By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
A week after being the nail, the Elkhorn Area High School football got to be the hammer in its 35-7 Southern Lakes Conference victory Oct. 3 at home against Union Grove.
The Elks (5-2, 3-2 SLC) ran seemingly at will against the Broncos (3-4, 1-4 SLC). Elkhorn finished with 293 rushing yards on 47 carries and scored four touchdowns.
Elkhorn also shut down Union Grove’s running game. The Elks’ defense limited the Broncos to 10 rushing yards on 24 carries and allowed 105 yards of total offense.
The Elks’ dominance against the Broncos is in stark contrast to the 42-7 rout Elkhorn suffered a week earlier in a SLC contest at Waterford. The Elks played the Wolverines without five starters on the offensive and defensive lines.
Elks’ coach Tom Lee said some of the injured returned for the game against Union Grove.
“Having a healthy line certainly helps,” Lee said. “Having those guys being able to practice all week with a game plan in place, that’s a huge help in high school football.”
Lee said some of the injured did not return to practice until Thursday, still in time enough to make a difference against Union Grove.
Elkhorn will be eligible for the WIAA Division 3 football playoffs with a victory in one its final two regular season games. Teams must finish the regular season with a winning record in conference play to advance to the playoffs.
The Elks play Friday at home against Badger (3-4, 3-2 SLC) and finish the regular season Oct. 17 at Burlington (4-3, 4-1 SLC). Elkhorn is still in contention for a share of the SLC title.
Against Union Grove, Elkhorn opened the scoring with a 71-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Peterson to Matt Ambelang with 9:15 left in the first quarter. Peterson scored with 5:12 left in the first on a one-yard run.
Keenan Leahy scored on runs of one and 10 yards in the second quarter and the Elks led 28-0 at halftime. Leahy led Elkhorn with 142 yards rushing on 21 carries.
Keaton Verhoeven, usually the Elks starting quarterback, played at running back against the Broncos and scored on a 33-yard touchdown run with 1:04 left in the third.
The Broncos scored their only points on a three-yard run from John Rawley with 7:03 left in the fourth. Lee praised the Elks’ defense for executing a good game plan and playing aggressively.
“Our guys were just more physical up front,” Lee said. “We created some turnovers and forced them into some tough passing situations.
The Elks celebrate Homecoming this week with a visit from Lake Geneva. Elkhorn is winless against Badger in Lee’s six-year tenure as the Elks’ coach.
Badger becomes eligible for the WIAA Division 1 football playoffs with a victory in either of its final two games.
Lee said the Elks must play well and execute the game plan if Elkhorn intends to advance to the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
“We’re going to have to play error-free,” Lee said. “We’ve got to win the special teams battle and create a couple of turnovers. Hopefully, it’s our year to beat Badger.”
