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
Randyn Schumacher, Jr., QB, Platteville football
RICHLAND CENTER — Platteville junior quarterback Randyn Schumacher’s second start was a career night. The junior accounted for six of the seven Hillmen scores, going 14 of 21 for 259 passing yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 133 yards and three more touchdowns on 23 carries.
Eli Opgenorth also had a career night, catching touchdown passes of 10 and 40 yards in between a 61-yard touchdown catch in which defenders were in a different zip code. Brad Rupp was two yards shy of his junior-season receiving total, catching five passes for 118 yards.
And for career highlights, lineman Gage Kastner banged in a one-yard touchdown run.
Schumacher’s 31-yard touchdown run with 6:07 left in the first quarter was the answer to a Bronson Perkins 6-yard run on the game’s second play following a kickoff return to the Platteville 6-yard line.
Perkins’ 2-yard touchdown run with 3:19 left in the first quarter gave the Hornets a 13–7 lead. After a Platteville offside penalty on the extra point attempt, Richland Center went for two points, but was short of the end zone, which turned out to be a fateful moment.
A 57-yard five-play drive ended with a Schumacher to Opgenorth 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:06 left in the first quarter gave Platteville a 14–13 lead. Kastner’s touchdown with 7:16 left in the first half extended the lead to 21–13.
Schumacher also threw a 60-yard touchdown strike to Opgenorth on Platteville's first drive of the second half, and a 41-yards TD pass to Opgenorth late in the fourth quarter to make it 48–33. He also scored on runs of 6 and 1 yard in the third quarter.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Owen Drier, So., and Brayden Burns, So., Richland Center/Ithaca boys cross country
Drier was the boys' individual winner at 16:43.9, and Burns finished fifth at 17:54.3 to lead the Richland Center/Ithaca boys to the team title at last Tuesday's Boscobel Ryan Zimpel Memorial Invitational. Drier then placed sixth at 16:11.5, and Burns finished 22nd at 17:35.5 to lead the Hornets to a sixth-place team finish in the large schools division at last Saturday's River Valley Blackhawk Invitational.
Emersyn Niles, Jr., Setter, Cuba City volleyball
Niles passed out 24 assists to lead the Cubans to a 25–9, 25–12, 25–15 sweep of SWAL foe Iowa–Grant last Thursday night and in the process recorded her 1,000th career assist in the match. Niles then led Cuba City (16–2, 2–0 SWAL) to the championship of last Saturday's Waterloo Welner & Kraut Invitational with 70 assists and four aces.
Cole Schauff, Jr., RB/LB, Iowa–Grant football
Schauff rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, caught four passes for 24 yards and a third score, and recorded a team-high nine tackles, including two tackles for loss, in Iowa–Grant's 56–38 upset victory over D7 #8-ranked Black Hawk/Warren last Friday night.
Brady Ubersox, Jr., RB/LB, Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg football
Ubersox rushed for 159 yards and touchdowns in the Knights' 31–28 double overtime victory over Division 6 #8 Fennimore last Friday night.
