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Five-game losing streak ends in football finale

Submitted by admin on Tue, 10/23/2018 - 4:18pm
By

Behind a 100-yard rushing game by Riley Ruzicka and two Korey Johnson touchdown passes, the Glencoe-Silver Lake football team ended a five-game losing streak with a 27-20 win at Litchfield in its regular-season finale on Wednesday, Oct. 17.
The Panthers improved to 3-5 with the win and clinched a home game in the first round of the Section 2AAA Tournament. GSL claimed the No. 3 sectional seed with the win and hosted sixth-seeded Norwood-Young America (1-7 this season) on Tuesday, Oct. 23, after the Chronicle went to press.
Heading into the game, the Panthers were seeded fourth behind Rockford among the 2AAA squads. However, GSL’s Wednesday win, combined with the Rockets’ 66-0 loss to Pierz, flip-flopped the squads in the final seedings. Rockford took on Belle Plaine on Tuesday night.
The Panthers limped into the Litchfield contest, having scored just 17 points total over five consecutive losses. The GSL offense had struggled in particular, amassing no more than 164 yards and one touchdown in any of its previous four games.
Yet, the team took a turn against the Dragons.
The Panthers seized their first lead since a Sept. 7 win against Watertown-Mayer as Will Higgins ran in a two-yard touchdown to give the visitors a 6-0 lead with just under three minutes left in the opening quarter.
Higgins’ score capped a seven-play, 82-yard drive highlighted by Ruzicka, who ran the ball three times for 70 yards to help GSL into the end zone.
To put the drive into perspective, the Panthers logged just 82 yards total in a 28-0 loss to Holy Family Catholic on Sept. 28 and almost half that – 43 yards – in a 35-0 setback against Albany on Sept. 21.
GSL carried the 6-0 lead into the second quarter, but Litchfield promptly tied the score at 6-6 following a 65-yard drive of its own.
After holding the Panthers to a three-and-out on its ensuing drive, the Dragons took their first lead of the game at 13-6 on a four-play drive and the first extra-point conversion of the contest.
As the minutes drained away in the quarter, both teams turned the ball over to the other on downs. But GSL had one more score left in it prior to halftime.
A 58-yard run by Higgins set the Panthers up at the Litchfield seven-yard line in the closing moments of the quarter. Two plays later, Ruzicka ran it into the end zone as GSL went up 14-13 on Damien Silus’ extra-point kick as the half came to an end.
After the visitors went three-and-out to open the third quarter, Litchfield embarked on a seven-minute drive that went 75 yards over 13 plays to put the hosts back on top 20-13 as the game moved into the final stanza.
But the fourth quarter belonged to the visitors.
GSL knotted the count at 20-20 as Johnson hit Gage Alsleben on a 30-yard play-action touchdown pass combined with a Silus extra point. The 64-yard drive knotted the score with just under 10 minutes to play.
Both teams exchanged three-and-out possessions through the meat of the quarter before GSL’s final elongated turn with the ball provided the game-clinching score.
After gaining the ball with just under five minutes to play, GSL engulfed over four of those final minutes before Johnson hit Higgins on a 34-yard touchdown pass. The score, along with Silus’ third extra-point kick, put the Panthers up by seven points with just 24 seconds to play.
The 27-20 score became final not long after as a Litchfield Hail Mary attempt on its final play was picked off inside the red zone by Andrew Wraspir.
Wraspir’s pickoff clinched the win for GSL as he was mobbed by teammates, who were tasting victory for the first time since early September.
Wraspir co-led the Panther defense with eight total tackles, six of which were solo. Mitchell Brenhaug matched those numbers on the night. Cody Rae and Dane Schwirtz each logged seven total tackles – four and five solo tackles, respectively.
Johnson’s three completed passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns were his high-water totals for the season. Higgins out up 132 total yards on the ground and through the air.
Ruzicka’s 113 rushing yards on 20 carries were the most for GSL were also the most for the Panthers this season. It was the third 100-yard rushing game for the team this autumn, joining Johnson’s 105 yards in the season opener against Foley on Aug. 31 and Higgins’ 113 yards against Watertown-Mayer.
The win sent GSL into the playoffs on a high note. If the Panthers were able to defeat the visiting Raiders in the sectional opener, a 2AAA semifinal matchup against either second-seeded Holy Family or No. 7 Watertown-Mayer will take place at 3 p.m. this Saturday. High seed will host.