Michalske leads West in emotional Log Game
WAUSAU — There was no shortage in the range of emotions for the Wausau East football team Friday.
The electricity and excitement of playing a homecoming and rivalry game against Wausau West was tempered with the remembrance of a fallen classmate.
The Lumberjacks ran out onto Thom Field for their first home game since Paige Bootz was killed in a car crash on her way to school late last month. The Lumberjacks had a sticker with her initials on the back of their helmets.
“We put our hearts out there on every single play tonight (for the school). We are one big family,” said East quarterback Kyle Daniel after the Warriors downed the Lumberjacks 20-7 to win the Log Game for the third straight year. “It has tough for our school and the community, but we just are trying to get through it and just stay strong.”
Bootz played saxophone in the East marching band, and her band members sported red ribbons in honor of her and performed in the pregame and halftime with her spot left open in the ranks.
The East crowd also released balloons from the stands near the end of the halftime break in honor of Bootz.
“With tragedies, a football game kind of takes a back seat,” said East coach Tom Tourtillott,” whose team fell to 0-7 and 0-6 in the Valley Football Association-North Division. “But we play for our school, we play for our community and we just wanted to do the best that we can.”
The game itself was decided in the legs of sophomore running back Mitch Michalske, who rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries.
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With the win, West improved to 2-5, and 2-4 in the VFA-North. The Warriors, who opened the year with four straight losses would be playoff eligible with wins in the next two weeks to close out the regular season.
“Whatever was working at the time, we just went with and it worked,” said Michalske on his workload for the game. “It was a fun game, a fun game. It just is a really good feeling”
Michalske carried the ball on eight straight plays to start the drive after Wausau East’s Chad Simon scored on a short run to bring the Lumberjacks to within 14-7 of the Warriors with roughly five and a half minutes left in the third quarter.
Simon’s touchdown was helped by a roughing the kicker call on West on a East punt near midfield. The Warriors had 13 penalties in the win.
Michalske was the workhorse as the Warriors answered with a 76-yard drive which was capped by a 28-yard touchdown run by Sean Carlson.
The Lumberjacks had a scoring chance end at the West 19 with 7:39 left in regulation but the Warriors’ Sully Phillips defended a pass in the corner of the end zone on a fourth down attempt.
East was in West’s territory six times in the first half but turned the ball over three times, including a fumble inside the the West 15 in the second quarter.
Carson Schemenauer scored on a 3 yard run to give West a 7-0 run with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
The run capped a 34-yard drive set up by a 35-yard interception return by Justin Rager.
Michalske rushed for 121 yards on 23 carries in the half, and scored on a 8-yard run in the final minute of the half. The score came after he fumbled twice within a span of three carries in the second quarter.
“I just had to keep my head and just keep pushing through,” Michalske said of his fumbles.
Trying to march on without Paige
First quarter
W-Carson Schemenauer 3 run (Travis Lang kick), 5:06.
Second quarter
W-Mitch Michalske 8 run (Lang kick), 0:45
Third quarter
E-Chad Simon 1 run (Sharrod Harper), 5:23.
W-Sean Carlson 28 run (kick fail), 1:43
Tim Johnson can be reached at 715-845-0731 or at timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com. Find him on Twitter @timmyjo11.
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