On November 6, Lomira Football defeated one-seed Edgar 16-12 on a crisp and frosty fall night to advance to the Division Six State Semifinal.
The game started as a defensive battle, with the two teams fighting for field position, and the defenses forcing five combined punts.
Lomira's (12-0) defense got the first play of the game when Blake Steger broke through the Edgar offensive line, sacking Edgar quarterback Kaden Bargender for a twelve-yard loss on first down.
Edgar (10-2) went for it on fourth down at the Lomira 33-yard line when Hunter Schaumberg broke up the Wildcats' pass to give the ball back to the Lions.
The Wildcats' defense forced a three-and-out to set up Edgar’s next offensive possession.
The Lions' defense rose to the challenge, starting the Wildcats' drive with tackles for loss by Jackson Breitlow, Cole Geiger, and Alex Zahn, setting Edgar up at their 33-yard line.
Edgar’s Landon Lukasko broke away from the Lomira defense for a 67-yard rushing touchdown at the 5:02 mark in the second quarter, but the Lions stopped the Wildcats' two-point conversion, keeping the score 6-0.
The Lions defense, after punting, picked up the team by dominating Edgar’s offense with three straight negative plays, resulting in 11 negative yards from tackles for loss by Breitlow and Keegan Kell, leading the defensive effort.
Zahn returned the Edgar punt to the Wildcats' 16-yard line, setting up the Lions offense with great field position.
Kell’s pass connected with Jackson Bloohm on the first play after the punt return for a 16-yard passing touchdown, giving the Lions a 7-6 lead with 1:23 left in the first half.
Edgar drove to the Lomira 14-yard line before the Wildcats attempted a 31-yard field goal, which was a few yards short, keeping the score 7-6 in favor of Lomira at the halftime break.
The Lions’ defense stopped Edgar on the first possession of the second half when heavy pressure by Steger caused an errant pass.
The two teams' defenses were the main focus of this high-level football playoff matchup.
Edgar had the ball at their own 27-yard line when Mason Schelvan got strong pressure getting into Bargender’s vision and causing a high arcing pass, which Schaumberg intercepted at the Wildcats' 42-yard line at the 36-second mark in the third quarter.
Schaumberg broke at least five Edgar tackles by showing great balance, determination, and power as a runner for a 41-yard run on the final play of the third quarter.
Lomira’s Kell scored a tough one-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the quarter, giving the Lions a 14-6 lead.
The Lions' defense had another impressive stretch when Bloohm tackled Lukasko for a five-yard loss, and Anthony Polster engulfed Graham Streit for a two-yard loss on a screen pass, forcing the Wildcats to punt.
The Wildcats caught a break when they recovered a Lomira muffed punt, setting Edgar up at the Lions' 38-yard line.
Edgar’s Lukaso capped off the drive with an 11-yard rushing touchdown at the 7:04 mark in the fourth quarter, setting up an opportunity to tie the game with a two-point conversion.
Lomira’s defense was ready for the Wildcats’ halfback two-point pass play and broke up the pass in the end zone, maintaining their 14-12 lead.
The Lions’ offense drained four minutes off the clock before punting the ball back to Edgar.
Brenden Steinke made a great special teams play for the Lions by downing the Zahn punt at the Wildcats’ one-yard line.
Lomira's defensive line blew up the Edgar offensive line, allowing Geiger to break into the Wildcats' backfield to tackle Streit in the end zone for a safety, putting the Lions up 16-12 with 2:24 left in the game.
Schaumberg ran ten yards for a third-down conversion for the Wildcats on the 31-yard line to clinch the sectional championship for the Lions.
Lomira (12-0) advances to Bonduel (12-0) in the Division Six State Semifinal at Papermaker Stadium in Kimberly on November 13 at 7 p.m.
Game Summary
Friday, October 6
Division Six Sectional Final
#2 Lomira 0-7-0-9 16
#1 Edgar 0-6-0-6 12
Final
Second Quarter
Edgar: Landon Lukasko 67-Yard Rushing Touchdown (2-pt run failed) 5:02. Edgar 6-0
Lomira: Keegan Kell to Jackson Bloohm 16-Yard Passing Touchdown (Aiden Stoffel XP Good) 1:23, Lomira 7-6
Fourth Quarter
Lomira: Keegan Kell 1-Yard Rushing Touchdown (Aiden Stoffel XP Good) 11:55, Lomira 14-6
Edgar: Landon Lukasko 11-Yard Rushing Touchdown (2-pt pass failed) 7:04, Lomira 14-12
Lomira: Cole Geiger Safety 2:24, Lomira 16-12
Team Stats
Lomira: Passing: 4-9-54-1-0. Rushing: 29-126-1. Total Yards: 180-2
Edgar: Passing: 8-12-54-0-1. Rushing: 35-129-2. Total Yards: 183-2
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