Vanevenhoven, special teams help Neenah slip past Appleton North; plus other high school football takeaways
FOX CROSSING – The return of Evan Vanevenhoven and some big special teams plays sparked the Neenah football team to a huge Fox Valley Association victory Friday.
Neenah handed Appleton North its first loss of the season, beating the Lightning 7-6 in a spirited defensive battle.
The outcome wasn’t decided until a 30-yard field goal attempt by Appleton North with 30.9 seconds remaining in the game missed wide right.
“This is huge. They’re a great team. For this win, this is a big step in the right direction for us,” said Neenah standout running back Grant Dean, who rushed for 64 yards on 13 carries.
Dean’s 16-yard touchdown run with 4:59 remaining in the third quarter and the extra-point kick by Liam Wasco gave Neenah a 7-6 lead.
Dean also had a hand in keeping Appleton North off the scoreboard. He sprinted off the edge and blocked the extra point after North quarterback Luke Kritzer scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter to give the Lightning a 6-0 lead.
Neenah (5-1 overall) also blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter when Luke Jung broke free through the line and batted down the kick.
“Luke blocked the first field goal and then Grant Dean blocked the extra point and those two plays turned out to be the difference in the game,” Neenah coach Steve Jung said.
Vanevenhoven, who injured his left wrist in the season opener against De Pere, returned to the starting lineup and led the Rockets with 72 yards rushing on 21 carries. He also completed 9 of 13 passes for 65 yards.
“In the second half he was the difference,” coach Jung said. “His ability to run the ball downhill and get five, six, seven yards a clip, that was the difference for us.”
Vanevenhoven said coming back and leading the Rockets to an important victory was a special moment.
“It meant a lot just coming back and coming back to this team, being able to help as much as I can,” he said.
The Rockets expected a defensive battle but were still surprised each team was able to score only one touchdown.
“I don’t know if we expected this much of a defensive battle, but we definitely expected it to be a defensive battle with them having one of the best defenses in the FVA and us having one of the best defenses in the FVA as well,” Vanevenhoven said.
Kimberly is in sole possession of first place in the FVA at 4-0 and Neenah is in a three-way tie for second place at 3-1 with Kaukauna and Appleton North.
Neenah plays at Kimberly next week and then hosts Fond du Lac the following week before finishing the regular season at Oshkosh North on Oct. 13.
“It doesn’t get any easier next week. We got the defending state champions next week,” Jung said.
Ghosts survive push from Oshkosh West
Kaukauna improved to 5-1 overall with a 42-35 victory over visiting Oshkosh West.
Finnley Doriot passed for four touchdowns and ran for another to spark the Kaukauna offense. Oshkosh West exploded for 28 points in the second quarter and led 28-21 at the half.
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The Ghosts defense played better in the second half and Kaukauna's offense got a 2-yard touchdown run from Doriot and a 1-yard plunge from Connor Kincheloe to take a 35-28 lead heading into the fourth.
West responded with a 14-yard touchdown from Chase Brandl in the fourth, but a 73-yard scoring connection from Doriot to Parker Schuh gave the Ghosts the cushion they would need to secure the win.
Kavanaugh Weyenberg also had touchdown receptions of 12 and 8 yards with Nolan Hall also pulling in a Doriot touchdown pass from 3 yards out.
Pendleton, Kimberly pass over Oshkosh North
Carson Pendleton continues his ascent to a top quarterback in the Valley, throwing for three touchdowns on 12-of-14 pass attempts in a 48-13 victory over Oshkosh North. He has thrown nine of his 10 total touchdowns over the past three weeks.
Kimberly (5-0 overall, 4-0 Fox Valley Association) put the game out of reach early, scoring 27 points in the first quarter. Bryson Vieth caught a pair of touchdown passes and Gavin Tyson had 88 yards rushing on nine carries to lead the Papermakers' ground game.
Brennen Grams also had five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown for the Papermakers.
Around the Valley
Luxemburg-Casco beat Freedom 24-14 to stay unbeaten in the North Eastern Conference. The Spartans trailed the Irish 14-0 on a pair of Drew Kortz touchdown passes. Max Ronsmann accounted for all three of Luxemburg-Casco's scores. ... Wrightstown (5-1, 3-1) got past Denmark 41-7 and has a showdown with NEC co-leader FVL next Thursday. ... Menasha (5-1, 4-0) remained tied atop the Fox River Classic Conference-South with a 44-21 victory over Sheboygan South. ... Winneconne (4-2, 3-1 Bay Conference) won its third game in a row with a 28-6 victory over Shawano. ... Weyauwega-Fremont remained undefeated at 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the CWC-Large with a 20-14 win over Shiocton. ... Hortonville (4-2, 3-1 Valley Football Association) crushed Wausau East 56-0 at home and is one win from qualifying for the postseason.
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Vanevenhoven, special teams help Neenah Rockets edge Appleton North
