Stratford wins state title on German student's field goal with no time left

MADISON – Laurenz Plattner was the unlikely hero of the improbable fairy tale.

Plattner, a German exchange student who had a potential game-winning kick blocked seconds earlier, drilled a 32-yarder for the first career field goal with no time remaining and lifted Stratford to a wild 10-7 victory over Darlington in the WIAA Division 6 state title game Thursday at Camp Randall Stadium.

The circumstances required a late fumble by Darlington and a defensive penalty on the final play, setting up an untimed down for the winning kick.

“Before the game, I never thought I'm going to attempt a winning field goal kick,” said Plattner, who didn't even have his name on the back of his jersey. “But I made it. The first half was a little rough for us, but the coach had a great speech in the locker room. The team went out there and had an amazing second half. That's just what I'm so happy about it. They played so good there. Me, I really did not do that much. The other guys are heroes."

Stratford moved from its own 4-yard line on a 22-play, 89-yard drive that consumed a staggering 11:27 of the fourth quarter to set up a 24-yard attempt by Plattner, who had only attempted extra points in a game — never a field goal.

But Darlington’s Breylin Goebel got a hand on the kick, giving the Redbirds the ball at their own 20-yard line with 23 seconds left and three timeouts. The game appeared to be headed to overtime.

But Reagan Jackson fumbled on third down, giving Stratford the ball back at the Darlington 25 with 6 seconds left. Quarterback Jack Tubbs hit Alec Chapel wide-open deep right, but he was dragged down three yards short of the end zone as time expired.

Headed for overtime, right? Not so fast.

Darlington was flagged for holding, giving Stratford an untimed play from the 15-yard line, and Plattner made the most of his second chance, splitting the uprights from between the hashmarks to give the Tigers their ninth state title, tying St. Mary's Springs in Fond du Lac for the most in WIAA history.

Stratford coach Jason Tubbs said his players convinced him to try a field goal again.

“I was hoping, one second left on the clock, to give us a little bit better options, but then our guys were like, ‘No, we’re kicking it, Coach. He can make it. He made the (extra points) all year,’” Jason Tubbs said. “Most of the time, I go with the guys. If they say it’s there, it usually is, and God bless. I don’t know how far it made it by, but we’ll take it.”

Plattner, who played soccer in Germany, was thrilled to get an opportunity at redemption.

“I wanted another chance, of course,” he said. “I wanted to prove that I can do it. After I kicked the first one, I felt depressed a little, sad. When we lost this game, I’m the idiot. I’m the idiot who cannot kick a field goal.”

Darlington coach Travis Winkers was stunned at the final turn of events.“We practice the two-minute drill, we had three timeouts to go after it,” he said. “You can’t foresee a fumble. It just is what it is. Your heart goes out for that kid, because he’s a phenomenal kid. That one play didn’t cost us, but it will be under the microscope, I know.”

After being blanked in the first half, the Tigers converted a fumble recovery into the tying touchdown. Landon Zawislan pounced on the botched handoff at the Darlington 29. Five plays later, Koehler Kilty scored around the right end from nine yards out.

Darlington took a 7-0 lead with the only touchdown of the first half on a 5-yard run by Jackson with 5:01 remaining. The Redbirds kept the drive alive with a pair of third-down conversions, then picked up another first down on a 3-yard run on fourth-and-1 to the Stratford 7.

The Tigers prevented another score when Cole Tichy picked off Goebel’s pass from the 24 at the goal line with 13 seconds left in the half.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Stratford wins state title over Darlington with untimed field goal