10/31/2009 8:17:00 PM MG drops Cedarburg 28-16, Waunakee up next
Craig Corsten Sports Editor
MG quarterback Dylann Rauch avoids the Cedarburg rush during the Silver Eagles 28-16 win Saturday. Rauch went 5-for-9 for 68 yards in a game won on the ground.
When facing an opponent whose M.O. is controlling the ball and keeping you off the field, how do you respond? By controlling the ball and keeping them off the field if you're the Monona Grove football team.
The Silver Eagles dominated the ground game and the time of possession to defeat Cedarburg 28-16 in their Level Two WIAA playoff game in Monona Saturday afternoon.
The Silver Eagles racked up 320 yards on the ground after almost completely abandoning their passing game in the second quarter and had a lopsided 31:47 to 16:13 advantage in the time of possession battle. Junior running back LaBraun Roach had a standout performance, rushing for 221 yards and three touchdowns, including a 50-yarder in the fourth quarter after Cedarburg had narrowed the MG lead to 21-16.
MG Head Coach Mike Stassi said he knew going in that they would have a size advantage and wanted to take advantage of it.
"We challenged our offensive line. We felt we were bigger than them offensively to their defense," said Stassi. "That was the big challenge tonight, to control their defensive line. Boy our boys got jacked up and the offensive line, give them a ton of credit."
The Silver Eagles opening drive ended in Cedarburg territory when junior quarterback Dylann Rauch threw an interception, but Cedarburg was unable to move the ball and went 3-and-out.
Roach scored from 5-yards out on the ensuing MG possession with 6:12 left in the first quarter to put MG up 7-0.
Cedarburg looked strong, however, scoring on their next two possessions and forcing the Silver Eagles to play from behind early after the Bulldogs scored on a field goal and 25-yard run to put them up 10-7.
From that point on, MG almost completely abandoned the pass game and pounded the ball right at Cedarburg.
The Bulldogs had no answer as the larger MG offensive line carved up big holes for Roach and senior running back Beau Goff. Roach capped an all run drive that started on MG's own 48 and put MG in the lead for good at 14-10 when he went in from 8-yards out with 4:45 left in the second quarter.
The MG defense forced another 3-and-out and the offense drove deep into Cedarburg territory, but Rauch threw another interception with :30 seconds left in the half.
The momentum appeared to be swinging away from MG when Cedarburg forced a turnover on downs after the Silver Eagles again drove deep into Bulldog territory.
But senior Jason Payne picked off a Cedarburg pass two plays later and Goff increased the MG lead to 21-10 with :08 left in the third, going in from 1-yard out.
MG senior Jason Payne is mobbed by teammates after his third quarter interception. The Silver Eagles converted the interception into 7 points a few plays later.
Stassi said it was the ability to persevere through tough situations and respond like that that have made this MG team special.
"That's the one thing we try to coach them and talk about every day," said Stassi. "Bad things happen to good people, it's how good people respond when something bad happens."
Cedarburg made it a game, scoring with 7:26 left in the fourth on a 73-yard pass play. Cedarburg had passed the ball only sparingly in the first three quarters, and the MG defense was caught flat-footed on the long pass play. Their two-point conversion attempt failed and MG retained a 21-16 lead.
Roach put the game away for MG when he went up the middle for a 50-yard score with 4:47 left to put the Silver Eagles up 28-16.
The Bulldogs made a last ditch effort to get back in the game, but a pass lofted into the endzone late in the fourth quarter was intercepted by senior defensive back Jack Retlzaff, who was back on the field just days after being carted off in ambulance following the Slinger game.
While the game was highlighted by Roach's big game on the ground, Stassi was quick to spread the credit around to the rest of the team, especially the offensive line.
"Give the credit also to the guys who are up front blocking," said Stassi. "I'm proud of all of them, great team effort tonight."
The Silver Eagles will host Waunakee Saturday at 2 p.m. The Warriors have beaten MG four times in the past three seasons, including twice in the playoffs. While the game will definitely be a rivalry game, Stassi downplayed the significance of the recent history the two teams share.
"I think they're (the team) just so happy to go to level three," said Stassi. "The last couple years we've had some disappointments in the playoffs. Hasn't been exactly what we want. But hey, you can't really do much better than 11-0."
