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Ever since Reedsburg received the sixth seed in their Division 3 bracket they have wanted to prove the voters wrong and they have been doing a good job at it.
Last Friday they knocked off defending D3 state champion Monona Grove, the bracket's number two seed, and are looking at doing the same to number 1 seed Mount Horeb/Barneveld.
"Right now Reedsburg is playing their best football on both sides of the ball," said MHB coach Travis Rohrer as the Vikings prepare to host the Beavers Friday. "They are finally healthy and they have made a few changes on the defensive side of the ball to become faster. Also, they are playing with a huge chip on their shoulder after being given a sixth seed."
The Vikings advanced to the Level 3 game rolling over Jefferson 62-28. A second quarter spurt started the Vikings rolling and a pair of quick scores in the third quarter ended it.
What ultimately deflated the Eagles were two MHB scores in a 16-second span in the third quarter.
MHB had just completed a big drive marching 58 yards in eight plays, with Max Meylor hitting Terek Nesheim with an out pass that Nesheim turned into a 12-yard score with 4:00 left in the quarter.
Jefferson fumbled the ensuing kick off, which was recovered by the MHB's Cole Breuer at the Eagle 29-yard line. On the very next play Meylor threw his third TD of the night, lofting a pass that Riley Coon pulled down in the end zone.
The two scores gave Mount Horeb/Barneveld a 51-21 lead with 3:44 remaining in the quarter.
Wyatt Thompson started the Vikings with a 62 yard touchdown a minute into the game. Garrett Blaeske countered for the Eagles with a two yard dive at 3:46. Blaeske went on to score all four Jefferson touchdowns.
"Garrett Blaeske is a very good running back that possesses good speed and the ability to break arm tackles," said Rohrer. "He had a very good night against us, scoring all four of their TDs."
Nine seconds into the second quarter Meylor scored on a play from the archives. He started it with a pitch to Thompson who got the ball to Nathan Osterloo. Osterloo then lofted a 21 yard strike to Meylor and MHB took a 16-7 lead.
"That is a play we dusted off from last year versus Portage and it is a play that we have been practicing for the last three weeks," Rohrer said. "Nathaniel did an excellent job seeing that their corner came off of Coon and found the hole to throw it into and then Max did the rest. Those are always big momentum type plays that can help carry you through the rest of the game if executed correctly."
Matt Blome added two more scores for the Vikings before half on runs of two and 21 yards. Osterloo and Meylor reversed roles for the fourth Vikings score of the frame.
After the two scores in 16 seconds in the third quarter the Vikings put on the finishing touches with a 80 yard scoring sprint on a kick off return by Tyren Chappell.
The game featured some strong play by a couple Vikings who stepped up. Cole Breuer caught three passes for 27 yards and had the key fumble recovery that set up the two scores in 16 seconds.
Chappell moved up from the JV and the sophomore showcased his speed on the kickoff return.
"Cole catches the ball as well as any receiver we have and is an excellent blocker on the edge," said Rohrer. "He had a very good night for us."
"Chappell had a great JV season for us and Friday night he found a seam on kickoff coverage and no one was going to catch up. "Our staff is looking forward to coaching him on varsity next fall," Rohrer added.
The Vikings played most of the game mistake free and were without many penalty yards.
"We have just continued to stress the importance of the fundamentals each and every practice," Rohrer said as the key to cutting down the penalties.
As for the win.....
"It was a complete team effort, every single player contributed to Friday night's success."