Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. — At South Wood County Stadium on Saturday, Owen-Withee (12-0) defeated Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas (10-2) 50-36 to win the State 8-player football championship and finish the season undefeated.
During the game’s first four drives, the Blackhawks scored touchdowns. They might have been able to avoid scoring on every possession until their last drive of the game by gaining possession of the ball with just five seconds left in the first half.
The game was remarkably even statistically. Compared to Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas, who had 412 yards of total offense, Owen-Withee had 417 yards. In fact, the Titans’ advantage in possession time during the game was more than four minutes.
Following the successful two-point attempt, Owen-Withee marched 86 yards on 10 plays to take an 8-0 lead after forcing a Titans’ punt on their first possession of the game. Mason Gay, who finished the drive with a 3-yard run, set the eight-player State record with six touchdowns in the game.
The following kickoff saw Lucas Heimke return 95 yards and make a two-point attempt, tying the game at 8-8 for the Titans. Gay’s 46-yard rush on the first play from scrimmage after a failed onside kick gave the Blackhawks the lead again eight seconds later, 16–8. At 9:11 in the second quarter, Calvin Peters passed to Ty Shallow for 27 yards, and Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas scored on its subsequent possession, moving 80 yards in 12 plays to level the score at 16-16.
The Blackhawks opened with a 30–16 halftime lead after two more Gay scoring runs of five and thirty-four yards. On the opening possession of the second half, Gay sprinted 37 yards to give Owen-Withee a 36-16 lead, and they took control of the game with a five-play, 55-yard drive.
With 4:52 left in the third quarter, Calvin Peters went into the goal zone on a 1-yard run to complete an 11-play, 64-yard drive that reduced the Titans’ deficit to 36-22. On its subsequent drive, the Blackhawks doubled the advantage at 44–22 with a touchdown pass from Dominic Sherwood to Tim Stock, who was lone behind the Titans’ coverage.
With 9:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, Shallow scored a rushing touchdown from a yard out to cut the Titans’ deficit to two points, 44-30. But with 5:47 left in the game, the Blackhawks responded with their game-winning 11-yard Gay scamper, finishing an eight-play, 54-yard drive. In order to account for the final touchdown, the Titans used a 12-yard pass from Peters to Shallow in the closing seconds of the game.
His rushing yardage total ranks second-most in championship game history. Sully Poehler ran nine carries for 35 yards. Sherwood gained 44 yards and a touchdown on his lone pass attempt. Sherwood produced 12 tackles, while Colin Fritz led the Owen-Withee defense with 17 tackles, including 10 solos and a sack.
The Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas attack was led by Calvin Peters, who ran 30 times for 178 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he completed 10 of 16 throws for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Shallow and Max Peterson both ran the ball eight times, gaining 37 and 42 yards, respectively. Max Peterson grabbed four receptions for 51 yards, and Shallow caught five passes for 74 yards and two scores. With 11 tackles, Peterson led the Titans’ defense.
Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas places second in its first-ever State final, while Owen-Withee wins its first 8-player football title in the Blackhawks’ first-ever appearance in the championship game.
