Colby triumphs over Durand

Hornets head to state; will play Ledgers

“We’re going to state!”

That expression was repeated again and again from the lips of the Colby Hornets football team on Friday night, until it began to resemble something akin to a chant or a mantra.

It was said with a sense of awe, as if the Hornets could not believe what they had just accomplished on Dorais Field in Chippewa Falls.

Colby (12-1) had defeated the Durand Panthers 28-24 in a hard-hitting, backand- forth Level Four playoff game. The victory secures a berth in the WIAA D-6 state title game in Camp Randall this Thursday. It’s Colby’s sixth appearance in a state final, and first since winning the WIAA D-5 title in 2011.

For every Hornet, player and coach, the journey to state is a dream come true.

“We’ve just had that drive ever since second grade,” senior linebacker Tristan Stange said as snow began to fall in earnest. “That was our goal, to get to state. It’s been the talk of the town since we’ve been young. That’s what’s been on the back of our minds since playoffs started, we can’t let this community down at all.”

Each tackle, each yard and each big play carried the hopes of the school, the alumni, and the community ever closer to reality. But when the game was over, the Hornets were nearly speechless.

“It’s amazing. It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” senior quarterback Brent Jeske said. “I can’t even put it into words. It’s a childhood dream.”

Colby’s date with state almost seemed preordained this year. For much of the season, the Hornets marched through their opposition in imperious and lopsided fashion.

Running clocks and shut-outs became the norm, and Colby earned a one seed entering the post-season. Durand (11-2) had done nearly the same, and was also a one seed. The Panthers also boasted the state’s leading rusher, Simon Bauer, who came into Friday with over 2,500 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Ironically, it wasn’t Bauer’s legs that caused headaches for Colby, but his arm, as the Panthers went to the air to move the ball. The Hornets held Bauer in check for much of the night, giving up just 127 yards, with 20 of those coming late in the game while Colby was playing prevent defense.

Bauer completed eight of 11 passes for 135 yards, and the majority of those throws came at critical junctures in the Panthers’ scoring drives. And it was the Panthers who drew first blood.

The Hornets received the opening kick-off, and moved into Durand territory, but the Panthers forced a Stange punt, and Durand took over inside their own 20 yard line.

The Panthers picked up a first down on a 10-yard screen play, and then Bauer found Ethan Hurlburt for a 22-yard pickup that went down to Colby’s 32-yard line.

The Panthers were methodical on the drive, draining time off the clock with Bauer runs, and at the conclusion of the first quarter it was a 0-0 ball game.

Durand became just the second team since Hortonville to score before the Hornets when Bauer dove into the endzone on a one yard carry with 11:09 to go before the break. Bauer scored on the two point conversion to make it 8-0.

The Hornets’ next drive began on their 20-yard line. Mason Voss and Brent Jeske snapped off six yard runs. Jeske added another carry for eight yards, and Caden Healy kept the drive alive with a 17-yard reception. A Lucas Karl reception got the Hornets across the 50.

Colby moved the ball down to Durand’s 25-yard line, but four straight penalties pushed Colby back, and threatened to derail their momentum.

“Offensively, we ran the ball well once again, and came up with key plays and drives when we needed it most,” Hagen said. “A big play for us was on our second possession of the night, when we had our backs to the wall, and down by a score of 8-0 with a 2nd and 33 yards to go.”

Brent Jeske and Caden Healy dialed up some magic on the ensuing play. Healy ran a skinny post route, and Jeske dropped back and heaved the ball downfi eld with all his might.

The ball streaked through the frigid night air, slipped through a Durand defender’s hands, and fell right into Healy’s lap for a 48-yard touchdown.

A Tucker Brost PAT made it 8-7 with 6:56 to go before the break, and the score was crucial in settling Colby’s nerves.

“We absolutely needed that play to give us some much needed confidence,” Hagen said later.

Durand’s next drive failed to produce. Bauer cracked off a five yard QB keeper, but Andrew Jeske dropped Dawson Hartung for a huge loss. Durand continued to convert through the air, but eventually Colby forced their first stop of the night after Mateo Lopez’s coverage forced an incomplete pass across the middle.

The Hornets received the ball with less than three minutes to go before halftime. Colby took advantage of the remaining time, with Brent Jeske slipping through would-be tacklers for a 35-yard carry.

Voss and Healy added runs of seven and nine yards, and Jeske ran the ball down to the Panthers’ five-yard line with seconds to go before the end of the half.

Durand’s defense forced a fourth and goal situation, but Jeske would not be denied, and he powered in for six thanks to a big push up front from his line to make it 13-8 with 44 seconds left in the half.

“The five guys up front were just giving us space to run,” Brent said. “We were making cuts, and going north and south, and that’s how you gain yards.”

Another Brost PAT capped off the eight play, 63-yard drive, and gave Colby its first lead of the game at 14-8.

Durand knew it would receive the ball to open the second half, and didn’t take any chances, preferring to take a knee, leaving Colby in the lead after one half.

It didn’t take the Panthers very long to strike back. Hartung gave Durand excellent field position to work with, taking the opening kickoff down to the 50-yard line. Bauer picked up a first down with his legs, and once again burned Colby’s secondary, this time for a 30-yard pass across the middle to Hartung.

Hartung slipped and fell, but his reception put the Panthers inside the Red Zone. Two plays later, Bauer fought his way into the endzone on a one-yard carry to make it 14-14 with 8:01 left in the third.

Durand regained the lead with a two point conversion that made it 16-14, but once again, the Hornets dialed up the big play when they needed it most.

Mateo Lopez fielded the ensuing kickoff at Colby’s five-yard line, and then took off like a rocket, weaving and winding his way through traffic. Lopez ripped off a 65-yard return before finally being forced out at Durand’s 30-yard line.

The Hornets wasted little time in answering Durand’s touchdown, needing less than 90 seconds to regain the lead. Brent Jeske took the handoff on third down and got great blocking downfield, sprinting in for a 25-yard touchdown.

Brost’s PAT split the uprights, making it 21-16 with 6:37 left in the third quarter. With Colby’s offense firing on all cylinders, it was time for its defense to make a pair of game-changing plays.

Bauer completed another big pass over the middle, and the Panthers seemed to be within striking distance of the endzone. But Andrew Jeske put pressure on Bauer, who threw a quick pass that Healy read perfectly.

Healy jumped the route and intercepted the ball, killing a promising Panthers’ drive. The Hornets were unable to do much with the ball, but the defense came up with yet another takeaway on Durand’s next offensive possesion.

Mateo Lopez turned in another highlight reel play after Andrew Jeske once again flushed Bauer out of the pocket. Bauer threw the ball in the direction of his big tight end Gunnar Hurlburt, but Lopez timed his jump and came up with another pick.

“I’m on the opposite side of the field and I see my guy block down, and I knew it was a pass,” Lopez said, describing his interception. “So I just booked it across the field. I saw the ball go up, and just jumped as high as I possibly could and caught it at the peak.”

This time the Hornets made good on the turnover. Mason Voss took a handoff, sprinted towards the edge, and followed his blockers, running his way through holes provided by Andrew Jeske, Brandon Voelker, Kaden Wiese and Brody Decker for a 32-yard touchdown at the 11:02 mark in the fourth quarter.

Brost, the unsung hero of the night, made his fourth PAT to give Colby a 2816 cushion. His PATs were crucial for Colby’s success.

“Tucker Brost made four out of four extra points, and I told our players all week that extra points are a big deal, and every point matters,” Hagen stated.

Brost had another nice play when he booted the ball into the back of Durand’s endzone, forcing the Panthers to begin on their own 20-yard line. It was Durand’s worst starting field position of the game.

At this point, it was obvious fourth down territory for the Panthers, and Bauer was able to keep the drive alive with a pair of fourth down conversions.

The Hornets continued to hold the Panthers run game in check, but once again Bauer’s arm did the damage, finding Ethan Fedie from 16 yards out to bring the game to within one score.

Bauer delivered a pass to a wide open Ehtan Hurlburt for two that made it 2428, but the Panthers’ scoring drive had taken over seven minutes off the clock, and Colby recovered an attempted onside kick with less than four minutes to play.

The Hornets took over on their 45-yard line, and picked up a first down. Disaster nearly struck when Colby fumbled the ball, but the Hornets recovered with two minutes left in the final half.

Colby fought for another first down, and from there Durand was forced to burn its remaining timeouts. The Hornets deliberately milked the clock, going for it on fourth down, and by the time the Panters got the ball back, there were just 14 seconds left to play.

Bauer got loose for his longest run of the night, getting to midfield with a 20yard carry, but that left his team with five seconds to work with. Bauer attempted to pass, but a pass rush from Colby forced him to lateral the ball, and Cristo Lopez fell on the live ball.

His teammates piled on top of him, but it didn’t matter. The game was over. The Hornets had won. Colby was returning to Camp Randall after a 10-year hiatus.

“It’s the best thing ever. It’s better than Christmas morning,” Lopez said, his voice thick with emotion. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

The Panthers had certainly tested the Hornets, hanging over 300 yards on the Colby defense. Bauer accounted for the vast majority of it, rushing for 127 yards and passing for another 135.

But after each Durand TD, Colby had the answer. Brent Jeske had a career game, finishing with 145 yards and two TDs on 21 carries. Voss added another 62 yards and a score. Healy had a huge game, leading all receivers with 64 yards on two receptions, including his momentum- changing TD in the first half.

In the aftermath of the game, Hagen gathered his players around him and took out a crumpled piece of paper from his jacket. It was a memento from last year, a picture of Camp Randall.

Hagen had challenged his players to achieve their goals — in the classroom, weight room and on the football field. He reminded them that the willingness to work hard for something is what makes dreams come true, and he praised his players for their efforts.

“In big games, good players and teams find ways to win. That’s what our team did tonight,” Hagen said simply. “We were down twice and we didn’t fold or panic, but just stuck to the game plan and executed like we have all year. I couldn’t be more proud of a group of young men, as they have worked so hard all year, and they wanted so badly to make it to state.”

The tears fell freely as the Hornets celebrated, hugged and took selfies with their friends and families. But once the initial joy faded, the Hornets were all business.

They know their job isn’t over. They know all they did was earn themselves another 48 minutes. As their reward, the Hornets will face a Saint Mary’s Springs program that has treated Camp Randall like a home away from home, with the Ledgers making essentially a fourth straight trip to the state tournament after 2020’s COVID-19 shortened season.

Colby is battle tested and ready for the challenge the Ledgers present. A gold trophy is the new dream for the Hornets, and as the players reminded each other, once at state, anything is possible.

“You always have the hope that you’re going to make it down to state, but it’s not a lock until you get there,” Stange said. “But it’s finally kicking in right now. We’re going to Madison, baby!”

LOWER THE SHOULDER -Caden Healy runs over a Durand defender for a first down during the second half of the Hornets Level Four game.

YARDS AFTER CONTACT -Mason Voss powers through Durand defenders to keep a Colby drive alive during the second half of the Hornets meeting with Durand in Chippewa Falls. Voss scored a 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth that helped Colby defeat Durand 28-24. Colby will face St. Mary Springs in the D-6 title game this Thursday at 1 p.m. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARY BETH GUY

SPRINT -Brent Jeske gets loose for a big gain during the Hornets game with Durand. Jeske had over 200 all purpose yards and three TDs.

HARD NOSED PLAY - Colby’s Eli Schmitt tackles Durand’s Gunnar Hurlburt for a special teams stop, with Grant Oelrich (#56) coming in to help.PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY BETH GUY