Panthers get redemption in win over Waterfor
By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
Better, more disciplined play led the Wilmot High School football team to an 18-0 Southern Lakes Conference victory Sept. 11 at home against Waterford.
“It was a huge relief,” Panthers coach Erick Kaiser said. “We knew we were talented. We knew we had potential. But every week up until this one, it was just mistakes that were killing us and leading to scores we weren’t prepared to see.”
“It was fantastic to see the excitement in the kids’ faces and see a clean game where we were playing up to our ability.”
Wilmot (2-2, 1-1 SLC) scored two touchdowns and did not convert the extra point on either, and also kicked two field goals against Waterford (2-2, 1-1 SLC).
Ethan Scott scored on a three-yard run in the first quarter and Adam Pacey kicked a field goal in the second quarter to give Wilmot a 9-0 halftime lead.
Bryce Kothe scored on a 20-yard run in the third quarter and Pacey kicked a 32-yard field goal in the fourth.
On offense, the Panthers controlled the clock. Waterford’s defense spent more time on the field than its offense.
“We had a hard time getting them off the field,” Waterford coach Adam Bakken said. “We only ran 13 plays, or something like that, in the second half.
Bakken said Wilmot converted too many third downs for the Wolverines’ liking.
“They were able to keep grinding stuff out,” Bakken said. “We should be able to not let drives continue for seven or eight minutes.”
The Panthers rushed for 195 yards on 45 attempts, an average of 4.3 yards per rush. Ty Mulcahy led Wilmot with 67 rushes for 20 yards. Kothe rushed for 61 yards on seven attempts and Scott finished with 47 yards on 11 carries.
“We missed a lot of assignments,” Bakken said. “We missed a lot of tackles. We struggled to adjust to what they were doing.
“We didn’t play well. That’s the bottom line. They played harder than we did. We didn’t execute on certain plays we practiced, and it showed.”
Kothe completed all five of his pass attempts for 48 yards and finished with a quarterback rating of 106.7.
“He literally played exactly how we knew he could,” Kaiser said. “He had a solid passing game, nothing special. He ran the ball well.”
Kaiser said Kothe also kept Wilmot’s offensive huddle calm and collected.
Wilmot’s defense limited Waterford’s offense to 152 total yards. The Wolverines rushed for 50 yards on 27 carries and completed 10 of 21 passes for 102 yards.
“They got some yardage on us, but we didn’t give up the big play,” Kaiser said.
Waterford quarterback Dylan Malecki finished 10 of 20 for 103 yards. Dyln Ross caught six passes for 65 yards.
“There’s not a whole lot to say about the game,” Bakken said. “They played better than we did. They played hard. Hopefully, we learn from it and make some changes this Friday.”
The Panthers face the class of the SLC Friday when they travel to Elkhorn. The Elks are 4-0 overall and undefeated in the SLC at 2-0.
Elkhorn beat Delavan-Darien 22-19 Sept. 12 in a SLC game at Delavan.
“They’re playing good football,” Kaiser said. “If we go in there thinking it’s going to be an easy game we’re going to have a rude awakening.”
Waterford plays Burlington in a SLC game Friday at home. Burlington (1-3, 1-1 SLC) lost 28-6 at home Sept. 11 to Lake Geneva Badger.
“They’re, offensively, a lot to handle,” Bakken said of the Demons. “They can score a lot and pile up a lot of yards. We need to be disciplined on defense and take care of our assignments.”