SPORTS

Edgar's offensive line peaking in playoffs

Tim Johnson
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Edgar’s Alec Hafferman breaks through the Bangor defensive off blocks from the Wildcats Reece Heidmann, left, and Tyler Skrzypcak during last Friday's WIAA Division 7 state semifinal game in Eau Claire.

EDGAR - The Wildcats didn’t have their top-rushing games of the season last Friday. Not in terms of yardage.

But it’s hard to point to a game this fall in which Edgar’s ground attack has been more productive overall.

The Wildcats rushed for 232 yards and four touchdowns on 55 attempts in a 29-6 win over Bangor in a WIAA Division 7 state semifinal game at Eau Claire's Carson Park. The performance came against a stingy Bangor defense and put an often-anonymous segment of the Edgar football team in the spotlight.

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“We blocked really well,” Edgar coach Jerry Sinz said Monday of the Wildcats offensive line.

Edgar averaged 4.2 yards an attempt, and the most impressive part was the Wildcats’ productivity in short-yardage situations.

The Wildcats faced a fourth-and-1 four times in the game and converted on a run each opportunity. Two of the fourth down conversions came in a 65-yard touchdown drive on the first possession of the second half which lasted 8 minutes, 4 seconds and gave the Wildcats a 22-6 lead.

Edgar also converted half of their 13 third-down attempts in the win. The majority of which came on a rush, including a 19-yard scramble by Karson Butt in the third quarter on a third-and-13 play.

“That’s definitely reliant on the line,” Edgar running back Alec Hafferman said on the team’s production on those critical downs. “It starts with them because games are won in the trenches and they definitely stepped up in those situations.

"The offensive line has been getting better and better each and every week," Hafferman said. "Just with their intensity in practice and then that carries over into the games."

Edgar enters Thursday’s Division 7 title game matchup with Shullsburg with a ground game that has averaged 200.6 yards per game this fall. The Wildcats have been even better the last three weeks. Edgar has rushed averaged 216 yards per game in postseason wins over Wild Rose, Loyal and Bangor.

The success should not come as a surprise with three returning starters from last season in seniors Brett Schutte and Seth Schilling, a tackle and guard, respectively, and junior tackle Reece Heidmann. The line also includes junior guard Bryce Imhoff and sophomore center Tyler Skrzypcak.

The group might not have a dominant player individually as both Imhoff and Schilling were second team all-Marawood Conference selections.  But as a group, the line can be a force. A reason might be the bond the group has.

“That whole line, we’ve pretty much been together since eighth grade,” Schutte said. “We know each other really well. We might yell at each other a few times during the game and get frustrated (at one another), but after the game we are all buds again and laugh about it after the game.”

The group also pushes each other in practice to get better each week.

“I thought we played pretty good (against Bangor),” Schilling said of his evaluation of the line’s performance. “They have a pretty good defense and their linebackers were blitzing a lot. But when they came through we were able to pick them up.”

Schilling, however, doesn’t seem interested in what the line has accomplished in the postseason. His attention is spent on what the Wildcats have to do this week against Shullsburg, a defense which has held opponents to an average of 113.9 yards on the ground this season.

The key on Thursday?

“Just staying focused and going out and doing our jobs every single play,” Schilling said.

Tim Johnson: 715-845-0731, or timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter@timmyjo11