Sauk Prairie hoping for big finish

Facing Waunakee is inevitable playing in the Northern Badger Conference. Sauk Prairie knows it has to see the perennial powerhouse every season, and the Eagles’ time came last Friday. Unfortunately for Sauk Prairie, this was not a night where David toppled Goliath. Waunakee, the top-ranked team in Division 2, defeated the host Eagles, 28-7. Sauk Prairie lost its third game in a row and fell to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the Badger North. Waunakee remained undefeated at 6-0, 3-0. The start of the game was delayed by a half hour due to lightning. “Really good football team we battled against,” Sauk Prairie head coach Clay Iverson said. “Along with being well coached, they have a really good defense that is strong and aggressive.” Waunakee’s defense limited the Eagles’ offense to just 144 yards, including just 55 on the ground. Sauk Prairie had been averaging 209 rushing yards per game entering the contest. Running back Tyler Uselman led the Eagles’ ground attack for the third straight game, rushing for 36 yards on 10 carries. The offense faced an uphill battle against a Waunakee defense that has allowed just 175.5 yards per game this season. Sauk Prairie had trouble getting into a rhythm early on, and didn’t pick up a first down until its fifth drive of the game. Sauk Prairie also turned the ball over three times. Two of the turnovers led to Waunakee touchdowns. Eagles’ quarterback Parker Breunig finished the night 4-of-19 for 89 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. “Obviously, there are always things we can do better (on offense). We can’t turn the ball over,” Iverson said. “We were close in some series and battled, so we have to continue to improve.” Sauk Prairie played well defensively, holding Waunakee to its lowest point total of the season. The Warriors entered the game averaging 51.4 points per contest. Sauk Prairie also held Waunakee to a season-low 258 yards. The Eagles forced two turnovers (an interception and fumble) and sacked Waunakee quarterback Caden Nelson twice. “Our guys played well on defense,” Iverson said. “They made some plays, which you have to tip your hat to them for.” Nelson accounted for all of the Waunakee touchdowns, running for two and passing for two. Nelson was also the leading rusher in the game (89 yards) and now has 300 yards and five touchdowns on the ground for the year. He has also thrown for 871 yards on 60-of-90 attempts (67%), with 19 touchdowns and one interception this season. “He is really good, a dual-threat kid,” Iverson said. “I thought we did as good a job as you can on him. He’s a really nice player with a good group around him.” Nelson started the scoring late in the first quarter, breaking several tackles on his way to a 43-yard touchdown run that gave the Warriors a 7-0 lead. Waunakee made it 14-0 midway through the second quarter, as Nelson hooked up with 6-foot, 5-inch wideout Andrew Keller for a 26-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown came after the Waunakee defense intercepted Breunig near midfield. Waunakee forced a Sauk Prairie fumble in the third quarter, then Nelson connected with tight end Randall Vojitisek for a 25-yard touchdown to make it 21-0 with 6:32 left in the period. Nelson punched it in once more, this time from the one-yard line early in the fourth quarter to give Waunakee a 28-0 lead with 11:07 left in the game. Two series later, Sauk Prairie’s Grant Sorg intercepted Nelson’s pass to set up the Eagles at the Waunakee 11-yard line. Breunig then hit Ben German for a 10-yard touchdown that pulled Sauk Prairie within 28-7 with 9:08 left in the game. Sauk Prairie put together a 12-play, 67-yard drive on its next possession and reached the Waunakee 18-yard line. The Eagles eventually turned the ball over on downs, though, and Waunakee ran out the clock. Sauk Prairie’s schedule is more favorable for its three remaining games, as it faces teams with a combined 4-14 record. The Eagles’ three previous games have been losses to the top three teams in the Badger North, whose combined record stands at 17-1. “We will do what we always do, which is focus on one day at a time, one rep at a time,” Iverson said. “The guys have put themselves in a fun position here down the stretch and we have made strides.” According to WIAA guidelines, a winning conference record means an automatic berth in the playoffs. Currently sporting a 1-3 conference record with three games left, the Eagles would need three wins to be guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. The postseason is a legitimate possibility for an Eagles team seeking their first playoff appearance since 2007. “We have to keep getting better as a football family, and that is what we will focus on,” Iverson said. “There is no magic potion. We are going to keep enjoying our year and keep trying to get better.” • On deck: Sauk Prairie travels to Portage Friday at 7 p.m. September 27 Sauk Prairie …. 0 0 0 7 — 7 Waunakee …… 7 7 7 7 — 28 First Quarter W- Nelson 43 run (Driscoll kick), 2:43 Second Quarter W- Nelson 26 yd pass to Keller (Driscoll kick), 5:20 Third Quarter W- Nelson 25 yd pass to Vojitisek (Driscoll kick), 6:32 Fourth Quarter W- Nelson 1 run (Driscoll kick), 11:07 SP- Breunig 10 yd pass to German (kick good), 9:08 TEAM STATS Total yards — SP 144, W 258. Rushing (att-yd)-- SP 32-55, W 41-168. Passing (comp-att-yd-int-td) — SP 4-19-89-2-1, W 9-18-90-1-2. Penalties — SP 3-20, W 7-50. First downs — SP 7, W 14. INDIVIDUAL STATS Rushing (att-yd-td) — SP Uselman 10-36-0, W Nelson 14-89-2 Passing (comp-att-yd-int-td) — SP Breunig 4-19-89-2-1, W Nelson 9-18-90-1-2. Receiving (rec-yd-td) — SP Sorg 1-33-0, Uselman 1-23-0, Goette 1-23-0, German 1-10-1. W Vojitisek 3-32-1, Keller 2-31-1.