Field position – especially in the first half – was not a problem for the Pulaski football team in its Division 2 playoff matchup with West De Pere.
The Red Raiders found themselves inside the Phantom 10-yard line four times in the first half but only had seven points to show for it.
Those missed opportunities turned out to be big in Pulaski’s 42-21 loss to the Phantoms Oct. 31 in the second round of the WIAA playoffs in De Pere.
The Red Raiders dropped a 52-9 decision to the Phantoms in a Fox River Classic Conference-North matchup in September and gave West De Pere all it could handle in the first half.
Pulaski’s game-opening drive ended with Miles Wippel’s missed 31-yard field goal after the Red Raiders were inside the 10-yard line, but the Phantoms’ first drive ended with Patrick Greisen’s 69-yard touchdown pass to Judeah Kniskern with 4:40 remaining in the first quarter.
Pulaski went right down the field on its second drive but turned the ball over on downs at the Phantoms’ 6-yard line after failing to convert a fourth-and-2 play.
The Red Raiders were back in the red zone on their third drive after a three-and-out from West De Pere and tied the game at 7-7 with Bohdan Schmidt’s 6-yard run with 9:09 to go in the first half.
West De Pere turned the ball over on downs on its next drive, and Pulaski eventually had a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The Phantoms’ defense kept the Red Raiders out of the end zone and then marched 99 yards for what turned out to be the go-ahead touchdown, as Ryan Lutz capped the drive with a 1-yard run with 1:43 left in the first half.
West De Pere had the ball again in the half after a Pulaski punt, but Braun Wotruba’s interception ended the drive.
The Red Raiders trailed 14-7 at halftime, but West De Pere added to its lead after finding the end zone on the Phantoms’ first two second-half drives.
Lutz scored from 41 yards out on the first play of the third quarter, and Greisen connected with Braylon Stegall for a 28-yard touchdown pass and a 28-7 lead with 8:41 to go in the third quarter.
Pulaski punted after a pair of three-and-outs and cut the lead to 28-14 with Schmidt’s 2-yard run with 1:48 remaining in the third quarter.
West De Pere then put the game out of reach with two more unanswered touchdowns, as Lutz scored from a yard out less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. A recovered fumble set the Phantoms up at the Pulaski 37-yard line and Greisen capped West De Pere’s scoring with an 8-yard pass to Kniskern with 7:36 to go in the game.
Schmidt scored his third touchdown from 9 yards out with 1:36 to go to complete the scoring.
Besides scoring all three of the Red Raiders’ touchdowns, Schmidt also rushed 37 times for 189 of Pulaski’s 226 yards on the ground. He also completed 19 of 25 passes for 133 yards.
Pulaski finished the season at 7-4 while the Phantoms improved to 11-0 and will host Union Grove on Nov. 7 in Level 3 of the playoffs.
