Hilltoppers shut out Lakers to advance in football playoffs
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WORK HORSE — Glenwood City’s Max Janson ran the ball 24 times for 94 yards to lead the Hilltoppers to a 9-0 road playoff win against Turtle Lake October 22. —photo by Jacob Maes Photography
by Joel DeWitt
Sports Correspondent
TURTLE LAKE — For the second time this season, the Hilltoppers found themselves traveling to Turtle Lake on October 22nd to play the Lakers. While both finished with identical 4-3 records in conference play, Turtle Lake received the higher seed and the privilege to play at home to open the WIAA Division 7 football playoffs.
While the first matchup saw the Hilltoppers jump to an early lead and hold on for the win, this game had a different feel altogether. Defenses would control the pace of play and it would take a late third quarter touchdown by Glenwood City to break the scoreless deadlock. Glenwood City would add a field goal and hold on for the 9-0 win.
“Turtle Lake has a very explosive offense and a great run defense,” Glenwood City coach Shane Strong commented after the game. “We played our base defense all night to make sure our kids played fast and confident.”
And confident the defensive unit should be. They held a strong Turtle Lake rushing attack to only 40 yards on 30 attempts and came up with many big stops to get the ball back in the offense’s hands.
The first few possessions for both teams would end with punts after three and outs. However, Turtle Lake would find themselves with great field position when Walker Korish would pick off a pass from quarterback Bryce Wickman at the Hilltopper 46-yard line with 1:04 remaining in the first quarter.
The subsequent Laker drive would end, when on fourth and long, the Lakers were flagged for offensive pass interference in the end zone. The turnover on downs would give the Hilltoppers the ball on their own 19-yard line.
After trading punts, Turtle Lake would find themselves in great position when they recovered a fumble on the Hilltopper 35-yard line with 4:19 remaining in the first half. The Lakers would push the ball down to the 9-yard line, when on fourth and four an errant snap would turn the ball over to Glenwood City.
The huge stop would keep the game a scoreless tie and be a consistent theme on the evening as the defense made big stops all night.
The second half started much like the first half ended, with strong defensive performances by both teams. That would change when the Toppers took control of the ball with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter at their own 41-yard line.
The Hilltoppers would convert on third down when Wickman would find Brady Klatt for a first down. The next play would find Max Janson take it 19 yards to the Laker 27-yard line.
A Turtle Lake penalty would take the ball down to the 12-yard line. Consecutive runs by Janson and Wickman would put the ball on the 1-yard line and give the Hilltoppers a first and goal.
Wickman would call his own number on the next play and plunge into the endzone to give his team the lead at 6-0 with 3:46 left in the third quarter.
The Hilltoppers looked to build on their offensive success. After forcing Turtle Lake to punt, the Hilltoppers would start their next possession on their own 45-yard line.
Hard running by Janson and Wickman would move the ball down the field. A 7-yard run on fourth and three by Janson would move the chains and most importantly keep the clock running.
The drive would stall on the Turtle Lake 14-yard line where Marcis DeSmith would be called on to attempt a 31-yard field goal attempt. He would connect with the kick and put the Hilltoppers up 9-0 with 5:59 remaining in the game.
TEAM WORK — Thomas Moede (left ) and Brady Klatt collaborated to bring down a Turtle Laker runner for a loss during last Friday’s playoff win in Turtle Lake. —photo by Jacob Maes Photography
The Hilltopper defense would do the rest. They would hold the Lakers on fourth down and force a turnover on downs. The next Laker possession would end when Wickman would intercept a Toby Kahl pass to end the drive and seal the Hilltopper win.
The keys to the Hilltoppers win were their stellar defense the entire game and a resurgent offense in the second half.
“Our leaders stood up and said we needed to stick to our plan with better execution,” Strong mentioned. “We ran a different base play we didn’t run in the first half, but really we just played better.”
While the offensive numbers weren’t overwhelming, the Hilltoppers were able to put drives together when it mattered. Janson led the way on the ground grinding out 94 yards on 24 carries. Gabe Knops added 31 yards.
The Hilltoppers held the Lakers to 128 total yards on the evening. Wickman paced the way defensively leading the team with 10 total tackles and the one interception.
The win has earned the Hilltoppers a level two game against number 1 seed and top-rated Eau Claire Regis.
“We are excited to play the top team in the state. Many will say we are outmatched, but we are most weeks on paper,” Strong commented on the October 29th matchup.
He continued, “I’m confident our kids will give everything they have Friday night.”
Glenwood City will travel to Eau Claire to play Regis at Carson Park. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.