MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Nov. 17–24)
WIAA DIVISION 6 FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: #3 Darlington 42, #1 Edgar 18
By Casey Lindecrantz, Republican Journal / Tri-County Press
They’re No. 1: Redbirds bring home gold
MADISON — When you have a culture of success, the high-pressure moments come a little easier.
A 21–0 lead for Darlington 12 minutes into the D6 State Championship game helped that much more as the Redbirds marched to their first title in 30 years with a 42–18 win over #1 Edgar, a team the Redbirds have previously twice-beaten for a gold ball.
Even with a 3-score advantage over exiting the first quarter, preparation for this historic win and that level of domination started long ago. Almost none know that more than junior quarterback Zeke Zuberbuhler.
“First day of seventh grade, I’m getting into weight training,” he said. “I have to get there, get bigger, get faster. Coach (Travis) Winkers runs that amazing program. It transformed me so much that if I look at a picture of me in seventh grade, I don’t recognize myself. I’m so much bigger and never thought I’d look like this just from listening to him. He’s a great coach and I love him to death.”
The results of that preparation speak for themselves on a historic level. On top of this season marking the program’s first perfect season at 14–0, and its first 14-win season. Individual accolades for Zuberbuhler include most individual passing yards in a season (1,376), tied for most passing touchdowns with Aaron Lancaster at 19, best passing completion percentage (72.9%), and most total offensive yards (2,657).
“Preparation for the game was pretty much trying not to overthink it,” senior receiver Broker Buschor said of his second trip to Camp Randall as a player. “Knowing that it’s just another game, just on a bigger stage this time. If we did things right, we knew we were going to come out and win. We played a good game, we didn’t mess up a lot.”
The high level of play from the quarterback resulted in him being directly involved in four total touchdowns on the day, including the first of the game as he connected with Buschor on a perfectly placed fourth down flea flicker from 20 yards out over the receiver’s shoulder. The score came only after a sextet of Calum Crist rushes totaling 46 yards, paired with two Zuberbuhler keepers for four yards put the drive in scoring position. Yasser Andino-Andino’s leg did what it was effective at all season in sailing the PAT through the uprights to cap the drive at a 7–0 advantage for the Redbirds.
“You have to go 100% every rep at practice, because you have to visualize that,” Zuberbuhler said on the preparation that goes into executing on key moments. “We have to visualize running that play in a pressure-filled environment. We know we’re playing the same game of football, it’s just bigger, more important, and a lot more precious.”
Darlington’s defense got off the field quick as it held 9-time champion Edgar (13–1) to just seven yards while taking under two minutes off the clock. The Wildcats’ offense would ultimately earn just 94 yards over the first half with one score to their name. All other drives for them ended in punts or an interception.
Next up was a 10-play, 81-yard effort spanning 4:44 that nearly closed the first quarter, with Dante Glendenning closing the effort out. He had two rushes for 12 yards at the end of the drive that punched in the Redbirds’ second touchdown while Andino-Andino remained perfect for PAT’s with 50 seconds left in the first.
The scoring rusher was one of two returning starters from the Darlington team that advanced to state two years ago in D6 that fell just short of overtime as Stratford cleared a field goal to win, 10-7, during an untimed down. More heartbreak came a year later, as the Redbirds’ success over the prior two seasons — reaching Level 4 only to lose in 2023, followed by the loss at state to Stratford — caused them to be promoted to Division 5 due to the WIAA’s newly instated performance factor. Darlington fell in D5’s Level 2 as a two seed to #3 Milwaukee Academy of Science, 36-35, on a failed 2-point conversion attempt.
“We took that last loss to Stratford hard,” Dante Glendenning said. “We came back that next offseason and we grinded. Then we had the Level 2 loss to Milwaukee Academy of Science in D5 last year. We grinded even harder. All of this hard work has to go somewhere, and it just paid off here.”
But the Redbirds weren’t done yet. On the Wildcats’ first play of their next drive, their quarterback released a poorly placed pass thanks to pressure from defensive senior Brady Jones that Calum Crist picked out of the sky and returned 25 yards for a touchdown. Andino-Andino cleared the uprights a third time for a 21-0 advantage that saw the end of the frame.
“We scouted like we normally do, and thought exploitable stuff would be there with Edgar,” Winkers said. “Coach (Jared) McGranahan thought that we’d give them trouble with some lateral stuff that we did, and obviously getting a pick-6 helped. The kids just came out ready to go.”
The reigning two-time D7 state champion Wildcats wouldn’t allow a goose egg to mar their foray into D6 — they were a victim of the WIAA’s performance factor as well. Edgar is no stranger to the biggest stage in Wisconsin, either, with nine gold balls on a state-record 16 trips to Camp Randall, and the second-most appearances in the postseason at 39.
To that end, the Wildcats finally reached paydirt in their third drive. Five plays was all they needed, including a 61-yard effort on the ground during the third snap that set them up at the Redbirds’ 16 to close the first frame. Two plays, and 11 seconds later, Edgar had their first six points of the day, though Sloan Glendenning got a sack to kill the 2-point attempt.
Zuberbuhler’s name was called again in each of Darlington’s next three scoring drives. The first was a 9-play, 39-yard drive where he rushed up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown. The Redbirds’ defense then forced a punt on an 8-play drive that netted just nine yards thanks to consecutive sacks from Sloan Glendenning and Brady Jones. The quarterback’s second rushing score came all in one go — a drive-starting 15-yard gain from his team’s 10 was negated due to offsetting penalties before bolting on a read-option where he was largely untouched.
His final score of the game came on a drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters, as well as 71 yards. Zuberbuhler accounted for six rushing yards and a 29-yard connection with Buschor up to the scoring play, before punching in the final yard on the ground.
When the clock stopped, Darlington’s title hopes were granted to the tune of a 42–18 final score.
“It's awesome because we know how it feels to lose on the big stage, and it was not fun,” Buschor said. “It feels awesome knowing that we can bring one back for the town after 30 years. It’s been too long, it feels great.”
Zuberbuhler closed day as Darlington’s leading rusher (12 car, 133 yds, 3 TD) while completing 4-of-7 passes for 64 yards and another score. Crist followed with 16 carries for 104 yards on the ground, while Buschor paced all receivers with 49 yards on two receptions that included one score. Crist wouldn’t be denied the end zone as his defensive effort that included nine tackles along with one for a loss of three yards and a hit on the quarterback also featured a 25-yard pick-6.
