11/18/2009 3:00:00 PM Warriors dominate on road to state
Austin Prusha catches a 38-yard pass from Trent Cummings for a touchdown to lead Waunakee to a 42-14 semifinal win over Franklin at Kettle Moraine on Nov. 14. (Photo by Roger Hamilton)
Kyle Acker stiff arms a would be tackler as he chewed up yardage against Franklin to help lead the Warriors to the state title game Friday afternoon. (Photo by Roger Hamilton)
Down 7-0, after a roughing-the-punter call reignited a Franklin drive, Waunakee wasn't looking so hot early in Saturday's Division 2 semifinal game in Kettle Moraine.
But the Warriors (12-1) recovered nicely, embarking on a 13-play, 74-yard drive to knot the game at seven on their way to scoring 42 straight points in a 42-14 win that punched their ticket to the state final.
"I'm so happy for these guys. They've busted their tails here for I don't even know how many months," Waunakee coach Pat Rice said. "And we've got another week to play, so that's pretty cool."
After stopping Franklin (10-3) on its second possession, Waunakee fumbled the ball back to the Sabers on the first play of the second quarter. However, the Waunakee defense, strong all day, rose to the challenge and shut down the dynamic Saber offense on three plays to force a punt.
The Sabers came back strong, moving inside the Waunakee 20 on a pass from Lance Baretz to Brady Oates, but Derek Lyght ripped the ball free and recovered for the Warriors on the 16-yard line.
And the Warriors wasted little time cashing in. Two plays later, Trent Cummings perfectly lofted a ball to Austin Maly down the seam for an 82-yard touchdown pass with 3:54 left in the half. That put Waunakee on top for good.
After halting Franklin, Waunakee got the ball one more time before the half and made the most of it. Cummings found Maly who used all of his 6-foot-6 frame to haul in a pass at the 41-yard line of Franklin. Then on the ensuing play, Cummings found Austin Prusha behind the defense for 40 yards to the 1-yard line. Derek Straus capped the quick-strike drive with a 1-yard plunge to give the team a 21-7 lead at the break.
Happy with a 14-point lead at the break, fortunes only shined brighter for Waunakee in the second half.
The Warriors took the second-half kickoff and went 64 yards on five plays to extend the lead to 28-7. Cummings finished the drive with a 39-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Prusha.
Franklin, attempting to scratch back in the game, went to the air, but Mike North had textbook coverage for Waunakee and picked off Baretz at the Warrior 45, just as the sun broke through the clouds.
Then it was the Waunakee offensive line starring as they paved the way for a nine-play drive that featured huge holes for Kyle Acker and Straus. Acker finished the drive, taking a pitch around left end and outracing the defense for a 22-yard score.
The Waunakee defense continued to harass Baretz, and on fourth down, the Franklin quarterback, under heavy pressure by Mitch Severson, was picked off by Ross Maly.
The offense went to work, scoring quickly on just three plays. The Hogs again paved the way, and Musso did the rest to put Waunakee up 42-7. That drive made five straight touchdown drives for the Warriors.
Franklin got in the end zone late, after another roughing the punter call extended a Saber drive, but it was too little, too late.
Cummings, who played with with a brace after injuring his MCL against Monona Grove, said his teammates, especially the boys up front, made him look good.
"Our offensive line was giving me time. We needed them to come off the ball today, and that's what they did," said the senior, who was 4-of-5 for 180 yards and two scores.
Maly had two catches for 102 yards, while Prusha had a pair for 78.
Acker led the team on the ground with 136 yards. In all, the team pounded out 212 yards on the ground.
The defense held a strong Franklin offense to just 179 yards of total offense and only eight first downs, while taking the ball away three times.
In the end, it came down to making plays, Rice said, and Saturday, Waunakee did plenty of that.
Waunakee advances to take on Kimberly (12-1) Friday in the Division 2 state championship at 1 p.m. in Camp Randall Stadium.
