Sterling silver for Eagles

This could be just the beginning. That’s how Sauk Prairie boys soccer coach Drew Kornish and his Eagles felt as they left Marshfield late Saturday night. Sauk Prairie reached the WIAA Division 2 state championship game for just the second time in school history thanks to a 2-1 win over Delavan-Darien in the semifinals. And even though the Eagles dropped a 2-0 decision to Manitowoc Roncalli/Two Rivers in the title game, the glow of their remarkable season still burned brightly on the long bus ride home. “An overall amazing experience for all the boys,” Kornish said. “I have never had a team fight and work as hard as this team did on Saturday. In the end we came up just short, but I hope that taste of success can drive our program for the foreseeable future.” The 2020 Eagles enjoyed the type of success all teams dream about. Sauk Prairie entered the state tournament with a 10-2-3 record. The Eagles hadn’t lost since Oct. 8 and outscored its four postseason opponents by a combined score of 17-1. The Eagles then experienced a wild and wacky day — which seems par for the course in 2020 — on their way to the state title. Sauk Prairie received a memorable send-off as it left town and headed for Marshfield High School Saturday morning. Shortly thereafter, though, Marshfield athletic director Nathan DeLany informed Kornish that Delavan-Darien was having busing issues, and the game slated for a 2 p.m. start would begin later. “As the day played out and we continued to wait around at a local park for word on when our game would be played, it became very evident that the winner of this semifinal game would have little to no break between the semifinal and the final,” Kornish said. The Eagles’ sole focus, though, was on reaching the finals. And when the game finally began at 4:15 p.m., Sauk Prairie — making its first state appearance since 1996 — gave an outstanding performance. Delavan-Darien, which has won two state titles since 2014, was the No. 1 seed and a heavy favorite over the fourth-seeded Eagles. But Sauk Prairie made the most of its chances and surprised the Comets. “It just seems like with this team, anything bad that can happen, does,” Delavan-Darien coach Mike Marse told the Janesville Gazette. “Things that can mess us up, it just seems like it always finds us.” On this day, that thing was Sauk Prairie. In the 28th minute, junior midfielder Sam Drescher was taken down and drew a free kick. Junior forward Quinn Baier was then able to get his head to the ball, play it over Comets’ keeper Hector Flores and give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The Comets responded just before halftime, though, and notched the equalizer in the 43rd minute. Delavan-Darien turned up the pressure in the second half, but Eagles’ keeper Luke Baumgardt was brilliant, finishing the game with eight saves. Then in the 51st minute, Drescher picked up a loose ball in the Eagles’ defensive third and raced past four Delavan-Darien defenders inside the Comets’ 18-yard box. Drescher fought off a defender, slotted the ball to Baier, who beat Flores for the eventual game-winning goal. Delavan-Darien applied heavy pressure the rest of the way. But Baumgardt and the Eagles’ defense didn’t budge, and Sauk Prairie prevailed. “We were on our back foot defending from thea start … and Luke Baumgardt played an incredible game and was able to keep them out,” Kornish said. “We had done our homework and knew they were fast and direct. We were prepared.” Thanks to their late start against the Comets, Sauk Prairie then faced Roncalli with a short recovery window. The Eagles got the better of play in the first half, but couldn’t finish. Eventually, that loomed large in the Jets’ win. “We played an outstanding first 45 minutes creating a few really good chances in which we were unable to finish,” Kornish said. “This ended up being our downfall.” Indeed it was. Jets’ standout Tyler Bonin — who led the state in goals (33) and points (74) this year — scored in the 71st minute to give Roncalli a 1-0 lead. The Eagles turned up the pressure and nearly got the equalizer in the 85th minute when Drescher just missed the left post from 18 yards out. The Jets then raced back and Bonin struck again in the 87th minute to give Roncalli an insurmountable lead. Sauk Prairie will say goodbye to eight seniors, but has a tremendous junior class and terrific depth in the program. That’s why Kornish and the Eagles believe the best could still be coming. “Those seniors did an outstanding job preparing the underclassman for what is to come,” Kornish said. “I really believe this program will be back at the state tournament in the near future.”    Nov. 7 WIAA Division 1 Championship RONCALLI/TWO RIVERS 2, SAUK PRAIRIE 0 Sauk Prairie ……..…. 0 0 — 0 Two Rivers …………. 0 2 — 2 Second half: MR— Bonin (J. Oberbroeckling), 70:10; Bonin, 86:17. Shots on goal: SP 7 (Baier 3, Baumgardt, Drescher, Fishnick, Enerson); MR 8 (Bonin 6, J. Oberbroeckling 1, Chewning 1). Shots: SP 11 (Baier 4); MR 14 (Bonin 9). Corner kicks: SP 0; MR 5. Offside: SP 3; MR 0. Saves: SP (Baumgardt 5, Kirner 1) 6; MR (G. Oberbroeckling) 7. Fouls: SP 4; MR 13.   Semifinals SAUK PRAIRIE 2,  DELAVAN-DARIEN 1 Sauk Prairie ……..…. 1 1 — 2 Delavan-Darien …...… 1 0 — 1 First half: SP — Baier (Drescher), 27:48; DD — Valadez (Colin), 42:13. Second half: SP — Baier (Drescher), 50:30; Shots on goal: SP 2 (Baier 2); DD 9 (J. Diaz 3, Valadez 2, Prado 1, Colin 1, Fonseca 1, Rizo 1). Shots: SP 3; DD 26. Corner kicks: SP 2; DD 9. Offside: SP 0; DD 4. Saves: SP (Baumgardt) 8; DD (Flores) 0. Fouls: SP 9, DD 12. Yellow cards: DD 3