Grafton gets by Elkhorn

Elkhorn’s high school football team had Grafton beaten, but there’s that cliche about underestimating the heart of a champion, and it helped that the Black Hawks have a top-notch kicker.

The host and higher-seeded Elks scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than four minutes to play in a second-round playoff game last Friday, but they were called for holding.

On third and 17 from Grafton’s 20-yard line, Hudson Miller blew up a sweep left, and Jason Grundwaldt finished the tackle on one of his hard hits for a seven-yard loss.

A 44-yard field goal try sailed wide. Grafton held its 14-13 lead and hung on for the victory in their fifth straight game decided by seven or fewer points.

“We’ve been battle-tested throughout the entire season, and it essentially comes down to just a couple of plays. Those plays went our way, which leads to success,” senior running back Jack Nelson said.

Grafton’s offense struggled early, only netting one first down in the game’s first 23 minutes. In the second quarter with the Elks leading, 7-0, Grafton starting quarterback and safety Hunter Klippel was injured making a tackle.

After the Elks kicked a field goal with 56 seconds left in the half and did a squib kick, backup Drew Olson got the Hawks moving. An eight-play drive eerily similar to the state title-winning one led by Nick Schiller last season ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Parker Shaw.

Olson went 3-for-6 passing on the drive, and two of the incompletions were spikes to stop the clock.

The Hawks, however, were called for unsportsmanlike conduct after the score. The extra-point attempt was moved back 15 yards.

This was no trouble for Ronan Byrnes. The sophomore who has drilled a 48-yard field goal this season sent the ball sailing through the center of the uprights.

Grafton was being outplayed but only trailed, 10-7, at halftime.

The Elks made a 29-yard field goal on the first drive of the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Grafton needed one play to tie and a Byrnes’ kick to take the lead.

Andy Tran took a jet sweep right and kicked in the afterburners, sprinting 73 yards for a touchdown. He nearly got caught a couple of times but couldn’t be brought down.

The extra point was the final score of the night. The Hawks’ playoff magic continued.

Last season, Grafton erased Catholic Memorial’s 28-7 fourth-quarter lead and won, 34-31, in overtime in the state semifinal. They made a last-minute drive and kicked the game-winning field goal with six seconds left to win the state title, 17-15, over Reedsburg.

This season, tight games have toughened and tightened the young squad.

“This year has helped a lot because we have been on both sides of tight games and know what we gotta do to win them,” Miller said.

The Hawks also handled Elkhorn’s shorter turf that calls for different cleats to get traction. Most starters bought new cleats, Nelson said. Miller said his baseball cleats worked.

Nelson had 15 carries for 66 yards. Olson went 4-for-5 for 83 yards and a score. Vince Schiller caught a 40-yard pass.

Grunwaldt had 13 tackles. Owen Deer had 10, and Miller had nine. Klippel and Logan Oberheu each recovered a fumble.

For No. 2-seeded Elkhorn (9-2), Ryan Stacy had 25 carries for 164 yards and a score, and Daschel Stallings had 23 carries for 122 yards.

No. 6-seeded Grafton (7-4) plays at No. 1-seeded Monona Grove (10-1) on Friday in a Division 2 quarterfinal.