(Article Updated on 9/21)
On September 18, Kewaskum football lost 22-17 to Defending Division 3 State Champion Grafton on a very rainy night at home.
Grafton (4-1, 3-0) took a 7-0 lead over Kewaskum (1-4, 0-3) in the first quarter on a 23-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Hunter Klippel.
Kewaskum’s Levi Whitfield rushed for 25 yards to set up the Indians inside Grafton's thirty-yard line before they were stopped on fourth down at the Blackhawks 26-yard line.
Klippel scored on a 65-yard rushing touchdown to increase Grafton’s lead to 15-0 in the second quarter.
Senior Quarterback Eli Ogi found Whitfield for a 30-yard pass to help Kewaskum get into scoring position for a 23-yard field goal by Blake Staral for a 15-3 halftime score.
Kewaskum had two consecutive offensive possessions ending in turnovers, but the Indians' defense responded to the challenge by stopping Grafton’s offense.
Ogi and Whitfield connected again on a 38-yard passing play to put Kewaskum in scoring position, and Whitfield capped off the drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter for a 15-10 score in favor of the Blackhawks.
“Our offensive line continues to get better and provides our backs and receivers opportunity to make plays,” said Kewaskum Head Coach Jeff Rondorf. “We have talented guys who expect to make plays for us, and they do.”
“Again, we had critical turnovers that we have to eliminate,” said Rondorf. “We’ll continue to work on ball security and disciplined play.”
Grafton’s offense scored on a 45-yard rushing touchdown from Owen Deer to push their lead to 22-10 with 6:11 left in the game.
The Indians weren’t done when Ogi threw a 40-yard passing touchdown to Jace Wichtoski with 3:28 remaining on the fourth-quarter clock for a score of 22-17.
Grafton ran out the final minutes of the game, not giving the ball back to Kewaskum, and left the field with a hard-fought 22-17 win over the Indians.
“We played well enough to win, and I was happy with our effort,” said Rondorf. “I wasn’t surprised by our performance or the fact that it was a close game.”
“I told our players and coaches after the game that we all need to do a little more in our preparation so we can win these games moving forward,” said Rondorf.
Kewaskum football will host Plymouth on September 25 at 7 p.m.
Game Summary
Friday, September 18
Grafton 7-8-0-7 22
Kewaskum 0-3-0-14 17
Final
First Quarter
Grafton: Hunter Klippel 23-Yard Rushing Touchdown (XP Good), Grafton 7-0
Second Quarter
Grafton: Hunter Klippel 65-Yard Rushing Touchdown (2-pt run conversion), Grafton 15-0
Kewaskum: Blake Staral 23-Yard Field Goal, Grafton 15-3
Fourth Quarter
Kewaskum: Levi Whitfield 5-Yard Rushing Touchdown (Blake Staral XP Good), Grafton 15-10
Grafton: Owen Deer 45-Yard Rushing Touchdown (XP Good), Grafton 22-10
Kewaskum: Eli Ogi to Jace Wichtoski 40-Yard Passing Touchdown (Blake Staral XP Good), Grafton 22-17
Team Stats
Grafton: Passing: 3-7-28-0-0. Rushing: 29-346-3. Total Yards: 374-3
Kewaskum: Passing: 7-14-160-1-1. Rushing: 42-182-1. Total Yards: 342-2
Kewaskum Offensive Individual Stats
Passing: Eli Ogi 7-14-160-1-1
Rushing: Landon Scheel 26-89-0. Eli Ogi 11-65-0. Levi Whitfield 3-26-1. Ezra Stuht 2-2-0
Receiving: Jace Wichtoski 4-87-1. Levi Whitfield 2-68-0. Landon Scheel 1-5-0
Kewaskum Defensive Individual Stats
Tackles: Quin Dorancker 8. Jude Johnson 7. Evan Soyk 7. Anthony Coleman 6. Marcus Fleischman 6. Tyler Rabuck 5. Jace Wichtoski 4. Henry Ogi 4. Easton Drege 3. Chase Heinonen 2. Leo Gerhartz 2. Brady Wildt 2
TFL: Jude Johnson 1
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