While the score indicates a very lopsided affair, Bay Port had to battle through a rocky first half. The Pirates are undoubtedly one of, if not the best team in Division 1. They earned the #1 seed, they earned home field advantage, but they also had to earn this victory over the Redbirds.

The First Drive

Bay Port won the coin toss and decided to defer, but little did they know they wouldn’t receive the ball until there were less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter. De Pere put together a lengthy, time-consuming drive where they converted on 4th down three different times. Easton Arendt threw some great passes, Koskey got his legs loose, but it was Bay Port who was their own worst enemy. At the 15-yard line, the Pirates committed pass interference to keep the drive alive. Finally, on 4th and goal from the two, Arendt rolled out to his right and threw a beautiful pass to give De Pere a 7-0 lead.

A 10 minute 22 second drive ends in a De Pere touchdown! They converted on 4th and Goal from the 2, their 3rd 4th down conversion on the drive #wisfb #wiaa pic.twitter.com/xuIKGHrdXv

— Wisconsin Sports Heroics (@WiSportsHeroics) October 22, 2022

An Immediate Answer

Throughout the entire first quarter, Bay Port only ran four plays. Their first play of the 2nd quarter was the one that mattered, and that was an explosive 30+ yard touchdown for Blake Buchinger. This would be the first of three on the night for Buchinger.

Bay Port’s defense was still a bit slow to start as they let De Pere convert on another fourth down, however, the fifth time was the charm. The Redbirds were stopped on 4th and three from the Bay Port 24, allowing for the Pirates to get the ball back. Cole Bensen had a beautiful 20+ yard run to start the drive, but it was called back due to a hold. He made up for it by connecting with his favorite target, Brett Shipley for a 45-yard pass. Bensen then did it himself as he punched it in from three yards away, giving Bay Port their first lead of the game (14-7).

Sloppy play ended the second quarter as there were back-to-back three and outs. Bay Port had a chance to go up ten, but they missed a 35-yard field goal.

Bay Port is NO good from 35 yards out! #wisfb #wiaa pic.twitter.com/McS4wO9TiV

— Wisconsin Sports Heroics (@WiSportsHeroics) October 22, 2022

The Blowout Begins

De Pere had Bay Port exactly where they wanted them, so they thought. The lengthy drive to open the game would be the only time they scored until there were less than three minutes remaining. AJ Courchaine started the second half with a bang as he returned the kick to De Pere’s 49-yard line. Cole Bensen converted on 4th and one, then nearly fumbled twice. That said, Bensen got his second TD of the night, a six yard run to make it 21-7 Bay Port.

The Bay Port fans weren’t happy as the officials called pass interference on 3rd and nine, however, De Pere would later fail to convert on 3rd and 22 which led to a 22-yard run for Carter Kallies, a 19-yard pass to Shipley, and finally, a five yard rushing touchdown for Tevyn Montgomery.

With De Pere now down 28-7 heading into the 4th, something needed to change. They converted a nice screen pass on 3rd and nine. However, the first play of the 4th quarter saw Arendt threw an INT. Landon Gauthier was all over it, allowing for Buchinger to find the endzone from 3 yards away.

Running Clock

The score read 35-7 and De Pere mounted a good drive. They started on Bay Port’s 45 thanks to a personal foul. They quickly shortened that to the 25 after a beautiful 20-yard pass to Grant Hohol. Arendt just missed Hayden May in the endzone for a TD, but drew the Pirates offside on 4th and one. De Pere was down to the Bay Port eight yard line but needed to convert on a 4th and seven. Arendt threw a great ball but his receivers’ feet were out of bounds.

This is when the running clock came into play. Bensen nearly connected with Shipley for a 60-yard bomb, but it didn’t matter as Buchinger had a big 25-yard run, Shipley spritned down the sideline off a 30-yard flip pass, and then Buchinger got his hat trick. His third touchdown of the night came from seven yards out, allowing for the running clock to begin as the score read 42-7.

Deja Vu

De Pere knew what happened in their meeting just two weeks ago, yet they still allowed for Bay Port’s offense to get hot. It was the Bay Port defense who was caught lacking though, allowing for a 43-yard rushing touchdown for Lucas Koskey.

Bay Port recovered the onside kick, and it was too little too late for the Redbirds. They had Bay Port in the first half, but eventually, Bay Port took over and never looked back. De Pere’s lengthy, ten plus minute opening drive was done to perfection. However, their defense just couldn’t keep up with the likes of Cole Bensen, Blake Buchinger, and Brett Shipley.

Friday, October 28th

It’s confirmed that Bay Port will host fourths seed Wausau West next Friday night. Wausau West is coming off of a 28-14 win over Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln. The winner of that game will then play either Appleton North or Hudson on November 4th.

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