Elk Mound ends football season with overtime loss to Stanley-Boyd
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by Marlys Kruger
Sports Correspondent
The Stanley-Boyd Orioles invaded the Elk Mound football field needing a win for a spot in the WIAA playoffs. The Mounders, with a record of 2-6 and 1-6 in Cloverbelt Conference play, knew this was the last game of the season for them and they wanted to finish it on a positive note. The game was close all the way through but in the end Elk Mound lost in overtime 27-21.
The Orioles will travel to Arcadia for a Division 5, Level 1 playoff game this Friday night.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Mounders scored the first points of the game when Avery Kaanta scored on a two-yard run and with Kaden Russo’s kick it was 7-0 at the 10:23 mark of the second quarter.
With just three seconds left until halftime, S-B tied it up on a 28-yard pass from Carsen Hause to Brady Potaczek along with the extra kick by Michael Karlen.
Most of the third quarter was again scoreless until Kaanta found the endzone from 13 yards out with 3:09 left. The two-point conversion attempt was stopped but the Mounders were up 13-7. The Orioles came through again just a couple minutes later on a touchdown pass from Hause to Karlen and the Karlen kick made it 14-13 for S-B. But there was still time left and Kaanta found the endzone for the third time on a seven-yard run and Russo connected with Aiden Bartholomew for the two-point conversion with 27 seconds left in the quarter for a 21-14 Elk Mound advantage.
With 10:10 left in the final stanza, Hause found Karlin for a 20-yard score and the Karlen kick knotted it up at 21-21.
The Mounders took over after the kickoff and on a third and 10, Russo’s pass was tipped by an Oriole defender right into the hands of Ethan Johnson for a 38-yard gain to the S-B 27 yard line. But on another third down, Russo threw an incomplete pass and then was sacked on fourth down, giving the ball to the Orioles.
S-B moved the ball down field picking up first downs on two fourth down plays. The Mounders dodged two bullets when Hause found an open receiver in the endzone who dropped the ball. And on fourth down, Karlin attempted a game winning field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced out.
Elk Mound failed to score in the last 90 seconds and the game went into overtime.
In high school football, each team gets a chance to score with the ball starting on the opponents 25 yard line. The Mounders started with the ball first and things quickly fell apart when Russo fell down and lost seven yards. He then threw an incomplete pass and his next pass was picked off.
S-B took their turn, and on their second play, Hause took it in from seven yards out for the winning score.
“Our staff was so proud of this team after this game,” coach Dave Lew said. “They fought until the end and never gave up. They showed the heart of champions. The score did not reflect the real lesson taught in this game that no matter the circumstances, the team and these young men will never give up and that lesson will stay with them the rest of their lives no matter what they choose to do,” he added.
Kaanta had another exceptional game in the rushing department with 167 yards on 35 carries. Russo was eight for 19 passing with 155 yards with Kaanta snaring three of his passes for 88 yards. Johnson had one catch for 38 yards and Ryan Bartig grabbed a pass for seven yards.
Seven seniors concluded their high school career for the Mounders including Ethan Johnson, Braedon Pederson, Avery Kaanta, Brex Todd, Vincent Biebel, Devan Scheffler, and Carson Steinhorst.
Kaanta joined one of several Mounders to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, finishing with 1,016 this season. In four years Kaanta ran for 2,166 yards.
“I thought our seniors played with emotion and gave everything they had,” Lew said. “We are so proud of our seniors and thank them for all they have done for this program,” he concluded.