November 25, 2016 at 10:57 a.m.
River Valley State Division 4 Runners-up
The title goes to Saint Croix Centeral, a huge, talented team from the Middle Border Conference who caught fire at the right time and closed out the season with a 49-28 win over the Blackhawks. The Panthers finished third in their conference then rallied to make the state tournament with four straight playoff wins, two against number one seeds and one against a number two seed. One of the number one seeds was defending state champion and Middle Border titlist Osceola.
Saint Croix Central kicked its triple option into gear early and relied on it the entire game. They ran 71 plays, passing only once, to River Valley's 31. That meant a lot of time on the field for the River Valley defense.
The Panthers also had a size advantage with a huge line to open paths for their runners.
"Not only was SCC bigger than any team we've seen this season, they were definitely the most physical team we played against," River Valley coach Tim Eastlick said. "We struggled with this on both sides of the ball, however, our kids battled the entire night."
The Panthers scored three times the first half, taking a 21-0 lead with them into halftime. River Valley then matched them 28-28 the second half but it was too late.
The triple option was something not often seen in this area and the Panthers ran it flawlessly. The ball was concealed most of the time, making it hard to follow who was running with it and which blocker had to be handled to stop it.
"The SCC quarterback did a nice job with his reads and their offensive line was outstanding all night long," Eastlick said.
The SCC line opened running lanes all night including 17 times on the first drive. The Panthers took the kick-off at their own 40 yard line and after a penalty pecked away until senior running back Cole Refsnider eclipsed the last eight yards for a score. Sophomore fullback Ryan Larson had eight carries, Refsnider five and junior quarterback Collin Nelson two to get the tally. Larson kicked the conversion for a 7-0 lead at 7:09.
River Valley had the ball the next four minutes but their 10 play drive stalled at the Saint Croix Central 34 and they kicked it away. The kick was partially blocked, setting up good field position for the Panthers.
The Panthers started their next drive with 39 seconds left in the first quarter and Refsnider promptly carried for a 15 yard gain to the River Valley 23. Larson got to the 18 before the quarter ended. Saint Croix Central had run 17 plays for 103 yards in the opening frame while River Valley had seven plays for 39 yards, 30 on two passes, a 14 yard Elijah Alt toss to Brett Nachreiner and a 16 yard strike to Ryan Wickman. The Panthers had the football 7:48 of the quarter and River Valley for 4:12.
When the clock started ticking to open the second frame it was Larson who traveled the final 18 yards to score. He had four attempts before hitting the end zone at 10:43 and his kick made it 14-0.
It was three and out for the Blackhawks before the Panthers got the ball back at 9:13 and kept it for 17 plays until Larson dove in from the one to push the score to a back breaking 21-0. He again kicked the extra point.
River Valley scrambled in their attempt to score before half and it looked like they were rolling as Alt picked up 10 yards on the first play and passed to Nachreiner for a 17 yard gain on the second play. But a 19 yard pass to Wickman only got the Hawks to the Panthers 31 before the half ended.
At that point the Hawks coaching staff had to get the team regrouped.
"We felt that if we were going to have a chance to get back into the game that we would have to be able to throw the ball and hopefully this would open up the run game a little bit," Eastlick said.
The plan worked as Alt drilled Derek Wedige with a pass that resulted in a 22 yard touchdown scamper for the first score. Before it was over Alt passed for two more touchdowns, a 94 yarder to Wedige and a 13 yarder to Ryan Wickman.
"I thought we did a nice job in the pass game," Eastlick said. "The designed roll out looks gave Elijah a chance to run the edge."
Mounting the comeback down 21 at halftime was a monumental task but the Blackhawks took on the challenge.
"We talked at half time that we needed to chip away a little at a time if were going to get back into the game," Eastlick said. "Playing them even in the second half is a testament to the character of our young men."
It took Alt only nine plays to guide River Valley to the end zone in the third quarter and he picked up 46 yards himself rushing before firing a 22 yarder to Derek Wedge for a score at 9:49. Zach Cady's extra point try was blocked.
But the Panthers had the answer after both teams traded the football and Saint Croix Central got it back on a Cody Kraviz interception at 5:58. Larson resumed his workhorse duties and carried six of the eight plays, ending with bulling his way in from the three. Linus Krummenacher came in to kick the extra point and a 28-6 lead.
The Hawks knew time was not on their side and made the most of the next 2:48 to score on an Alt two yard plunge. They completed the drive in six plays with most of the yards being covered on a 23 yard pass to Wickman who also had an 11 yard carry. Alt passed to Wedige for the two point conversion and the Hawks trailed 28-14.
The Panthers got the ball with 1:01 left in the third frame and two and a half minutes later had answered the Blackhawks score. Larson took care of the final yard and Krummenacher kicked the extra point to push the score to 35-14
Things got back in Saint Croix Central's corner quickly when Austin Kopacz nailed the River Valley kick off returner and jarred the ball loose enough for Nick Jones to pounce on it at the River Valley 29. After a five yard gain by Refsnider a personal foul on the Hawks moved the ball to the 11. Refsnider than found a gap to take care of those yards and Krummenacher's conversion made it 42-14
With 8:02 left the Hawks knew that time was of the essence and on the second play of the series they got it back on their side, at least momentarily. Alt found Wedige open on the flat and he carried it 94 yards to score. Cady's boot made it 42-21.
When the Pirates got the ball back it took only six plays for Nelson to find the end zone and Krummenacher's kick sent the score to 49-21.
But the feisty Hawks were not done yet. Going to the air, Alt hit Wickman twice for 14 and 18 yards and Nachreiner once for 15 before going to Wickman again for a 13 yard touchdown pass at 2:48. Cady kicked the extra point to light up the scoreboard at 49-28.
The Panthers kept the ball until there were 39 seconds left but on River Valley's third play of the series Nelson picked off an Alt pass, giving Saint Croix Central possession with 22 seconds to play. A kneel down sent the Panthers to the sidelines to celebrate.
Eastlick sees the success of this season which includes a SWC tri-championship along with the trip to state a possible program builder.
"I hope this is one of those steps that gets more kids involved with RV football," Eastlick said. "We have even more athletes at our high school that could/should be playing. Maybe this is the spark they needed to get involved. I know the students got behind their classmates and were great fans during the playoff run. Our RV community really rallied behind our boys and showed everyone that we support our kids."
"The senior group did a great job leading our young guys in the season and most definitely during the post season," Eastlick said. "Our boys have had a tremendous amount of success not only in football but other sports as well. I hope this is just the beginning of a great year of sports at River Valley."
