This story is sponsored by: Trudeau Construction and The Tile Guys
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield football team knew it had a huge task ahead. In order to clinch a WIAA postseason berth for the 15th straight season, the Tigers had to beat first-place Wisconsin Rapids on Friday.
Marshfield found itself down 13 points to start the fourth quarter, but the Tigers rallied behind quarterback Elliot Ashbeck and a stingy defense over the final 12 minutes to pull out a 32-31 victory at Beell Stadium.
The win, in its season finale, gives Marshfield a 5-3 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, ensuring the Tigers of a playoff berth. Wisconsin Rapids falls to 6-2 and 4-1 in the Valley. The Raiders will host Stevens Point on Thursday for a winner-take-all game for the WVC title.
“They are dog gone good and we knew that,” Marshfield coach Denny Goettl said. “I kept saying to the kids, ‘Do you realize how hard you have to play.’ I kept calling them out a little bit. They kept doing some things better and better and when we got a touchdown and stuck one on them, they started believing in themselves. They gave us a chance to hang around and beating a team like that by a point, that’s what it’s all about.”
Marshfield led 19-18 at halftime but quickly fell behind as the second half started.
Rapids, behind a punishing running game led by 215-pound fullback Joe Ritchay, traveled 81 yards in just six plays for a touchdown to take the lead. Ritchay had a 58-yard run to key the drive and finished it off with a 1-yard score to give the Raiders a 25-19 lead.
Wisconsin Rapids forced a three-and-out and immediately took it to the Tigers again. Ritchay ran four straight plays for 45 yards and scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 31-19 lead with 6:52 to go in the third quarter.
Marshfield had a drive stall at the Raiders’ 16 but the Tigers’ defense barred down and didn’t allow a first down again in the game.
On Marshfield’s next possession, Ashbeck completed 6 of 6 passes and hit Ian Padron on a fade to the right corner of the end zone for a 15-yard score to bring Marshfield within a 31-25 score.
After another three-and-out, Marshfield took advantage of a pass interference penalty and Ashbeck hit Brad Dolezal for 11 yard and Padron for 31 yards to set up a 10-yard touchdown run by Cody Tarnowski. Dan Kniech, forced into the game as a kicker because of a devastating leg injury to regular kicker Sully Luepke (who is also the starting free safety), hit the extra point with 4:28 left to give the Tigers a 32-31 lead.
Marshfield held Rapids on downs and was able to run out the final 2:55 of the game by picking up a first down on a pass interference penalty on fourth-and-3.
“We knew if we could get the ball, move the chains and get them on their heels, like we did in the first half, we could score,” said Ashbeck, who finished 21 of 29 for 253 yards and two touchdowns to Padron. “We were giving them the ball in good field position and they capitalized. Obviously, they’re a good team.”
Ashbeck had been alternating plays with senior Chris Stemen, but when Stemen went down with an injury, Ashbeck took over fulltime and he has thrived. The junior has thrown for 516 yards in the last two games. Padron, who caught six passes for 72 yards, and fellow starting wide receiver Jake Lisiecki, who had five catches for 55 yards, have stepped up to help the young quarterback after struggling early in the season with dropped passes and missed opportunities.
“Early in the season, we didn’t have an identity,” Ashbeck said. “Now we have an identity. We know what we can do and tonight we showed that. (The receivers) stepped up big – caught some touchdowns, went up to get the ball. They are a good, athletic group and now they are starting to show what they can do.”
Goettl said he knew the Tigers would have to throw the ball to be competitive.
“(With those linebackers, you going to try to run it on them?,” Goettl said. “One of them (Vince Biegel) is going to Madison and the other should be. We knew we had to try to do something through the air.”
Marshfield trailed 10-6 after Ritchay kicked a 32-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the first quarter before taking the lead midway through the second.
Ashbeck hit Lisiecki on a pair of passes for 21 yards and Dolezal for a 28-yard gain before Dolezal finished off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give Marshfield a 12-10 lead.
The two teams traded interceptions inside the Rapids’ 10-yard line and Ritchay scored following a pick by Brady Goska to give Rapids a short-lived 18-12 lead with 2:02 to go before halftime.
Marshfield wasn’t content with the deficit following a 66-yard kickoff return by Daniel Stanley. Dolezal, who had 44 yards rushing and 98 yards receiving, started the drive with an 11-yard run. Ashbeck finished it off with a 9-yard TD pass to Padron and Kniech hit the extra point to give the Tigers a 19-18 lead heading into halftime.
Tigers 32, Raiders 31
Wisconsin Rapids 10 8 13 0 – 31
Marshfield 6 13 0 13 – 32
First quarter
WR – Rylan Lubeck 21 pass from Brady Goska (Joe Ritchay kick), 9:48.
M – Brad Dolezal 1 run (kick missed), 3:40.
WR – Ritchay 32 field goal, 0:35.
Second quarter
M – Dolezal 2 run (pass failed), 4:49.
WR – Ritchay 1 run (Ritchay run), 2:02.
M – Ian Padron 9 pass from Elliot Ashbeck (Dan Kniech kick), 1:09.
Third quarter
WR – Ritchay 1 run (Ritchay kick), 10:07.
WR – Ritchay 2 run (run failed), 6:52.
Fourth quarter
M – Padron 15 pass from Ashbeck (kick missed), 9:36.
M – Cody Tarnowski 10 run (Kniech kick), 4:28.
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs: Wisconsin Rapids 11, Marshfield 20.
Rushing (att-yards): Wisconsin Rapids 40-273, Marshfield 38-110.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): Wisconsin Rapids 2-8-24-1, Marshfield 21-29-253-2.
Fumbles (total-lost): Wisconsin Rapids 1-0, Marshfield 0-0.
Penalties: Wisconsin Rapids 11-103, Marshfield 3-20.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: WR, Ritchay 24-194, Brady Goska 4-38, Kenny Stoflet 5-29, Rylan Lubeck 6-14, Cort Halbur 1-minus 2. M, Todd Vantassel 17-61, Brad Dolezal 8-44, Cody Tarnowski 4-15, Elliot Ashbeck 8-minus 4, Ian Padron 1-minus 6.
Passing: WR, Goska 2-6-24-0, Halbur 0-1-0-1, Lubeck 0-0-0-0. M, Ashbeck 21-29-253-2.
Receiving: WR, Lubeck 2-24. M, Dolezal 6-98, Padron 6-72, Jake Lisiecki 5-55, Payton Marshall 2-19, Tyler Rollins 1-12, Vantassel 1-minus 3.
Interceptions: WR, Goska, Dylan Huber. M, Daniel Stanley.
Records: Wisconsin Rapids 6-2, 4-1 Wisconsin Valley Conference; Marshfield 5-3, 4-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference.
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