Star Journal

Top Menu

  • Contact Us
  • Hodag Star Journal E-Edition
  • Subscribe

Main Menu

  • Local
    • News
    • Business
    • Schools
    • Law & Order
    • Arts & Ent
    • Wedding Planner
    • Viewpoint
    • Sports
      • Sports News
      • High School Sports Scores
  • Covid 19
  • Outdoors
  • Wellness
  • Classifieds
    • View Ads
    • Place Ads
  • Our Legals
    • Legal Ads
    • Statewide
  • Obits
  • Lake View
  • Northwoods NOW
  • Living On The Lake
  • Contact Us
  • Hodag Star Journal E-Edition
  • Subscribe

logo

Star Journal

  • Local
    • News
    • Business
    • Schools
    • Law & Order
    • Arts & Ent
    • Wedding Planner
    • Viewpoint
    • Sports
      • Sports News
      • High School Sports Scores
  • Covid 19
  • Outdoors
  • Wellness
  • Classifieds
    • View Ads
    • Place Ads
  • Our Legals
    • Legal Ads
    • Statewide
  • Obits
  • Lake View
  • Northwoods NOW
  • Living On The Lake
Uncategorized
Home›Uncategorized›A preview of Friday’s Rhinelander vs Waupaca playoff game from the Waupaca County Post

A preview of Friday’s Rhinelander vs Waupaca playoff game from the Waupaca County Post

By StarJournal
October 18, 2012
484
0
Share:

Comets perfect heading into playoffs
By Greg Seubert

It was a case of good news, bad news for the Waupaca football team in its final game of the regular season.

The good news is the Comets improved to 8-0 Oct. 12 with a 55-16 win over Ripon to win another Eastern Valley Conference championship.

The bad news is the Comet defense, which pitched a shutout in the first half, gave up 174 yards and two scores to the Tigers in the third quarter.

Waupaca will host Rhinelander at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, in a Division 3 Level 1 playoff game at Haberkorn Field. The 3-5 Hodags finished with a 3-3 mark in the Great Northern Conference and had to wait to see if they qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1989 after ending the regular season Oct. 12 with a 37-7 loss to Medford. Waupaca, on the other hand, qualified for the playoffs almost a month ago and are in the postseason for the 25th time.

Waupaca started the second half at Ripon without most of its starters on defense, but they were back on the field by the end of the quarter after the Tigers had cut the Comets’ lead to 48-16.

“We had to the way they were scoring points on us,” coach John Koronkiewicz said. “They scored two quick touchdowns and are on their way for a third or even a fourth. We had to stop their momentum. We probably made a mistake by putting guys in a little too early. We made wholesale changes where we probably shouldn’t have.”

Waupaca punted after its first possession, but then scored touchdowns on its next seven possessions to take a 48-0 halftime lead.

Nate Nelson scored on runs of 49 and 52 yards; Beau Ash scored from 34 yards out and caught a 23-yard TD pass from Sam Menzies; Nate Jenson and Brando Vasquez caught 9- and 19-yard scoring passes from Menzies; and Menzies found the end zone from 16 yards out.

The third quarter was another story, however, as Ripon’s Hayden Fenner scored on a 52-yard run and Kurtis Brown added a 6-yard TD run.

Menzies capped the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 17-yard pass to Ash.

Menzies finished seven of 12 for 122 yards.

“We have the ability to throw the football,” Koronkiewicz said. “The guys that were in there did a fantastic job and that’s all you can ask them to do. We were a two-headed monster today with the run and pass and hopefully, that will continue.”

Menzies finished with 149 yards rushing, while Ash finished with 96. Jenson and Vasquez each caught two passes for 45 yards to lead Comet receivers.

“You finish a season 8-0, that’s an incredible accomplishment,” Koronkiewicz said. “We’ve been playing football in Waupaca for 71 years and this is the 11th that I know of that we finished our season with a perfect record. We are the undisputed champs of our league and that’s a credit to the guys we have and hard they work.”

Koronkiewicz didn’t have much time to enjoy the win, as he headed to Mosinee the following day for a seeding meeting.

“You realize this is a whole new season,” he said. “All the good teams are in it now. That’s the challenge you have. We talked to our guys this week about preparation. Preparation is very always important and it becomes doubly important when you get to the playoffs. You really have to focus in on what you want to do. A lot depends on who you play and what the matchups will be, just like any other game. You can have a good matchup, you can have a bad matchup.”

Waupaca has made the playoffs each year for more than 20 seasons, which means the Comets have played just about every team in their bracket at some point. Other Level 1 games in the Comets’ group are No. 5 West Salem at No. 4 Rice Lake, No. 6 Osceola at No. 3 Mosinee and No. 7 Onalaska at No. 2 Medford.

“We usually get stuck in the same kind of grouping, schools from our league and the Bay Conference, or we go the other way,” Koronkiewicz said. “For a while there, we were playing Mosinee every year. We’re more likely to run into teams that we haven’t seen in awhile if we do go west and that’s always a possibility.”

Previous Article

First Person: Oneida County Clerk explains requirements ...

Next Article

Returning a rehabilitated eagle to the wild

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • LocalUncategorized

    Ostermann named Main Street volunteer of the year

    November 8, 2013
    By StarJournal
  • BusinessUncategorized

    Business Close-Up: Getting damaged vehicles running

    November 14, 2013
    By StarJournal
  • Uncategorized

    About Us

    November 18, 2013
    By StarJournal
  • Uncategorized

    Contact Us

    November 18, 2013
    By StarJournal
  • Uncategorized

    Advertise

    November 18, 2013
    By StarJournal
  • Uncategorized

    About Us

    November 18, 2013
    By StarJournal

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

About Us


Star Journal is published by Multi Media Channels LLC, N2919 County Road QQ Waupaca, WI 54981.

  • Contact Us
  • Hodag Star Journal E-Edition
  • Subscribe
Copyright © 2020 Multi Media Channels LLC.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted without the prior written consent of Multi Media Channels LLC.
×