In a spirited battle Saturday afternoon at Lubar Stadium in Whitefish Bay, the big, tough West Allis Wolverines ran 13 plays on offense before the Junior Blue Dukes Gray team could run a play from scrimmage. The Wolverines forced three Bay turnovers, and made running up the middle extremely difficult.
But the Gray team, with its attacking defense, big-play offense and strong special teams, prevailed 18-6.
Give some credit to receiver Chris Siebert, who helped set up Bay's crucial second touchdown with his thinking. He spotted a mismatch in the secondary, and Bay switched receiver Carter Heston to that side. Heston beat his man deep for a 37-yard TD pass.
Bay kicked off to start the game and forced West Allis to punt. Unfortunately, Bay fumbled, giving the Wolverines a second chance. The Wolverines reeled off 9 plays in a row on offense, but Bay refused to yield anything big. After a face-mask penalty pushed them into 4th and long at the WFB 30, the Wolverines fumbled the center exchange, and Bay took over on downs.
QB Jake Fisher immediately shook up the WA sideline with a long pass completion down the middle to Nick Higgins. But Bay found it hard to run the ball inside against a strong Wolverines defense.
On 4th down, Higgins punted. A Wolverines player muffed the ball at his own 14. Macklin Kortebein pounced on the ball at 1-yard line for Bay. (Kortebein also led the defense on the day with 5.5 tackles.)
Two plays later, Fisher plunged into the end zone for a touchdown. Higgins kicked the 2-point conversion, 8-0, Bay.
That would be the only scoring in the first half, though Bay foreshadowed later events when Fisher hit Heston at the right sideline for a 24-yard gain.
Early in the second half, the Wolverines intercepted a Bay pass and returned it to the Bay 10 for first goal. On 4th down, the QB hit his tall receiver for a touchdown, but the Wolverines kicker missed the conversion attempt. 8-6, Bay.
Higgins returned the ensuing kickoff to the 35. Then Fisher completed consecutive passes of 27 and 37 yards to Heston, the second one resulting in a touchdown. Higgins kicked the two-point conversion. Bay, 16-6.
The two teams traded turnovers on the following series, with Mark Mendoza recovering a fumble for Bay and West Allis intercepting a pass. When West Allis later stymied the Bay offense, Higgins hit a punt to the West Allis 23, which then rolled to the 4-yard line, where Fisher downed it. On the following play, the Wolverines quarterback dropped back to pass. He did not reckon with the man-size fury of Andrew James, who walloped him in the end zone for a safety. Bay, 18-6.
Bay returned the ensuing free kick to the West Allis 45. Unfortunately, a promising drive ended with a fumble, recovered by West Allis on its own 17.
The Wolverines began their final drive, a 13-play marathon of throwing and scrambling that tested the skills and intensity of both sides. James and Mendoza both made big sacks that slowed the Wolverines' progress. Finally, on 3rd and long at the Bay 30, Mendoza sacked the Wolverines quarterback and forced a fumble, recovered by Will Alt. Bay used up most of the clock, and Higgins' final punt of the game rolled to a stop at the West Allis 21 as time expired.
The final score: Junior Blue Dukes 18, Wolverines 6.
