Barrett’s leg lifts Stratford

Senior’s field goal defeats Edgar on turf

By Casey Krautkramer

It’s no surprise the Stratford and Edgar football teams engaged in a low-scoring defensive battle on Saturday in their 62nd matchup since 1965. Stratford’s defense held Edgar scoreless in the second half and then won, 9-8, on senior Noah Barrett’s 23-yard field goal with just over four minutes left in the game.

Stratford senior quarterback Dillon Kirsch took the snap from junior holder Jackson Ormond and he held it down for Barrett, who kicked the ball straight through the uprights for what turned out to be the game winner. Tigers head football coach Jason Tubbs thought his team had a better chance at making a successful field goal instead of going for it on fourth down and six yards from the end zone.

“Noah made three out of six field goals in practice so I figured he had a 50 percent chance of making a field goal in the game; I was confident he would be relaxed while kicking the ball,” Tubbs said. “I’ve been involved in this football rivalry for about 20 years as a Stratford assistant and head coach, and every game against Edgar normally comes down to the end.”

The game between Stratford and Edgar was originally scheduled to be played on Friday night at Tigers Stadium, but thunderstorms postponed the game until late Saturday morning. Stratford moved its home game against Edgar to D.C. Everest’s artifi cial turf field to prevent the Tigers Stadium wet grass field from being torn up by players in the mud.

On Saturday, Stratford scored the first points of the game, 6-0, on senior Kaden Griesmer’s 1-yard touchdown plunge in the first quarter. Senior Raife Smart’s two-point conversion run failed.

Edgar junior defensive end Carver Higgins made a spectacular play in the second quarter when he tipped a pass from Stratford senior quarterback Dillon Kirsch and then caught the ball. Higgins’ interception eventually set up Edgar senior quarterback Mattison Butt’s 13-yard touchdown pass to senior slot receiver Everet Brehm, who dived and caught the ball in the corner of the end zone with only seven seconds remaining until halftime. Sophomore Karter Butt ran up the middle for the two-point conversion to give the Wildcats an 8-6 lead at the break.

The game score would remain the same until Stratford kicked the gamewinning field goal with four minutes, 33 seconds left in the game. Stratford’s game-winning offensive drive began at Edgar’s 43-yard line with just over seven minutes remaining. On the first play, Dillon Kirsch kept the ball for a 22-yard run. Senior Raife Smart had an 11-yard run down to Edgar’s nineyard line. Smart ran for three yards but then Edgar’s defense held him to no gain on the next play, forcing Stratford into a fourth down and goal from the six-yard line. Barrett calmly booted the ball through the middle of the uprights.

On the first play of Edgar’s next offensive possession, Mattison Butt threw an interception to Gavin Kirsch, who described after the game how this crucial play unfolded.

“Our defense was in zone coverage and my brother, Dillon, actually tipped the ball and it fell into my arms,” Gavin Kirsch said.

The Wildcats forced the Tigers into punting the ball and Stratford junior Connor Weigel made a great special teams tackle at Edgar’s 21-yard line. Mattison Butt overthrew Brehm along Edgar’s sideline and Griesmer tackled an Edgar running back behind the line of scrimmage for a six-yard loss. Stratford senior defensive back Darin Heeg sacked Mattison Butt at the three-yard line, forcing Edgar into a fourth down and 29 yards to go with just over a minute left in the game. Mattison Butt’s long pass went through Ayden Weisenberger’s hands, and Stratford took possession of the ball and went into victory formation.

Barrett was pleased Stratford’s defense held Edgar to less than 100 yards in both rushing and passing. The Tigers tallied 133 rushing and 22 passing yards, compared to the Wildcats with 87 rushing and 33 passing yards.

Edgar committed four turnovers consisting of three interceptions and one fumble lost, while Stratford had three turnovers including two interceptions and one fumble lost. The Wildcats had four penalties for 34 yards, while the Tigers only had one penalty for 15 yards.

Dillon Kirsch led Stratford with 10 rushes for 57 yards, while Smart had 12 runs for 28 yards. Karter Butt paced Edgar with 12 carries for 43 yards.

Edgar still leads the all-time matchup against Stratford, 28-26, in the regular season and 34-28 overall including the playoffs. Edgar, 1-1, plays its first home game this Friday, Sept. 3, against Iola-Scandinavia while Stratford, 2-0, plays against Manawa at Tigers Stadium.

‘Jays win first 8-man game

Seniors Cooper Diedrich and Caleb Borchardt scored all of the Athens football team’s points in a 36-0 drubbing of Owen-Withee on Friday night. Athens won its season-opening 8-man football game on the road in the Rogue Conference.

Diedrich, who is Athens’ starting quarterback, ran the ball 11 times for 248 yards and four touchdowns. Borchardt, the team’s fullback, rushed 14 times for 75 yards and one touchdown.

Athens, 1-0, plays its first home 8-man football game this Friday, Sept. 3, against Flambeau.

Raiders fall to Orioles

Marathon’s football team scored the game’s first points against Stanley-Boyd on Matt Annis’ three-yard touchdown plunge, but it was all Stanley-Boyd from that point forward. Jaden Koeller did kick the successful extra point following Annis’ touchdown. The Red Raiders suffered a 35-7 road loss to the Orioles last weekend.

Matt Annis had a solid overall game with 37 rushes for 133 yards and one touchdown, along with four pass receptions for 38 yards from quarterback Ben Robbins. Nick Sommers led Marathon’s defense with seven total tackles, six of which were solo tackles. Rudy Rhyner sacked Stanley-Boyd’s quarterback for a three-yard loss.

Marathon, 0-2, plays its first home game of the season this Friday, Sept. 3, against undefeated Abbotsford in the teams’ Marawood Conference opener.

SMART ATTEMPTS TO STRIP THE BALL- Stratford senior defensive back Raife Smart gets his right hand on the football Edgar sophomore running back Karter Butt is carrying, but Butt was able to hang onto the ball for a big gain in the second half of Saturday’s game at Stiehm Stadium in Schofield. The Tigers nipped the Wildcats, 9-8, in a classic defensive matchup.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

Noah Barrett

SETTING UP THE GAME WINNING KICK- Stratford senior Noah Barrett (51) goes into his kicking motion to boot what ended up being the game-winning field goal to give the Tigers a 9-8 win against the Wildcats on Saturday at Stiehm Stadium in Schofield. Stratford junior Jackson Ormond (66) hiked the ball to senior quarterback and holder Dillon Kirsch (14). Stratford junior Johnny Seitz (58) blocks Edgar junior Brady Stencil (53) to ensure Barrett has time to kick the ball. Tigers senior Cole Marten (73) is also shown blocking on the pivotal play.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

BRETT BRINGS HIS GAME FACE- Edgar sophomore defensive end Brett Baumgartner (44) attempts to tackle Stratford senior running back Gavin Kirsch (40) during the second half of Saturday’s game. Gavin Kirsch was able to elude Baumgartner for a big gain.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER