Boys football keep conference title hopes alive

Gaby Geiger, Sports Team Editor|October 10, 2015

Quarterback Eric Zoeller, junior, sets up to pass with Matt Winters, senior, preparing to make a block in Friday night’s conference showdown against Whitefish Bay.

The boys football team kept their hopes alive for a 15th straight conference title with a 35-13 win over previously undefeated Whitefish Bay on Friday, Oct. 9. The Highlanders spoiled the Blue Dukes’ homecoming with their stellar performance on Friday night.

The team felt the intensity of this game in every aspect of practice in the week following up to the game. “It was definitely one of our more physical, high-paced practices all week long; I thought the kids really came out here and gave it 100 percent the whole time,” Coach Matt Wolf, defensive coordinator, said.

Whitefish Bay has been one of Homestead’s most competitive rivals in recent years, adding to the pressure that the Highlanders felt to come out with a win. Both teams and student sections had that rivalry on full display during the game.

The Blue Dukes received the kick to start the first half and drove all the way down Homestead’s 2-yard line, but the Highlander defense came up with a huge stop on the fourth down to give Homestead’s offense a shot at the first score of the game. The big stop on the 2-yard line for the defense proved to be all the momentum that the Highlanders needed to get rolling.

Quaterback Eric Zoeller, junior, got the offense off Homestead’s 2-yard line with a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Tyler Woldt, senior. The drive had a mix of different run plays and brought the Highlanders to the Blue Dukes’ 1-yard line. Running back Matt Winters, senior, capped off the impressive drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, putting Homestead up 7-0 after their first drive.

Whitefish Bay then had a chance to retaliate. Quarterback Jake Fisher, senior, connected with Bailey Wieland, senior, for a 58-yard touchdown pass. Wiedland missed the extra point, putting the score at 7-6 with 11 minutes and five seconds left in the first half.

The Highlander offense took the field and again drove the ball 82 yards to set up another 1-yard touchdown run by Winters, setting up a score of 14-6. The team’s defense came up big on the Blue Dukes’ next drive thanks to Jack Popp, senior, who grabbed the ball out of the Whitefish Bay receiver’s hands on the fourth down. This interception set the Highlanders upon their own 23-yard line, but were unable to add to the scoreboard. The first half ended 14-6 with Homestead in the lead.

The first drive in the second half ended with the Highlanders having to punt the ball. A couple of penalties hurt the Blue Dukes’ drive, but the worst sting came from the Homestead defense getting another interception off of Fisher. The offense capitalized on the field position with the help of Winters. Zoeller handed the ball off to Winters, who took it over 50 yards to Whitefish Bay’s 1-yard line. This set up his third 1-yard touchdown run of the night. The Highlanders were up 21-6 with six minutes and thirteen seconds remaining in the third.

With their team trailing, the Blue Dukes’ offense attempted to get them back into the game. After a couple of first downs, the team caught a break due to a defensive pass interference penalty that moved Whitefish Bay onto Homestead’s side. This ultimately led to the Blue Dukes adding their second and final touchdown of the night to the scoreboard.

The Homestead offense had no signs of slowing down. After a 31-yard reception by Popp, the third quarter ended with a score of 21-13. The beginning of the fourth quarter brought even more excitement to the Highlanders’ sideline and the student section when Zoeller found Matt Gresham, senior, in the open field for his first-ever touchdown.

“Hearing the student section chant my name was unreal,” Gresham said.

This score put the Highalnders up 28-13, but they weren’t finished yet. After impressive stops by the Homestead defense, the Highlanders drove the field yet again, and this time, the drive ended in a touchdown run for Zoeller, setting up the final score of 35-13.

Both Winters and Zoeller had one of their best performances of the year so far. Winters went for 165 yards and three touchdowns, making this his third consecutive game with 100+ yards. Zoeller had a good game in both his throwing and rushing. He was a perfect five-for-five in his pass attempts and threw for 101 yards and ran for another 101.

“I felt like the whole team was on the same page all night. We all were working hard in practice all week to get a win over a very good team, and I couldn’t be happier with the way we played out there,” Winters said.

Although the Blue Dukes could not capitalize on crucial moments, the offense still put up 419 yards, 12 more than Homestead’s offense. However, turnovers and penalties spoiled their efforts for a win. Homestead’s strong defense can also be accredited for the shortcomings of Bay’s offense.

“At the end of the day, playing a good defense is all about the number of points allowed. We would’ve liked to hold them to fewer, but 13 is a pretty darn good job against a really good Whitefish Bay team,” Coach Wolf said.

The Highlanders will take on the Cedarburg Bulldogs next Friday, and if the team can come out with a win, it will have clinched its 15th consecutive conference title.

“Overall, we got done what we needed to do. Offense moved the ball well and defense made plays all night. It was a great win for the team,” Popp said. “We really needed this one and came out and got it done. Hopefully, we can use this momentum and carry it forward for the rest of the year.”