The ending to Shawano Community High School’s football game Friday, a 32-26 Hawks victory in New London, was a great moment for the team, especially for senior Brice Bergner, who hauled in quarterback Cole Huntington’s pass and ran it 43 yards for the winning touchdown.
“I’ve been working really hard all season. And I felt like, in that moment, it all paid off,” Bergner said. “That’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid. It’s just amazing.”
The play came with 58 seconds left on fourth-and-7 with the Hawks trailing 26-24. Huntington scrambled, and Bergner, who was running an out route, headed up the field.
“He’s one of our playmakers,” SCHS coach Al Tomow said. “He showed what he can do Friday night.”
The coaches have been trying to get the 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior more involved since the beginning of the season.
Despite defenses keying on him, Bergner, who was a second-team all-Bay Conference selection last year, is fourth in Bay Conference receiving this season with nine catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns. In the first few weeks of the season he has seen his role on the offense evolve.
“I move around a lot on the offense,” Bergner said. “I’ll be in the backfield or I’ll be out at wide receiver or the slot.”
Bergner, who also starts at safety on defense, is a leader on a team that has had to deal with a new coach and starting quarterback, missing its starting running back for two games, as well as a few key injuries.
“Brice, he’s not really a vocal guy, but he’s good at leading by example,” Tomow said. “He’s very coachable and great with the younger guys and helping them out. He’s on our leadership council, he’s one of our team captains. I wish we had him a lot longer than just this one year.”
The return of senior running back Will Cox to the offense last week helped Bergner get more opportunities.
“I know it was frustrating for him the first couple of weeks, because we were moving him around trying to get him the ball,” Tomow said. “Getting our run game back really helped get Brice in position to make plays.”
Bergner doesn’t take his leadership responsibility lightly.
“It puts a lot of pressure on me, but I think I handle it pretty well,” he said.
He’s also quick to give credit to his teammates. Bergner said Huntington, a 6-foot-2, 160-pound junior, has improved with both accuracy and decision-making since winning the starting quarterback job.
“The line did a great job blocking last week,” he added.
Bergner is also a big fan of his new coach.
“I can really relate to him because he’s younger,” Bergner said. “He tells us stories about when he played here. We can joke around and have a good time, but at the same time he’s a really good coach.”
According to the Tomow, Bergner’s work over the summer is paying off.
“I think offseason-wise, he had about as good an offseason as anyone could have,” Tomow said. “He worked really hard.”
The Hawks (1-2, 1-1 Bay Conference) play Bay Conference foe Seymour (2-1, 2-1 Bay) on Friday, another tough test for Bergner and his teammates.
“We have a chance to compete with them, but if we start slow it will be tough to keep up with them,” Bergner said. “We have to hit them first and see where it goes from there.”
Wherever the game goes, it’s a good bet Bergner will be involved.
“We hope to continue to put him in a position to make plays for us both on offense and defense,” Tomow said. “He’s certainly earned the opportunity to get the ball in his hands. We’re going to do all we can to keep giving him the football.”
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