Norse upset bid falls short
The Whitehall football team looked to be in a solid position with a lead in the second half against one of the best teams in the Dairyland Conference, but Pepin/Alma scored twice as Whitehall’s offense stalled down the stretch.
The Norse had a 20-14 lead early in the second half and then got the ball back after a fourth down stop. Whitehall’s offense couldn’t get going, the Eagles took the lead with a score and added another touchdown in the fourth quarter to clinch the win.
The loss likely knocked Whitehall out of playoff contention as the team fell to 2-4 in Dairyland Conference play and 3-5 overall. Whitehall will end its season in Augusta this week.
P/A 30 Whitehall 20
After Bo Killian tied the game just before halftime, Caydan Johnston gave the Norse the lead.
But it wouldn’t last.
Killian scored from 14 yards out and Nick Katzman tied the game at 14 with an extra point kick before halftime. Whitehall received the kickoff out of halftime and Johnston broke free for an 80-yard touchdown run that gave the Norse a 20-14 lead.
The Eagles marched down the field, but a sack on fourth down ended the team’s next drive. Whitehall gained one first down then punted the ball back to P/A.
A 15-yard face mask penalty on a quarterback sack put the Eagles inside the Whitehall 40. P/A faced another fourth down inside the Whitehall 10 and the Norse rush got to quarterback Trenton Krzoska again, but not before he let go of the ball and found Clayton Kegel in the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown. Owen Post ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 22-20.
Whitehall quarterback Mason Pientok was intercepted on the team’s next possession and P/A scored again to make it a two-score game. Justin Bergmann broke free for a 32-yard touchdown run. He then ran in the two-point conversion, making the score 30-20 early in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles were balanced offensively as Bergmann ran for 169 yards while Krzoska hit half of his 16 passes for 106 yards.
Whitehall took an early lead on a four-yard touchdown run by Killian. The Eagles responded with a touchdown and two-point conversion to go ahead 8-7 before the end of the first quarter.
Post scored on a 27-yard run early in the second quarter. Whitehall responded before half and took the lead just after halftime, but couldn’t sustain drives in the second half.
Killian led the Whitehall offense with 66 rushing yards on 22 carries. The Eagles controlled the line of scrimmage, out-rushing Whitehall, 331-125.
Whitehall —
Rushing (att./yds.) — Killian 22/66 Hutsell 5/36 Johnston 4/21 Pientok 3/2
Receiving (rec./yds.) — Johnston 4/11
Passing (comp./att./yds.) — Pientok 4/8/11
Tackles (solo/total) — Pientok 6/9 Stevens 3/6 Johnston 3/5 Steig 2/5 Hansche 3/4 Przybylla 3/3 Semb 0/3 Coburn 1/1 Matejka 4/4 Hutsell 8/11 Herman 6/8
