Blackhawks clinch share of SWC Championship
Submitted by admin on Wed, 10/16/2024 - 13:56
Prairie du Chien’s Blake Thiry escaped this play without injury after being upended by New Glarus’s Andrew Sarbacker. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
Steven Duha (52) raises his arms in celebration as teammate Jack Simmons (50) reaches the endzone after returning the second half kickoff for a touchdown. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
Brock Radloff keeps an eye on the New Glarus quarterback near the end of the Hawks 39-6 win. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
Jadyn Garbacz (56) rushes towards Glarner Knight quarterback Matt Roth. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
Deacon Chesebro (13) breaks through a horde of New Glarus defenders thanks to blockers Elias Kimbler (66), Nicolas Fiskaali-Chavez (78), Brady Baumgartner (25) and Ezekial Hoffman (12) (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
By Derick Kelly
The Prairie du Chien Football team clinched at least a share of the 21st conference championship with a 39-6 win over New Glarus on senior night this past Friday. The Glarner Knights defense came out strong and limited the Hawks to 14 points in the first half.
The second half was a different story. The opening kickoff was returned 52 yards for a touchdown by Prairie lineman Jack Simmons. A successful two-point conversion run by Nick McCullick extended the Hawks lead to 22-0.
Xander DeHart added a 35-yard field goal later in the third quarter before a 10-yard touchdown run by Bryce Lenzendorf with 3:15 left in the third made the score 32-0 in favor of the Hawks. The two teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 50-yard touchdown reception by Prairie senior Blake Thiry (to go along with two first half rushing touchdowns), that would make the final score 39-6.
The Hawks improved to 6-0 in conference play and clinched a share of the SWC Championship with the win, while New Glarus dropped to 3-3 in the conference.
Senior quarterback Abe Amundson was 8-of-11 for 156 yards and one touchdown and one interception for the Hawks, while Thiry caught four of those passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. Bryce Lenzendorf (2 catches for 9 yards), Brady Lenzendorf (1 catch for 8 yards) and Mason Hird (1 catch for 7 yards) rounded out the Hawks receiving attack.
Thiry (11 carries for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Bryce Lenzendorf (10 carries for 67 yards and one touchdown) led the Hawks rushing offense. They were joined by McCullick (1 attempt for 3 yards), Hird (1 attempt for 7 yards), Hunter Straka (1 attempt for 8 yards), Darian Jackson (1 attempt for 1 yard) and Deacon Chesebro (1 attempt for 16 yards) rounded out the Hawks rushing stats.
The Hawks defense frustrated the Glarner Knights all night, forcing New Glarus quarterback Matt Roth to toss four interceptions (DeHart, McCullick, Straka and Thiry) in the loss.
The win also marked PdC head coach Cory Koenig’s 45th career win since taking over as head coach prior to the 2019 season. The win also moved Koenig past Cecil Smith for the second most career wins as head coach in program history.
The Hawks will conclude the regular season this Friday night when they travel to Lancaster for a game that will determine if PdC will win the conference championship outright or if they will share it with the Flying Arrows. A win could also determine whether or not Prairie du Chien earns a top seed in the 2024 WIAA football playoffs with brackets scheduled to be revealed Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
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