Slinger vs. Oconomowoc; Week 7 HS Football Recap
It may have been Slinger’s homecoming game, but Wisconsin Little Ten rival Oconomowoc made itself feel right at home in a battle of two undefeated teams Friday night, as the Raccoons defeated the Owls, 28-14.
The road team started the game off with a bang, as senior running back/kick returner Jacob Rams returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. In addition, the Oconomowoc defense was unyielding in the first half, as the Slinger offense could barely move the ball past the 50-yard line. Most of the first half, on both sides, was spent in Owls’ territory.
Slinger’s defense certainly held their own in the first half as well. The Coons had much trouble moving the ball, and their second touchdown came courtesy of a big defensive play late in the second quarter that set them up with prime field position.
Brett Samson, Oconomowoc’s do-it-all player (plays fullback, linebacker, tight end and on all special teams), intercepted a pass to the right near midfield and returned it to the Owls’ 9-yard line. Rams scored his second touchdown of the game on a 7-yard scamper to give his team a 14-0 halftime lead.
The school band for Slinger played at halftime and the homecoming court was honored, with parents taking the place of football players during the announcements.
The second half opened with a drive that took up nearly the entire third quarter. Slinger opened up with the ball and, with a methodical offensive scheme that largely focused on running, scored their first points on a drive that finally ended with 45 seconds remaining in the frame. Senior receiver/defensive back Jesse Bellefeuil caught a key fourth down pass near the Coons’ 10-yard line to keep the drive going late. Junior running back Jack Hafemann scored from five yards out a few plays later, and the Owls seemed to have momentum heading into the fourth.
However, Oconomowoc would take it right back. Quarterback Ben Nienhuis, one of the top passers in Wisconsin, led the Coons on their own methodical drive with a solid mix of run and pass plays. Many of the passes were receiver quick out routes that Coons’ big, athletic wideouts turned into big plays. One of them was the touchdown that gave the homecoming spoilers a two-score lead once again: a 15-yard catch-and-run by junior receiver Zach Clayton.
Slinger would come up with an answer roughly a minute and a half later. After two plays that netted a loss of four yards, Owls’ senior quarterback Jarod Scheff threw a bomb to Bellefeuil on 3rd-and-14 after he beat an Oconomowoc defensive back, and the latter ran the rest of the way for an 80-yard score that cut the lead back to seven.
Clayton would come up with a big play of his own on the next possession, however, when Nienhuis hit him mid-stride for a 66-yard touchdown that ended up as the dagger. The Coons’ defense held serve through the rest of the game, but it was Slinger who messed up their best scoring opportunity.
The Owls had the ball deep in Oconomowoc territory, but center Jacob Weis snapped the ball over Scheff’s head, and Samson recovered the loose ball roughly 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage. On Slinger’s next possession, Coons’ safety Spencer Waldron intercepted a deep pass over the middle to seal the victory.
Oconomowoc, who was 1-8 last season, is now 7-0 heading into next week’s home game vs. West Bend West. After suffering their first loss of the season, the Owls visit defending Wisconsin Division 3 champ Wisconsin Lutheran.
Other scores from around the area:
Milwaukee Riverside got two big first-half touchdown passes from quarterback Nichari Lofton to running backs Kelerman Harris and Gerry Gray in the first half and returned two Milwaukee Bradley Tech fumbles for touchdowns in the second to run away with a 38-0 homecoming victory.
Milwaukee Hamilton 32, Milwaukee Reagan 10
Milwaukee Morse-Marshall 34, Milwaukee Vincent 14
Milwaukee Washington 37, Milwaukee North 0
Milwaukee South 34, Milwaukee Career Tech 6
Milwaukee Bay View 39, Milwaukee Pulaski 6
Milwaukee King 42, Milwaukee Madison 0
In a battle of Classic Eight powers, Catholic Memorial took down Waukesha West, 34-20.
Muskego 58, Waukesha South 24
Mukwonago 49, Waukesha North 27
Arrowhead remained unbeaten with a 34-14 victory at Kettle Moraine.
Brookfield East 38, Menomonee Falls 0
Brookfield Central 31, Sussex Hamilton 6
Marquette 48, West Allis Central 0
West Allis Hale 28, Wauwatosa East 3
Cedarburg 24, Germantown 7
Whitefish Bay is still undefeated in North Shore play after defeating Milwaukee Lutheran, 21-0.
Homestead kept Nicolet winless, 35-0.
Grafton 21, Port Washington 6
Franklin blew out Kenosha Indian Trail, 42-0, to remain unscathed.
Kenosha Bradford 42, Racine Park 0
Oak Creek 41, Racine Horlick 16
Kenosha Tremper 28, Racine Case 14
Watertown 18, Beaver Dam 6
West Bend East 26, West Bend West 20
Wisconsin Lutheran 35, Hartford 28
Cudahy won a nailbiter over South Milwaukee, 22-21.
In a battle for first place in Woodland - East Division play, Greenfield beat Whitnall, 35-28.
Shorewood/Messmer 49, Brown Deer 0
Greendale 33, Pius XI 7
Wauwatosa West 41, New Berlin West 0
New Berlin Eisenhower 34, Pewaukee 0
All stats and scores for the other games courtesy of WisSports.net.