Undefeated start to season ends with 29-15 loss to Lake Geneva
By Kevin Cunningham
Correspondent
Following Delavan-Darien High School’s 3-0 start, a feat the football team was a part of a season ago, the team lost to another 3-0 team, in Union Grove entering this week.
The Comets’ opponent, Badger High School, was also 3-1, but was coming in after a 56-6 win over Westosha Central.
Comets head coach Bret St. Arnauld said he knew that Badger would be tough, as it runs an option style offense – much like the one Georgia Tech ran in the world of college football.
To open the game, Comets’ senior kicker, Pablo Gomez-Castro, got on the board first with a 26-yard field goal. The defense held strong, and Gomez-Castro hit on another field goal, this time from 22 yards out, giving the team a 6-0 lead.
Later in the opening quarter, Badger connected on a 79-yard pass for a touchdown, giving the home team a 7-6 lead. In response, early in the second quarter, Gomez-Castro connected on another three-point try, this time from 25 yards away.
Not scoring touchdowns would prove to be crucial, and St. Arnauld’s knowledge of Badger’s run game became apparent the rest of the quarter. Badger scored two rushing touchdowns, one from one yard and the other from 19-yards, giving Lake Geneva a 22-9 lead going into halftime.
A message at halftime might have been given and made clear, but in the third quarter, no points were scored for either side. A second touchdown through the air occurred for Badger, giving the Comets a 29-9 deficit in the fourth.
The team responded with an unusual touchdown pass from wide receiver Mike Alder, finding quarterback Jacob Benzing for a nine-yard score. The rest of the game went scoreless, and Badger did what it needed to at home, winning 29-15.
Statistically, Benzing struggled through the air, completing just 13 of his 38 passes for 231 yards and an interception. Seth Kirsch and Ethan Cesarz both caught four balls apiece, and the two averaged more than 22 yards per reception.
On the ground, running back Fabias Shipman never found much room, only carrying the ball six times for 14 yards. After the Comets’ 3-0 start, the team is now 3-2, just like it was last season.
The team went on to lose four straight a year ago, but this time around, the Comets can stay away from repeating history with a game against Burlington at 7 p.m. Friday at Delavan-Darien High School.
The Demons will enter the game with a 3-2 record as well, coming fresh off a 49-10 win over Westosha Central a week ago. The Demons have scored 12 touchdowns on the ground compared to 11 passing. They are also averaging more than 32 points per game this season.
