 46-yard scoring drive on Kilty’s easy four-yard touchdown run. Stratford featured Conner Weigel on counter run plays during this drive in which he converted two of his three rushing attempts into first downs. Kilty also ran in the two-point conversion and tie the game at 14 points for each team.

Mosinee’s offense was driving the ball down the field against Stratford until Kilty intercepted a pass from Obremski and he returned the ball 24 yards to the Indians’ 35-yard line. Stratford’s short four-play offensive drive ended in Schueller’s one-yard touchdown run. Schueller’s pitch to Kilty on the two-point conversion attempt failed, but the Tigers still held a 20-14 advantage against the Indians.

On Mosinee’s next possession, Obremski faked the handoff and ran untouched for a 35-yard touchdown to tie the game in the third quarter. Stencil’s extra point kick failed. There was an injury timeout for Kilty on Mosinee’s offensive possession and Stratford’s ensuing offensive possession; it appeared he was only suffering from cramps and not an actual injury. Friday night was the first time many players like Kilty were constantly on the field while playing both sides of the ball.

The referee crew signaled for a 30-minute lightning delay after the third quarter ended, and both teams eventually decided to end the game in a 20-20 tie instead of waiting a long time for the storms to pass.

Senior linebacker Ryan Becker led Stratford’s defense with eight tackles against Mosinee, while senior strong safety Ashton Wrensch added five tackles.

Stratford plays its annual non-conference archrivalry football game at Edgar this Friday, Aug. 26.

DEFENSE makes a big play- Stratford senior defensive end Izaiah Hadlock tackles Mosinee junior quarterback Gavin Obremski, with eventual help from Stratford senior outside linebacker John Seitz III, for a one-yard loss in the first quarter of Friday night’s game in Marshfield.TP PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

BECKER BREAKS THROUGH THE HOLE- Stratford senior Ryan Becker (15) carries the ball against Mosinee during the first quarter of Friday night’s game in Marshfield. Stratford’s offensive linemen, including seniors John Seitz III (58) and Kash Dahl (59) did a good job blocking for the team’s running backs.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER