Black Hawks defend the Nest:

A 17-point halftime lead that the Grafton High School football team extended to 23 points early in the third quarter wasn’t safe in last Friday’s home opener.

Slinger wouldn’t go away, but Grafton hung on.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Owls, trailing, 29-24, looked to be driving for the go-ahead score until the Black Hawks held on their own 16-yard line. A pass to the end zone sailed incomplete, and the Hawks took over with four and a half minutes to play. Then the offensive line and star running back Jack Nelson finished it.

The senior ran for four yards, then Hunter Klippel hit Malik Cain for 23 yards. Nelson followed with a 37-yard burst to the right, then ran to the middle and broke left for the final 18 yards to the end zone.

“We just gotta keep pounding the hammer, and that’s what we did. It’s going to break at some point. That’s what the coaches were saying,” Nelson said. “If we’re getting three to five yards, it’s still a good carry. We’re just going to break one at some point.”

Izaiah King intercepted a deep pass on the ensuing possession. The final score was 36-24.

“I was proud of the guys. This was an important game,” coach Jim Norris said.

Despite the early lopsided score, the game looked to be tighter. Grafton’s defense made multiple red-zone stands. Owen Deer picked off a pass across the middle at the goal line and fell into the end zone for a touchback to stop one drive.

On another, Izaiah King made what public address announcer Adam Rygg called a “touchdown-saving tackle” at the 1-yard line. On the next play, the snap went over the quarterback’s head and King recovered the fumble.

“I had to recover that. If we don’t get that, they’re scoring a touchdown and it’s a completely different game,” King said.

“That’s the stuff we’ve been prepping for since everything started back in November, December. We’ve been getting ready for those stops that we need to make, critical snaps,” linebacker Cooper Ehr said.

Grafton came off a 14-10 loss at Mount Horeb/Barneveld in a game they let get away with a few mistakes. Last Friday was the first home game for the Hawks after winning last season’s Division 3 title, and it was against another powerhouse program.

Slinger won the Division 2 title, 31-30 over Rice Lake in 2024, and coach Bill Jacklin was named NFL Don Shula National High School Coach of the Year.

Grafton won last year’s championship, 17-15, over Reedsburg, and Norris was named Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Year.

“Slinger’s good. Bill Jacklin does a hell of a job. It’s a very proud and traditional program in the state,” Norris said.

Nelson, who ran for more than 1,900 yards last season, ran 27 times for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

The Hawks’ passing game also opened up. First-year starter Hunter Klippel went 13-for-23 for 287 yards with three touchdowns.

“It’s a four-quarter battle. That’s what Norris preaches to us all the time. We’ve got to keep pounding the rock. We know we’re going to face adversity every game. We know how to respond. We really band together in those moments,” Klippel said.

“Hunter grew up a ton in the last six days,” Norris said.

Klippel threw scores to three differeent receivers in different fashions. He rolled right and hit Andy Tran streaking down the sideline for a 62-yard score. He found Cain deep for a 37-yard touchdown, and Parker Shaw caught a 15-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone. He had a team-high six grabs for 98 yards.

“There were a lot of momentum swings, but we know our job. We just had to do our job and compete at the highest level,” Shaw said.

Sophomore tight end Hank Doyle, standing 6 feet, 6 inches tall and with six Division 1 college offers, caught three balls for 76 yards.

“I was just where they needed me, whatever they needed me to do,” he said.

The Hawks also have a weapon on special teams. Sophomore kicker Ronan Byrnes drilled a 48-yard field goal and had five touchbacks on seven kickoffs.

Norris said his team needed adversity.

“We had to get punched in the mouth for us to understand what we have to do to be successful,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of guys experienced in key positions but more guys inexperienced in key positions.”

Ehr and Jason Grunwaldt led the Hawks with six tackles each. King recovered two fumbles, and Logan Oberheu recovered one.

For Slinger, Mason McGuire ran 11 times for 114 yards and a score. Jacob Dees went 14-for-34 passing for 306 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Grafton, 1-1, hosts West Bend East (0-2) to start Glacier Trails Conference play on Friday, Sept. 4.