Stratford bolts past Amherst to win WIAA Division 5 Level 2 football playoff

Stratford quarterback Jack Tubbs scampers 11 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter of the Tigers' 28-7 win over Amherst in a WIAA Division 5 Level 2 football playoff game Friday night at Heiting Community Stadium in Marshfield. (Photo by Paul Lecker/MarshfieldAreaSports.com)
Stratford’s Jett Schoenherr secures an interception near the end zone to stop an Amherst drive during the second quarter of the Tigers’ 28-7 win in a WIAA Division 5 Level 2 football playoff game Friday night at Heiting Community Stadium in Marshfield. (Photo by Paul Lecker/MarshfieldAreaSports.com)

This story is sponsored by: Sternweis & Sons

By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com

MARSHFIELD – Much like their Central Wisconsin Conference Large Division battle just three weeks ago, the Stratford and Amherst football teams found themselves in a deadlocked battle early in the third quarter.

And, exactly like that matchup, Stratford dominated the final 21 minutes of play.

A key turnover early in the third quarter led to a touchdown, and a stuffed fake punt at the end of period led to another short Stratford touchdown drive as the Tigers powered past Amherst 28-7 to win a WIAA Division 5 Level 2 playoff game Friday night at Heiting Community Stadium at Marshfield High School.

Stratford (11-0), winners of 23 games in a row going back to last season when it won the Division 6 state championship for the second year in a row, will host Lake Country Lutheran (8-3) in a Level 3 game on Friday, Nov. 8. The two teams last met in the 2019 Division 5 state championship game with Lake Country Lutheran winning 22-13.

Click here to view the Level 2 playoff scoreboard

The teams exchanged first quarter touchdowns.

Amherst stopped Stratford on downs at the 28 and drove 72 yards on 10 plays. Most of it came from running back Ayden Nerdahl, who finished off the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run with 4:27 to go in the opening quarter and put the Falcons on top 7-0.

After both teams exchanged punts, Stratford took over on its own 32. After a 9-yard run by Jett Schoenherr, quarterback Jack Tubbs took off for a 59-yard touchdown on the final play of the quarter to knot the game at 7-7, which held until halftime.

The biggest play of the game came on Amherst’s second offensive snap of the third quarter when Nerdahl was stripped of the ball and Stratford defensive end Carter Lueck recovered at the Falcons’ 29.

Four plays later Brooks Vanderhoof raced through a whole on the left side and cruised 17 yards into the end zone to give the Tigers a 14-7 lead.

Amherst got its chance to even things up when Stratford dropped a punt and the Falcons’ Jake Victor recovered at the 35. However, the Tigers’ defense dug in, holding Amherst on a fourth-and-1, to regain possession.

“It was a hard first half and that really changed the momentum of the game,” Lueck said of the fumble recovery. “Coming out in the second half and I force a fumble and recover it, and we go down and score off of it, that was huge for us.

“Momentum is a huge thing in tight games like this, and if it goes in our favor, we win.”

Stratford punted after picking up one first down, but again stuffed Amherst. The Falcons’ fake punt attempt on fourth-and-3 came up short and gave the Tigers another short field.

Stratford was not to be denied. Even with a holding penalty that sent them back, the Tigers were able to overcome a second-and-16 to get a first down on a 24-yard pass from Tubbs to Coltan Breit. On the next play, Tubbs ran in from the 11 to pump the Tigers’ lead to 21-7.

“You’re going to need that resiliency now in the playoffs,” Stratford head coach Jason Tubbs said. “Everyone is good now. We just have to keep grinding and with their backs against the wall, they came out and played like men.”

After another Amherst punt, its fifth of the game, Stratford went 73 yards in nine plays. Tubbs completed a 21-yard pass to Caleb Wrensch on the drive, and Wrensch finished it off with a 2-yard touchdown run to put the game on ice.

Tubbs finished with 139 yards rushing on just nine carries, and threw for 101 more, 69 to Breit on just two balls.

“The first (touchdown) he audibled and did it self with a nice long run and that was what we needed, a nice shot in the arm,” Jason Tubbs said. “We went back to that play, and he had some big plays to Coltan and Caleb, who made some great catches. That’s what we’re hoping for. If you load the box, we’ll have to pass and if you’re not, we’re going to run the ball. Give our guys credit, the offensive line kept him clean all night.”

Tigers 28, Falcons 7
Amherst 7 0 0 0 – 7
Stratford 7 0 7 14 – 28
First Quarter

A – Ayden Nerdahl 25 run (Tyler Loken kick), 4:27.
S – Jack Tubbs 59 run (Mason Miller kick), 0:00.
Third Quarter
S – Brooks Vanderhoof 17 run (M. Miller kick), 9:37.
Fourth Quarter
S – Tubbs 11 run (M. Miller kick), 11:06.
S – Caleb Wrensch 2 run (M. Miller kick), 4:06.
Team Statistics
First downs:
A 13; S 9.
Rushing (att-yards): A 39-138; S 32-243.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): A 11-20-98-1; S 6-11-101-0.
Total yards: A 236; S 344.
Penalties (no.-yards): A 2-10; S 4-36.
Fumbles (total-lost): A 1-1; S 1-1.
Punting (no.-avg.): A 5-29.6; S 3-30.6.
Individual Statistics
Rushing:
A, Ayden Nerdahl 21-100, Michael Glodowski 16-37, Luke Hoffman 1-1, Sully Perkins 1-0. S, Jack Tubbs 9-139, Caleb Wrensch 5-41, Brooks Vanderhoof 8-37, Reid Miller 7-14, Jett Schoenherr 3-11.
Passing: A, Glodowski 11-20-98-1. S, Tubbs 6-11-101-0.
Receiving: A, Perkins 7-54, Nerdahl 2-32, Dylan Cook 1-9, Gideon Cole 1-3. S, Coltan Breit 2-69, Schoenherr 2-10, Wrensch 1-21, R. Miller 1-1.
Interceptions (defense): S, Schoenherr.
Fumble recoveries (defense): A, Jake Victor. S, Carter Lueck.
Records: Amherst 8-3; Stratford 11-0.