Prep football
Waukesha West wins first outright conference title since 2011
Bay View defeats Marshall to win City Conference crown | Waukesha West beats Catholic Memorial for Classic 8 title
The Classic 8 Conference title belongs solely to Waukesha West, which finished the regular season at 9-0 after holding off Catholic Memorial on a wet Friday night, 20-7. Peter MacCudden ran for a score and threw for another on a dagger fourth-down play in the final 2 minutes, and defending league champion Memorial fell just short in a bid to gain a share of the title.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
IT’S A CLASSIC: For the first time since 2011, West secured the outright title in a league that is considered to be one of the best in the state on an annual basis, finishing undefeated in league play for the third time.
After a scoreless first half, MacCudden and Tyler Zirpoli both scored touchdowns, and West’s defense kept Memorial from being able to make any hay offensively.
PASSING FANCY: MacCudden was once again the story, and when he completed a touchdown on a halfback pass in the fourth quarter, he also became the Wolverines’ leading passer in the game. His 22-yard throw surpassed the 20 yards put up by starting quarterback Brooks Blount.
It was a call orchestrated by MacCudden himself, who now has three passing touchdowns this season.
West coach Steve Rux said he wouldn’t have made the call without
MacCudden’s suggestion.
Most of West’s work was on the ground, led by MacCudden’s 121 yards rushing on 30 carries. Sam Mikulak added 69 yards on 14 carries.
YOU CAN’T DO THAT: MacCudden flashed his athleticism in the first half when he hurdled a Catholic Memorial defender along the sideline, but it was a play that was a little too good. Hurdling is illegal in high school football (not college or pros) and netted a costly 15-yard penalty from the previous line of scrimmage.
QUIET FIRST HALF: The teams were scoreless at halftime, combining for just 118 yards of total offense. The vaunted running games were kept in check, with MacCudden limited to 39 yards and Tate Kopulos of Memorial bottled up for 35 yards on 16 carries. West set the tone on the first drive of the second half, when MacCudden scored midway through the third quarter for the first points of the game.
MEMORIAL FINDS A SPARK: Memorial tried to make things interesting when Luke Fox went up for a jump ball shy of midfield and kept his feet while the West defender fell down, leading to a 71-yard touchdown catch and run with 8:15 left that made it 14-7. Memorial got the ball back again at its own 8 with 3:52 to go, but the drive ended deep in Memorial territory, leading to the dagger touchdown play.
“It’s just kind of disappointing that you’re close and you don’t finish it, but give all the credit to them,” Catholic Memorial coach Bill Young said.
“That’s an outstanding team. This is their dream team.”
GROUP