MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Sept. 3–10)
#7 Black Hawk/Warren 26, #4 River Ridge 20
By A.J. Gates, Herald Independent, Tri-County Press
Defense, special teams crucial as #7 Warriors upset #4 Timberwolves
SOUTH WAYNE – Perhaps no match up in southwest Wisconsin merited more attention in the first week of conference competition than the Six Rivers battle between Black Hawk/Warren and River Ridge.
Coming off their D7 state runner-up title from a year ago, the defending Six Rivers conference champs from Black Hawk/Warren needed every last second to ward off a hard-fought challenge from the hungry Timberwolves of River Ridge.
It all came down to a halfback-option pass with 10 seconds to play in the game that gave the host Warriors a 26-20 victory over their visitors from River Ridge, who only trailed in the contest two other times throughout the entire game.
Friday night’s loss puts River Ridge coach Wade Winkers and his Timberwolves (0-1, 2-1) in an unenviable position, as the schedule doesn’t get any easier this week with a match-up against Potosi/Cassville (1-0, 3-0).
Last week’s contest against the Warriors truly was a tale of two halves, as the Timberwolves controlled the game on both sides of the ball to hold a 7-0 lead at the intermission.
After missing out on a scoring opportunity early in the contest in which River Ridge turned the ball over on downs inside the Warriors’ five-yard line, the Timberwolves broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter on a two-yard touchdown run from Drake Barrineau. The extra-point kick by Owen Wagner gave River Ridge a 7-0 lead that lasted into the second half.
Defensively, the Timberwolves limited the Warriors to just 60 yards of total offense in the first half, but Black Hawk/Warren came out in the second determined to right the ship.
On their opening possession of the second half, The Warriors marched the ball down the field to take an 8-7 lead on a three-yard touchdown run by Owen Seffrood, who also added the two-point conversion run.
River Ridge, who only had one offensive possession in the third quarter, capitalized on their opportunity with a six-yard touchdowns pass from quarterback Brandon Davis to Reese Drew. Owen Wagner’s extra-point kick gave the Timberwolves a 14-8 advantage with 5:51 to play in the quarter.
As they had done to start the second half, Black Hawk/Warren again marched the ball down the field on their next possession, getting a six-yard touchdown run from Piercen Mahoney with three seconds to play in the quarter.
Knotted at 14-14 early in the fourth quarter, the momentum quickly shifted in the home teams favor, when an arrant pitch by River Ridge was scooped up at the 25-yard line by defensive lineman Bryce VanRaalte, and returned to the end zone for a 20-14 Warrior lead.
Following back-to-back stops by each of the defensive units, River Ridge answered back though, putting together a four-play scoring drive, all passes, to tie the game at 20-20.
The Timberwolves scored on a 57-yard desperation pass play on fourth down from Davis to Reese Drew, which was tipped by a Black Hawk/Warren defender and into the hands of Drew who then raced to the end zone.
The Timberwolves then had a chance to take the lead on the extra-point kick, which was blocked to keep the score tied.
Starting at their own 20-yard line with less than three minutest to play, the Warriors orchestrated their game-winning drive with big-chunk run plays and two timeouts at their disposal.
“They methodically did not panic, used their timeouts and ran the ball, having two of their bigger runs on that drive,” said Winkers. “
“Their halfback is their best player, Owen Seffrood, who threw a non-perfect ball up in the air, and we weren’t able to make the play,” he said of the game-winner.
River Ridge concluded the contest with 322 yards of total offense, gaining 195 yards through the air and 127 on the ground.
Davis completed 14-of-19 passing attempts for 195 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for 44 yards on 16 attempts.
His top target was Reese Drew, who had three receptions for 65 yards, including touchdowns of six and 57 yards. Ty Adrian had a team-high six receptions for 77 yards, while Drake Barrineau had four catches for 51 yards.
On the ground, senior fullback Andrew Nies had a team-high 87 yards on eight carries.
The Timberwolves were shorthanded last Friday night without their biggest receiving threat in Carter Copsey, who was injured the week before, and Eli Hamilton (OL/DL), who suffered an injury in the first half of Friday night’s contest.
“I was super happy with the way we played in the first half, we actually maybe left a couple of touchdowns out there,” said coach Winkers. “When you hold a team like that to 60 yards in the first half, you’re doing well.”
“I think in the second half, they came out with more excitement or were a little more motivated than we were, an that’s on us,” Winkers added.
Defensively the Timberwolves were led by Andrew Nies with 11 tackles, followed by Barrineau with nine and Blake Reynolds with eight.
“In the second half, I was really proud of the guys for the effort that they put in to keep us in the battle and keep us in the fight and make it come down to that last 10 seconds. I was really proud of their effort,” Winkers concluded.
Black Hawk/Warren 26, River Ridge 20
(from Friday, Sept. 6, at South Wayne)
River Ridge 0 7 7 6 - 20
BH/Warren 0 0 14 12 - 26
Second quarter
RR - (8:56) - Drake Barrineau, 2-yard run (Owen Wagner kick)
Third quarter
BH/W - (8:58) - Owen Seffrood, 3-yard run (Seffrood run)
RR - (5:51) - Reese Drew, 6-yard pass from Brandon Davis, Wagner kick)
BH/W - (0:03) - Piercen Mahoney, 6-yard run (pass failed)
Fourth quarter
BH/W - (11:50) - Ban Raalte, 25-yard fumble return (run failed)
RR - (2:54) - Drew, 57-yard pass from Davis (kick failed)
BH/W - (0:10) - Bredeson, 25-yard pass from Seffrood (run failed)
Team statistics
First downs - RR 10, BH/W 16. Rushing - RR 30-127, BH/W 46-243. Passing yards - RR 195, BH/W 31. Passes - RR 14-19-1, BH/W 2-4-0. Fumbles-lost - RR 1-1, BH/W 1-1. Penalties-yards - RR 4-50, BH/W 3-25.
Rushing leaders: RR: Andrew Nies 8-87, Brandon Davis 16-44, Ty Adrian 3-1, Drake Barrineau 3-(-5); BH/W: Owen Seffrood 26-175, Piercen Mahoney 10-34, Eli Schliem 10-34.
Passing leaders: RR: Brandon Davis 14-19-1, 195; BH/W: Eli Schliem 1-3-0, 6.
Receiving leaders: RR: Ty Adrian 6-77, Rese Drew 3-65, Drake Barrineau 4-51, Brock Bunge 1-2; BH/W: Beau Bredeson 1-25, Riley Mosley 1-6.
Defensive leaders: RR: Andrew Nies 11 tackles, Drake Barrineau 9 tackles, Blake Reynolds 8 tackles; BH/W: Not available.
