Mayville kept its postseason hopes alive Friday night, rallying from an 11-point deficit to defeat Amery 27-24 in a thrilling WIAA Division 5 Level 1 playoff game at Ray Dunn Field.
Trailing 24-13 early in the third quarter, the third-seeded Cardinals battled back behind a strong rushing attack and two second-half touchdowns from Dominic Schuelke.
Joe Promersberger opened the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but sixth-seeded Amery answered quickly when quarterback Alex Siebenaler connected with Wyatt Hanson for a 70-yard touchdown. A successful two-point conversion gave the Warriors an 8-6 lead.
Amery extended its advantage to 16-6 in the second quarter before Promersberger punched in a one-yard touchdown late in the half, cutting the deficit to 16-13.
The Warriors struck again early in the third quarter on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Siebenaler to Hanson, pushing their lead to 24-13.
Mayville responded late in the quarter when Schuelke scored from five yards out, narrowing the gap to 24-19.
With 5:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, Schuelke broke free for an 18-yard touchdown run to put the Cardinals ahead 25-24. Quarterback Cooper Raddemann added the two-point conversion to give Mayville a three-point advantage.
Promersberger led the Cardinals with 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, while Schuelke added 94 yards and two scores on 11 attempts.
Mayville's defense also came up with key plays, including an interception by Promersberger. The Cardinals limited Amery to 103 rushing yards while recording a sack and holding the Warriors scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Siebenaler led Amery's passing attack with 214 yards and two touchdowns, both to Hanson, who finished with 123 receiving yards.
Mayville finished with 299 yards of offense, including 220 rushing, and held a 22-12 advantage in first downs. Special teams also contributed, with Promersberger returning a punt 56 yards and Tanner Schneider adding a 25-yard return.
The Cardinals advance to Level 2 of the WIAA Division 5 playoffs, where they will travel to face second-seeded Grantsburg next Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. kickoff.
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