The Owen-Withee Blackhawks had a lot to play for last Friday night as they took on the Lake Holcombe Chieftans in the last of the North Central East Conference games. It was Senior night as the Hawks recognized their three seniors, Jack Wendler, Winston Poehler, and Sammy Wells who have contributed at a very high level for the last four years, leaving their mark on Blackhawk Football! It’s also getting down to crunch time as the all-important play-off matrix continues to loom large and is on everyone’s mind.
The size of Lake Holcombe up front both offensively and defensively was a big concern as the Hawks prepared for the Chieftans during the week. The Hawks knew the game would be won in the trenches and the Hawks were going to have to match the level of physicality throughout the game. At the end of the night, it was all Blackhawks as the offensive line of Winston Poehler, Jordan Wulff, Jack Wendler, Aron Sanchez, and Tegan Treankler rolled up 283 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. In addition, the Hawks put up another two scores through the air as Isaiah Pyrchalla connected with Winston Poehler on scores of 52 and 26 yards. The running back combination of the Mueller duo of Talon and Clay racked up 82 and 112 yards respectively.
Coach Steve Kadolph’s defense held up their end as they limited Lake Holcombe to 159 rushing yards on 48 carries and zero passing yards along with three interceptions, two by Treankler and one by Will Simenson as the defense pitched their second shutout of the season. Linebackers Troy Sherwood and Talon Mueller led the Hawks in tackles for the night.
Not to be outdone, Coach Albert Goerlitz’s special teams made a huge impact on the game as they forced the Chieftans to play on a long field all night, pinning them deep in their own territory with some excellent coverage on kick-offs and Winston Poehler added a big 39-yard punt return for a touchdown. A 58-0 all around team win for the Hawks!
The Blackhawks will finish out the regular season traveling to Clayton Friday night in a non-conference game against the Bears. It will be a big game as the Blackhawks feature a 5-2 record and the Bears are sitting at 6-1. Both teams are looking to improve their seating in the play-offs. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.