Kimberly offense comes alive in high school football playoff win over SPASH; Neenah, Kaukauna, Menasha, Wrightstown also victorious

KIMBERLY − A slumbering Kimberly offense finally awoke Friday in a big way.

The Papermakers scored on five consecutive possessions to take command and run away from Stevens Point, 35-18, in a WIAA Division 1 second-round football playoff game at Papermaker Stadium.

Kimberly (9-1) will host Neenah (9-2) in a state quarterfinal next Friday at 7 p.m.

"I thought the offensive line really dominated all night," Kimberly coach Chad Michalkiewicz said. "We got into that good mix of different personnel groups and different play stuff and we started running weak side a little bit. The dam broke a little bit. We were knocking on the door offensively, but haven’t put the points up and we kind of opened up the floodgates a little bit."

SPASH (9-2) ran a fake punt early in the second quarter that got the Panthers down to the Kimberly 9. The Papermakers defense held firm and forced a turnover on downs at the 1.

An interception by SPASH got the ball back for its offense and the Panthers cashed in on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Grant Chandonais to Amon Konopacki to go ahead 6-0 after a missed extra point.

Kimberly answered with a 14-play, 80-yard drive capped with a Marcus Doucette 2-yard touchdown run for a 7-6 lead.

Braedon Ellefson and Gavin Tyson had touchdown runs of 1 and 4 yards, respectively, and Doucette's 24-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter put away the game.

Bryson Vieth also had a 28-yard touchdown catch for Kimberly. Doucette led the offense with 18 carries for 132 yards.

"I just wanted to score," Doucette said of his 24-yard touchdown. "I think we all wanted it pretty bad and did a good job of getting it."

Michalkiewicz knows a rematch with Neenah will be a tough battle because of how dominant the Fox Valley Association has been in the playoffs. Kimberly beat the Rockets 21-0 on Sept. 29 in league play, but Neenah has won four games in a row since then.

"First of all, I think the FVA flexed a little bit (Friday night) and it’s good for the league. Kaukauna, Fond du Lac and Neenah won. That's good for the FVA and that's what it is, a really darn good football league," Michalkiewicz said. "I think we can learn from our first game with Neenah. We’re not going to look at that shutout win and think that it’s going to be easy. They’re a really good football team and they’re a really well-coached football team and anytime you got an opponent getting to (the quarterfinals) ... it’s getting real now. So it’s going to be a big challenge for us."

Neenah shuts out Chippewa Falls

Neenah is in the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004, thanks to a 21-0 victory over Chippewa Falls in Neenah.

The Rockets scored all their points in the first half and rode a stifling defense to the second-round victory over the Cardinals in the first meeting ever between the two teams.

“It’s been a long time since we made it and with this team we have, I feel like we can go farther,” senior defensive lineman Tawan Rich said. “We can learn more and learn from our mistakes. Just making it to the third round feels great. ... Getting this win was a huge victory for us. Just excited to enjoy it and go on.”

Grant Dean took a shovel pass from Ashton Van Beek and raced 41 yards for a touchdown to give Neenah a 7-0 lead. Van Beek added a 68-yard touchdown run with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter and the Rockets led 14-0.

Dean’s 7-yard touchdown run up the middle with 5:10 remaining in the second quarter and the third successful extra-point kick by Liam Wasco made it 21-0.

Chippewa Falls had a touchdown pass in the third quarter nullified by an ineligible player downfield penalty. It was the third shutout of the season for the Neenah defense.

“Our defense we started it off good in the (first) half and we just kept the pedal going and we never gave up,” Rich said. “Every time our coaches tell us never give up and bend and don’t break. So we just go out there on defense and get three and outs and just get our offense back out there.”

Kaukauna holds off West De Pere

Kaukauna (10-1) survived what could have been a disastrous final few seconds in its 13-6 win over West De Pere in a Division 2 second-round game in Kaukauna.

With 6 seconds remaining in regulation, the Ghosts faced a fourth-and-4 on their own 17. Quarterback Finnley Doriot completed a short pass that fell short of the first down and turned the ball over to West De Pere with 3 seconds left.

A Duke Shovald pass to Evan Ott bounced off his fingers, ending the game.

“The ending was wild. Every game against West De Pere always has an exciting ending. It’s been a pleasure playing them two years straight now," Kaukauna running back Connor Kincheloe said. "To get that win over them, it feels good."

Said Ghosts coach Matt Binsfeld: “I wasn’t surprised, because we always seem to put it down to the last second (against West De Pere) and all that kind of stuff, so I guess it wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t do that. It just is what it is. We thought we communicated really well. There are a lot of times as a coach where I think I have got it handled and I don’t. It’s kind of just one of those moments.”

Kaukauna will play at home Friday against Cedarburg, which defeated Homestead 17-16.

Osvaldo Soto Sanchez had a pair of field goals for Kaukauna, with Doriot's 15-yard pass to Parker Schuh the lone touchdown for the Ghosts.

Menasha defense overpowers New Berlin West

Not even a broken-down bus could slow down surging Menasha in its 32-8 victory at New Berlin West in a Division 3 second-round game.

Menasha (9-2) held West to 56 yards of total offense and scored all of its points in the second half. The Bluejays travel to Grafton next Friday in a quarterfinal game. Grafton knocked off top-seeded Port Washington, 22-21.

The game started a half-hour late due to the Bluejays having to wait for a replacement bus after their original one broke down on the way to New Berlin.

Menasha recovered an onside kick on the first play of the game.

"Our kids were ultra-focused tonight," Menasha coach Jeramie Korth said. "We actually broke down on the way to the game and had to switch buses and wait for another bus and we still showed up ready to play. Our kids and coaches didn't flinch."

Jon Younger had an 89-yard kick return to start the second half, which set up a 3-yard touchdown from Elijah Gigl, the first of two touchdowns for Gigl in the half. Logan Liegl hit Parker Wienandt on a 36-yard touchdown pass in the quarter and added an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth. Beau Thompson capped the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run in the fourth.

"The kids were locked in," Korth said. "I'm really proud of this group and how much they've improved throughout the year. We are a completely different team than we were at the beginning of the year."

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Wrightstown advances past Southern Door

Wrightstown advanced to the state quarterfinals in Division 5 behind a strong defense that held Southern Door scoreless until the final minute in a 21-6 victory over the Eagles.

The Tigers (9-2) recovered a Southern Door fumble off a punt return late in the first half. Aiden Humphreys' 2-yard touchdown run gave Wrightstown a 7-0 lead heading into the break.

Daniel Buntin added a 3-yard score in the third quarter with Landon Helphrey scoring from 2 yards out in the fourth.

Drew Daoust had a 10-yard touchdown run for Southern Door’s lone score inside the final minute of regulation.

Wrightstown plays at Wittenberg-Birnamwood next Friday.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton area high school football teams advance to quarterfinals