Wausau Pilot & Review
MERRILL – The Wausau Newman Catholic football team found little resistance from Chippewa Falls McDonell as it scored 10 touchdowns, all in the first half, and pummeled the Macks 69-13 in a WIAA 8-player football Level 1 playoff game Friday night at Merrill High School.
Matt Hamilton returned the opening kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown to start the rout for the Cardinals, the defending WIAA 8-player state champion.
Thomas Bates (68 and 34 yards) and Conner Krach (45 and 51 yards) each had two long touchdown runs in the opening quarter to push Newman’s lead to 35-7 after one.
Bates added three more touchdowns in the second quarter, scoring on an 80-yard pass play from Krach, running 26 yards, and returning a fumble 72 yards.
Krach added another long run of 75 yards for a score and Ben Hardesty had a 33-yard touchdown run on his only carry of the game to complete the scoring for the Cardinals.
Newman ran just 34 plays, scoring on eight of them.
Newman Catholic (9-0) will host Gilman (7-2) in a state quarterfinal on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Merrill High School.
Cardinals 69, Macks 13
McDonell 7 0 0 6 – 13
Newman Catholic 35 34 0 0 – 69
First Quarter
NC – Matt Hamilton 78 kickoff return (Hamilton kick).
NC – Thomas Bates 68 run (Hamilton kick).
NC – Conner Krach 45 run (Hamilton kick).
NC – Krach 51 run (Hamilton kick).
M – Dale Tetrault 62 pass from Grant Smiskey (Aly Ferguson kick).
NC – Bates 34 run (Hamilton kick).
Second Quarter
NC – Bates 80 pass from Krach (Hamilton kick).
NC – Krach 75 run (Hamilton kick).
NC – Bates 26 run (Hamilton kick).
NC – Ben Hardesty 33 run (kick blocked).
NC – Bates 72 fumble return (Hamilton kick).
Fourth Quarter
M – Tetrault 95 pass from Smiskey (kick blocked).”
Team Statistics
First downs: McDonell 6; Newman Catholic 5.
Rushing (att-yards): M 21-14; NC 27-409.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): M 12-24-262-3; NC 5-7-138-0.
Penalties (no.-yards): M 4-33; NC 8-70.
Fumbles lost: M 2; NC 0.
Individual Statistics
Rushing: M, Dale Tetrault 1-15, Daniel Fritz 2-9, Evan Eckes 5-7, David Anderson 1-7, Cael Holm 1-5, Dawson Moulton 5-1, Ryder Sullivan 1-minus 1, Eli Stepp 1-minus 5, Grant Smiskey 4-minus 24. NC, Conner Krach 8-192, Thomas Bates 7-156, Matt Hamilton 2-33, Ben Hardesy 1-33, Matthew Meyer 6-1, Tyler Ackermann 3-minus 6.
Passing: M, Smiskey 12-23-262-3, Stepp 0-1-0-0. NC, Krach 3-5-119-0, Ackermann 2-2-19-0.
Receiving: M, Tetrault 7-228, Anderson 5-34. NC, Carson Rice 2-19, Bates 1-80, Ackermann 1-25, Eli Gustafson 1-14.
Interceptions (defense): NC, Krach 2, Bates 1.
Fumble recoveries (defense): NC, Wyatt Gasper, Owen Sullivan.
Records: McDonell 6-3; Newman Catholic 9-0.
