Briggs Hutson (54) and Elliot Jorenby bring down a ball carrier. Heather Olson photo.
By John Dalton
The Dodgers’ opening drive was as promising as they could have hoped. After taking the kickoff, they methodically moved deep into Prairie du Chien territory behind strong runs by Finley and Harper Olson. Near the goal line, however, an offensive penalty stalled the drive, and after nearly 10 minutes of possession, the Dodgers came away empty when quarterback Karter McGraw’s pass was intercepted at the two-yard line.
The Dodger defense forced the Blackhawks to punt on their opening possession, but Griffin Busch mishandled the kick and Prairie du Chien recovered. On the next play, Blackhawk quarterback Cayden Sutter connected with Brock Radloff down the right sideline for a 42-yard touchdown, giving Prairie an early 6-0 lead.
After forcing the Dodgers to punt, Prairie turned to its ground game. Darian Jackson capped the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run, and the two-point conversion extended Prairie’s lead to 14-0. Jackson finished with 152 rushing yards on 15 carries.
As on their opening possession, the Dodgers leaned on the ground game, but this time they reached the end zone. Harper Olson’s long run moved Dodgeville deep into Blackhawk territory, and Finley Olson finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. His twopoint conversion cut the deficit to 14-8.
With 2:30 remaining before halftime, Sutter went back to the air. A quick out to Drake Chesebro, followed by a long run after the catch, moved the Blackhawks to the Dodger 30-yard line. On the next play, Sutter found Chesebro again, lofting a pass down the right sideline that Chesebro caught in the end zone. The Blackhawks scored in less than a minute to take a 21-8 halftime lead. Sutter completed 9 of 13 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns.
After the 2026 Dodgeville Athletic Hall of Fame Class was introduced at halftime, the Dodgers kicked off and it didn’t end well, another big Prairie play, as Radloff received the kick and raced up the middle untouched 74 yards to the house making it 27-8 in a heartbeat.
“Preventing explosive plays starts with being in the right place, communicating and trusting the assignment. Our goal is to make opponents earn their yards and drive the length of the field rather than giving them quick scores or sudden changes in field position,” said Dodger Head Coach Matt Staver regarding Prairie’s big plays.
The Dodgers kept battling. Their defense forced a turnover on downs when Braxton Staver sacked Jackson for a loss on fourth down. Jayce Halverson then broke a long run into Blackhawk territory, and McGraw connected with Busch to move the Dodgers into the red zone. A few plays later, Finley Olson scored, cutting the deficit to 27-14 after a failed two-point conversion.
Prairie responded with Jake Kramer’s 12-yard touchdown run to make it 33-14. On the Dodgers’ next possession, McGraw’s playaction pass to Blake Stodola moved them back into Blackhawk territory. A few plays later, Halverson scored on a run, and McGraw connected with Staver for the twopoint conversion to set the final score at 33-22.
“Overall, I thought our kids competed hard against a good, ranked, Prairie du Chien team. Unfortunately, we tell them that the margin against a good team is very small, so the details matter. Penalties, alignment, assignment and finishing a play are all things we can control,” said Staver. “We do not want one mistake to become two, and we cannot allow a difficult play to affect the next snap. The message is to learn from the film, know what needs to improve and come back ready to work. Our kids have shown they will do that.”
McGraw was 4 for 6 passing the ball for 63 yards. Finley Olson led the Dodgers in rushing with 91 yards on 26 attempts and two touchdowns. Staver led the Dodgers defensively with 12 tackles. As a team, the Dodgers outrushed the Blackhawks with 245 yards compared to 222.
“We opened the game with a 19- play drive that took up nearly the entire first quarter, and we put together three excellent scoring drives: 12 plays for 62 yards, 19 plays for 91 yards and 13 plays for 89 yards. That shows what we are capable of when we execute and stay on schedule. We are continuing to learn and grow within the system, and the program is moving in the right direction,” Staver said.
He also said he was appreciative of the fan support that came out for Homecoming. “Our players and coaches appreciate that support. We encourage everyone to continue coming out, supporting the kids and cheering on their effort.”
The 2-2 Dodgers will play next at Platteville Friday night. Platteville and Prairie du Chien are both 4-0 in the Southwest Conference. “Platteville has a high-powered offense and is fighting for the conference title. We know it will be a challenge, and we look forward to it. Our focus will be on preparing well, limiting explosive plays, executing in all three phases and competing for four full quarters,” Staver said. Kick off is set for 7:00 p.m.
