Jacy Zollar, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Wittenberg-Birnamwood brought energy to Friday night’s home game against Crandon and walked away with a 30-20 victory.
The Chargers’ offense started the game strong, getting into the red zone within the first two minutes of the first quarter. Quarterback Trevor Groshek flicked the ball to running back Gavin Scheurer, who found the end zone for a Chargers touchdown on the opening drive.
Their defense matched the intensity, stopping the Cardinals from gaining significant yardage and forcing a third-and-out.
Running back Dylan Sprague took the ball into the end zone in the next two consecutive series, first finding a hole and running 48 yards for a touchdown, followed by a 9-yard carry after a successful fourth-and-7 run by Groshek.
“I was just happy to help the team out,” Sprague said. “It’s great to have personal success, but overall it’s about helping the team out.”
Witt-Birn’s defense kept the Cardinals out of the red zone all but once in the first half when Crandon tight end Ty Flannery caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Keyan Colburn in the final second.
The Chargers (2-0) went into halftime with a 30-6 lead, which gave them a big enough cushion to overcome a challenging second half.
The Cardinals (0-2) got into the end zone twice in the last quarter, one of which was a result of an interception by defensive back Bradley Shepherd.
Penalties negated two Chargers touchdown receptions in the fourth period.
Even with the taxing second half, the Chargers kept the momentum and finished with a win.
“I’m pleased with how we came out,” head coach Bernard Holsey said, “and I’m happy that even though things didn’t go as well as we would have hoped in the second half, that we still strived and overcame quite a bit of controversy.”
Holsey emphasized the team’s connection in helping them play stronger this season.
“They have a very close connection on and off the field,” Holsey said, “and that’s resulted in them coming out with a different energy this year.”
Sprague agreed. “We’re a closely knit group and we all have the same goals, so we work together and try to get better every week,” he said.
Early in the fourth quarter, Cardinals’ center Kobe Gallion took a hit that left him on the ground for about 15 minutes until he was able to be carted off.
Witt-Birn faces Iola-Scandinavia at home for its first Central Wisconsin Conference game Friday,