By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Badger High School football team gave up 379 yards to the high-octane Delavan-Darien offense Friday night but still came away with a 29-15 home win.
Comet quarterback Jake Benzing passed for 231 yards and rushed for 148, but was only able to find the end zone once on a nine-yard pass to Mike Alder after the final outcome had been decided in the fourth quarter.
The Badgers did a lot of bending but not breaking on defense. Comet running back Fabias Shipman was held to 14 yards rushing on six attempts. It took Benzing 25 rushing attempts to get his 148 yards. The Comets moved the ball but had to settle for field goals early in the game and then could not even do that until Benzing’s late touchdown pass.
Delavan-Darien (3-2, 1-2 Southern Lakes Conference) got two field goals from Pablo Gomez-Castro of 26 and 22 yards to lead 6-0. The Badgers took the lead on a 79-yard pass play from Isaac Ziervogel to Dre Newell. The Comets regained the lead on another Gomez-Castro field goal, this time from 25 yards out.
The Badgers regained the lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Ziervogel and a two-point conversion run by Patrick Quinn to lead 15-9. Badger gained some breathing space with a 19-yard touchdown run by Quinn and led 22-9 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Ziervogel connected with Tyler Love for a 13-yard touchdown pass and Badger led 29-9. Benzing’s pass to Alder closed out the scoring.
Badger was led by Tyler VanDeVelde’s 116 yards on 22 carries. Ziervogel completed two passes for 92 yards and rushed for 21 yards. Quinn added 36 yards rushing on seven attempts.
Badger (4-1, 3-0 SLC) and Waterford (5-0, 3-0) are tied atop the SLC standings. Badger travels to Wilmot (4-1, 2-1) Friday night. Wilmot is coming off a 20-13 win over previously undefeated Union Grove last week.
Soccer has tough week
The Badger soccer team dropped three out of four games last week and lost another game to the weather.
The Badgers (8-4) lost a road game to state honorable mention Beloit Memorial 7-2 on Sept. 14. Memorial (11-2) took a 2-0 lead on goals by Jose Barron and Austin Grover. Badger got right back into the game with two goals by Payton Aranda, both on assists by Will Hamilton. Memorial dominated the rest of the game with five goals by Andres Delatorre, Ricardo Ramos, Barron, Alberto Martinez and Ramos again. The Knights outshot the Badgers 19-9.
The Badgers came back strong with a 5-0 road win over Burlington (0-5, 0-2) on Sept. 15. Badger got goals from Hamilton, Ruben Aranda with an assist by Payton Aranda, two by Payton Aranda and another by Hamilton. Badger outshot the Demons 16-1.
The Badgers’ game against Division 3 No. 1-ranked Delavan-Darien (11-0, 2-0) was postponed because of rain Sept. 17.
Badger lost to Kimberly 1-0 on Sept. 18. Sam Weidert scored the only goal of the game for Kimberly (7-0). Kimberly outshot the Badgers 10-3.
Badger lost to Madison Memorial 6-3 on Saturday. Memorial outshot Badger 12-4. Marco Gonzalez, Jose Castro with an assist by Eduardo Cruz, and Hamilton with an assist by Payton Aranda scored for Badger.
Swim off to fast start
The Badger coop swim team has won all three invitationals it has participated in and both dual meets to start the season 2-0.
Badger defeated Whitewater 121-49 on Sept. 15. Event results include:
- 200-yard medley relay – first, Cora Rafe, Grace Gillingham, Molly Dover and Natalie Stratton, 1:57.54; third, Elise Wember, Rylee Kennell, Alena Hanson and Sarah Verzal; 2:07.98; fourth, Claire Koeppel, Xinying Chen, Emma Coltman and Tessa Jahneke; 2:11.86;
- 200-yard freestyle – Katelyn O’Brien, second, 2:06.75; Morgan Anderson third, 2:08.72; and Eden Wember , fourth, 2:12.38;
- 200-yard individual medley – Dover, second, 2:28.29; Lauren Pryor, third, 2:30.24; and Emma Coltman, fourth, 2:36.32;
- 50-yard freestyle – Theresa VanSchyndel, first, 26.24; Stratton, second, 27.21; and Verzal, third, 28.72;
- 100-yard butterfly – Anderson, first, 1:07.26; Elise Wember, second, 1:08.73); and Eden Wember, third, 1:09.01;
- 100-yard freestyle – Rafe, first, 56.01; and VanSchyndel, second, 56.73;
- 500-yard freestyle – Koeppel, second, 5:43.84; and O’Brien, third, 5:56.04;
- 200-yard freestyle relay – first, Stratton, VanSchyndel, Eden Wember and O’Brien; 1:47.76; and third, Anderson, Coltman, Jahneke and Pryor; 1:53.31;
- 100-yard backstroke – Rafe, first, 59.46; and Dover, second, 1:07.95;
- 100-yard breaststroke – Gillingham, first, 1:14.22; Kennell, second, 1:14.85; and Elise Wember, third, 1:18.06;
- 400-yard freestyle relay – first, O’Brien, VanSchyndel, Eden Wember and Rafe, 4;01.95; second, Koeppel, Coltman, Hanson and Kennell, 4:14.30.
Tennis beats Burlington
The tennis team defeated Burlington 5-2 on Sept. 16. Coach Paul Lauterbach said it was a “must-win” for the Badgers to stay in the mix for a conference title.
Singles winners included No. 1 Alexis Wisdom (6-2, 6-0) and No. 2 Shannon Lojeski (6-3, 6-1). Doubles winners included No. 1 Claudia Huerth and Joanne Walscinski (6-2, 2-6, 6-2), No. 2 Gia Danna and Olivia Stout (4-6, 6-4, 6-2), and No. 3 Katie Theisz and Leslie Zelinski (6-2, 6-2).
The Badgers also finished tied for first with Mukwonago in the Janesville Parker Tournament on Saturday. Lauterbach said the team played well enough to win but must play at the next level to achieve its team goals. The No. 1 doubles team of Walscinski and Danna and the No. 2 team of Olivia Stout and Theisz won tournament championships. Wisdom at No. 1 singles and Natalie Marton at No. 4 singles finished second. Lojeski at No. 2 singles took fourth.
