MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Aug. 19–26)
FOOTBALL: Cuba City 27, Potosi/Cassville 20
By Casey Lindecrantz, Tri-County Press

Runde's special night lifts Cubans
POTOSI — A season opener for any sport is going to see drama, and that came for southwestern Wisconsin courtesy of Cuba City’s 27–20 road win at Potosi/Cassville on Aug. 21.
The squads flew through the first quarter exchanging the ball a couple times, but never reaching the end zone. This came despite a stellar starting position for the Cubans on the Chieftains’ 10-yard line following a fumble on a punt attempt. 
Both teams finally made noise on the scoreboard in the second frame. P/C notched the first points on a 7-play drive spanning the end of the first into the second period — a 5-yard connection just inside of 10 minutes. Cuba City had its answer less than 20 seconds later as Carter Runde slipped through a duo of defenders at the 30, crashed through a trio of tacklers 10 yards later, and had nothing but green grass for the remaining 60 yards on an 85-yard kickoff return. A Carson Collins miss on the PAT left the Cubans at a 7–6 deficit with 9:43 left to the break.
Both teams traded the ball a pair of times, before the Chieftains put together a last-minute drive with 2:10 on the clock, mixing a pair of big gains to pound in a 3-yard rushing score with 20.2 seconds remaining. P/C’s PAT was well-low of the crossbars, and Cuba City was staring down a 13–6 deficit at last season’s Division 7 state semifinalist.
The Cubans came out of the half with the ball, and proceeded to trade punts with the Chieftains. After getting the ball back on their own 40 with 7:52 left in the third, quarterback Hudson Kieler locked in on a 20-yard blast to Frankie Welp. Bradley Rowe followed immediately with an 18-yard rush, giving Cuba City’s offense its second close look of the night at the endzone a mere 40 seconds after it got the ball on a punt. Rowe rumbled for another 17-yard gain, and completed the Cubans’ first offensive touchdown of the night with one final rush. Collins redeemed his prior miss, helping to tie the game at 13–13 with just over 6:30 on the clock.
A lead exchange didn’t wait much longer, as P/C earned a second pair of downs before the Cuba City defense forced a punt to hand the ball over with 3:44 left in the quarter. 
The Cubans committed a penalty on the punt, pushing them back to their own 19, but Rowe negated the loss with rumbling 13-and-7-yard rushes. A 1-yard loss on a second down rush set up a third-and-4 situation for Cuba City, but the team didn’t panic. It came out in shotgun with trips receivers on the strong side and Runde alone on the weak side while the Chieftains loaded the box with seven defenders and the remainder showing man defense. Runde passed his defender within seven yards, and Kieler found the senior for a 63-yard touchdown. P/C blocked the PAT, putting the Cubans at a 19–13 advantage with 1:34 left in the third.
Cuba City again exchanged the ball with the Chieftains, getting the ball on a punt then coming up short on a fourth down conversion attempt, before surrendering the lead on a 34-yard passing touchdown from the host squad with 5:49 on the clock. 
Thankfully, Runde wasn’t ready to hang up his cleats for the night. A play reminiscent of two quarters prior occurred as he blasted through a pair of defenders on the Cubans’ own 30, followed by a further 70 yards to take the lead for the final time. Rowe got the nod on the successful 2-point attempt up the center, putting the split at 27–20.
Cuba City elicited a turnover on downs from P/C on its first set of downs, and the Cubans didn’t relinquish control of the ball for the final 3:23 of the night.
“Our players believed in themselves and their teammates,” Cuba City head coach Guy Kopp said. “The defense bent a little but never broke. Our offense got better in the second half, and our special teams were very special tonight.”
Rowe led all Cubans in the ground game, accounting for 99 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts, while Kieler locked things down under center. The quarterback threw 8-of-13 completions for 99 yards and a score as well. Runde (72 yds, 1 TD) and Welp (27 yds) split reception duties with four apiece, while the former’s two kickoff returns for 167 yards and a pair of scores was also critical in the win.
“Our big-time players made big plays,” Kopp said. “We still have a lot of work to do before Lancaster comes into town. Our guys will be ready.”
The Flying Arrows come to Cuba City on Aug. 28, and bring an 0-1 record following a 36–22 loss at Belleville on Aug. 21 in which they surrendered 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Cuba City 27, Potosi/Cassville 20

(from Friday, Aug. 21 @ Potosi)

Cuba City............0 6 13 8 — 27

Potosi/Cassville..0 13 0 7 — 20

Second quarter

P/C: Sam Infield 4 pass from Aaron Edge (Aaron Edge kick)

CC: Carter Runde 85 kickoff return (kick failed)

P/C: River Sahr 3 run (kick failed)

Third quarter

CC: Rowe run 4 run (Carson Collins kick)

CC: Runde 63 pass from Hudson Kieler (kick failed)

Fourth quarter

P/C: Sahr 34 pass from Edge (Edge kick), 5:49

CC: Carter Runde 82 kickoff return (Rowe run), 5:37

Team statistics

First downs — CC 7, PC 11. Rushing — CC 26-106, PC 43-207. Passing (comp-att-int, yards) — CC 8-13-0, 99; PC 6-11-2, 83. Fumbles–lost — CC 1-0, PC 2-1. Penalties-yards — CC 5-50, PC 3-20.

Individual Leaders

Passing — CC: Hudson Kieler 8-13-0, 99; PC: Aaron Edge 6-11-0, 83. Rushing — CC: Bradley Rowe 21-99; PC: River Sahr 18-132, Hunter White 20-113. Receiving — CC: Carter Runde 4-72, Frankie Welp 4-27; PC: Sahr 3-39, White 2-40. Tackles — PC: Sahr 12, Infield 9, Edge 7.