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MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STRATFORD – The Stratford football team stormed back from a halftime deficit, scoring on its first three possessions of the second half to knock off top-seed Arcadia 28-14 in a WIAA Division 5 Level 2 playoff game Friday night at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers (10-1) move on to a Level 3 game next Friday or Saturday at Amherst (10-1). A date and time will be announced in the coming days. Arcadia finishes the season with a 10-1 record.
Arcadia jumped out front on the first drive of the game when Rob Hoesley hit Taylor Misch for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Stratford counted with a Davis Drews 6-yard touchdown run, but the Tigers missed the extra point and trailed 7-6.
The score held until Arcadia scored with just 9 seconds left in the half on a 1-yard run by Hoesley and led 14-6 at halftime.
The second half was a different story for the Tigers, who held Arcadia to just 5 yards rushing and piled up 153 on the ground.
Drews scored on another 6-yard TD run and Hunter Kauffman caught a two-point conversion pass from Michael Bargender to tie the game at 14-14.
Bargender then hit Joe Redman for a 37-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers the lead, and Bargender added a 6-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to push Stratford’s advantage to 28-14.
Stratford finished with 231 yards rushing. Eli Temanson had 76 yards on 11 carries and Drews finished with 71 yards and 19 carries for the Tigers.
Bargender finished a crisp 8 of 9 passing for 112 yards. Jake Reif caught four of the passes for 32 yards.
Tigers 28, Raiders 14
Arcadia 7 7 0 0 – 14
Stratford 6 0 15 7 – 28
First Quarter
A – Taylor Misch 20 pass from Rob Hoesley (Charlie Wright kick).
S – Davis Drews 6 run (PAT failed).
Second Quarter
A – Hoesley 1 run (Wright kick).
Third Quarter
S – Drews 6 run (Hunter Kauffman pass from Michael Bargender).
S – Joe Redman 37 pass from Bargender (Jake Zuelke kick).
Fourth Quarter
S – Bargender 6 run (Zuelke kick).
Records: Arcadia 10-1; Stratford 10-1.