Raiders bolster playoff hopes by blanking Norsemen

The Arcadia football team entered this season with the hope of making the playoffs for a 15th time in 21 seasons under head coach Derek Updike. They took a major step in possibly making that a reality with a decisive road win over Westby.

The Raiders (4-2, 2-2 Coulee) pitched a shutout to slay the Norsemen (2-4, 2-2) 26-0 last Friday. Though Aquinas and West Salem have again separated themselves as the cream of the crop in the Coulee, both Arcadia and Westby figured to be teams that could jostle for position behind those two and make a run at a postseason berth.

With their dominance of the Norsemen, the Raiders need just two more Coulee wins to guarantee a playoff spot and their remaining schedule features three opponents with a combined overall record of 4-14.

This past Friday, Arcadia laid down the gauntlet early with a methodical opening drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown keeper by quarterback Carter Wegman. A successful conversion run made it 8-0 Raiders just over four minutes into the game.

Late in the second quarter on first and goal, Wegman rolled left out of the pocket and found Khyle Updike in the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown strike to propel the Raiders to a 14-0 halftime advantage.

Max Blaschko did his part in helping salt the game away in the second half on the ground, punching in a nine-yard touchdown run just over two minutes into the third quarter and tacking on a 19-yard touchdown scamper early in the fourth.

Blaschko finished with 142 yards rushing and a pair of TDs on 24 carries. Wegman completed 8 of 16 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown while also running for 44 yards. Logan Breska compiled 52 yards on nine rushes.

Jonah Slaby had a team-high 35 yards on three receptions and came down with an interception on defense. Samuel Gomez recorded two sacks while Dawson Glenzinski added one of his own.

The Raiders next host Black River Falls (1-5, 1-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. in Arcadia.

Arcadia

Rushes (att./yds) — Blaschko 24/142, Breska 9/52, Wegman 5/44, White 3/13, Lightfoot 2/7 

Receiving (rec./yds) — Slaby 3/35, Blaschko 3/24, Grzadzielewski 1/8, Updike 1/7

Passing (comp./att./yds) — Wegman 8/16/74

Tackles — Breska 5, Updike 5, Grzadzielewski 4.5, Blaschko 4.5, Lightfoot 3.5, Luna 3, Glenzinski 3, Gomez 2.5, Fernholz 1.5, Wegman 1.5, Rebhahn 1