Dodgers Blake Stodola brings down Blackhawk Max Giroux. Photo by Heather Olson,
By John Dalton
After Finley Olson scored on a short run on the first play of the fourth quarter Friday night at River Valley, Dodgeville’s defense forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown on the Blackhawks’ next possession. An interception on the following drive set up another Olson rushing touchdown, turning a scoreless game into a 24-0 Dodgeville lead in just 2:06.
River Valley received the opening kickoff and drove for seven minutes before Dodger Sawyer Miller broke up Blackhawk quarterback Danny Zaemisch’s fourth-down pass near the goal line. A few plays into Dodgeville’s opening drive, Griffin Busch appeared to score on an untouched 70-yard run, but a holding penalty erased the touchdown.
Both teams slugged it out throughout the contest stopping each other’s offense either on downs or forcing punts with tough and aggressive defenses. “Our kids played extremely hard, and I thought our staff put together a really good plan going into the game. The defensive line did a nice job creating pressure, and our linebackers and secondary continued to play fast and make plays when they had the chance. I was proud of the effort, the discipline, and the way our defense kept competing snap after snap. Overall, it was a really strong defensive performance,” said Dodger Head Coach Matt Staver about his team’s defensive effort.
Blackhawk Coach Tyler McClain was also happy with how his team played defensively. “Overall, I was pleased with our defensive effort and execution. For three quarters, we played well enough to keep us in the game and utilized multiple players in situations. That type of effort and execution within that three quarters needs to be what we build from. The couple scoring drives are key learning opportunities for our defense and our entire team understanding the importance of complimentary football.”
Dodgeville moved the ball well on its opening possession of the second half, with strong runs by Harper Olson and Elliot Jorenby carrying the Dodgers into the red zone. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed them back, however, and River Valley stopped the drive on downs.
The Dodgeville defense answered by forcing a River Valley punt. The Dodgers again drove into Blackhawk territory, sparked by a strong run from Miller. In the red zone, Finley Olson broke several tackles as he powered toward the end zone, but the ball came loose at the one-yard line. Busch recovered it at the four as the third quarter ended.
Then it got chaotic. On the first play to start the fourth quarter, Finley Olson found a gap and scored the game’s first touchdown and his two-point conversion run put Dodgeville up 8-0.
On the Blackhawks’ second play after the kickoff, Zaemisch was under pressure and pedaling backwards lost the ball, and in a scramble, it was Busch again who was able to scoop up the ball and cross the goal line for a Dodger TD and after Finley Olson again scored on a two-point conversion run, Dodgeville was up 16-0.
Then on the Blackhawks’ first play after the kickoff, Zaemisch tried to throw a middle screen, but Jorenby read the pass perfectly for the Dodgers, intercepting the throw and running it to the seven-yard line. Two plays later, the Dodgers capitalized, with Finley Olson running it in for his second touchdown, and then his third two-point conversion on the night, making it 24-0, all in a matter of 2:06.
“Those plays are great examples of preparation, effort, and guys being in the right position when an opportunity presents itself. You never know when a big play is going to come, so we talk a lot about running to the football and continuing to do your job,” said coach Staver. “Griffin Busch has made big defensive plays two weeks in a row, and Elliot Jorenby was a real presence for us all night on the defensive line. Those kinds of plays come from effort and trust in the guys around you.”
Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, any comeback was thwarted with another bad break. What looked like a 24-yard touchdown run by Fuechee Thao was nullified because of a holding call which moved the back backwards, and the Dodger defense didn’t allow River Valley to get close again as they moved to 2-0 in the SWC, 2-2 overall. The Blackhawks fell to 0-2, 0-4.
Overall, Staver thought both teams played a competitive game. “I thought both teams competed really hard. We talk all the time about continuing to play our game regardless of the situation, and I thought our kids did a good job of staying with it. Once we were able to get that first score, the momentum shifted a little bit, and our kids did a great job of responding and taking advantage of opportunities. The biggest thing was that even when we had some setbacks, we didn’t panic. We kept playing, stayed together, and finished the game the right way.”
McClain was pleased with his team’s effort as well. “I was proud of our team’s fight until the very end. Our guys played with grit ’til the very end and that’s something that we pride ourselves in. Our anticipation was to be in a physical and make it a close football game; Dodgeville brought and surpassed our physicality which in the end gave them the edge.”
Despite the Blackhawks winless so far this season, staying positive moving forward and remaining confident is the key as they prepare to play at Prairie du Chien Friday night. “No matter if we were 4-0 or 0-4, our focus needs to be on growth week to week. This group is far from a finished product and has been making strides in some areas while other areas need more work. Our job as a team is to not let this loss or our record define the group we are striving to be. It is easier said than done, but so is winning. I am excited to get back to work with this group and continue growing,” he said.
Staver is pleased with how his team is growing as the season nears the halfway mark. “I was just proud of the way our kids stayed together and kept competing. This group continues to learn and grow each week, and games like this give us a lot to build on. There are always things we can clean up, but the effort, toughness, and belief in each other were positives we can carry forward.”
The Dodgers rushed for a team total of 282 yards compared to 90 yards for River Valley. Finley Olson led the Dodgers with 106 yards on 16 attempts. Ty Larson accounted for all 90 yards on the ground for the Blackhawks on 14 carries.
Dodgeville will host Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg (3-1) Friday night with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. and Staver expects a physical game. “They are a very strong team, and they are coming off a big win against topranked Fennimore. They have a very good ground attack and present some challenges that will require us to be disciplined and physical. For us, the focus will be on having a great week of preparation, continuing to improve, and being ready to play our best football next week.”
