In Division 3, Rice Lake (13-1) defeated Grafton (11-3) 28-20 in the championship game Friday.
The teams alternated scoring throughout the game. The Warriors scored first with 7:41 remaining in the first quarter on a 59-yard pass from Jakob Kunz to Connor Durand to give Rice Lake an 8-0 lead with the two-point conversion.
The Black Hawks cut their deficit to 8-7 with a 1-yard plunge on the first play of the second quarter. The Warriors increased their lead to 14-7 on another Durand score, a run from four yards out, but the extra-point try failed. Grafton responded with its second score of the quarter on a 6-yard run by Tommy Lutz to tie the game at 14-14 with 5:03 remaining in the first half.
Rice Lake regained the lead at 20-14 on the first possession of the second half. The Warriors drove 84 yards on 10 plays to score on a 2-yard run by Easton Stone. The Black Hawks tied the game at 20-20 with 9:45 remaining in the fourth quarter following a Lutz 1-yard rush, which capped an 18-play drive, but the extra-point kick was blocked.
On the next possession, the Warriors drove 63 yards on nine plays to score what would ultimately be the margin of victory. Stone ran it in from five yards with 4:43 remaining in the game, and they converted the two-point conversion.
Durand led Rice Lake in rushing and receiving. He gained 72 yards on nine rushes and made two catches for 76 yards. Kunz completed 5-of-9 passes for 118 yards. Rice Lake was led on defense by Stone with 10 tackles and an interception.
Lutz was the game’s leading rusher with 147 yards on 30 carries and a pair of touchdowns for the Black Hawks. Brady Hilgart connected on 15-of-24 passes for 113 yards. His favorite target was Matthew Clemens with five receptions for 43 yards. Tyler Heinle led Grafton defensively with 10 tackles.
The Warriors win their third championship, participating in their eighth championship game. Grafton finishes runner-up in its fifth advance to the title game.
The above story is a news release from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
