Turnovers and penalties cost Elks the game
By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
One coach’s anguish is another’s joy, and that much is apparent from Elkhorn’s Tom Lee and Wilmot’s Erick Kaiser.
“I would love to play them next week,” Elks coach Tom Lee said after Wilmot defeated the Elks, 21-7, Sept. 19 in a Southern Lakes Conference game at Elkhorn.
“It was just one of those games … if we play each other 10 times, it could be 5-5.”
Wilmot is more than happy to notch a win, on the road, against the previously unbeaten Elks.
“We had a lot of guys step up,” Kaiser said. “We were a little banged-up, and had some two’s that stepped up and did some great work.”
“It was one of the gutsiest performances I’ve seen out of a team, and it was fantastic to watch.”
The Elks (4-1, 2-1 SLC) finished with five turnovers against Wilmot (3-2, 2-1) and struggled in the first half to establish rhythm on offense.
“We didn’t mount very much of a drive,” Lee said. “We made a lot of mistakes, and some penalties we couldn’t get back from.”
Wilmot scored twice in the second quarter, when Bryce Kothe rushed in from two yards and when Kothe threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Brennan Frisby.
“The story remains the same on him,” Kaiser said of Kothe. “He’s a heady player. He makes great decisions. In the past few games, he’s made decisions that put us in position to win.”
Wilmot led 14-0 at halftime. Elkhorn scored its only touchdown on a 27-yard run from Jordan Barr in the third quarter.
A Wilmot defensive stand and a muffed Elkhorn punt in the fourth quarter significantly turned momentum and decided the game.
The Elks’ defense stopped Wilmot in the middle of the fourth quarter and drove to the Panthers’ 9-yard-line. The Elks went for it on fourth down, with two yards to go for a first down, and did not convert.
“If we would have scored it would have been 14-14, and a whole different ballgame,” Lee said.
Later in the quarter, the Elks muffed a punt. Lee said wind played a factor in the Elks’ inability to field the punt. Wilmot recovered and scored its final touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Kothe to Frisby.
“You get these opportunities, and it’s just unfortunate,” Lee said. “Our conference is just so tough. This is one I’d love to have back. It’s one of those games where we just did not play our best.”
Kaiser said Wilmot played a similar game Sept. 5 at home when the Panthers lost 28-14 to SLC-foe Delavan-Darien. This time, the Panthers controlled the outcome.
“We capitalized,” Kaiser said “We capitalized on their (Elkhorn’s) turnovers, just like Delavan capitalized on some of our turnovers.”
Four teams in the SLC – Elkhorn, Burlington, Wilmot and Badger – are 2-1. Waterford, Union Grove, Delavan-Darien and Westosha Central are each 1-2 in SLC play.
Elkhorn plays Friday at Waterford (2-3, 1-2 SLC). It is the Wolverines’ Homecoming. Waterford lost 27-17 Sept. 19 in a SLC game at home to Burlington.
“If we play well, I think we’re going to be right in the game,” Lee said. “We just have to come back and have a positive attitude.”
