Dominating Homestead wins sixth crown

MADISON - Jake Raddatz wasn’t dropping the trophy this time.

Instead, he and Homestead dropped Brookfield Central.

The Highlanders turned a back-andforth battle into a running clock victory, defeating the Lancers, 51-14, to win the WIAA Division 2 state championship on Friday at Camp Randall Stadium.

“We were always hoping for this,” said Raddatz, the Highlanders' Air Force- bound defensive end. “We lost a lot of talent last year, so that was tough to come back from. We came together and we’re such a family. This is what we dreamed of, so for it to actually come true is unbelievable.”

It was the sixth state title for Homestead. The gold balls have come in intervals of three years recently: 2012, 2015 and now 2018.

“They love each other,” said Homestead head coach Dave Keel, who has led the program to all of its titles. “They’re family. They believe in each other and care about each other.”

Following the Highlanders’ clinching of the North Shore Conference championship, Raddatz fumbled the trophy, resulting in it partially breaking.

The only thing he was dropping on Friday was the quarterback.

Raddatz more than doubled the previous state record with 4.5 sacks and finished with six tackles for loss and nine overall. He also forced a fumble, one of four turnovers forced by the Highlanders.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you what was working today. I don’t know,” Raddatz said. “Just the energy of the last game. It was our last game ever together, wanting to do everything you can. We really focused on technique this week and I think it transferred to the game.”

The Lancers fell one game short of winning the championship for the second straight year. As it did last season against Waunakee, Central jumped out to a lead, going up, 7-0, and later 14-10.

Homestead then flipped the script, scoring 41 unanswered points beginning with Emory Weeden’s second quarterback sneak for a touchdown of the half with 4:01 left in the second quarter.

That set the powerful Highlanders rushing attack into full swing, as Jared Schneider scored three straight touchdowns to help Homestead build a 38-14 lead in the third quarter. Schneider, who scored on nearly one-fifth of his touches this season, was on the receiving end of a hook-and-ladder for his final touchdown, receiving a quick transfer from Luke Konik on a fourth down.

“We have been repping that play since the preseason,” Schneider said. “We knew it was going to come out. Coach said there was an 80 percent chance it comes out. It was a big score in the game to get ourselves another seven points.”

Still, the trickery wasn’t even the play of the day.

That honor was reserved for Highlanders defensive lineman Matt Thompson, who intercepted a pass by Lancers quarterback Drew Leszczynski in the second quarter and rumbled 39 yards to the goal line. Weeden scored on the next play to give Homestead a 10-7 lead.

“When he

started

rumbling and stumbling down the sidelines, you go, ‘Woah, this is impressive,’ ” Keel said. “I thought he was in (the end zone), but not quite. They had some momentum and that really turned things around.”

Schneider had a game-high 109 rushing yards while Weeden added 98 and Willie Garrison had 94 and two scores.

The Lancers averaged 6.5 yards per play to the Highlanders' 6.7, but their mistakes and an inability to stop the red freight train on the opposite side of the ball were too much to overcome.

For Homestead, though, the trophy case just got a little bit more crowded. The gold ball is safe there.