By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Lake Geneva Badgers used a little boldness, some luck, and some resiliency to upset #2 seeded Franklin on the road last Friday 28-21 in a WIAA Level 2 playoff game.
A little more luck resulted in Badger hosting its Level 3 game this Friday as Kenosha Bradford upset undefeated #1 seed Oak Creek 21-14 with a 58 yard touchdown pass with just seven seconds on the clock. Badger (8-2) will host Bradford (7-3) at 7:00.
Coach Matt Hensler said the team has been battling injuries on the offensive line recently and lost their starting center just this week.
“They are very resilient and they stepped up and believed,” Hensler said.
Hensler added the team did not think of itself as the underdog as the #3 seed going up against #2 seeded Franklin. He said that might have been the team’s problem the week before against Muskego, a game the Badgers won 28-27.
Badger got the ball first and was quickly faced with a fourth and one. The Badgers lined up to punt from their own 23-yard line but surprised everyone in the stadium with a fake. Robert Johnson took the snap and rumbled for 14 yards.
“It was pretty big,” Hensler said about the impact the fake punt had as it led to Badger’s first score.
“We practiced it and knew we could get it,” quarterback Peter Krien said.
The Badgers marched down to the Saber 36 yard line before Krien lost control of the ball on a roll out. Fortunately the ball-bounced right back to him and instead of just falling on it for a loss Krien went vertical and weaved his way through the Franklin defense for a 36-yard touchdown run.
“That was not in the playbook,” Hensler said. “He didn’t panic and just tried to get as many yards as he could.”
Hensler then tried another bit of trickery as the Badgers lined up to kick the extra point but instead went for two. The conversion failed but the Badgers had a 6-0 lead.
The Badger defense forced Franklin to punt but the Sabers got the ball back on a fumbled pitch to Andrew Cychner. Franklin took over at its own 48-yard line and then took a 7-6 lead on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Sean McGuire to tight end Joe Falzon on the last play of the first quarter.
After forcing the Badgers to punt on their first drive of the second quarter, the Sabers took a 14-6 lead on an eight-yard touchdown run on a draw play by McGuire.
Badger took the ensuing kick and drove 75 yards to tie the score aided by a big 17-yard pass completion to Rob Slagle. Krien connected with Matt Reynolds for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 37.9 seconds left in the half and the Badgers converted on the two-point conversion on a two-yard Johnson run.
Franklin was not content to sit on the ball and go into halftime tied. Aided by a facemask call against the Badgers and a 44 yard pass to Falzon, the Sabers got themselves into position for a 41 yard field goal attempt that drifted wide left to end the half.
The Badgers benefitted from another fortune bounce to start the second half as Hensler reached into his bag of tricks on the opening kick. The Badgers lined up with Tom Ritzman as the kicker but Andrew Allen crossed in front and kicked a squib kick instead. The ball caromed to the Franklin 40 where Cychner recovered it.
Hensler said it was not a designed on-side kick but it worked out that way for Badger. Three plays later the Badgers almost wasted the opportunity faced with a fourth and one at the Saber 31. Hensler did not use any trickery on this play instead opting for a punishing 12 yard run up the middle by Johnson. Krien then scored on an 11-yard run to give the Badgers a 21-14 lead.
Franklin then fumbled the kickoff, another short kick by Allen, and Badger’s Anthony Ashley recovered at the Franklin 31. Again Badger’s offense almost stalled facing a fourth and nine at the 30-yard line. No problem, Krien stepped up and connected with Cychner on a 30-yard touchdown pass to put the Badgers firmly in the driver’s seat 28-14.
Franklin ran its first offensive play of the second half with 6:05 left in the third quarter and responded with a three-and-out. Badger’s offense was not able to score again but it was able to run off time on the clock while the defense continued to play well. Cychner did have a potentially dagger-like 69-yard touchdown run called back due to a holding call.
Franklin finally gave them a chance scoring on a one yard run by McGuire, but it took the Sabers three tries from the one to score burning valuable time off the clock. By the time McGuire finally crossed the goal line there was just 2:37 left on the clock.
“That was huge,” Hensler said. “It changed everything about what they had to do next.”
With that little time left Franklin was forced to attempt an on-side kick, which ended up going out of bounds. Badgers took over at their own 45-yard line and Franklin never got the ball back. Krien and Allen both rushed for first downs and then Krien was able to take a knee to end it.
“We knew going into the half that we were going to have to come out as hard as we could,” Krien said. “We got two big plays, two scores, and we played awesome after that.”
Krien said the Badgers knew coming in the Sabers were very good with their passing game and he said the Badger defense played very well containing it.
“The defense staff did a great job with halftime adjustments,” Hensler said. “We came out much more aggressive.”
Hensler said that along with the offense being able to run time off the clock and keep the Saber offense off the field was the key to the second half along with a few Franklin dropped passes.
The Sabers did manage to gain 174 yards in the air on the night but just 63 yards rushing. The Badgers rushed for 310 yards. Krien threw just five passes all night and one of them was intercepted, but two of his three completions went for touchdowns.
Krien and Johnson both had 116 yards rushing to lead the Badgers. Reynolds and Allen both added 31 apiece.
“That was a great job!” Hensler told his players and the Badger students who celebrated with the team on the field after the game. “I love it when you come out and believe in yourself.”
“We’ve come a long way in two months,” he later said.
The Badgers have now made it to the WIAA Level 3 playoffs for the second time in school history. The first was three years ago when the Badgers lost to Franklin.
