WIAA DIVISION 6 STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - Tigers win back-to-back D-6 state titles

WIAA DIVISION 6 STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

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and lasted nearly the entire fourth quarter. Senior Koehler Kilty, who scored the team’s lone touchdown of the game in the third quarter, ran the football 14 times during the 22-play drive. When the drive sputtered at Darlington’s seven-yard line, Stratford head coach Jason Tubbs made a decisions to allow Plattner to attempt his first field goal of this season and his entire life because he’d only played soccer in Germany before coming to the United States three months ago.

Plattner’s first field-goal in the fourth quarter, a 24-yard attempt, was blocked by Darlington’s Goebel 23 seconds left in the game.

“After I kicked the first one I felt depressed a little, sad,” he said. “I thought when we lose this game, I’m the idiot who cannot kick a field goal, and before that field goal I always only made extra points.”

Darlington took possession of the football at Stratford’s 20-yard line. Stratford senior linebacker Gavin Leonhardt tackled Darlington senior Reagan Jackson after his eight-yard run. The Redbirds took a timeout after the play but were penalized for a five-yard false start on the next play. Darlington then attempted a homer pass deep down the right sideline but it was incomplete. Then things got interesting.

Darlington’s Jackson ran the football for nine yards to his team’s 32-yard line where Stratford senior strong safety Cole Tichy stripped the ball out of his hands and it landed in Stratford junior safety Alec Chapel’s hands. Chapel returned the fumble seven yards to Darlington’s 25yard line. Stratford took a timeout with only six seconds remaining in the game.

Stratford junior Jack Tubbs completed a pass to Chapel for 22 yards to Darlington’s three-yard line as time expired, but Redbirds senior defensive back Will Murray was penalized for holding during the play. Since the play started on the 25-yard line, the officiating crew gave Stratford the football 10 yards ahead to the 15-yard line and an untimed down for the final play in the state championship. Stratford’s players told coach Tubbs to give Plattner another try at making a field goal to win the game.

“Everyone said Laurenz, you can make it, you can make it,” he said.

He wrote the message “Just like you did in practice” on his arm before the state championship game began so he could see it as a reminder before his field goal attempts. Plattner calmly kicked a 32-yard field goal through the uprights on the final play of the game to give Stratford a thrilling 10-7 win against Darlington in the Division 6 state championship. Chapel snapped the football to senior Matt Folz who held the football for Plattner to kick it.

Coach Tubbs needed to take a few large breaths of air before his postgame interview with the media.

“They block a field goal and we get the ball back on a turnover and then we have See TIGERS WIN BACK-TO-BACK D-6 STATE TITLES/ page 14

THE FAMOUS GAME-WINNING KICK- Laurenz Plattner, Stratford’s German foreign exchange student, on Thursday goes into his kicking motion before booting the gamewinning 32-yard field goal against Darlington in the WIAA Division 6 state championship. Junior Alec Chapel snapped the football to holder Matt Folz (52) while senior Parker Glenn (13) blocks Darlington senior Maddox Goebel just enough to give Plattner

enough time to kick the football. STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

KILTY SCORES TIGERS’ ONLY TOUCHDOWN- Stratford senior Koehler Kilty on Thursday sneaks the football inside the orange pylon for a nine-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the Tigers’ 10-7 win against Darlington in the WIAA Division 6 state championship. Stratford began this offensive drive on Darlington’s 29-yard line after senior defensvie end Landon Zawislan’s fumble recovery.

STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER