Bulldogs can’t contain Wildcats in offensive showdown, season ends with level 3 loss
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INTERCEPTION — Senior Devin Halama (#20) made a leaping interception in the second half of the Bulldogs’ home level 3 football playoff game versus Edgar. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
by Joel DeWitt
Sports Correspondent
BOYCEVILLE — The WIAA Division 7, Level 3 football matchup pitting host and top seed Boyceville against #2 Edgar was billed as a defensive battle. The Bulldogs have only allowed 53 points on the year, an impressive 4.8 point per contest.
Edgar trumped the Bulldogs remarkable feat by allowing only 14 points on the year, with the last points the Wildcats surrendered was a touchdown in a win in August against Stratford.
Few would have predicted the offensive output that was unleashed on the evening. Combined the teams put up 78 points, 791 yards, and 11 touchdowns to electrify the Boyceville crowd.
Unfortunately for the home faithful, it was Edgar that scored on their first four possession as the Wildcats controlled the pace of play en route to a 53-26 win in Friday night, November 3 playoff contest.
Edgar’s Karter Butt was nearly unstoppable on the evening. The senior back had 317 rushing yards on 37 carries and ran for six touchdowns. To go along with that, his halfback option pass for a touchdown in the third quarter blunted a Bulldog comeback.
“Karter Butt is an amazing running back,” commented coach Michael Roemhild. “If you look at his stats he gets the ball about ten times a game, tonight he got the ball 36 times and scored all of their touchdowns.”
Edgar jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter thanks in part to a pair of Wildcat touchdowns and a special teams safety on a blocked punt.
However, a resilient Bulldog squad was not deterred. Starting on their own 35-yard line, Boyceville leveraged Nick Olson to move the ball.
The senior back’s 21-yard carry on second-and-seven put Boyceville in Edgar territory. After a false start penalty moved the ball five yards back, his number was called yet again, and Olson took it 35 yards for the score to cut Edgar’s led to 16-6. The Bulldogs try for two points failed when the pass fell incomplete.
BULLDOG running back Nick Olson (#4) had a big gain on this run in the first half. The senior accounted for a majority of Boyceville’s rushing yards in its November 3 home playoff football game against Edgar. Olson finished with 131 of the Bulldogs 162 rushing yrads and a touchdown.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
Another Butt touchdown pushed the Wildcat advantage to 23-6 at the 8:19 mark of the second quarter.
The Bulldog offense would strike back. Following six straight runs by the trio of Olson, Braden Roemhild, and Zach Hellendrung, Boyceville was facing a fourth and short on the Edgar 42-yard line.
Needing to stay close to the explosive Edgar offense, the Bulldogs decided to go for it on fourth down. Carson Roemhild scrambled to his left and found a wide-open Hellendrung on the right sideline. Hellendrung proceeded to take it 42 yards for the score. The 2-point conversion put the score at 23-14 with 3:58 remaining in the half.
The Wildcat offense would not be outdone. The ensuing 12-play drive resulted in Edgar taking a 31-14 lead into intermission.
BOYCEVILLE’S Zach Hellendrung (#26) looked to avoid a host of Edgar defenders during a first-half run in the WIAA Division 7, level 3 football playoff at Evenson Field November 3. Hellendrung was injured at the conclusion of the play and had to be helped off the field. He did return to action quickly but the Bulldogs saw their season come to an end as Edgar advanced to the state semifinals with a 52-26 win. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Edgar started the second half with the ball and was looking to put the game out of reach. However, an interception by Devin Halama gave the Bulldogs their only defensive stop on the night and set his team up with a big play opportunity.
Two plays after the interception, Carson Roemhild connected on a deep ball with Caden Wold that covered 82 yards and pulled the Bulldogs within 11 points with over six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs looked to stop Edgar on back-to-back possessions. Facing a fourth-and-six inside the Bulldog red zone, Edgar went for it. Instead of the normal ground game, Butt took the hand-off and throw to an open Brett Baumgartner for the 19-yard touchdown to extend their led to 38-20.
Another fantastic return by Olson on the kickoff set the Bulldogs up on midfield with 2:29 left in the third quarter. As they’ve done multiple times this season, they followed a big play with a long pass for a touchdown.
Carson Roemhild connected with Caden Wold for the second time in four minutes, this one from 49 yards out, to cut the Wildcat led to 38-26 after the 2-point try was unsuccessful.
GONE FOR SIX — Boyceville senior Caden Wold hauled in this 82-yard pass from Carson Roemhild brefore speeding away from his Edgar pursuer to score a third-quarter touchdown in the Bulldogs’ home football playoff game November 3. Wold added another long touchdown reception later in the third, this one from 49 yards, to pull his Bulldogs to within a dozen points, unfortunately, Edgar pulled away for the 52-26 win with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Wold finished his final game with two receptions, both touchdowns, for 132 yards.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
Unfortunately, the Bulldog offense ran out of steam after that series.
Edgar would pile on two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to double up on Boyceville 52-26.
The win advances Edgar to this Friday’s Level 4 action against Bangor for the right to play in the Division 7 championship game in Madison November 16.
The Bulldogs, who finished 11-1, managed 352 yards on the evening, including 193 through the air. Carson Roemhild accounted for all passing yards on 7 of 14 passing including three touchdown passes.
Braden Roemhild was his favorite target with three receptions. Wold followed up with two receptions, both for long touchdowns, and 132 yards.
“I thought Carson Roemhild had a great game at quarterback,” indicated coach Roemhild. He continued, “Caden Wold had two huge touchdowns for us even while being double covered.”
UNDER PRESSURE — Boyceville quarterback Carson Roemhild (#17) had to get rid of the football during this first-half play as the Edgar defense applied heavy pressure. Boyceville lost 52-26 to Edgar in the Division 7, level 3 playoff game held at Evenson Field November 3. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Olson paced the running attack on the night going for 129 yards on 15 carries and a score.
The Bulldog loss concludes the playing career of a very successful senior class.
“This is our fourth year in a row of making the playoffs, fourth year in a row of having a winning season, (and) this group of seniors have started something for Boyceville football,” proclaimed coach Roemhild.
The class of 2024 went an impressive 34-8 over their four years on the gridiron, including winning their first outright Dunn-St. Croix championship in 62 years.
“There are a lot of moments to look back on and be proud of, but I know this group of players,” concluded coach Roemhild. “It is going to take a while to look back on them and realize just how special this season is.”
Putting on the their Bulldog gridiron uniforms for the final time were Nick Olson, JJ Kurschner, Caden Wold, Devin Halama, Braden Roemhild, Paul Kurschner, Peter Wheeldon, Grant Kaiser, Treylin Thorson, Connor Gilpin, Parker Coombs and Zach Kersten.