Kewaunee’s hopes for a rematch at top-ranked Bonduel ended in heartbreaking fashion at Don Rabas Field last Friday night, with the second-seeded Storm falling in a Div. 6 Level 2 contest to three-seed Cedar Grove-Belgium, 17-14.
Meanwhile, Luxemburg-Casco couldn’t get much offense going until late in a 47-13 loss at the state’s top-ranked team in Div. 3, the unbeaten Port Washington Pirates.

At Kewaunee, the Storm opened up the playbook with just over four minutes to go, trailing by 10 and 80 yards away from the end zone. Nothing was off limits, and everything was clicking. On one play, wide receiver Mason Kovacs connected on an option pass to Mason Delebreau. On another, Diesel Bosdeck threw a short ball to Dane Harrell, and Harrell bowled defenders over on a 40-plus-yard gain.

Blake Temme finished it off with a touchdown run, and AJ Spranger’s extra point cut the lead to three points with 2:11 to go and all three timeouts left.

The Storm chose to try an onside kick, but it was an easy recovery for Austin Knapp near midfield. Kewaunee’s defense held, using a timeout after each stop. A 38-yard punt had the home team backed on their own 12 with 1:44 left.

In a game where field position and turnovers played a role, the Rockets had the upper hand. One of the key players was senior defensive back and kicker Noah Peterson.

Though he intercepted Bosdeck’s tipped pass on the third play of the game, it was his 43-yard field goal late in the first half that proved to be the difference. Peterson also averaged 40.7 yards per punt and nearly 60 yards per kickoff, with two touchbacks.

“That guy’s got a heck of a leg, kudos to him,” said Kewaunee coach Randy Charles.

After a scoreless first quarter, Kewaunee got on the board the first play of the second. On fourth and six, a patient Bosdeck stayed in the pocket long enough to find Mason Delebreau for a 33-yard touchdown. Spranger’s kick made it 7-0.

The Rockets answered with nine runs in 62-yard scoring drive. It took all four downs on a first and goal situation, but Knapp just got it across on fourth down. After the kick, it was 7-7 with 6:52 left until halftime.

With under three minutes remaining in the second quarter, Kewaunee faked a punt, and Bosdeck was stuffed at the Rockets’ 40. Knowing Peterson had a big leg, Cedar Grove was patient and conservative in the play-calling, running their way down to the Kewaunee 26. With 22 seconds left, Peterson’s 43-yard kick looked like it would have been good for at least another 10 yards.

After a scoreless third quarter and first half of the fourth, Knapp blocked a punt with about six minutes to play, giving the Rockets the ball at the Kewaunee 21. Three plays later, Alex Gieb fired through a hole for a 13-yard touchdown.
“I’m proud of how our guys battled until the very end,” said Charles. “That’s what’s most important. It’s how you go about your business. This is about more than football. It’s doing things the right way.”

Bortolini, the Packerland’s Defensive Player of the Year, had five solos among his team-leading 15 tackles. He’s not planning to play football in college.

“It was really a hell of a ride,” he said, fighting back tears. “At the beginning of the season, especially after that first loss, I never thought we’d be able to be this good. But we all battled and we all stuck with it for the entire season, even this game. I’m really proud of everyone. It was really fun.”

Temme said the bond among the seniors was tight.

“I don’t think there’s a tighter bond, even with the underclassmen,” Temme said. “There’s that whole stigma that the upperclassmen are above, but we don’t really feel that way. We’re always hanging out, we’re always bonding together. It’s a brotherhood. It’s tough to let go of.”

Said Charles, “A game, a score, wins and losses — none of that is going to change how these guys feel about each other. I’m proud of these kids.”

Kewaunee outgained Cedar Grove-Belgium 310 yards to 182. Bosdeck completed 18 of 28 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions. Kovacs completed one of one for 17 yards. Drew Vaughn had 53 yards rushing on eight carries, and Temme 36 on 10. Bosdeck was held in check, unable to run on a Rockets’ defense that hadn’t allowed a single point for five straight games prior.

Harrell had six catches for 110 yards, Delebreau four for 67, Schaller four for 24 and Kovacs four for 14. Defensively, Baylor Elliott had eight tackles, Harrell and Ethan Ratajczak each seven, Landon LaTour six, and Bosdeck five.
Cedar Grove-Belgium quarterback Evan Halleman completed two of four passes for 23 yards, and rushed seven times for 16. Knapp had the bulk of the Rockets’ 159 yards on the ground, gaining 104 in 19 carries with a one-yard TD. Gieb had seven rushes for 34 yards. Besides his game-sealing pick, Anzia had 13 tackles to lead the Rockets, including three for loss.

Bortolini led the Storm with 100 tackles on the season, including 61 solos and 11 tackles for loss. Harrell had the second-most tackles (81) and solos (47), and also had 11 tackles for loss. LaTour was third in total tackles (64), but led in tackles for loss (17) and sacks (5). LaTour was far and away the pancake king, with 48 lay-‘em-flat blocks. Harrell had 20, Bortolini 17 and Ben VanGoethem 16.
Kewaunee finished the season 8-3.

Port Washington 47, L-C 13

The Pirates led 27-0 at the half, and 47-0 before the Spartans got on the board late.

Junior quarterback Jack Bunyan completed 17 of 28 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. The Pirates added 119 rushing yards on 21 carries. Kade Kintop had two interceptions, returning one for a 60-yard touchdown.

The Spartans got a 17-yard touchdown run from senior quarterback Eli Derenne and a five-yarder from Max Krine. They finished the season with a 7-4 record.