This story is sponsored by: Wisconsin Homes of Marshfield
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
WISCONSIN DELLS – Stratford tight end Alec Chapel does not get his number called often in the passing game, but he said if it is, he’s always ready and prepared.
Chapel had his number called twice in big situations in the second half of the Tigers’ WIAA Division 5 state semifinal against Prairie du Chien and came through both times.
Chapel hauled in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Jack Tubbs with just 43 seconds to go to give Stratford a 26-25 win and propel the Tigers to their third-straight trip to the WIAA state finals.
Stratford (13-0), winners of 25 games in a row, will take on Wrightstown (12-1) in the Division 5 state final on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. The Tigers won the past two Division 6 state titles and will be going for the program’s 10th state championship.
Click here to see the WIAA state semifinal scoreboard
The game was tight throughout, with Prairie du Chien taking a 25-20 lead on a 7-yard touchdown run by Bryce Lenzendorf with 1:57 to go.
The Tigers caught a break when Prairie du Chien decided what appeared to be an onside kick attempt and Carter Lueck recovered at the 49 to give them a short field.
Tubbs completed three of four pass attempts and Brooks Vanderhoof ran to the 15. After Tubbs was sacked, the senior quarterback connected with Chapel in the left corner of the end zone to put Stratford up by one after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
The Blackhawks took over at the 33 and picked up 31 yards on three pass plays, but that was it as the final pass attempt fell incomplete, sealing the win for Stratford.
“I just knew I had to make a play and that was the perfect opportunity to it,” Chapel said. “I do my work on the line, but when I have to make a play, I make the play for the team.”
The chance for another trip to Madison, especially with Stratford moving up a division to Division 5, is even more sweet, Coach Jason Tubbs said.
“I was surprised they went for an onside, to be honest with you, and Carter Lueck’s been saying he’s had good hands for his whole life, and I guess he proved it on that one,” Jason Tubbs said “It gave us a short field. We’ve done two-minute offenses all year, trust in our kids, trust in our quarterback, and trust in Alec Chapel to go out-jump people. I’m super proud of those guys the way they finished the drive and get us back down to Madison.
“(The newly-adopted WIAA policy) Competitive balance is a big topic right now in the state, but our guys don’t care. They just want a chance to play again in Madison.”
Prairie du Chien, behind 6-foot-5, 225-pound running back Blake Thiry, an Indiana University recruit, marched down the field on the opening drive. Thiry carried seven of the nine plays on the 5½-minute drive and finished it off with a 10-yard touchdown run on fourth down.
The Blackhawks’ lead held until early in the second quarter. The Tigers put together a 12-play drive, which bridged the end of the first and beginning of the second quarters. Vanderhoof charged in from the 5 and Mason Miller kicked the extra point to knot the score at 7-7.
The teams exchanged touchdowns on the next two possessions, as Thiry ran in from the 18, but the extra point kick was blocked, and Prairie du Chien led 13-7.
Stratford responded after a 35-yard kick return by Jett Schoenherr and went 58 yards in eight plays. Schoenherr ran around left end for 3 yards and Miller knocked in the kick to give Stratford a 14-13 lead with 1:20 to go before halftime.
The one-point lead held until the break and the missed extra point from Prairie du Chien proved crucial.
The Tigers got the double dip after scoring late in the first half, then getting the ball first in the second and going 68 yards for another score. Tubbs connected with Chapel on a third-and-8 for a 31-yard touchdown, upping Stratford’s lead to 20-13 after it missed an extra point as well.
The Blackhawks went back to work on the ground, grinding out another long drive. Thiry racked up 36 of his 193 yards and Lenzendorf plowed in from the 14 for the score, but Prairie du Chien’s kicking woes continued with another missed extra point and Stratford held on to a 20-19 lead with just 35 seconds remaining in the third.
After Stratford was turned away on downs at the 32, Prairie du Chien was hurt by a pair of personal fouls penalties and punted.
With a chance to run out the clock, Stratford took over at its own 17 with 4:40 left, only to turn it over on an interception at midfield by Mason Hird.
A facemask penalty on Stratford on the first play helped the Blackhawks reach the 31 and four plays later Lenzendorf scored with 1:57 to go, putting Prairie du Chien up 25-20 after a failed two-point try.
Stratford took over after the botched kickoff and Tubbs connected on passes of 4 yards to Schoenherr, 6 yards to Coltan Breit and 24 yards to Caleb Wrensch to reach the 19. A 4-yard run by Vanderhoof, who had a team-high 82 yards rushing, put it down to the 15.
Tubbs lost 8 yards on a sack and with the clock running and no timeouts left, he went back to the air, connecting with a leaping Chapel in the end zone for what proved to be the game-winner.
“It can’t get any better than that,” Chapel said. “We’ve been doing that since we were 8.”
Tubbs finished 11-for-13 for 143 yards and the two touchdowns to Chapel, who caught three balls in all for 68 yards.
Chapel added, on the chance to win a third state title in a row, “That would be fantastic. I can’t imagine anything better than that.”
Tigers 26, Blackhawks 25
Prairie du Chien 7 6 6 6 – 25
Stratford 0 14 6 6 – 26
First Quarter
P – Blake Thiry 10 run (Xander DeHart kick), 6:33.
Second Quarter
S – Brooks Vanderhoof 5 run (Mason Miller kick), 7:45.
P – Thiry 18 run (kick blocked), 5:22.
S – Jett Schoenherr 3 run (M. Miller kick), 1:20.
Third Quarter
S – Alec Chapel 31 pass from Jack Tubbs (kick missed), 6:54.
P – Bryce Lenzendorf 14 run (kick missed), 0:35.
Fourth Quarter
P – Lenzendorf 7 run (pass failed), 1:57.
S – Chapel 23 pass from Tubbs (run failed), 0:43.
Team Statistics
First downs: P 10; S 16.
Rushing (att-yards): P 38-236; S 39-156.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): P 6-11-62-0; S 11-13-143-1.
Total yards: P 298; S 299.
Fumbles (total-lost): P 1-0; S 1-0.
Penalties (no.-yards): P 3-35; S 2-20.
Punting (no.-avg.): P 3-47.0; S 1-32.0.
Individual Statistics
Rushing: P, Blake Thiry 25-143, Bryce Lenzendorf 9-51, Abe Amundson 4-minus 8. S, Brooks Vanderhoof 16-82, Jack Tubbs 14-49, Jett Schoenherr 6-22, Reid Miller 2-5, Caleb Wrensch 1-minus 2.
Passing: P, Amundson 6-11-62-0. S, Tubbs 11-13-143-1.
Receiving: P, Thiry 4-46, Hunter Staka 2-16. S, Schoenherr 4-32, Alec Chapel 3-68, Coltan Breit 3-19, Wrensch 1-24.
Interceptions (defense): P, Mason Hird.
Records: Prairie du Chien 11-2; Stratford 13-0.