Cardinals March On In Football Postseason

By Adam Rutz

Before Newman Catholic’s season started, they had one goal: to win a playoff game. After finishing the regular season 5-4, Newman was paired up with Suring in Level 1 of the WIAA Football Playoffs, and they finally won their first playoff game in school history with a 25-0 victory over the Eagles, at Suring. Moving on to the second round, Newman Catholic was determined to keep the hot streak alive, and they did so by routing the Rio Vikings 42-7, at Stiehm Stadium this past Saturday.

With a balanced offensive attack, Newman Catholic started the game out with a score on their first drive on a 25-yard touchdown run by senior running back Luke Prososki. The Cards’ defense then recovered a Rio fumble, which led to seven more points for Newman Catholic after junior tailback Brad Knoblock scored on a 6-yard touchdown run. They weren’t finished though in the first quarter, as quarterback Andy Wilke added to the lead with a 1-yard touchdown that he took into the end zone himself, putting Newman Catholic up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Brad Knoblock ran in his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter, giving Newman Catholic a 28-0 lead. Newman Catholic’s offense suffered a big loss though later in the second quarter as Knoblock broke his leg and will miss the remainder of the season. However, Newman Catholic kept on going and Prososki was able to pick the Cardinals running game up as he finished with 163 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns. With a 28-0 lead already, Newman Catholic scored once more before that first half came to an end on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Andy Wilke to Ryan Strasser.

Prososki’s second touchdown came in the third quarter, when he took a 46-yard run to the end zone, to put Newman Catholic up 42-0. Though the Rio offense was able to get on the scoreboard when Danny Strause ran in a 32-yard touchdown, the 35-point deficit was too big to come back from. “Our line blocked really well, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them” said Prososki, who led the team with 163 rushing yards. Newman Catholic absolutely destroyed the Rio defense in the 42-7 win, as they made history by winning again in the post-season.

“Anytime you can start the game out with a 21-0 lead, it helps everything”, said Newman Catholic Head Coach Paul Michlig. “I was very impressed with the way all three phases of the team played. The offense, defense, and special teams all did a great job, and that is why we won the game.” Newman Catholic now plays the Randolph Rockets tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Stiehm Stadium.

The Cardinals will be in for a tough match-up as they take on an undefeated Randolph team, but it should be a very good game as the two teams match-up very well. “Randolph has a solid running back (Brian Kampstra), probably the best we have seen this far. Their line is as big as a lot of college teams, so we will have to prepare well and take care of business against them on Saturday”, said Michlig. Brian Kampstra is the biggest threat on the Randolph offense, tallying 1440 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns this year.

Saturday’s game will be a very exciting one, as Newman Catholic is trying to win another playoff game, which would make even more history for the program. Losing Knoblock last week was a big setback for the team, however they have so much depth on this year’s team that they will be able to fill his place with other players. The Cards are two victories away from playing at the WIAA State Championship in Madison, and are looking to stay hot in the postseason.