MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (July 15–23)
WFCA Small Schools All-Star Game: North 19, South 12

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

North holds off late rally
OSHKOSH — The South outgained the North, 293–249, and won the turnover battle, 2–1, but the North held on for a 19–12 victory in Saturday’s WFCA Small School All-Star Game at UW–Oshkosh’s Titan Stadium.

After Platteville quarterback T.J. Pink was stopped short of the line to gain on a 4th-and-5 scramble, the North had a chance to put the game away in the final three minutes.

But after a 12-yard run, a false start penalty on first down and a pair of South timeouts, Racine St. Catherine’s linebacker Isaiah Taylor forced and recovered a fumble by Grantsburg’s Ian Burkman at the South 31-yard line with 1:33 left in the game.

Lake County Lutheran quarterback Jackson Menzel completed a 30-yard pass to Ethan Feldner (University School of Milwaukee) on 4th-and-18 to keep the South comeback attempt alive.

However, Menzel’s final pass of the game — on 4th-and-3 from the North 40 pass was broken up by Bonduel’s Cade Johnson at the buzzer, preserving the North’s seven-point victory.

The North never trailed in the game, getting on board first when Keil’s Bryce Gullixon scored on a 3-yard run midway through the first quarter to cap an 11-play, 73-yard game-opening drive.

Potosi/Cassville linebacker Isaiah Groom blocked the extra point to keep the score at 6–0. 

The North extended its lead to 12–0  late in the second quarter when Freedom’s Drew Kortz found Braeden Little (Ladsymith) behind the defense for a 30-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-5 with just 1:00 left in the first half..

While the North outgained the South 151–82 in the first half, the South All-Stars finally found an offensive rhythm with Menzel leading the way in the third quarter.

The South took the opening kick of the second half and drove 80 yards in 11 play, eventually scoring on a 28-yard Menzel to  Anders Stakston (Westby) touchdown pass with 6:47 left in the quarter.

After alternating drives with Pink in the first half, Menzel return to the huddle on the very next drive and again led the South to the end zone, this time connecting with Cambridge’s Kiefer Parish for a 15-yard TD pass on 3rd-and-9 with 9:45 left in the game. 

Menzel’s two-point conversion pass failed and the game remained tied at 12–12.

The North answered quickly with a five-play touchdown drive as Sam Ersland of Wisconsin Dells broke through the middle of the line and raced 51 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Grantsburg’s Alex McCormick booted home the extra point to provide the 19-12 final margin.

Ersland led the North with 68 rushing yards on nine carries. Freedom’s Drew Kortz completed 6 of 8 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Little (Ladysmith) caught four passes for a game-high 89 yards and a touchdown.

Royall’s Jackson Bender rushed for 93 yards on just three carries, while Menzel (Lake County Lutheran) completed 11 of 19 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Pink completed 6 of 12 passes for 40 yards in the game.

Feldner (University School) was the top receiver for the South, catching five passes for 52 yards.

Potosi/Cassville tight end Oliver Post caught one pass for 11 yards in the first half.

Platteville’s Lucas Ludlum played roughly half the game — most of it with Pink as his quarterback — at wide receiver and was targeted four times, but did not have a catch.

Potosi/Cassville’s Aidan Uppena played offensive tackle. Cuba City’s Nathan Timmeman started at center as did Black Hawk/Warren’s Brady Stietz at left tackle.

Racine St. Catherine linebacker Mariano Talamantez recorded a game-high eight tackles to lead the South.

Darlington’s Maddox Goebel finished with six. 10 other area All-Stars played defense for the South on Saturday, including Darlington’s Ross Crist (4 tackles) and Talan Crist (3 tkl), Prairie du Chien’s Bryce Lenzendorf (3 tkl), Cuba City’s Gavin Vaassen (3 tkl), Lancaster’s Quinton Ploessl (2 tkl), Boscobel’s Cameron Loos (2 tkl), Mineral Point’s Mathew Aurit (1 tkl) and Reid Acherman (1 tkl), and Potosi/Cassville’s Isaiah Groom.

WFCA Small Schools All-Star Game
North 19, South 12 
(from Saturday, July 19 @ J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium, UW–Oshkosh)
South.....0 0 6 6 — 12
North.....6 6 0 7 — 19
First quarter
N: Bryce Gullickson (Kiel) 3 run (kick block), 6:33
Second quarter
N: Braeden Little (Ladysmith) 30 pass from Drew Kortz (Freedom) (run failed), 1:00
Third quarter
S: Anders Stakston (Westby) 28 pass from Jackson Menzel (Lake Country Lutheran), (pass failed), 6:47
Fourth quarter
S: Kiefer Parish (Cambridge) 15 pass from Menzel (pass failed), 9:45
N: Sam Ersland (Wisconsin Dells) 51 run (Alex McCormick kick), 6:50.
Team statistics
First downs — S 14, N 12. Passing (comp-att-int, yards) — S 17-32-0, 138; N 8-13-2, 112. Rushing – S 29-145; N 32-137. Fumbles–lost — S 0-0, N 1-1. Penalties-yards — S 2-31, N 6-42. 
Individual Leaders
Passing — South: Jackson Menzel (Lake Country Lutheran) 11-19-0, 108, TJ Pink (Platteville) 6-12-0, 40; North: Drew Kortz (Freedom) 6-8-1, 108, Jack Tubbs 2-5-1, 4.
Rushing — South: Jackson Bender (Royall) 3-93, Conner Roache (Columbus) 6-33, Carter Drews (Cambria-Friesland) 3-19, Taylor Schaumberg (Lomira) 5-10, Sam Schraufnagel (Lomira) 2-5, Anders Stakston (Westby) 1-2, Pink (Platteville) 2-(-7), Menzel (LCL) 7-(-10); North: Sam Ersland (Wisconsin Dells) 9-68, Bryce Gullixon (Kiel) 9-21, Ian Burkman (Grantsburg) 3-16, Cooper Lawton (Northwestern) 2-15, Tubbs (Stratford) 7-10, Kortz (Freedom) 2-7.
Receiving — South: Ethan Feldner (University School) 5-52, Anders Stakston (Westby) 3-37, Kiefer Parish (Cambridge) 3-36, Schraufnagel (Lomiria) 2-9, Roche (Columbus) 2-(-3), Oliver Post (Potosi) 1-11, Carer Pontius (West Salem) 1-6; North: Braeden Little (Ladysmith) 4-89, William Packard (Prescott) 2-19, Madden Mahr (Stanley–Boyd) 2-4.
Tackles — South: Mariano Talamentez (Racine St. Catherine’s) 8, Maddox Goebel (Darlington) 6, Drew Holzhueter (Cambridge) 5, Jackson Kitzmiller (Edgewood) 5, Ross Crist (Darlington) 4, Bryce Lendzendorf (Prairie du Chien) 4, Isaiah Taylor (Racine St. Catherine’s 4 (FF, FR), Gavin Vaassen (Cuba City) 3, Talan Crist (Darlington) 3, Quinton Ploessel (Lancaster) 2, Cameron Loos (Boscobel) 2, Matthew Aurit (Mineral Point) 1, Reid Acherman (Mineral Point) 1, Isaiah Groom (block PAT); North: Kane Donnelly (Somerset) 6, Bryce Ronchi (Northwestern) 5, Cole Brenner (Stanley–Boyd) 4, Strom Thiry (Stanley–Boyd) 4, Logan Maertz (Reedsville) 4, Logan Goodrich (Wisconsin Dells) 4.