It’s just the game the Gillett High School football team needed.
After suffering back-to-back blowout losses, the Tigers were looking for a bounce-back game at Suring.
The Gillett offense scored on seven of its nine drives and the defense surrendered just a touchdown, on Suring’s opening drive, as the Tigers scored a resounding 49-6 victory on Friday.
“It was huge for us to get back and do what we do best,” Gillett coach Rick Kamps said.
Gillett (6-2, 4-2 Marinette & Oconto Conference) lost by a combined score of 71-14 to conference-leading Coleman and Crivitz the previous two weeks after starting the season 5-0.
“The last two games were definitely tough, so it’s nice to come out on top,” Gillett quarterback Alex Zeitler said.
The win puts Gillett back in the postseason for the second straight season. That’s the first time a Gillett team has advanced to the playoffs in consecutive years.
“We made Gillett history, and it feels great,” Zeitler said.
Kamps is happy the senior class gets to leave a lasting mark in the program.
“Most of them have been three-year starters for me,” Kamps said. “It validates the hard work they’ve put in and teamwork.”
For Suring (5-3, 3-3 M&O), the loss means it will have to beat Crivitz in the final game of the regular season to clinch a playoff berth.
Had Suring been able to minimize Gillett’s rushing attack, the Eagles would have been the team clinching a postseason ticket.
“We tried to make adjustments, but we just didn’t tackle,” Suring coach Mitch Taylor said. “It’s just simple football, and we weren’t filling well and we weren’t tackling well.”
Known for his accuracy in the passing game, Zeitler was a force on the ground. The senior rushed for a career-high 123 yards on 15 carries and found the end zone twice. He was also 9 for 14 through the air for 135 yards and four touchdowns.
The quarterback keeper turned out to be Gillett’s go-to play of the night.
“That was a power formation, and we just pounded the ball,” Zeitler said. “It usually works.”
“At times, he was getting 10 yards a chunk, 8 yards a chunk,” Kamps said. “Why not stay in it until they adjust?”
Junior Dylan Sexton got the first start of his career at running back for the Tigers. Filling in for the team’s leading rusher Brett Milhans, who sat out the game for violating team rules, Sexton tallied a career-high 121 yards on 18 attempts. Sexton came into the game with just 49 career yards.
Gillett got its offense going quickly as Leeland Kahler hauled in a 34-yard pass from Zeitler — plus a 15-yard penalty got the Tigers down to the Suring 18. Four plays later, Zeitler called his own number and found the end zone from 2 yards out. After a Danny Myrick point-after attempt, Gillett led 7-0.
Suring came right back. Quarterback John Christensen hit Mitchell Firgens for 32 yards down to the Gillett 23. Later in the drive, Christensen connected with Ryan Mahoney for a 8-yard touchdown. The 2-point conversion failed, and it was 7-6 just 4:39 into the game.
“I told the kids, ‘I don’t want to be in a track meet. Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go,’” Kamps said. “Then we started to settle down, I think, and grind it out, and had some nice runs.”
On the ensuing kickoff, Broden Bennin had a 52-yard return down to the Suring 21. Zeitler hit Kahler for a 7-yard touchdown pass to end the lead to 14-6.
Gillett then came back with an important stretch with under two minutes remaining in the half.
Sexton ripped off a 23-yard run to get to 48, and a pair of Zeitler keepers put the ball at the 23. Sitting at the 1-yard line, Zeitler plunged in for a score with 1:21 left to cap an 83-yard drive.
After Suring got the ball back, Zeitler picked off a Christensen pass to set up the Gillett offense at midfield. Two plays later, Zeitler hit Bennin across the middle, and he broke a few tackles and rumbled in from 36 yards out with 14 seconds left on the clock.
“It was a momentum loss for them and a momentum gain for us, so that was big,” said Zeitler, who had two interceptions on defense.
In the second half, Zeitler found Ben Taylor for a pair of touchdowns, 18 and 6 yards. Sexton closed out the scoring on a 2-yard run with under a minute remaining in the game.
“He’s a big tight end who’s got great hands,” Zeitler said. “He’s one of the best receivers I’ve ever seen who can catch the ball.”
After scoring on its first drive, Suring couldn’t get back in the end zone on its final eight possessions. That included four interceptions and three turnovers on downs.
“We were just flat; we played terrible,” Taylor said. “We were just flat all the way around. Our line blocked well, we just couldn’t connect with our passing.”
Gillett’s defense was solid, holding Christensen to 11-for-27 passing for 131 yards. Bob Mahoney had a team-high 52 yards on nine carries, and Cody Smith added 39 yards rushing.
Gillett will end the regular season by hosting Peshtigo (5-3, 4-2 conference) at 7 p.m. Friday. The winner will claim second place in conference.
Then, Gillett will be on to the playoffs. Kamps is expecting big things from his guys after exiting the postseason in Level 1 last season.
“For a D7 team, we’ve got weapons all over the field, and we didn’t even have one of them playing tonight,” Kamps said. “I’ve just been preaching, ‘Let’s just get in. Once we get in, anything can happen, we can make noise. Let’s just get in, and then we’ll see.’ We have the athletes to make some noise.”
Scoring Summary
Gillett 14 14 7 14 — 49
Suring 6 0 0 0 — 6
First quarter
G: Zeitler 2-yard run (PAT good) 9:09.
S: John Christensen to Ryan Mahoney 8-yard pass (conversion missed) 7:21.
G: Kahler 7-yard catch from Zeitler (PAT good) 5:11.
Second quarter
G: Zeitler 1-yard run (PAT good) 21-6 (1:21).
G: Broden Bennin 36-yard catch from Zeitler (PAT good) 0:14.
Third quarter
G: Taylor 18-yard catch from Zeitler (PAT good) 8:08.
Fourth quarter
G: Taylor 6-yard catch from Zeitler (PAT good) 6:25.
G: Dylan Sexton 2-yard run (PAT good) 0:37.
Categories
