Keeping football hope alive x2

Resiliency resides in the Ozaukee High School football team.

After starting the season with four blowouts against tough competition, the Warriors, who barely have any substitutes for most games, won three of their last four games and are on the edge of extending their year by making the playoffs.

The Warriors are getting used to must-wins. They came through in the clutch last Friday at Oostburg in a nail-biter in which the loser wouldn’t qualify for the postseason, and they and Howards Grove are in the same position this week.

Against Oostburg, a back-and-forth game saw the Flying Dutchmen take a 23-20 lead on a 46-yard field goal by Joey Bruggink with less than nine minutes to play.

On the ensuing possession, the Warriors faced fourth and two from their own 30-yard line. The players and coaches were on board with going for it.

Bret Hamm took a pitch and ran behind Jack Genzmer, Blake Cocanower and Jonny Melendez for six yards.

Quarterback Phil McLarty, who was called “versa-Phil” by coach Michael Schatz last season and is now “Big Phil” under Large because of his clutch play, hit Melendez for 26 yards and later made the game-winning score on a 25-yard sweep with less than four and a half minutes to play.

“He plays big. He had a huge game,” Large said.

Calvin McKee drilled the extra point to give the Warriors a four-point lead, which was pivotal given Bruggink’s range.

The defense then forced a three-and-out, and the Warriors’ offense got one first down and had to punt with about 90 seconds left.

The Flying Dutchmen drove to Ozaukee’s 25-yard line with 12 seconds to play.

A last-ditch long pass came down in the hands of Joe Grabowski, who missed the last two games due to illness, for the game-sealing interception at the two-yard line.

The Warriors held on, 27-23, keeping their playoff hopes alive and ending postseason dreams for the Flying Dutchmen.

“It was a pretty roller-coaster fourth quarter,” Large said.

Genzmer had 17 carries for 131 yards and a seven-yard touchdown. Hamm had 13 runs for 64 yards and five catches for 70 yards.

McLarty went 7-for-9 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown, zinging pinpoint balls into double coverage and hitting receivers over the shoulder. He ran six times for 61 yards and two scores.

Large said the offensive line made the Warriors go.

“All night the blocking was awesome. They were getting a good push and were blocking with a purpose,” he said.

Grady Klas got Ozaukee on the board in the first quarter with a one-handed catch, then juked his way to the end zone. Klas was McLarty’s third read on the play, Large said.

On defense, Hamm led the Warriors in tackles with 15 at linebacker. McLarty was moved from the defensive backfield to outside linebacker and made eight tackles, as did with Cocanower. Linemen Zach Bell made five tackles and Skyler Mills had four.

Owen Hackbarth used his 6-feet, 8-inch, 340-pound frame to allow teammates behind him to make tackles.

“Owen probably had his best game on career on defense, eating up blocks and blowing stuff up inside and having a lot of fun doing it,” Large said.

Injuries and illnesses have depleted an already tiny Warriors’ roster, causing Large to juggle the lineup.

“Now guys are getting comfortable in the roles, and they’re starting to step up and make some big plays,” Large said.

“We’re at a really good point right now with our team. A lot of guys are playing with confidence.”

Howards Grove comes to Fredonia on Friday for a homecoming match-up between two teams that are 3-3 in the Big East Conference with one playoff spot on the line.

“We talked about it and said these are the games you want to play in,” Large said.

Avoiding the usual distractions of homecoming week shouldn’t be an issue, Large said.

“I want them to enjoy the week and be part of it. The No. 1 focus is on school, but our focus has to be on the Friday night game. I think our guys are pretty locked in on football,” he said.