Grafton makes history again

It wasn’t just nice to be there for Grafton High School’s football team.

Visiting its first postseason since 1997, the No. 4-seeded Black Hawks topped No. 5-seeded and regular playoff participant Luxembourg-Casco, 28-21, on Friday.

The game came down to a similar scenario than the week before that got the Hawks into the playoffs, when they used late scoring drives and defensive stops to seal a win over rival Port Washington.

This time, the Hawks drove 67 yards in nearly four minutes, capped by a Joey Giorgi 5-yard touchdown run with 6 minutes, 15 seconds to play. Calen Knauer’s point after made it 28-21, which would hold after exchanging possessions twice before the final siren and another storming of the field by students.

“This is great for the community. We haven’t been here in a long time. It was great to see everyone come out tonight,” senior quarterback Brady Ward said. “I think it kind of brings pride back to Grafton.

Everyone’s kind of getting back into Grafton football, just trusting us and believing in us.”

“The city deserves it. They’ve been loyal through all the rough times,” Giorgi said.

On the 10-play drive that gave the Hawks the lead, Giorgi carried nine times for 63 yards. He had a game-high 175 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries in returning from an ankle injury.

“What a great game to come back on. Thanks to my O-line,” he said.

On the ensuing possession, the Spartans got called for holding, and on third and 15 Kyle Proefroeck and Max Medvedev sacked quarterback Garrit Aissen, leading to a punt.

The Hawks got one first down before being forced to punt, and the defense came up big again. On fourth and two from the Spartans’ 34-yard line with barely two minutes to play, Ward reached around a receiver’s back to break up a pass.

“I’ve been taught that all year, to drive on hitches, outside technique. I got there and I knew I hit the ball,” he said.

Grafton was then stopped on fourth down with 14.8 seconds left, and the Spartans completed one of four passes to end the game, never getting close enough to launch one into the end zone.

Medvedev could barely put his thoughts into words after the final pass fell incomplete.

“It was an unbelievable feeling. Everybody ran onto the field. It was an unexplainable feeling,” he said.

Rookie head coach Jim Norris said it took everyone to pull this game out.

“This community coming around these kids so fast, once we made the playoffs last week — it’s overwhelming at times for 18-year-old young men, so we had the poise of our entire coaching staff to make sure these kids were in line and they were focused and their heads were in the right spot,” he said.

The Hawks held Aissen, who came into the game with nearly 1,900 yards passing, to 16-of-33 for 135 yards and an interception.

Ward and Bryson Clague each had seven tackles, Kenny Likins, Jacob Garza and Medvedev each had six, and Joe Birch and Proefrock each had five.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Spartans broke the ice in the second on a 9-yard scramble to the right by Aissen.

But Birch blasted through the line to block the extra-point attempt with his elbow.

“It was a big momentum-changer for us,” he said.

The Hawks answered with an eighth-play, 67-yard scoring drive that provided more entertainment than the price of admission.

At midfield, the Hawks fumbled an option play, but large left tackle J.P. Benzschawel — whose brothers now playing with the Wisconsin Badgers both starred at tight end at Grafton — scooped up the ball and lumbered for a first down, carrying Spartans with him.

“Primal instincts,” he said. “I just got it and started running. That was pretty sweet.”

Two plays later, Giorgi rumbled 14 yards through the Spartans, breaking a tackle by nearly each one of them, igniting the home sideline and crowd.

Ward finished the drive by rolling right and finding Hawk Heffer for a 4-yard score. Knauer made the kick, and Grafton had a 7-6 lead with 2:04 left in the half.

Then the game really got interesting.

After forcing a three and out, Clague came through and blocked the Spartans’ punt.

“I wasn’t touched. I blocked it off the face mask. That’s all I can say about that,” he said.

Heffner picked up the ball and was quickly tackled at the Spartans’ 8-yard line with 35.4 seconds left in the half.

“Huge momentum shifter,” he said.

Two plays later, Ward hit Dominic Voiland, who turned and used all of his 6-foot frame to stretch the ball across the goal line.

Grafton was up 14-6, seemingly the score at halftime.

But on the ensuing kick, Spartan Anthony Otradovec went straight up the gut and used a stiff arm to fend off a tackler for a 95-yard touchdown return. It was 14-13 at the break.

“Every single thing matters, all three phases (offense, defense, special teams). If you’re not strong in one, it’s going to be a tough night out,” Norris said.

The Spartans got the ball to start the third quarter, but Clague stopped a drive with an athletic interception on a deep pass to the right sideline after initially getting beat.

“He just went straight by me. I recovered and just went up and played the ball, got the Randy Moss pick,” he said.

The Spartans forced a punt, but the Hawks’ defense caused another turnover on the next possession. Isaiah Mielke recovered a fumble on Grafton’s 45-yard line, and this time the Hawks took advantage of it. Giorgi ran for 51 yards on five carries, and Ward ran for seven and a score. The Hawks were up, 21-13, with one quarter left.

The Spartans scored early in the fourth, with Nathan Coisman running in for a 3-yard touchdown, then catching the 2-point conversion. The game was tied, 21-21, with 10:11 to play, setting up the Hawks’ final scoring drive.

“We got all together and we said we’re going to shove it down their throats, we’re going to win this game,” Benzschawel said.

Ward ended 8-for-14 passing for 74 yards and two scores.

The running game got help from shifty senior tailback Caden Knauer, who filled in brilliantly when Giorgi was injured the last couple of games. Knauer ran for 40 yards on 12 carries on Friday, after 179 on 40 carries the week before.

“If it wasn’t for him, who knows where we’d be?” Norris said.

“If you can’t run the ball deep in the playoffs, good luck, especially in Wisconsin.”

The Hawks’ defense held the pass-happy Spartans to 81 yards rushing and three yards per carry.

“Give credit to our coach, (defensive coordinator) Mike Weldon for the defensive effort out there. It was just a phenomenal game to play in,” Birch said.

That philosophy to go 1-0 in every game, practice and on every play that Norris has instilled in his team has worked. The Hawks have their first playoff victory in 22 years.

“Amazing. Just amazing. Never felt anything like it,” Proefrock said. “Changed the whole program around.”

“It feels great, something I’ve dreamed about my whole life,” Clague said. “I’ve always wanted to give back to the city. I love the city of Grafton.”

The 6-4 Hawks on Friday play at No. 1-seeded 10-0 New Berlin Eisenhower, a 49-0 winner over Cudahy last week.

It was New Berlin Eisenhower that knocked the Hawks out of the playoffs in 1995 in the second round, 37-31.

Grafton had beaten Sheboygan Falls, 21-20, in overtime in the playoff opener.