Gerrard Diaz gdiaz@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel High School running back Hunter VanDerLinden carries the ball during Friday’s game against Iola-Scandinavia in the WIAA Division 5 Level 2 playoffs. Bonduel won, 33-20.
Senior Hunter VanDerLinden went over 200 yards rushing; Hunter Berry had three touchdowns and an interception, one of five turnovers forced by the Bears’ defense; and the Bonduel High School football team advanced to Level 3 of the WIAA playoffs for the third time in school history with a 33-20 win Iola-Scandinavia Friday in Bonduel.
The win over the CWC-8 foe in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs sets up another CWC-8 rematch on the road next Friday against CWC-8 champion and top-seeded Amherst (11-0, 7-0 CWC-8), who beat Stratford 41-6 Friday.
“I was happy with the way our kids came out and played tonight,” Bonduel coach James Westrich said. “They had a chip on their shoulder a little bit.”
Bonduel’s players felt slighted by CWC-8 all-conference picks earlier this week.
After Bonduel’s defense forced a Thunderbird punt on the first possession of the game, VanDerLinden set a tone with a 48-yard run on the Bears’ first offensive play of the game. That run set up fellow senior running back Hunter Berry for a 2-yard run.
Iola-Scandinavia (6-4, 4-3 CWC-8) answered, scoring on a short-yardage run by quarterback Holdyn Mast to take a 7-6 lead.
Berry got the lead back for Bonduel, rushing 22 yards on a reverse and beating a defensive back to the corner of the end zone.
Mast was able to tie the game 13-13 on a 1-yard quarterback-keeper on fourth-and-goal early in the second quarter.
Berry put Bonduel ahead for good with a 3-yard run for a touchdown just before halftime.
The Bears (9-2, 5-2 CWC-8) stalled on the opening drive of the second half, and Iola-Scandinavia wasted no time getting deep into Bonduel territory on their first possession of the second half.
The Thunderbirds were denied, though, when Berry, playing safety, was able to pick off Mast in the end zone.
“They were driving down the field; they could run on us, pass on us,” Berry said. “I read my key and picked it off.”
It was the first of four Iola-Scandinavia turnovers that limited any chance for the upset.
Later in the third quarter, Mast would fumble away another ball to set the Bears’ up on the Iola-Scandinavia 16-yard line. That drive ended in a 2-yard plunge by senior running back Dan Tauchen.
Early in the fourth, Mast was picked off by Connor Rosin. That set up a 45-yard run for a touchdown by VanDerLinden, who would end up with 212 yards and upping his school career rushing record to 4,142.
“He had a great game,” Westrich said. “Iola-Scandinavia is a great team. They play extremely hard.”
Despite a relentless Bonduel defense, including two sacks from defensive tackle Isaiah Griesbach, Iola-Scandinavia managed to score on a 1-yard quarterback-keeper by Mast that cut Bonduel’s lead to 33-20.
With 5:56 left in the game, and Bonduel trying to kill the clock, Iola-Scandinavia managed to force two punts, but both late drives ended with turnovers, another Mast interception by Rosin, and a fumble forced by Berry that gave the ball back to the Bears with 1:36 left to play.
“I went down and tackled him; I saw the ball,” Berry said. “I knew it was over then.”
“That’s huge,” Westrich said. “When our defense can do stuff like that, and our offense can take care of the ball, it’s a good thing.”
Berry finished with six carries for 33 yards and three touchdowns. Tauchen had nine carries for 36 yards.
Bonduel quarterback Colton Dobratz finished 2 of 4 for 54 yards and an interception. Mast was 10 for 18 for 132 yards and three interceptions. He rushed 29 times for 146 yards.