Risky Raiders pull off Level 1 win

After a 0-0 first half, Wisconsin Rapids had to shake it up and opened the third quarter with a surprising onside kick and recovered the ball.

The risk rallied the Raiders and the home team scored in its first two possessions in the third quarter — the only points of the game — to beat Hudson, 12-0, in the Level 1 playoff game.

“The kick caught us off guard,” said Hudson coach Adam Kowles. “It was a great call by them. We should have been prepared for it.”

Hudson, which deferred the ball until the second half, lined up in a typical kick return that left a open area right at the 35-yard-line near the Raider bench. Kicker Rod Keyzer, who joined the team recently when the Raider soccer season ended, kicked the ball up in the air and Zach Bassuener landed on the ball at the 35.

It only took six plays to score, with the help of a fourth-down pass interference call on Hudson’s Tyler Smrcina, for Rylan Lubeck to score from 5 yards out.

Lubeck, who’s success running the ball — 650 yards on the year — mostly came from sweeps to the outside, followed fullback Devin Peterson up the middle for the touchdown.

“I followed Devin straight up the middle,” said the 5-foot-7 165-pound senior. “Our line opened up a good hole and Devin took out the linebacker. With that combo we can run over anyone.”

Lubeck finished with 100 yards on 10 carries and had the touchdown. Peterson, who led the team in rushing with 1,106 yards, finished with 43 yards on 14 carries.

Hudson’s defense was focused on containing Peterson, Wisconsin Rapids coach Tony Biolo said. Adjusting with Lubeck was one reason the Raider rushing game got going in the second half.

“Getting Rylan Lubeck the ball up the middle really helped a lot,” he said. “They wanted to take away Devin Peterson and they did not want Devin to beat them and Devin did a heck-of-a job beating them up the middle to get some really tough yards.”

Wisconsin Rapids (9-1) will face the winner of Kimberly and Green Bay Preble. If Kimberly wins, the game will be in Wisconsin Rapids, but if Preble wins, the Raiders travel to Green Bay.

Wisconsin Rapids followed its first score with a second. The Rapids defense held Hudson (6-4) to a three-and-out, which gave the Raiders the ball on their own 47-yard line. While Lubeck opened up the drive with three runs for 25 yards, as the Raiders got near the goal line, Peterson rushed for five of the final six plays, including the 1-yard touchdown.

The two scoring drives were an improvement over the miscues from the first half, said Wisconsin Rapids coach Tony Biolo.

“We were just off a little bit in the first half,” he said. “No one was terrible in the first half. We were just off by 6 inches from where they needed to be.”

During halftime, there was no historic motivational speech, just a group of players coming together to win the game, Lubeck said.

“It was the players talking to each other,” he said. “Getting us revved up. The backs talking to the line and the line talking to the backs. We just came out and got it going.”

Hudson had a horrific second quarter, which included a single drive that had six false start and one delay of game penalties that left Hudson with a fourth-and-42. In the second quarter, Hudson ran 21 plays and only gained six total yards, which includes a 15-yard penalty against Wisconsin Rapids.

As painful as the second quarter was for Hudson, the third quarter was efficient for the Raiders. In the period, Wisconsin Rapids had the two scores, gained 63 yards and had six first downs — by far the most productive quarter.

Each time Hudson drove the ball, the Raider defense stepped up. On Hudson’s possession right after Lincoln’s second touchdown, Hudson drove 12 plays down to the Raiders 35-yard-line. On fourth-and-5, however, Wisconsin Rapids’ Alex Marriott pulled down a poorly thrown pass and ran back the interception from the 10 yard line to the 38.

“Once it started coming at me it was really high,” Marriott said. “I was going to go for it with one hand but then it was coming right for me so I went up with both hands and got it in. I held the sideline and ran as far as I could.”

Hudson got possession with 5:44 left in the game and moved the ball 60 yards down to the Wisconsin Rapids 20-yard line but three straight incomplete passes — the last on fourth-and-7 while Hudson’s Ian Zastrow was under heavy pressure by the defense — ended the drive.

Zastrow was Hudson’s third quarterback of the game. Starter Luke Miller was injured two minutes into the second quarter and the first back up — Michael Hommes — switched to to his original running back position in the fourth quarter to let Zastrow under center.

Hudson was led by Dan Loughney with 77 yards rushing on 15 carries.

“Those two defenses that played tonight were probably the best two in the state,” Kowles said. “There was not a weakness anywhere.”

Rapids 12, Hudson 0

Hudson        0        0        0        0        —        0

Wis Rapids        0        0        12        0        —        12

Team stats

                WR        H

Rushing        36-182        39-105

Passing        0-3-0        5-17-46

First downs        8        11

Penalties(yards)        5-55        16-94

Punts(ave)        4-33        5-29

Fumbles(lost)        1(1)        3(2)

Individual stats

Rushing — WR: Rylan Lubeck 10-100, Devin Peterson 14-43, Zach Campbell 2-(-4), Cort Halbur 10-43; H: Dan Loughney 15-77, Michael Hommes 7-23, Tyler Smrcina 5-12, Luke Miller 4 (-6), Tucker Malecha 1-(-3), Ian Zastrow 1-(-5).

Passing — WR: Halbur 0-3-0; H: Hommes 2-7-11 1int, Zastrow 2-9-17.

Scoring drives

Third quarter

WR — Lubeck 5 yard run (Kick blocked), 10:57

WR — Peterson 1 yard run (run failed), 3:15