Pewaukee's season came to a finish last Friday night, with a familiar blue and gold barrier in the way.
Playing in the second round of the WIAA Division 3 football playoffs against host Catholic Memorial at Waukesha South, the Pirates watched as the huge defensive line of the Crusaders shut down the heralded PHS running game, and the season came to an end with a 37-13 loss.
The win vaulted Memorial (10-1) into the third round of the playoffs for the second straight year while the loss ended the Pewaukee 2013 campaign with a 9-2 mark. The setback marked the third time in the last four years that Memorial ended the PHS season.
Memorial's front seven on defense set the tone early, and the Pirates never got anything going, especially in the first half. Coming into the battle averaging 35.2 points per game and sporting one of the most productive running games in this part of the state, Pewaukee was held to just 19 rushing yards on 13 carries.
PHS also committed three turnovers on its first three possessions of the night and four (3 interceptions, 1 fumble) in six first-half possessions. Memorial turned those into 13 points.
"Memorial has a big, strong front both offensively and defensively, but when you turn the ball over four times in the first half, it's a killer," said second-year Pewaukee coach Justin Friske. "We've got wonderful kids, but tonight wasn't their night."
After getting three field goals from Zach Fridl (32, 35 and 33 yards) in the first half and a 4-yard touchdown from quarterback Cam Krausert, Memorial broke the game open with 14 more points in the second half. Alec Kocour scored on a 27-yard run and Jake Piette added a 31-yard scoring scamper.
When John Clark bulled in for a 2-yard score to open the final period, Memorial led by a 37-0 score.
"We really have a stout group up front," said longtime Memorial coach Bill Young. "Our linebackers really were able to make some plays because the guys up front were doing their job. Special teams and defense are the difference this time of the year. Zach Fridl did an amazing job hitting some long field goals for us."
Pewaukee finally found the end zone late in the game. Ryan Stepanovich scored on a 28-yard run with 6:16 left to play and he added a second score on the final play of the game when he scored on a 41-yard run.
"Our kids did their very best to make plays tonight, but CMH made more," Friske said. "We're a good football team. But that team played better than we did tonight. You have to tip your hat to them. It's unfortunate we didn't give our best effort, but they had a lot to do with that."
Now comes the real fun for Memorial, with a monumental battle against undefeated Monona Grove on the road Friday. The clash will be one of the biggest on the docket across all divisions in Level 3.
Rhodes steps in for West
Senior Drew Rhodes, one of Waukesha West's two quarterbacks last year, spent the entirety of 2013 playing defensive back for the Wolverines with sophomore Conor Blount taking the snaps. But in Level 2 of the Division 2 playoffs, West went back to an old formula.
After falling behind Whitefish Bay, 14-0, Rhodes stepped in at quarterback and helped the Wolverines turn the ship around for a 28-14 victory. Top-seeded West hosts Waterford on Friday in Level 3.
Rhodes ran for 66 yards and completed two passes, including a 61-yard touchdown to Thomas MacCudden late in the first half, allowing West to pull closer. A trio of fourth-quarter scores from Ar'Breon Dunson-Lilley, MacCudden and Elijah Fort gave West what it needed to survive.
Alex Andraski also intercepted two passes to squash Bay drives in the second half. Fort finished with 161 yards on the ground, running his total for the year to 1,898 yards.
West ninth at state CC
Waukesha West took ninth in the WIAA Division 1 girls cross-country state meet at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday.
Anu Elangovan took 42nd with her 4,000-meter time of 15:23 to lead Wolverines runners. Samantha Hanson ran 78th in 15:48. Others on the team were Maria Gesior (90th), Carrie Brick (93rd), Megan Bur (90th), Erica Liesen (103rd) and Bryanna Hanson (128th).
In the Division 2 boys competition, Catholic Memorial placed eighth, led by the 43rd-place run by Jack Zwisler (17:11) over the 5,000-meter course.
Others were Evan Wetzel (55th, 17:29), Alex Dodd (74th, 17:43), Joe Novak (88th), Andrew Hirsch (115th), Brad Bodus (123rd) and Dan Rossi (145th)
Catholic Memorial's Rachel Misna placed 73rd on the girls side, racing 16:22.
In Division 1 boys, Tyler Benson ran 16:56 for 66th, and teammate Aaron Broege ran 71st (16:58).
CMH spikers out
The Catholic Memorial girls volleyball team fell to powerhouse East Troy in the sectional semifinal Thursday, 25-16, 29-27, 25-16. The Trojans went on to earn a state berth and are the favorite to win the Division 2 crown in Green Bay.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Memorial boys own the top seed and were scheduled to host Madison West in the sectional semifinal. A win could place CMH against Waukesha West, which also had a first-round bye and was slated to meet Madison La Follette on Tuesday. The winners would meet Thursday at CMH.
Waukesha North fell to Madison West in the first round, 25-17, 25-15, 17-25, 25-19. Waukesha South lost out to top-seeded Middleton, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23.