This story is sponsored by: Trudeau Construction and The Tile Guys
By Greg Aune
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STRATFORD — The Stratford Tigers will enter next week’s showdown with Edgar on a high note after a convincing 48-12 win over Chippewa Falls McDonell on Friday night at Tiger Stadium.
The victory keeps Stratford (5-1 overall) in the Marawood Conference title mix as it is tied with Edgar at 5-0. McDonell drops to 5-1 overall and in the conference.
Edgar is the defending Marawood Conference and WIAA Division 6 state champions.
“You have to be ready physically anytime you play Edgar,” Stratford coach Cal Tackes said. “I expect a low-scoring game, so we need to be patient and eliminate penalties in the red zone.”
Stratford forced the Macks to go three-and-out on their first possession before driving 51 yards in seven plays to take a quick 7-0 lead on a touchdown run by Mark Marquardt. On McDonell’s ensuing possession, Stratford’s Austin Shelley intercepted a pass from Macks quarterback Kyle Cody to keep the momentum in the Tigers’ favor.
Following the interception, Stratford marched down the field and went up 14-0 on another short Marquardt touchdown run, but then the Macks’ passing attack went to work. Cody, who completed 16 passes for 184 yards, orchestrated back-to-back scoring drives in the second quarter to pull within two, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Rydlund. The Macks failed to convert on either extra point attempt.
“We had to install some new defensive sets for this game because we knew they liked to throw the ball and have a very good passing attack,” Tackes said. “We went to man-to-man, which I don’t think we’ve done in 20 years.”
On the Tigers’ final possession of the first half, they converted a key fourth down on their way to another touchdown – a Josh Reif 3-yard run – to go into the break leading 21-12.
After halftime, just when it seemed like the game was going to be a high-scoring affair, Stratford seized control of the game and a McDonell passing attack that seemed to be clicking on all cylinders in the second quarter began to misfire. Stratford’s opening drive of the second half stalled deep in McDonell territory, but the Macks went three-and-out and only ran 16 plays the rest of the way as the Stratford ground game took over and chewed up the clock.
“We got a few things straightened out at halftime and cleaned up the penalties,” Tackes said. “I thought we won physically and we did a better job of pressuring them.”
While the Macks were struggling to get anything going in the second half, the Tigers running attack hit its stride. Stratford scored on its final four possessions and racked up nearly 400 yards rushing. Leading the way were Marquardt and Jamie Aschebrock, who rushed for 116 and 102 yards, respectively.
Stratford moved the ball at will against a Macks defense that continued to wear down as the game went on. McDonell also hurt itself repeatedly with several personal foul and unsportsmanlike penalties as the Tigers put up 20 fourth-quarter points.
Tigers 48, Macks 12
McDonell 6 6 0 0 — 12
Stratford 14 7 7 20 — 48
First quarter
S – Mark Marquardt 2 run (Dustin Doll kick), 8:21.
S – Marquardt 1 run (Doll kick), 4:00.
M – Andrew Rydlund 34 pass from Kyle Cody (PAT failed), 1:03.
Second quarter
M – Luke Ryba 10 run (conversion failed), 8:32
S – Josh Reif 3 run (Doll kick), 1:02.
Third quarter
S – Nick Viegut 3 run (Doll kick), 3:06.
Fourth quarter
S – Jake Kauth 5 run (Doll kick), 10:41.
S – Tyler Adams 4 run (Doll kick), 6:08.
S – Travis Urlaub 45 run (Mitch Miller kick), 1:34.
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs: McDonell 6; Stratford 23.
Rushing (att – yards): McDonell 12-23; Stratford 58-399.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): McDonell 16-33-184-1; Stratford 4-10-73-1.
Fumbles (total-lost): McDonell 1-0; Stratford 0-0.
Penalties: McDonell 14-95; Stratford 10-60.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: M, Ryba 6-34; Kyle Cody 2-4, Andrew Anderson 1-8, Tyler Ricks 2-(2); S, Jamie Aschebrock 19-102, Marquardt 13-116, Travis Urlaub 1-45, Austin Shelley 8-44, Viegut 5-38, Reif 5-23, Tyler Adams 2-5, Greg Belter 1-5, Jake Kauth 1-5 Jake Guyer 1-(1).
Passing: M, Cody 16-33-184-1; S, Kauth 1-2-20-0. Viegut 2-7-39-1, Marquardt 1-1-14-0.
Receiving: M, Ryba 5-24, Austin Hiess 4-78, Lucas Roth 2-35, Andrew Redlined 2-35, Clint Abramczack 2-9, Cody 1-3,. S, Shelley 2-45, Conner Brock 1-20, Derek Austin 1-8.
Interceptions: M, Ryba; S, Shelley.
Records: McDonell 5-1 overall and Marawood; Stratford 5-1 overall, 4-1 Marawood.