Westosha struggles in trenches in loss to Wolverines

By Dan Truttschel~Sports Correspondent

It’s often said that a football game comes down to which team wins the battle up front.

And that’s what happened to the Westosha Central squad in its Southern Lakes Conference home contest Friday night.

Visiting Waterford took control in the trenches and muscled its way to a 27-0 victory. The loss dropped the Falcons to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the SLC, while the Wolverines improved to 4-0 in conference play and 4-1 overall.

“The difference in the game was Waterford’s athletes and their outstanding tackling,” Central coach Scott Mirkes said.

“They controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage, and it was obvious that their offensive and defensive linemen prepared themselves physically for this season in the weight room.”

Waterford, which tied for last year’s SLC title and finished second in Division 2, scored a touchdown in each of the four quarters.

Alex Thomascheck got things started with a 13-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, followed by a 38-yard jaunt to the end zone in the second.

Adding second-half touchdowns for the Wolverines were Ryan Danbrea on a 50-yard run and Kody Azarian on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.

The Wolverines held Wilmot to just 119 total yards, 36 through the air and 83 on the ground.

“Their defensive tackles really dominated our offensive line,” Mirkes said. “We had some late shuffling of personnel on the line with a couple of injuries, but their defensive tackles ate up linemen and allowed their linebackers to roam free all night long. They’re an impressive defensive team.”

Central running back Austin Feeney was held to just 25 yards rushing on 13 carries. Luke Millhouse was the Falcons’ top receiver with eight catches for 71 yards.

Azarian led all running backs with 28 attempts for 100 yards.

Central moved to within striking distance of the end zone on a couple occasions throughout the game, but couldn’t come up with the big play.

“You want to run the ball or play-action pass near the goal line,” Mirkes said. “We just had trouble protecting and blocking their talented athletes all night.”

Central looks to get back on track this week when it travels to Delavan-Darien Friday night. The Comets suffered a 55-21 SLC loss to Burlington last week to drop to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

However, the Comets also welcomed standout quarterback Danny Supernaw back to the lineup after he missed several weeks with a leg and foot injury.

Supernaw’s presence changes things drastically, Mirkes said.

“(Last week’s game) was really his scrimmage, and he’ll be more comfortable with the speed of the game and his teammates this Friday,” Mirkes said. “Coach (Steve) Tenhagen will have a great game plan ready for them, so we expect a good game.

“We’ve talked with our kids about both teams being hungry to keep their playoff chances alive. They can score points in bunches, and Supernaw is a great athlete. We have our work cut out for us.”

Mirkes added that he wants his team also to focus on what it can control on both sides of the football.

“The defense needs to continue to improve and become more disciplined, and we need to establish an offensive rhythm,” he said. “It’d be a bonus if our kids who are nicked and dinged up had a great weekend to recover and finally get healthy, but that’s out of anyone’s control.”


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