This story is sponsored by: Wisconsin Homes of Marshfield
By Steve Pilz
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
AUBURNDALE – The Stratford football team proved why it is the defending Division 6 state champs, and are hungry for a repeat.
The No. 2 seed Tigers dominated in all phases of the game on their way to a 40-7 win over No. 1 seed Auburndale on Friday night in a WIAA Division 6 Level 3 playoff game at Auburndale High School.
Stratford (11-1) will take on unbeaten Grantsburg (12-0) in Level 4 matchup next Friday, Nov. 10, to see who goes to Madison to play for the state title on Nov. 16. The Level 4 game is scheduled to be played at Chippewa Falls High School at 7 p.m.
Stratford wasted little time grinding out an almost 10-minute opening drive that lasted 17 plays and covered 83 yards. Senior running back Koehler Kilty carried the ball on 11 of those plays for 59 yards, while backfield mate Gavin Leonhardt carried it the last yard for the first of his four touchdowns on the night to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
Auburndale went three-and-out and Kilty ran for four yards on first down from the Tigers’ 20 to end the first quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, Leonhardt burst off right tackle and out-ran everyone for 76 yards and a 13-0 lead for the Tigers. Leonhardt ran in another TD from the 12 with 4:25 left to make it 20-0 at the half.
“We are hoping to get to Level 3 every year,” said Stratford coach Jason Tubbs, “and now we’re going to Level 4 in consecutive years. These guys are getting better week in and week out. Really proud of them. They bought in this week. They didn’t look past Auburndale. Knowing that they knew each other, I thought it may be different, but they were really locked in all week. I have to give credit to our guys for doing that.”
The Eagles ran a perfectly executed quarterback draw on the third play of the second half as Kaden Anderson bolted 65 yards through the Tigers’ defense for a touchdown, but that was about all Auburndale could muster.
Stratford amassed 455 yards in total to 196 for the Eagles, and had several gawdy numbers on offense.
Tubbs threw for two touchdowns in the third quarter, one to Leonhardt and the other to Jett Schoenherr. He finished the game 8-for-9 for 94 yards.
Kilty rushed for 184 yards on 28 carries and Leonhardt hauled in three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for three TDs and 109 yards on just eight carries.
“When they loaded the box, (to stop the run) it’s like, let’s go over the top and Jack (Tubbs) made some nice throws,” Jason Tubbs said. “It was fun to see as a Dad and a coach.”
The Tigers’ last score came on a 2-yard plunge by Caleb Wrensch midway through the fourth quarter to make it 40-7.
“They’re the state champs for a reason,” began Auburndale coach Jay Anderson. “You can see it in them. It’s just a lot to handle. We’re a ways from that. We play Stratford and Edgar. They’re either state champs each year or very close. It’s a pretty big notch between. We’re the next level. We’re just not there yet.
“We had another really good season. Level 3, at home. 10 wins. Considering what we graduated; I hope this is a sign that the program is progressing. We really need to take some steps to get to the next level. We’ve lost to Colby, Edgar, Mondovi and now Stratford to end our seasons. We have to find a way to get better and compete better in those games, too.”
Tigers 40, Eagles 7
Stratford 7 13 14 6 – 40
Auburndale 0 0 7 0 – 7
First Quarter
S – Gavin Leonhardt 1 run (Laurenz Plattner kick), 2:04.
Second Quarter
S – Leonhardt 76 run (kick failed), 11:46.
S – Leonhardt 12 run (Plattner kick), 4:25.
Third Quarter
A – Kaden Anderson 65 run (Aden Cherney kick), 10:38.
S – Leonhardt 17 pass from Jack Tubbs (kick failed), 7:32.
S – Jett Schoenherr 3 pass from Tubbs (Koehler Kilty run), 0:51.
Fourth Quarter
S – Caleb Wrensch 2 run (pass failed), 5:54.
Team Statistics
First downs: S 23; A 10.
Rushing (att.-yards): S 49-361; A 26-124.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): S 8-10-94-0; A 6-18-72-0.
Total yards: S 455; A 196.
Fumbles (total-lost): none.
Penalties (no.-yards): S 5-45; A 3-25.
Individual Statistics
Rushing: S, Kilty 28-184, Leonhardt 8-109, Tubbs 6-45. A, Anderson 13-95, Evan Scholl 12-31.
Passing: S, Tubbs 8-9-94-0. A, Anderson 6-18-72-0.
Receiving: S, Leonhardt 3-52, Schoenherr 3-9, Payton Glenn 1-19, Cole Tichy 1-14. A, Blake Raab 4-46, Cherney 1-16, Colton Weiler 1-10.
Records: Stratford 11-1; Auburndale 10-2.