2007 Gridiron Classic in Review
Thursday, August 23
- Elmwood 20, Whitehall 14 ot
- Spring Valley 25, Prescott 7
- St. Croix Falls 36, Birchwood-Weyerhaeuser 19
- Spooner 34, Unity 0
- Bruce 46, Cornell 14
Friday, August 24
- Alma 38, Pepin 12 .
- Shell Lake 42, Clear Lake 22
- Clayton 38, Turtle Lake 22
Elmwood 20, Whitehall 14 OT
This year’s Gridiron Classic started off dramatically as Steven Pax and Brett Bock helped their Elmwood team defeat Whitehall in a suspenseful overtime finish. Elmwood got out to an early 14-0 lead by scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter. The first of the two was a 24-yard run by Cody Maves. Elmwood was then successful on the two-point conversion when quarterback Steven Pax took it in himself. Three plays after an interception, Pax connected with Brett Bock for a 14-yard touchdown. On their next possession, Whitehall turned the ball over again, this time on a fumble. Elmwood could not take advantage of this takeaway, however, as they gave the ball right back with a fumble of their own. Whitehall then drove down the field into the red zone, but turned it over yet again with an interception. Their defense forced a punt, and Ross Sygulla’s long return set up a short 4-yard touchdown run by quarterback James Gilbertson, giving Whitehall some momentum going into halftime, trailing by only a touchdown. That momentum carried over into the third quarter as Whitehall scored first with another short Gilbertson run. The extra point would tie the game at 14-14, which held to the end of regulation. Whitehall received the ball first in overtime, but could not get any points out of it. When Elmwood got the ball, Steven Pax hooked up again with Brett Bock in the end zone, using the same play they scored with earlier in the game, giving Elmwood the win.
Spring Valley 25, Prescott 7
Spring Valley ran the ball to a victory over Prescott as running back Colin Kerr scored two touchdowns on the ground, with Tyler Bosshart and Trent Larrieu each adding a rushing touchdown. Spring Valley got out to an early lead when Colin Kerr scored his first touchdown of the day on a 16-yard run. Still in the first quarter, Spring Valley increased its lead to two touchdowns when Tyler Bosshart scored on a long 62-yard touchdown run, giving Spring Valley a 13-0 lead. After that, no scoring took place until the fourth quarter when Spring Valley’s Trent Larrieu ran it in from 22 yards out. Prescott finally got on the scoreboard when Cole Geiger scored on a 70-yard reception from quarterback Tim Harris. Colin Kerr, who started the game’s scoring, also ended it when he scored on a 49-yard scamper, for his second touchdown of the game. Spring Valley out-ran Prescott 356 yards to 104. Kerr ended the game with 179 yards on 29 attempts to go with his two scores. Bosshart also added 145 yards on his 16 rushes.
St. Croix Falls 36, Birchwood-Weyerhaeuser 19
St. Croix Falls grabbed their first win of the season by capitalizing on Birchwood-Weyerhaeuser’s six turnovers. B-W got off to a quick first-quarter lead with two Trent Ziegler rushing touchdowns. In the second quarter, St. Croix Falls answered back with two touchdowns of their own in the second quarter. The first of the two was a 55-yard touchdown run by Chase Walters, followed by a 10-yard reception by tight end Jake Larcom for the score. A pair of two-point conversions gave St. Croix Falls the 16-13 lead going into halftime. St. Croix Falls came out of halftime strong when Josh Yunker hit Nick Johnson for a 48-yard touchdown reception. B-W then answered back, making it only a three-point deficit. St. Croix Falls put an end to the game, however, when they scored on a Gus Koecher run and a 40-yard interception return by Larcom. It took a team effort for St. Croix Falls to capture the win as five players scored touchdowns, and three were successful on two-point conversions.
Spooner 34, Unity 0
The Spooner Rails took control of the game, as they opened their season on the right foot in a rout over the Unity Eagles. Looking back, the scoreless first quarter was the highlight of the game for the Eagles, who were dominated on both sides of the ball the rest of the game. Spooner started the scoring with a Curtis Richardson touchdown run from five yards out. On the following Unity possession, the Rails forced a fumble and recovered it in the end zone. Jake Olson added his second extra point of the game, giving Spooner a 14-0 lead. Olson then caught a 43-yard strike from quarterback Max Anderson, and also kicked the extra point. With just seconds remaining, Spooner scored again, this time on a Brock Rizzo two-yard touchdown run. A failed point after attempt gave Spooner a 27-0 lead going into halftime. In the second half, Jake Olson scored yet again, this time on a touchdown pass to Luke Ackerson, which would be the last touchdown of the game, making the final score 34-0. The multi-talented Jake Olson scored from three different positions, and also racked up 114 yards on his 12 rushing attempts. Richardson gained 88 yards on the ground with his score, and Anderson threw for 88 yards with his touchdown.
Bruce 46, Cornell 14
Bruce’s early six-touchdown lead could not be overcome by Cornell’s comeback bid late in the game, as Bruce captured their first win of the season. Jimmy Shimko started the scoring off with a short 2-yard run. David Hegeholz then ran one in from 11 yards out. Matt Leer then took his turn, by running one in from five yards out. Next, Kurt Johnson, who patiently waited for his chance, took a run 15 yards to paydirt. Jimmy Shimko got his second touchdown from the other side of the ball when he returned an interception 88 yards for the touchdown. Matt Leer then finished Bruce’s scoring rampage with a 5 yard run for a touchdown. Bruce capitalized on five out of six 2-point conversions, giving them a 46-0 lead at halftime. Cornell stopped the bleeding in the third quarter, allowing no scoring, but also scored nothing themselves. Cornel finally got on the scoreboard with a 91-yard touchdown pass from Dyllan Smith to Casey Olson. But that was too little too late. The Chiefs could only add a very late 7-yard touchdown run by Cody Olson.
Friday, August 24
Alma 38, Pepin 12
Alma defeated Pepin in a lopsided game, scoring four rushing touchdowns and one through the air. David Paulson led the charge, carrying the ball 23 times for 112 yards and one touchdown. Chris Glander only carried the ball a mere four times, but took advantage of them, rushing for 65 yards and a score. Ryan Reidt ran for 40 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, and Dan Weghorn received five carries, taking them for 34 yards and a touchdown. Alma also scored on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Reidt to Trevor Fink. Including those nine yards, Reidt threw for 104 yards on 6-10 passing with his touchdown.
Shell Lake 42, Clear Lake 22
Shell Lake’s running game could not be stopped as they rolled over rival Clear Lake in a 42-22 victory. Shell Lake got off to a quick lead in the first quarter with two rushing touchdowns. The first of the two was a short 4-yard run by Drew Knopp, and the second was a much longer 40-yarder by John Cusick. Luke Gronning then scored his first of three touchdowns to give Shell Lake a 20-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Clear Lake’s Aaron Paulson took it to the end zone for an 80-yard return. Luke Gronning quickly ended Clear Lake’s momentum with a 29-yard touchdown run. Clear Lake’s Matt O’Connell did what he could to keep his team in the game by scoring his first of two touchdowns before halftime. Coming out of halftime, though, Drew Knopp scored his second touchdown of the day when he ran it in from 5 yards out. O’Connell would not be discouraged as he answered with a long 64-yard touchdown run. Luke Gronning put an end to any comeback, however, as he took his third touchdown run into the end zone from 5 yards out, closing out the game’s scoring. Gronning ended the day with an outstanding 192 yards on 25 carries along with three scores.
Clayton 38, Turtle Lake 22
Jordan LeBlanc hooked up with Ryan Zemke three times for scores; accounting for only half of his outstanding six touchdown passes as Clayton beat Turtle Lake 38-22. Zemke and LeBlanc started off their day the right way as they hooked up in the first quarter for a 60-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, LeBlanc connected with Derek Effertz for a 9-yard touchdown, putting Clayton up by two touchdowns. Turtle Lake answered by scoring two rushing touchdowns before halftime. The first was a 2-yard run by Dillon O’Connell, and the second was an 11-yarder by Reed Molls. Turtle Lake was able to make both extra points, putting them up 14-12 going into halftime. After halftime, Clayton got the momentum back, and kept it to add four more passing touchdowns. LeBlanc first threw a 23-yard touchdown to Derek Effertz, then a 14-yard pass to Carter Anderson, putting them up by two touchdowns going into the fourth quarter. Turtle Lake could not stop the bleeding after the break, as LeBlanc and Zemke hooked up for 11-yard and 20-yard touchdown passes to seal the win. A late Turtle Lake touchdown pass from Mike Wanner to Jordan Rush was not nearly enough to close the gap, as Clayton took home the victory. Jordan LeBlanc finished his outstanding game with 25 completions on 33 attempts for 289 yards and six touchdowns. Zemke had nine catches for 108 yards with his three scores. Effertz had six catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
2006 Gridiron Classic in Review
Thursday, August 24
- Eleva-Strum 29, Elmwood 14
- Pepin 28, Alma 16
- Ellsworth 36, St. Croix Central 6
- Birchwood/Weyerhaeuser 36, New Auburn 0 (played 8/25 at Birchwood)
Friday, August 25
- St. Croix Falls 32, Northwood/Solon Springs 12
- Prescott 12, Spring Valley 7
- Owen-Withee 56, Boyceville 14
- Lake Holcombe 34, Flambeau 18
Eleva-Strum 29, Elmwood 14
Elmwood took the lead on their first play from scrimmage when Lucas Wolf connected on a halfback-option pass to Cody Maves for a 37-yard touchdown, but Eleva-Strum scored the next four touchdowns - three by back Nick Zander. Zander scored on a three-yard scamper in the first quarter, a 13-yard run in the second quarter and dashed off a 55-yard run in the third quarter to catapult the Cardinals. Isaac Zwiefelhofer scored on a three yard run to close out the first quarter to put the E-S up for good. Elmwood got the final score of the day on a two-yard run by quarterback Stephen Pas. Zander finished the afternoon with 167 yards rushing on 19 carries and also had an interception return for 25 yards.. The Cardinals ground out 254 yards rushing, with Nick Rogness picking up 42 yards and Zwiefelhofer 40. Elmwood finished with 157 rushing yards, with Pax tallying 76 and Corey Bechel 44 yards.
Pepin 28, Alma 16
Pepin's Josh Murray shrugged off an injury he sustained a week earlier in a scrimmage and a two-and-a-half hour rain and lightning delay to lead Pepin to a 28-16 upset over arch-rival Alma. Although Pepin took an early 8-0 lead after Phil McGovern blasted 75-yards on a quarterback draw to paydirt midway through the first quarter, Alma pretty much controlled the first half of play. The Rivermen answered back in the second quarter on a 39-yard touchdown strike from Ryan Riedt to Chris Glander, then followed that up with a short touchdown run by David Glander five minutes later. Pepin continually shot themselves in the foot in first half, mostly with penalties and the inability to rush the ball. Opportunity fell in the Lakers' lap in the third quarter as a storm loomed in the near distance. Jared Follensbee picked off a Reidt pass and returned it 56 yards to pull Pepin to within 16-14. The sky lit up early in the fourth quarter, and teams were forced inside to wait. When it was deemed safe to return to play, Murray made Williams Stadium light up again. One of the area's top rushing backs, Murray turned consecutive carries into long scores - the first an 83-yard run and the second a 76 yard run. Murry finished the night with 170 yards on 12 carries. Pepin racked up 354 total yards of offense, all on the ground. McGovern finished with 127 rushing yards. Alma tallied 271 yards, 149 through the air by Reidt.
Ellsworth 36, St. Croix Central 6
After jumping out to a 16-0 halftime lead, Ellsworth put up 20 points in the third quarter to easily win the battle of the Panthers. In a game that started nearly three hours after its scheduled time, Ellsworth jumped on the board with four minutes remaining in the first quarter on a 57-yard run by Lance Murphy. Ellsworth doubled their pleasure in the second quarter when Travis London connected with Caleb Peterson for a 22-yard pass play. London scored twice on short runs in the third quarter and Ellsworth picked up a fumble deep in St. Croix Central territory and scored from five yards out. Central got their only score of the game with three minutes left when Jared Fern scored on a three yard run.
Birchwood-Weyerhaeuser 36, New Auburn 0
In a game that weather forced the cancellation, the two teams hooked up the next night in Birchwood and the B-W Cats had little trouble with New Auburn. Eric Styczynski scored three touchdowns and Chris Ludvik ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Ludvik started off the scoring in the first quarter on a 62 yard run. Styczynski scored on short runs in the third and fourth quarter and had a 16 yard interception return for a score.
St. Croix Falls 32, Northwood/Solon Springs 12
The small rostered Evergreens gave St. Croix Falls all they could handle for a while, but eventually the Saints put Northwood away. St. Croix Falls' opened the scoring on a 36-yard punt return by Allastant Nuckles midway through the first quarter. Michael LaMirand gave the Saints a 14-0 lead, but Northwood answered right back when Mike Malone took the ensuing kickoff 90-yards to paydirt. Falls drove 73 yards to score midway through the second period as Brandon Whittaker scored from 37-yards out. LaMirande added his second score of the game, this time on another 24-yard run in the third period. The Evergreens' Malone proved elusive again, scoring on a 55-yard pass reception in the third period. The Saints' Dustin Lumsden capped off the scoring with 26-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Prescott 12, Spring Valley 7
In the battle of the Cardinals, it looked like Spring Valley had a chance to snap their losing streak to Prescott, but Prescott found a way to win, and used a freshman to do it. Spring Valley took a 7-0 lead on a 75-yard run by Trenton Larrieu, followed by a Brian Coyne extra point. But Prescott came back and topped off a drive on a Matt Feriancek two-yard run. The kick failed and Spring Valley held the lead until just under four minutes remaining the game when Ty Stees got the game winner on a one-yard plunge.
Owen-Withee 56, Boyceville 14
The Blackhawks got their first Gridiron Classic win over the Bulldogs as Dustin Kroeplin rushed 15 times for 144 yards and three touchdowns and Zach Pomputis tallied 131 yards and two scores. Pomputis got the Blackhawks on the scoreboard with an 80-yard run five minutes into the game. Kroeplin scored the next three touchdowns within seven minutes of playing time. He dashed off scoring efforts of 52-, 56- and 42-yards. Pomputis scored his second touchdown four minutes later. The Bulldogs got on the board with a Tyrel Hanson run. Jesse Friedenfels scored two Owen-Withee touchdowns in the third quarter. The Bulldogs got an eight yard score by Dylan Iverson with four minutes left.
Lake Holcombe 34, Flambeau 18
Lake Holcombe picked up their first Gridiron Classic win in their first appearance as Cody Schneider ran for four touchdowns. Schneider opened the game with a 90-yard run only 12 seconds into the game on the Chieftains' first play from scrimmage, then added 3- and 4-yard scoring runs in the second quarter. Schneider wrapped up his day with a 5-yard scamper in the third quarter. Flambeau stayed in the game throughout, answering Schneider's first TD with a five play drive, capped off by a 9-yard run by Greg Kopacz. Schneider then put Holcombe up 22-6 before the Falcons added a score by freshman Levi Felske a minute before halftime. Lake Holcombe extended the lead to 28-12 on a 21-yard touchdown reception by Kent Velie three minutes into the third period. Flambeau added a final score in the final minute of the game.
2005 Gridiron Classic in Review
2005 Gridiron Classic Results
- Elmwood 37, Eleva-Strum 12
- Glenwood City 12, Cumberland 9
- Ladysmith 26, Park Falls 13
- St. Croix Central 24, Ellsworth 8
- Durand 22, Barron 0
- Prescott 36, Spring Valley 0
- Frederic 27, Cameron 12
- Edgar 12, Rib Lake/Prentice 11
Elmwood 37, Eleva-Strum 12
To Elmwood junior running back Lucas Wolf, Eleva-Strum's defenders must have appeared transparent. During the Raiders' 25-point romp over the Cardinals Thursday morning, Wolf popped a 37-yard TD run and hauled in a 17-yard scoring strike from junior quarterback Cody Rose. Wolf also scored three two-point conversions and gained 57 yards rushing on eight carries. Elmwood, which led 8-0 after one quarter, carried a 31-0 lead into halftime. Eleva-Strum gained 202 net offensive yards to Elmwood's 181.
Glenwood City 12, Cumberland 9
Glenwood City senior quarterback, Jordan Myers, reached the end zone twice Thursday afternoon but he didn't score both of the Hilltoppers' touchdowns in their three-point victory over the Beavers. Myers – sacked in the end zone during the first quarter to put Cumberland ahead, 2-0 – scored on a 1-yard plunge with 4 minutes, 23 seconds left in the contest to give Glenwood City its first lead of the game. The Beavers upped their cushion to 9-0 in the third quarter, when senior running back Kyle Zimbrick reached pay dirt on a 4-yard scoot, before Glenwood City senior Ethan Weeks narrowed the gap to 9-6 with a 3-yard scamper. Both of the Hilltoppers' extra point kick attempts failed. Cumberland outgained the Hilltoppers, 253 yards to 59, on the ground, but Glenwood City held a considerable advantage, 163 yards to 71, in passing yardage. Myers completed 10-of-22 passes, with senior Zach Lyon making four catches for 89 yards.
Ladysmith 26, Park Falls 13
Park Falls allowed Ladysmith junior Andy Allison to run amuck on both sides of the ball Thursday afternoon during the Lumberjacks' sound defeat of the Cardinals. Allison, who collected one interception, rattled off TD runs of 25 and 87 yards en route to gaining 137 ground yards on 16 attempts and caught two passes for 16 yards. Allison's 25-yard jaunt drew Ladysmith to within 7-6 with 2 minutes, 12 seconds left in the second quarter. His longer scoring scamper gave the Lumberjacks a 19-13 advantage. Park Falls, which took a 7-0 lead after junior Adam Petroski caught a 4-yard pass from senior Adam Louma at the 6:50 mark of the second quarter, took a 13-6 lead early in the third quarter on a two-yard Louma dive. Ladysmith pulled even, at 13-13, just over four minutes later, when junior David Ziemer scooped up a fumble and raced 52 yards to the house. After Allison's aforementioned 87-yard TD run, Ladysmith added a little insurance in the fourth quarter, when senior David Gabrovic rumbled 49 yards to the end zone with a recovered fumble. Park Falls, which gained 120 rushing yards, threw for 59 yards, while Ladysmith picked up 64 yards via the air.
St. Croix Central 24, Ellsworth 8
Ryan Fedie, Jared Fern and Craig Myer proved to be an effective one-two-three punch for St. Croix Central Thursday evening during their team's 24-8 defeat of Ellsworth. Myer, a senior, rushed for 109 yards and two TDs on 19 carries, while Fern, a sophomore, completed 4-of-9 passes for 76 yards and one touchdown and Fedie, also a sophomore, caught three passes for 58 yards. Fedie also scored on a two-point conversion run and a two-point conversion reception on a toss from Fern. Myer connected with senior running back Tom Redmon for Central's other two-point conversion. St. Croix Central totaled 281 yards on 44 carries, compared to Ellsworth's 229 yards on 32 carries. Sophomore Lance Murphy led Ellsworth with 61 yards on three rushes. Ellsworth quarterback Travis London, a junior, completed 12-of-23 passes for 141 yards.
Durand 22, Barron 0
Durand, quite literally, ran over Barron, 22-0, to cap Thursday's festivities. Durand's senior running back Jerec Dorschner, coincidentally wearing No. 22, amassed 162 yards on, oddly enough, 22 carries. Dorschner scored on runs of two and three yards in the second and fourth quarters, respectively. Dorschner followed his first TD up by running in the two-point conversion. Senior tight end John Winter capped Durand's scoring with a seven-yard run in the fourth stanza. Durand compiled 312 rushing yards of 59 carries, while the Panthers' defense limited Barron to 17 rushing yards on 19 totes. Durand completed 5-of-6 passes for 92 yards, while the Bears completed 8-of-26 aerial attempts for 52 yards.
Prescott 36, Spring Valley 0
Prescott used a balanced attack to rain on Spring Valley's parade Friday morning under a steady downpour. Five Prescott players scored touchdowns and senior Jake Charette booted a 26-yard field goal to go with his three PAT kicks. Senior Ron Johnson kicked off the scoring with a 3-yard run in the first quarter, then senior Matt Magnan tossed a 4-yard TD pass to senior Chad Schommer in the second quarter to up Prescott's lead to 14-0. Later in the second quarter, seniors Jordan Boles and Micah Herold netted scores on 25-yard interception returns to up Prescott's lead to 27-0, before Charette's field goal made the count 30-0 in favor of Prescott heading into intermission. Magnan's 28-yard scoring strike to senior Clynt Kistler in the third quarter rounded out Prescott's scoring barrage. Johnson picked up 136 of Prescott's 143 rushing yards on 19 carries, while Prescott's defense held Spring Valley to 14 rushing yards on 21 totes. Magnan completed 3-of-6 passes for 37 yards and two TDs, while Spring Valley senior Willie Huepfel connected on 5-of-18 passes for 89 yards. Huepfel threw three interceptions and Spring Valley lost four fumbles.
Frederic 27, Cameron 12
Fredric, and Cameron, for that matter, proved it's not how a team starts but how it finishes. Cameron took a 12-0 lead in the team's Friday-afternoon affair, only to drop a 27-12 decision to the Vikings. Junior quarterback Jesse Linsmeyer gave the Comets a 6-0 lead with a 2-yard scoring plunge in the first quarter and senior teammate Josh Huseth, a running back, upped Cameron's edge to 12-zip with a 2-yard dive of his own in the second quarter. From there, however, it was all Frederic. Junior running back Ethan Hayes reached pay dirt on a 29-yard run and senior QB Tony Norling tossed a 21-yard scoring strike to senior Ben Chenal to give the Vikings a 13-12 lead at the break. In the second half, Hayes, on a 2-yard run, and Norling, via another connection with Chenal, provided insurance touchdowns for Frederic. Frederic outgained Cameron, 160 yards to 29, on the ground, with Hayes taking 25 handoffs for 129 yards. Norling completed 8-of-16 passes for 109 yards, while Linsmeyer completed 3-of-9 passes for 88 yards and one interception.
Edgar 12, Rib Lake/Prentice 11
A quick glance at the statistics from Edgar's showdown vs. Rib Lake/Prentice Friday afternoon indicates the latter dominated many facets of the game. Unfortunately for Rib Lake/Prentice, games aren't won on statistics sheets. Despite totaling 18 first downs to Edgar's eight and compiling 314 net offensive yards to Edgar's 125, Rib Lake/Prentice found itself on the losing end of a 12-11 score when the game clock expired. A more in-depth look at the statistics from the game indicates why Rib Lake/Prentice's dominance in the first down and offensive yardage departments went for naught: it turned the ball over eight times (four lost fumbles, four interceptions). Edgar led 12-2 at intermission before Rib Lake/Prentice made a late charge to make things interesting. Junior running back Brandon Loertscher picked up 139 of Rib Lake/Prentice's 204 rushing yards on 27 carries, while junior quarterback Andrew Lukasko gained 60 yards on 16 totes for Edgar. Rib Lake/Prentice senior Will Moritz connected on 7-of-15 aerial attempts for 110 yards, while Lukasko completed 2-of-7 passes for 12 yards.
2005 Overview
Spring Valley and Prescott made their fourth consecutive appearances, making them the only teams to have appeared in all of the four Gridiron Classics. The two teams kicked off the inaugural classic in 2002 with the very first game, with Prescott coming out on top, 42-35. The pair of Cardinal teams have only played each other in the Classic, with Prescott holding a 2-1 lead in the series.
Durand and Barron met each other for the third time in the Classic, and Durand denied Barron it's first Gridiron win.
Cumberland, Eleva-Strum, Elmwood, Glenwood City and St. Croix Central also made their second Gridiron appearance.
Several teams made their first appearance on the artificial surface of Williams Stadium. Park Falls, Ladysmith, Ellsworth, Frederic, Cameron, Rib Lake/Prentice and Edgar made their initial appearances in the Classic.
Eight teams that played in the Classic advanced to the WIAA playoffs last season, with Rib Lake/Prentice falling one game short of the state championship game.
The 4500-seat, artificial-surfaced Don & Nona Williams Stadium opened for the 2001 season and is the home field for UW-Stout and Menomonie High School.
2004 Gridiron Classic Action
Eleva-Strum scored the first two TDs, and the last two TDs to take a 26-14 win over Elmwood in the opening game. The Cardinals' Houston Havenor scored the first two TDs, on one-yard jaunts. Jason Zander scored in the third quarter for the Cardinals on a two-yard run and Ryan Asher capped off the game with a 68-yard TD run from scrimmage. Asher finished with 125 rushing yards. The Raiders used the big play for their two scores. Ryan Mountin broke out of the pack and returned a kickoff 75-yards in the second quarter. Royce Baier put up Elmwood's final score on a 48-yard rush.
2004 Gridiron Classic Scores
- Eleva-Strum 26, Elmwood 14
- Cadott 26, Tomahawk 7
- Elk Mound 39, Wisconsin Heights 26
- Colfax 26, Bangor 0
- Prescott 21, Spring Valley 0
- Amery 30, Spooner 0
- Boyceville 21, Owen-Withee 20
- Durand 6, Barron 0
Cadott's Stefan Geissler rushed for 152 yards as the Hornets scored the first four TDs of the game for a 26-7 win over Tomahawk. Justin Marion threw for two TDs - a 39-yard strike to Chad Burish and a 20-yard play to Darren Mackie. Jason Isaacson scored in the third and Kyle Rothbauer scored in the fourth. Tomahawk's only score came with 10 seconds remaining on a 7-yard run by Dustin Madlung.
Elk Mound scored four unanswered TDs in the third and fourth quarters in rallying from a 20-14 halftime deficit. Ryan Schumacher scored on runs of 5, 17 and 35 yards. Schumacher rushed for 110 yards on 19 carries. Cal Johnson threw two TD passes for the Mounders, a 45-yard play to Tim Payne and 17-yard pass to Rob Cernocky. The Vanguards got two scores from Andy Tollefson, who rushed for 87 yards.
Colfax blanked Bangor, 26-0, to open the second day. Danny Varnes scored from two-yards out in the first, then tacked on a 63-yard scoring run on the first play of the third quarter. Colfax racked up 151 rushing yards in the third quarter and held Bangor to 41 second half yards.
Matt Magnan threw TD passes of 59 and 37 yards in the first half to lead Prescott to a 21-7 win over Spring Valley. Magnan connected with Clint Kistler less than two minutes into the game, then hit Zac Rosenow with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter. Prescott's Micah Herold score in the third quarter. Spring Valley's only score came late in the fourth period when Ben Colenson returned a fumble 81 yards.
Amery ran up 396 rushing yards and Chris Johnson accounted for 196 yards on 20 carries, including the opening TD (39 yards) as Amery ran all over Spooner, 30-0. Matt Mullendore scored twice, a 28-yard rush in the first and a four-yard run in the third.
Boyceville's Ryan Hedland scored on a 27-yard pass play from Aaron Kersten and Chris Steinbach scored on the two-point conversion with three seconds remaining to lift Boyceville over Owen-Withee, 21-20. Ben Hubbard scored all three of Owen-Withee's TDs, and did it offensively, defensively and on special teams. Hubbard returned a fumble 15 yards in the second period, then returned a kick 81 yards in the third period. Four minutes later, he rushed 61 yards to paydirt. Hubbard tallied 107 rushing yards, but 203 all-purpose yards.
Durand's Kaleb Spieker scored the game's lone TD on a 17-yard run in the second quarter as the Panthers held on for a 6-0 win over Durand to close out the event. Durand rushed for 232 yards on 59 carries.
The 4500-seat, artificial-surfaced Don & Nona Williams Stadium opened for the 2001 season.
Admission by the day is: $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and 5-and-under are free. Fans are reminded to park in Lots 4, 29 and 34. All other lots are regulated for a valid permit or paid meter.
2003 Gridiron Classic Action
In the 2003 opener, Birchwood-Weyerhaeuser had little trouble with New Auburn, dispatching the Trojans, 41-6. Tyler Huiras accounted for three scores, scampers of 20- and 22-yards in the second quarter, then snagged a 60-yard TD pass play from Shane Stoecken in the third. Stoecklen had two 1-yard TDs in the first half.
Phillips came back from a 22-6 deficit to down Colfax, 25-22, in the second game. Jeff Schneider ran for a 5-yard score to pull the Loggers to with 22-12, then scored from 55 yards out when he took the pitch from Phil Brown three yards past the line of scrimmage. Dann Brzeskiewicz scored twice for the Loggers, to open and close the game, the first a 46-yard run, then took a 52-yard pass from Brown with 4:13 remaining for the game winner. Dustin Haugle scored twice for Colfax and Trevor Knutson ran for one TD and kicked a 25-yard field goal. Colfax downed Phillips, 23-6, last year in the Classic.
Mondovi led from start to finish, but had to hold off Baldwin-Woodville as the Buffaloes took a 30-22 win. Mondovi scored on the final play of the first quarter on a Tyler May 5-yard scamper, then Matt Serum added a 1-yard jaunt with 4:40 remaining in the second quarter. Baldwin-Woodville's Dylan Deringer hauled in a 3-yard pass with six seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to 16-8. Mondovi added a Devin Teigen 6-yard run midway through the third, but Baldwin-Woodville came back with two scores in less than two minutes apart. Josh Newton scored from 4-yards out and Caleb VanRoekl hauled in a 6-yard puss to tighten the score to 24-22. May scored with only five second off the clock in the fourth quarter and the Mondovi defense held.
Altoona quarterback Storm Harmon threw a 1-yard TD pass, then scored the two-point conversion with nine seconds left in the game to give the Railroaders a 14-13 win over Bloomer. The Blackhawks made it a nail-biter after recovering the onside kick. Following a delay of game with seven second remaining, the Blackhawks successfully completed a three-pass play - to their right, to their left, then to downfield - but the Bloomer receiver was pulled down from behind at the Altoona 3-yard line as the time ticked off the clock.
After trailing the entire game, Chetek came back to defeat Chippewa Falls McDonell, 31-27, in the final two minutes of play in the second day opener. Trailing 21-6 at one point, the Bulldogs climbed the ladder all the way back, capped off by an 86-yard TD pass play with Johnny Akim hitting Ricky Solum with 1:37 left in the game. Chetek then picked off a pass in a last ditch McDonell effort. The loss put a damper on an outstanding day by the Macks' Isaac Ryba, who scored four times. Ryba opened the scoring on a 78 yard scamper in the first, then added a 60-yard scoring run midway through the second and added a 5-yard run with two minutes left in the first half. Ryba scored once more in the third on a 2-yard run. The Akim to Solum connection worked well for the Bulldogs, as the pair hooked up two more times for TD passes, once on the opening play of the second quarter - a 65-yard pass play - and again with five minutes left in the game, a 29-yard play. Chetek's Matt Langman returned an interception 48 yards to the end zone in the third.
Spring Valley had little trouble avenging last year's loss to Prescott as they crushed their same-name rival, 30-0. Todd Sauve threw for two TD passes and Toby Roatch ran for two more scores. Roatch put Spring Valley on the board with 1:44 left in the first when he bulled over from the one yard line. Sauve hooked up with Ryan Stangl for a 48-yard TD pass at 9:33 in the second, then found Trent Wendtlandt for a 13-yard scoring strike in the third. Roatch rolled off a 59-yard TD two minutes later. Erik Thompson wrapped up the scoring with a 27-yard field goal.
Kaleb Spieker scored three touchdowns as Durand downed Barron, 35-12, in the final contest of the Classic. Spieker opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 4-yard run, then added a 33-yard interception return 47 seconds before the end of the half. Spieker sealed the deal with a 1-yard run with 3:05 remaining. Joe McMahon scored a 52-yard rushing TD for Durand in the fourth.
2003 Results
- Birchwood-Weyerhaeuser 41, New Auburn 6
- Phillips 25, Colfax 22
- Mondovi 30, Baldwin-Woodville 22
- Altoona 14, Bloomer 13
- Chetek 31, Chippewa Falls McDonell 27
- Spring Valley 30, Prescott 0
- Durand 35, Barron 12
2002 Gridiron Classic Action
In action during the inaugural 2002 Gridiron Classic, in a battle of the Cardinals, two-time defending Division 6 state champion Spring Valley was beaten for the first time in the 21st century when they were tripped up by Prescott, 42-35. Spring Valley had a chance to tie or go ahead with a two-point conversion with only seconds on the clock, but Prescott's Ryan Kariesch picked off quarterback in the end zone to seal the win. Spring Valley's previous loss came during the 1999 season.
Boyceville had little trouble with Owen-Withee, blanking the Blackhawks, 28-0, scoring 15 points in the second quarter, highlighted by a 70-yard TD pass play by quarterback Mike Roemhild to Allen Lain.
Elk Mound got all of their points in the last forty seconds of each half to take a 14-0 win over Colby. Dennis Arneson scored on a 19-yard pass reception with 29 seconds left in the first half, and Nick Schumacher rumbled over from 12 yards with 34 seconds remaining in the game.
In the second day's first game, Birchwood/Weyerhauser's Tyler Huiras scored three TDs to give the B-W Cats a 26-16 win over New Auburn. Huiras hauled in a pass in the first period, then runshed for a 20-yard score in the third and a 60-yard jaunt in the final stanza.
St. Croix Central got all of their points in the first half to take a 14-0 win over Cumberland. Nate Fern scored from 19 yards out in the first quarter and Adam Graf added a 5-yard TD in the second. The Panther defense gave Central their final two points with a safety late in the first half.
Somerset put a bit of hurt on former conference foe Glenwood City by handing them a 26-14 loss. Taylor Germain scored three TDs for the Spartans and Ben Graese scored two for the Hilltoppers. Somerset returns to the Middle Border after several years in the Dunn-St. Croix.
Colfax built a 23-0 lead and held Phillips scoreless until midway through the third quarter as the Vikings took a 23-6 win over Phillips to close the Classic. The Vikings opened up their scoring attack in the first quarter on a 46-yard reception by Tony Berras.
2002 Schedule & Results
- Prescott 42, Spring Valley 35
- Boyceville 28, Owen-Withee 0
- Elk Mound 14, Colby 0
- Birchwood/Weyerhaeuser 26, New Auburn 16
- St. Croix Central 14, Cumberland 0
- Somerset 26, Glenwood City 14
- Colfax 23, Phillips 6