This story is sponsored by: The Marshfield Tiger Booster Club
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STEVENS POINT – The Marshfield football team entered the second half of its 2019 schedule in must-win mode, and on Friday against rival Stevens Point, the Tigers came through.
Coming off two losses in a row, the Tigers put together a scoring drive on their first possession and led the rest of the way, cruising to a 28-3 win over Stevens Point at Goerke Field on Friday night.
Marshfield improves to 2-3 overall and in the Valley Football Association West Division, while sending Stevens Point to its fifth-straight loss overall and in conference play, eliminating the Panthers from the playoff picture.
“We know the urgency,” Marshfield coach Denny Goettl said. “We have to win out, and get to 6-3, to be marketable to get a seed in the playoffs higher than an 8. That’s there we’re at.
“It was a good week of practice, but it was hot. I did get frustrated a little bit with the attitude the guys had, because of the losing streak we’re on. It had to take a little bit of fire for the coaching staff to get people rolling a little bit, and they came through.”
Marshfield put together an 11-play scoring drive after forcing a three-and-out from Stevens Point, with quarterback Joey Goettl hitting Simon Slade for a 13-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal.
Stevens Point missed a field goal in the opening seconds of the second quarter, then made one when Noah Streveler connected from 30 yards out to make it 7-3.
Stevens Point stopped the Tigers on downs at the 30, but Marshfield’s defense immediately stepped up.
On second down, linebacker Emmett Meissner put pressure on Stevens Point quarterback Brandon Vlcko, who threw the ball up for grabs, hitting Marshfield defensive tackle Tyler Wein right in the hands. Wein bobbled twice but was able to secure it and raced down the left sideline 32 yards for a touchdown, putting the Tigers up 14-3, which held until halftime.
“That was a nice game we played tonight,” Denny Goettl said. “We finally got a break that put us over the top with Tyler and the touchdown. We got cranked up on special teams if you look at all the yardage we’re getting. We’re getting close to breaking one. We’re looking to get some of our running backs back and they’re getting better up front. They’ll make it happen.”
Midway through the third quarter, Marshfield’s defense struck again. Ethan Dagit pressured Vlcko, who again unloaded falling to the ground, and this time Brenden Braund picked off the pass.
On the next play, Goettl hit a wide open Wyatt LeMoine for a 13-yard touchdown pass as the Panthers’ defense failed to cover the Marshfield receiver on the right sideline.
Goettl connected with LeMoine again later in the third quarter, striking for a 16-yard touchdown with 2:04 to go in the period to make it 28-3, which it remained the rest of the way.
LeMoine caught eight passes for 97 yards to lead the Tigers’ offense. Marshfield was held to just 189 yards, but two big turnovers from the defense were able to push them to the big win.
Marshfield hosts Wisconsin Rapids for Homecoming and Hall of Fame night next Friday, Sept. 27. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Heiting Community Stadium and will be broadcast on WDLB-AM 1450 and wdlbwosq.com, and live-streamed at zaleskisports.com/live-sports.
Tigers 28, Panthers 3
Marshfield 7 7 14 0 – 28
Stevens Point 0 3 0 0 – 3
First Quarter
M – Simon Slade 13 pass from Joey Goettl (Kyle Tremelling kick), 6:01.
Second Quarter
SP – Noah Steveler 30 field goal, 5:26.
M – Tyler Wein 32 interception return (Tremelling kick), 2:00.
Third Quarter
M – Wyatt LeMoine 13 pass from Goettl (Tremelling kick), 7:28.
M – LeMoine 16 pass from Goettl (Tremelling kick), 2:04.
Team Statistics
First downs: Marshfield 13; Stevens Point 12.
Rushing (att-yards): M 30-74; SP 27-121.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): M 12-23-115-0; SP 12-32-110-2.
Total yards: M 189; SP 231.
Penalties (no.-yards): M 7-69; SP 3-25.
Fumbles (total-lost): M none; SP 1-0.
Punting (no.-avg.): M 6-29.0; SP 4-31.0.
Individual Statistics
Rushing: M, Sam Hinson 9-39, Logan Durham 4-25, Noah Schaefer 4-9, Brad Dickinson 4-7, Joey Goettl 3-3, Alec Adams 2-1, Matthew Trulen 1-minus 1, Will Fetting 1-minus 2, Ryan Dolezal 2-minus 8. SP, Brandon Vlcko 16-53, Riley Warzynski 1-40, Joe Pecore 6-27, Riley Sankey 4-1.
Passing: M, Goettl 12-23-115-0. SP, Vlcko 9-21-87-2, Warzynski 3-11-23-0.
Receiving: M, Wyatt LeMoine 8-97, Simon Slade 3-20, Hinson 1-minus 2. SP, J.J. Lilly 5-34, Noah Hofmeister 2-40, Noah Viegut 1-11, Spencer Wierzba 1-10, Colton Engle 1-5, Sankey 1-5, No. 82 (no name provided) 1-5.
Punting: M, Kyle Tremelling 6-29.0. SP, Vlcko 2-32.0, No. 89 (no name provided) 2-30.0.
Records: Marshfield 2-3 overall and Valley Football Association West Division; Stevens Point 0-5 overall and VFA West.