SUPPZ.COM SWNEWS4U ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Darlington's Zeke Zuberbuhler

Darlington junior does it all in dominating Division 6 state semifinal win over Manitowoc Lutheran

Darlington junior quarterback Zeke Zuberbuhler rushed for a game-high 101 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, completed all five of his passes for 73 yards and two more TDs, and intercepted a pass on defense to lead his team to a 37–3 victory over Manitowoc Lutheran in last Friday's WIAA D6 state semifinal.

Zuberbuhler state semifinal — Darlington junior quarterback Zeke Zuberbuhler rushed for a game-high 101 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, completed all five of his passes for 73 yards and two more TDs, and intercepted a pass on defense to lead his team to a 37–3 victory over Manitowoc Lutheran in last Friday's WIAA D6 state semifinal.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday or Friday throughout the calendar year.

By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal / Fennimore Times / Boscobel Dial

Zeke Zuberbuhler, Jr., QB/DB, Darlington football
WAUKESHA — The Darlington Redbirds are heading back to the WIAA Division 6 state championship game for a second time in three years, and the 14th time in school history. Junior quarterback Zeke Zuberbuhler was one of the main reasons Darlington will be back at Camp Randall Stadium Thursday afternoon, leading the Redbirds to a dominating 37–3 victory over fellow No. 1 seed Manitowoc Lutheran last Friday at Waukesha West High School.

Zuberbuhler rushed for a game-high 101 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, completed all five of his passes for 73 yards and two more TDs, intercepted a pass on defense to lead his team.

Zuberbuhler scored on a 1-yard run with 7:01 left in the second quarter to give the Redbirds a 13–3 lead. Darlington quickly got the ball back and after a 17-yard run by Ryder Fitzsimons, Zuberbuhler immediately followed that with a 52-yard TD run, and Yasser Andino-Andino’s PAT gave Darlington a 20–3 lead.

The teams traded four-and-out’s, though Darlington earned a final opportunity to score in the half on a turnover on downs at the Lancers’ 43 with 12 seconds to play. Two plays later, Zuberbuhler completed a 33-yard TD pass to senior Broker Buschor on the final play of the first half to push the lead to 27–3.

Zuberbuhler intercepted a pass on Lutheran's second drive of the second half, and few plays later threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Buschor to make it 34–3 with 5:20 remaining in the third.

Heading to Thursday's state championship game against undefeated Edgar (14–0), Zuberbuhler has completed 74 of 100 passes for 1,312 yards with 18 TDs and 1 interception, while leading the team with 1,128 yards rushing and 18 TD runs on 122 carries.

Undefeated Darlington (14–0) will face Edgar (14–0) at 1 p.m. Thursday. The Wildcats defeated Potosi/Cassville 19–0 in last year's WIAA D7 state championship game. Darlington finished second in Division 6 two years ago after a 10–7 loss to Stratford.

HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order)
Broker Buschor, Sr., WR/DB, Darlington football
Buschor caught a pair of touchdown passes, made two tackles and intercepted a pass in Darlington's 37–3 victory over Manitowoc Lutheran in last Friday night's WIAA Division 6 state semifinals. Buschor caught a 33-yard TD pass on the final play of the first half to give the Redbirds a 27–3 halftime lead, then caught a 24-yard TD pass midway though the the third quarter to up the lead to 34–3.