Panthers pummel rival Westosha

By Dan Truttschel~Sports Correspondent

 

It never seems to matter what direction the teams are headed when the Wilmot and Westosha Central football teams battle on the gridiron.

It’s almost always a fight to the finish — and this year’s matchup was no different.

Wilmot, with a chance at a tie for the Southern Lakes Conference title on the line, jumped out to a 21-0 lead and held on for a 28-7 win over a gritty and tough Central squad.

The win improved the Panthers to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the SLC, good for a three-way tie for the conference title with Badger and Waterford. Wilmot opens Division 2 playoff action Friday night against visiting Whitefish Bay at 7 p.m.

Central closed its first season under head coach Tyson Mengel at 0-9 overall and 0-7 in the SLC.

The difference last week was fairly simple, Mengel said.

“Our game came down to making plays when it mattered,” he said. “We were not able to convert on third down effectively, and Wilmot was

able to. You cannot win if you can’t convert on third down.”

Wilmot got on the scoreboard in the first quarter on a 9-yard touchdown run by Ethan Scott. The Panthers added to their lead with two more second-quarter scores.

Quarterback Michael Lindeman connected on an 11-yard pass to Sam Thurow, followed by a 3-yard touchdown run by Cameron Loveless.

Central refused to go away quietly in the second half, as the Falcons seemed to respond to a halftime message from their coaches.

“Our kids left everything on the field,” Mengel said. “The first half was a bit rough to watch. I don’t know why, but it seemed like they were flat.

“You can’t play that way against a team like Wilmot. At halftime, we had a great conversation about earning respect, and I think they did

just that.”

Central got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when quarterback Greg Kuhfuss connected on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Zach Biehn. The drive went 10 plays and traveled 61 yards.

But that was as close as the Falcons would get, as Loveless closed out the scoring with a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Loveless’s touchdown didn’t come without a bit of confusion, however.

With Central in possession of the football, it looked like the Panthers’ Bryce Kothe had recorded an interception at the Falcons’ 32-yard line.

An inadvertent whistle came before Kuhfuss threw the football, however. One play later, Wilmot stopped the Falcons on third down, but after a lengthy delay, the Panthers were given the football when the officials determined Central had fumbled.

Wilmot unofficially had 10 sacks in the contest, as the combination of Zach Dodge, Chaz Leimueller, Dalton Heckel and Neil Driscoll pressured Kuhfuss all night.

The loss ended the Central playing careers of a group of seniors that will be missed, Mengel said.

“They are not only the hardest workers in the program, but the best people, too,” he said. “They cared for one another and just loved to

play the game. I could not have asked for a better group to lead in my first season.”

 

 


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