Football clinches conference title

Gaby Geiger, Sports Team Editor|October 17, 2015

Matt Winters, senior, celebrates after scoring a 1-yard touchdown during Friday night’s conference matchup against Cedarburg.

The Highlanders clinched their 15th straight conference title on Friday, Oct. 16 by shutting out the Cedarburg Bulldogs 35-0 at Homestead. With the last game of the regular season in the books, Homestead is ready to take on the playoffs next week.

Homestead’s defense had another spectacular showing on Friday night, keeping Cedarburg to only 140 total yards of offense and no score. The Highlander offense, under offensive coordinator Drake Zortman, was able to put up 336 yards and 35 points.

The first score of the game came on the Highlanders’ opening drive. The drive started with multiple run plays for running back Matt Winters, senior. With the ball on Cedarburg’s 22, quarterback Eric Zoeller, junior, found Jack Popp, senior, in the endzone. After stumbling with the ball a bit, Popp was able to bring it in for 6 points. After scoring another point, the Highlanders were up 7-0.

Cedarburg’s first drive did not end the same way. After two first downs, Popp snagged the pass from Max Race, Cedarburg’s quarterback, out of the air for an interception. The offense, however, could not capitalize on the turnover, forcing them to punt.

“I had a lot of opportunities to make plays and it was a lot of fun, especially in my last conference game. It’s great to walk out of here with a conference championship as seniors,” Popp said.

The defense came up with a big stop on Homestead’s 31 when the Bulldogs were attempting 14 yards on the fourth down. Sean Driscoll, senior, broke up the pass attempt in the endzone, causing a turnover on downs. The Highlander offense took over and ran the ball to the other side of the field. Zoeller, on a quarterback sneak, took the ball into the endzone for a 23-yard run, putting the score at 14-0.

After a quick three-and-out for Cedarburg, the Highlander offense came up with another 7 points thanks to Winters. The drive consisted of mostly run plays for Zoeller and Winters, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown by Winters. This set up the score 21-0 for halftime, with Homestead in the lead.

The second half started with Cedarburg receiving the kick, but the defense was too strong for them to put any points on the board. When Homestead’s offense took the field again, they started right where they left off, scoring yet again. This time, Zoeller hit Tyler Woldt, senior wide receiver, who then ran the ball into the endzone.

Penalties plagued the Bulldogs throughout the night, especially during the second half when they were trying to get back into the game. The final score for the Highlanders came from running back Michael Ferhenbach, junior, who carried the ball in from 10 yards out, putting the final score at 35-0.

The defense was on top of its game all night, not allowing for Cedarburg to score. Homestead’s offense was also working on all cylinders throughout the whole game. Winters led the team in total offensive yards with 146. This put him at over 1,000 yards on the regular season, a goal he was hoping to accomplish.

“The season really went well for our offense. I have to give a lot of the credit to our offensive line who really stepped up their game from the first one against Arrowhead. I wouldn’t have had the season I did without the great blocks they made game after game,” Winters said.

The team finished the regular season with a 7-2 overall record and a 6-1 conference record. After this win, Homestead clinched its 15th straight conference championship. The title is being shared with Whitefish Bay, who beat Grafton on Friday night.

“We’re very excited to keep the tradition of conference championships going on 15 years. Also, winning conference as a senior is special,” Josh Mueller, senior said.
The bracket for the playoffs was released Saturday morning, and the Highlanders have their next matchup: Germantown, the same team who gave Homestead its only conference loss. The Highlanders hope to get revenge.