New Berlin Eisenhower’s defense comes up big
For nearly the entirety of the first half Friday night at Greendale, it looked as though New Berlin Eisenhower’s offense would have a difficult time getting on the board.
Then, per usual, the Lions' defense took over.
Eisenhower, ranked as the No. 2 team in Division 3 entering play, forced the No. 5 Panthers to commit five turnovers in a 20-7 win that puts it in the driver’s seat in the Woodland Conference West division.
Paired with Catholic Memorial’s 2827 loss to Muskego, the win could mean the Lions will find themselves at the top of the Division 3 rankings.
But, of course, head coach Matt Kern and company will be focused on another contest against a ranked, undefeated conference opponent: rival New Berlin West.
On Friday, it appeared Greendale would take a 7-0 lead into halftime as it had the ball near its own 30-yard line with less than 30 seconds on the clock.
But Lions senior defensive end Mark Shields forced a fumble after Panthers quarterback Sean Sanchez appeared to take a knee but no whistle was blown.
Eisenhower recovered the fumble and kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
A Jack Himmelspach 1-yard TD run on the opening drive of the second half gave the Lions a 10-7 lead. A 77-yard interception return by Eli Hoelke in the fourth quarter all but sealed the win.
The Lions offense barely eclipsed 100 total yards and quarterback Gabe Seifert left the game in the third quarter, but the defense proved to be more than enough.
Hartford shakes things up
An upset on Thursday night may shake up the North Shore Conference a bit.
Hartford downed previously undefeated Slinger, 23-13, as Scott Savage rushed for 124 yards and a score. With the Orioles’ victory and a 42-17 Homestead win over West Bend East, the Highlanders have first place to themselves at 4-0.
Both Hartford and Slinger, as well as Port Washington, are one game back of Homestead, which appears to be in good shape to win its 18th consecutive conference title.
Arrowhead gets a big win
Arrowhead has life.
After losing to currently-ranked opponents each of the first three weeks of the season, the Warhawks picked up a much-needed win, 27-17, over Kettle Moraine on Friday.
Trailing, 17-7, in the second quarter, Arrowhead rattled off 20 unanswered points to move to 1-3 overall and, more importantly, 1-2 in Classic Eight Conference play.
It was a complete effort for the Warhawks, who got 138 yards passing and two touchdowns from quarterback Nic Wohlfiel, 128 yards rushing and a score from Josh Nielsen and 88 receiving yards and a touchdown from Jacob Schleicher.
The defense also buckled in the second half, allowing eight completions in 22 attempts.
With a win under its belt and a lighter schedule ahead, suddenly a playoff appearance for Arrowhead seems more likely.
Martin Luther takes to the air
For the first time this season, an opponent kept Martin Luther running back Darios Crawley-Reid – who entered the week leading the state in rushing – under 200 total yards.
The Spartans still cruised to victory. This week, quarterback Nik Mueller did the damage for Martin Luther, which improved to 4-0 with a 40-8 win over Racine Lutheran. The senior completed 15 of 22 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns.
Crawley-Reid finished with 125 yards rushing and 198 total yards with three touchdowns.
There is some serious quarterback play going on in the Metro Classic Conference in addition to Mueller, with Racine St. Catherine’s standout Da’Shaun Brown throwing for 135 yards, rushing for 85 and scoring seven touchdowns in a 70-0 win over St. Thomas More on Thursday.
Southern Lakes showdown set
Separate wins by both Burlington and Waterford set up what could be a pivotal showdown in the Southern Lakes Conference next week.
The Demons and Wolverines are each 2-0 in the conference and tied for first place with Elkhorn. They meet Friday night in Waterford in a game that may decide the SLC winner.
For Burlington, wide receiver Nick Webley again was too much to handle as he tallied 103 receiving yards and scored the winning touchdown with 2:46 left in a 27-20 win over Badger.
The Waterford defense has been tough all season long but was susceptible at times against a heavy passing attack of Wilmot in its 24-14 victory Friday.