A winning finish

Westosha Central receiver Austin Kurylo, shown here in the season-opening win against Milwaukee Washington, caught the game-winning touchdown at Elkhorn Friday (Earlene Frederick/The Report).
Westosha Central receiver Austin Kurylo, shown here in the season-opening win against Milwaukee Washington, caught the game-winning touchdown at Elkhorn Friday (Earlene Frederick/The Report).

Westosha Central snaps SLC, road skid at Elkhorn

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

Westosha Central High School finished its football season the way they started – with a win – following a 7-6 defeat of host Elkhorn Friday.

The Falcons, who beat Milwaukee Washington 58-0 in the season opener, suffered a string of losses before coming through with their first Southern Lakes Conference win in more than two years.

According to Westosha Central coach Tyson Mengel, the 2016 campaign brought a series of challenges, including state-ranked conference opponents.

“In this league, it is tough to get a win, I looked at the rankings at the beginning of this week and we have three teams in the top 10 in their respective divisions,” he said.

Following an Elkhorn first quarter 41-yard touchdown run by Ryan Shilts, who compiled a team-leading 69 yards rushing on nine carries, the Falcons faced a 6-0 deficit entering halftime.

With one minute left in the third quarter, Falcons sophomore quarterback Adam Simmons connected with senior Austin Kurylo on a 26-yard touchdown, followed by a decisive Nick Penge extra point.

Simmons, who received the start, completed six of 16 passes for 41 yards, and led the Falcons’ running game with 45 yards rushing on 10 carries.

Kurylo finished with two catches for 31 yards.

The game-winning catch, Mengel said, indicates Kurylo’s work ethic on and off the field.

“Austin Kurylo is a phenomenal football player, he is a guy that puts the work in during the week of practice and in film study,” Mengel said. “He knows what the opponents are going to do.”

The Falcons improved to 2-7 (1-6 SLC) and dropped Elkhorn to 1-8 (0-7 SLC).

An end to a trying season
While the season was not what they had hoped for, Mengel credited the Falcons’ perseverance.

“These guys didn’t quit, they wanted to play football and they showed it tonight,” said Mengel, adding he is proud of the team for working through the season’s struggles.

“I am happy for these guys, these seniors, I couldn’t be more proud of them,” he said. “This was not the season any of us were looking for, we returned a lot of guys that played last year.”

Two streaks snapped
With Friday’s win, the Falcons halt an 18-game SLC skid dating back to 2014, when they defeated Union Grove.

Additionally, Westosha Central captured its first road victory since a 2012 verdict at Delavan-Darien, where the Falcons won 25-14.


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