By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
A victory by Clinton the previous week over state-ranked Brodhead-Juda definitely turned some heads in the Rock Valley Conference.
But for the Big Foot squad, nothing changed – another week, another victory added to the amazing RVC win streak.
The Chiefs outscored the Cougars 13-0 in the second half to break the game open en route to a convincing 29-12 victory. The win improved Big Foot to 4-0 in conference play and 6-1 overall.
Big Foot now has won 54 straight conference games. The Chiefs also have already secured a WIAA playoff spot.
There were several keys to stopping Clinton’s option attack, Big Foot coach Greg Enz said.
“We had all areas covered, and initially, we were late to the pitch, but that would have adjusted itself over time,” he said.
Early momentum turned on a 68-yard interception return for a touchdown by Big Foot’s Brandon Hausner that gave the Chiefs a 14-6 lead just 40 seconds into the second quarter.
“That was a very explosive change of events,” Enz said. “It was really because we had confidence in the type of team that we know we could become.”
The Chiefs added to their lead with a safety when Quin Dixon tackled the Clinton punter in the end zone after a fumbled snap.
But Clinton answered with an 87-yard touchdown of its own late in the half to cut the deficit to just four points at the intermission.
The second half was all Big Foot.
Big Foot senior quarterback Brett Morris scored on a 1-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter, followed by a 4-yard score by Hausner with 5:23 left in the game that iced the win.
Big Foot’s defensive effort in the second half definitely was a highlight of the last two quarter, Enz said.
“It was very solid,” he said. “Combined with the 10-minute (scoring) drive (in the third quarter) and an additional two turnovers, they set the tone for the remainder of the ball game.”
Clinton took an early 6-0 lead on a 12-yard touchdown pass before the Chiefs struck back on a 2-yard run by Morris with just 22 seconds left in the first quarter.
For the game, Morris completed 10 of 22 passes for 91 yards, while Hausner rushed 28 times for 121. Morris also rushed for 46 yards, while Zak Greco caught five passes for 49 yards and Chandler Hehr four passes for 31.
Defensive leaders included Dixon, Ben Bauer and Will Utesch with nine tackles each, Evan Graham with six and Greco and Cody Menalascino with five.
Huge game only two weeks away
The game many fans likely circled on their calendar months ago – a showdown with Brodhead-Juda – still is two weeks away.
First up is a road game this Friday night at winless Beloit Turner. The Trojans fell to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in the RVC last week with a 41-0 loss to Brodhead.
Enz knows his team must maintain its focus and take care of business this week before worrying about next.
“Our focus is controlling the controllables,” he said. “If we want to be in control of our season, then we need to do what’s necessary for Friday.
“Also, we have areas that we must continue to improve upon if we are going to be a better team, regardless of who we play.”
