The Waukesha West Wolverines are moving on to the Final Four after wearing down visiting Waterford, 27-7, in Friday night's Division 2, Level 3 playoff football matchup.
West (10-2) now sits one game away from Camp Randall Stadium. Unbeaten Kimberly (12-0), which demolished Homestead on Friday night, 37-7, awaits next week.
Getting there wasn't exactly easy for West, but it was at least methodical. Both teams displayed their defensive prowess early, as each opened with a 3-and-out. Waterford (9-3) showed its aggressive approach immediately, going for a 4th and 10 from deep inside its own territory on a fake punt. The drive later stalled though, as was the case for much of a scoreless first quarter.
West broke through four minutes into the second quarter on a 19-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Conor Blount to senior tight end David Konowalski. Blount used his elusiveness to evade two near-sacks, and once Waterford was forced to pursue him down the sideline, he threw a lob to a deserted Konowalski in the endzone.
It was the only score of the first half.
"We just didn't have the kind of execution we usually have in the first half," said Konowalski, who doubles as a defensive end. "But our defense picks it up. We had a great defensive performance tonight. Our motto is, 'Six seconds of Hell at a time.' And that's just what we tried to do."
The second half began as a sharp contrast to the first, with West scoring on its first possession on an 84-yard drive. The steady march included a conversion on 4th and 1, as well as a momentum-changing play on 3rd and goal from the 7-yard line.
After two negative-yardage plays, West lined up for its final chance before a field goal try, but head coach Steve Rux called timeout just before the snap. After huddling, West ran a perfectly executed screen for a 7-yard score to senior Drew Rhodes. But it wasn't Rux who made the final call.
"We did change the play during timeout," Rux said. "We thought we saw something in the defense maybe, and the kids had been calling for that screen all night. You know how it is; they always know the right call."
After the defense and passing game built a 14-0 lead, senior running back Elijah Fort did what he's done all year – provide the dagger. Just minutes later, Fort made one cut at the line of scrimmage and took off for a 35-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.
Fort was a workhouse yet again, rushing 32 times for 193 yards and two scores. It was another impressive effort from the running back Rux tabbed before the season as the most improved player from last year. Fort's second touchdown from seven yards out was the only score of the fourth quarter.
"We just came out a little slow in the first half," Fort said. "We have a lead, but 7-0 is nothing. We're never satisfied or content; there's always something we can do better. A lot of it is their defense, that's a very good team. But we didn't really change anything in the second half, we just executed."
Waterford was feisty all night but unable to capitalize in key moments. After quarterback Dylan Malecki hit Johnny McCormick for a 14-yard touchdown in the third quarter, momentum appeared to be shifting. The Waterford defense, its strength all year, got the ball back to the offense with a 14-point deficit. But the offense sputtered again, and a defense that was simply on the field for too much of the night and wore down.
"Our defense played its tail off like it has all year," Waterford head coach Adam Bakken said. "We just didn't get enough going offensively. Give all the credit in the world to them. They're a great team and have been for a long time. But I couldn't be prouder of our group."
Running back Jake Bauer led Waterford with 68 yards on 16 carries, while Malecki managed 75 yards through the air.
For West, focus turns to Kimberly, and a chance to return to Madison for the first time since its 2010 state championship run.
"There aren't many teams that even get a chance to be a part of this Final Four," Rux said. "It's special. Getting to Camp Randall is something these kids will remember forever, but we can't even think about that right now. This is a great group we have and I'm sure they'll be ready to play."