Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School senior wide receiver Adam Bartz carries a defender after a catch to gain extra yardage during Friday’s loss to Waupaca.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School junior quarterback Jack Hanauer drops back to look for a receiver during Friday night’s loss to Waupaca.
Shawano Community High School junior running back Kien Moorman turned the corner and ran through two tackles on his way to a 4-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
It was the only score for the Hawks (2-5, 2-4 Bay Conference) in a physical 46-6 loss to Waupaca (4-3, 4-2 Bay) Friday night.
Senior quarterback Walker Smith and running back Christian Overman had their way with the SCHS defense throughout the night, tallying 338 rushing yards between them.
Overman broke a 71-yard run in the fourth quarter and a few others throughout the night en route to his 249 yards and one touchdown.
“We came out really flat on defense,” Hawks head coach Al Tomow said. “Just fundamentals, not taking on blocks the right way, not shedding blocks and we were real passive at the point of attack and just didn’t do a good job of wrapping up and tackling.”
Smith racked up four rushing touchdowns and added another through the air.
One week after Jack Hanauer, Adam Bartz and Dylan Sumnicht had their way with the Green Bay West defense, the Hawks could not get the offense moving for the majority of the game.
“We had way too many drops early on, and that was killer because those are momentum changing,” Tomow said. “We have the right players, and they will get it straightened out.”
Bartz recorded a 22-yard catch on the Hawks’ first completion of the night, but managed only two others. He finished with three catches for 40 yards.
Freshman Timm Crede had a strong showing as the third receiver for the Hawks, recording seven catches on eight targets.
“Shawano is very difficult to defend. They have a couple of outstanding receivers,” Waupaca head coach John Koronkiewicz said. “We did an adequate job. We gave up a few catches, but we didn’t give up anything over the top and that was important.”
Despite the rough outing, Tomow saw some things in his players that gave him some confidence moving forward, especially in some younger players who got some extra repetitions Friday.
“I like that we didn’t give up. I like that we kept playing all the way through,” Tomow said. “There were still some positive things that happened for us late in the game.”
“So many young guys forced some turnovers and made some plays on offense for us,” he continued. “It’s good to see that the guys didn’t quit and that we worked hard all the way through.”
Scoring summary
Shawano 0 0 0 6 — 6
Waupaca 14 20 6 0 — 40
First quarter
W: Smith 1-yard run (PAT good) 6:23.
W: Overman 22-yard run (PAT good) 3:27.
Second quarter
W: Jason Ellie 24-yard catch from Smith (PAT good) 11:52.
W: Smith 3-yard run (PAT good) 6:42.
W: Smith 30-yard run (PAT missed) 1:56.
Third quarter
W: Smith 7-yard run (PAT missed) 7:07.
Fourth quarter
S: Moorman 4-yard run (conversion missed) 10:47.
W: Noah Hansen 23-yard catch from Alex Ronaldson (PAT missed) 0:53.