Norse stuffed by Mustangs in DC clash
The Whitehall football team struggled to move the ball as it was blanked, 14-0, by Melrose-Mindoro on Friday night.
The Norse managed just 115 yards of offense in the loss. Whitehall’s defense kept the team in the game, but the Mustangs scored touchdowns in the second and third quarters to win by two scores.
The loss left Whitehall with little room for error if it hopes to clinch a spot in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs. The team sits at 1-3 in Dairyland Conference play and needs a winning record to clinch a playoff spot with three games remaining. The team is 2-4 overall this season.
The Norse will play its annual Homecoming game this weekend against one of the top teams in the conference, Pepin/Alma. The Eagles are ranked sixth in Division Seven, but are coming off its first loss of the season, a 15-14 loss to Cochrane-Fountain City, which is ranked fifth in Division Seven.
The Norse will host Augusta next week.
Mel-Min 14 Whitehall 0
The Norse were close to pitching a shutout, but a punt return for a touchdown gave Mel-Min the lead at the end of the first half.
Whitehall had just stopped the Mustangs on fourth down in the red zone, but the local team wasn’t able to move the ball. That forced a punt from deep in their own territory, which would’ve set the Mustangs up in good field position, but with little time left on the clock.
But the Mustangs didn’t have to worry about field position or the time remaining. The ball bounced before Isaiah Kleinsmith picked it up. Whitehall defenders swarmed Kleinsmith as he made his way toward the middle of the field, but then he cut back toward the sideline — breaking several tackles in the process — and sprinted down the field. The Mel-Min returner cut back toward the middle of the field for the 47-yard punt return touchdown. The extra point gave the Mustangs a 7-0 lead with 1:14 left in the first half.
Mel-Min added to its lead midway through the third quarter with a six-yard touchdown pass on fourth and goal. The point after made the score 7-0 with 6:41 left in the third.
Whitehall’s offense was mostly stuck in the mud. The team finished with 100 rushing yards, but averaged just three yards per carry. Bo Killian led the offense with 81 yards on 13 attempts. The Norse punted the ball five times in the game.
Whitehall
Rushing (att./yds.) — Killian 13/81 Hutsell 4/12 Juresh 4/6 Peterson 3/4 Helstad 2/1 Ausderau 7/-4
Receiving (rec./yds.) — Przybylla 1/15
Passing (comp./att./yds.) — Ausderau 1/1/15
Tackles — Hutsell 6.5 Hansche 4.5 Herman 4 Pratt 3.5 Foss 2.5 Bautch 2 Smith 1.5 Przybylla 1.5 Steig 1.5 Vitse 1.5 Stevens 1.5 Killian 1 Eaton 1 Kulig 1 Sartor 0.5 Helstad 0.5
