Everything was going right. And then it wasn’t.
The Oconto Falls High School football team had all the momentum early in a Bay Conference game against Shawano on the road Friday. Up 6-3 in the second quarter, Oconto Falls merely had to watch Shawano implode as it committed four straight penalties to set up second-and-47.
The home crowd even gave Shawano a Bronx cheer when no flags flew as the Hawks completed a 16-yard run to set up third-and-31.
Then the Panthers had to watch as it all went horribly wrong. Shawano completed a 27-yard pass and then converted on fourth-and-four. A few plays later quarterback Cole Huntington, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior, was in the end zone and Shawano was on its way to a 43-14 victory
“We were doing a good job,” Oconto Falls coach Jeff Trochil said. “We kept bumping them back with the penalty calls. It was just a big play where the free safety was right there and misjudged the ball and they made a beautiful catch. Credit to them on that series. It showed a lot on their part.”
“We felt the momentum kind of tipping toward them,” Shawano coach Al Tomow said. “We kept shooting ourselves in the foot by getting penalties. We ended up in a second-and-long situation. We told the kids, ‘just do your job.’”
“I don’t think we’ve ever did that before,” Huntington said of facing second-and-47. “You don’t see that often.”
The score, which came with 3:14 left in the first half, ignited Shawano (3-2, 2-2 Bay Conference).
On the ensuing kickoff, confusion on a pitch between returners Aaron Kurth and Samuel Shroyer put the ball on the turf. A Shawano player came up with the ball, and Shawano was back to work at the Oconto Falls 17. Senior running back Chase Henning (6-0, 175 pounds) punched it in from 5 yards out, putting Shawano ahead 16-6.
Oconto Falls (0-5, 0-5), which had had some success running the ball throughout the first half, was forced to punt in the final seconds of the half to Zack Sousek (5-10, 170 pounds), who cut through the first wave of Oconto Falls defenders, cut across the field and headed down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown return.
The half started well for Oconto Falls, which held Shawano to just a field goal on its first drive. Forced to punt on their first two possessions, the Panthers got in gear when Henning fumbled the ball in Shawano territory.
Oconto Falls sophomore quarterback Connor Scray (6-0, 168 pounds) managed to punch it in from the Shawano 1-yard line to give the Panthers a 6-3 lead early in the second quarter.
After Shawano’s scoring frenzy and the halftime break, Oconto Falls held Shawano to a punt on the opening drive of the second half. Samuel Konitzer (5-8, 160 pounds) finished off a 57-yard drive for the Panthers with a 7-yard rush to the end zone, cutting Shawano’s lead to 22-14.
“I think that was a credit to the offensive line,” Trochil said. “This is the best they’ve came and put series together and finished series. The offensive line did well. Sam and all of the backs … did a wonderful job reading. Connor Scray had some beautiful runs. (Mackinley) Winkler had some beautiful plays. But it was those guys up front that got that done.”
Konitzer finished with 10 carries for 54 yards. Scray ended up with 14 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown.
But Shawano wasn’t finished. Huntington scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter and completed a pass to sophomore receiver Dylan Sumnicht for a 24-yard touchdown in the fourth.
“I give credit to Shawano,” Trochil said. “They made some plays. Our kids were working and getting better, and then they let a play go. … The story of the night is that they went and made more plays than us. The outcome of the game kind of depended on that.”
Huntington completed five of 10 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed 11 times for 49 yards and two touchdowns.
With the game in hand, he gave way to sophomore Daniel Hanauer, who tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Adam Bartz. Bartz finished with three catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Henning had 25 carries for 169 yards and a touchdown.
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