Edgar cruises to historic WIAA football title

MADISON – Jerry Sinz avoided a Gatorade shower after an Edgar playoff win on a crisp fall night in Eau Claire last weekend.

The Wildcats coach didn’t mind being the recipient of one on Thursday afternoon as temperatures reached into a unseasonably warm 60 degrees in Madison.

As the final seconds wound down at Camp Randall Stadium, Sinz was doused by his players in celebration of Edgar’s 36-6 rout of Shullsburg in the WIAA Division 7 state football championship game.

The Wildcats (11-3) rode a dominant first half to win a seventh title in 11 state trips. It’s Edgar’s first title since 2010, and the program is tied with Lancaster and Stratford for the most championships in the state’s history.

“They’re all nice and they’re all different,” Sinz said of the championships. “Of course it’s always fun when it's warm and it’s nice to win it with a new group of guys. We haven’t been here since 2010 and these guys were like fourth-, fifth- or sixth-graders. So it’s special.”

Alec Hafferman rushed for a game-high 136 yards, and all three of his touchdowns came in the Wildcats' 36-point first half. The outburst set a WIAA state record in Division 7 and included a pair of touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes, 18 seconds late in the second quarter.

“I’ve been dreaming about this, winning state, since I was like 7 years old and being on the field as a (team) manager.,” said Hafferman, who was named the game’s most outstanding player. “I really know what it feels like to work for something now and have that feeling of success afterwards.”

The Wildcats took control of the contest early and ended the season on a five-game winning streak.

Edgar went 64 yards on the opening drive of the game. The drive began with a 20-yard reception by Shawn Bunkelman, and Hafferman capped the seven-play drive with a burst from the Shullsburg 1 as Edgar took a 8-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

The Wildcats extended their lead four plays later as Karson Butt made a leaping, one-handed interception at midfield and cut to the left sidelines for a 47-yard touchdown return.

Edgar forced a three-and-out on the Miners' next possession. Butt returned the punt 21 yards to the Shullsburg 35 and Edgar needed just six plays to reach the end zone again. Hafferman’s 2-yard run gave Edgar a 22-0 cushion with just under four minutes left in the first quarter.

Shullsburg had minus-4 yards through its first two possessions and opened the third with a 40-yard reception as Ben Sigwarth was left unconvered on a wheel route. The Miners cashed in on the opportunity as Hunter Matye, a 6-foot-5 receiver, went over a Edgar defender to haul in a 9-yard touchdown pass.

It was one of the few times Shullsburg had any offensive success against Edgar. Shullsburg crossed midfield just three times the rest of the game and only reached the Edgar red zone late in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats had reserve players in the game.

Shullsburg was held to 226 yards overall and rushed for an average of 3.2 yards an attempt. The Miners (11-3) had averaged 208.6 rushing yards a game this fall. Ben Sigwarth led the Miners with 84 yards rushing on 20 attempts

Butt had two of Edgar’s three interceptions, and the Wildcats also recovered a fumble.

The Wildcats scored 14 points off Shullsburg’s miscues and didn’t turn the ball over themselves. Edgar’s defense forced at least one turnover in all five playoff games this year and recorded 12 over the past three weeks. Edgar allowed 33 points in the five playoff games combined

Both Cade Littleton and Kade Schraufnagel had five solo tackles to lead the Wildcats. Tyler Matysik and Ty Guden both had a team-high seven tackles overall.

Edgar had 50 rushing attempts and 285 of the Wildcats’ 318 offensive yards came on the ground. Will Raatz and Matysik rushed for 48 and 38 yards, respectively.  Matysik had a 1 yard touchdown run, which was set up by Butts’ second interception.

The score came 2:18 after Hafferman scored his third touchdown of the half and all but ended any doubt of the final outcome.

“Coming in here and getting the championship, I don’t know what to say,” Matysik said. “It feels amazing.”

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

SCHULLSBURG  6  0  0  0 – 6

EDGAR  22  14  0  0 – 36

First quarter

E: Alec Hafferman 1 run (Alec Hafferman run)

E: Karson Butt 47 interception return (Joshua Burish kick)

E: Alec Hafferman 2 run (Joshua Burish kick)

S: Hunter Matye 9 pass from Noah Wand (run failed)

Second quarter

E: Alec Hafferman 6 run (Joshua Burish kick)

E: Tyler Matysik 1 run (Joshua Burish kick)

Shullsburg

First downs: 11

Total net yards: 226

Rushing yards: 118

Passing yards: 108

Comp-Att-Int: 7-18-3

Fumbles-lost: 3-1

Penalties-yards: 7-58

Edgar

First downs: 23

Total net yards: 318

Rushing yards: 285

Passing yards: 33

Comp-Att-Int: 2-4-0

Fumbles-lost: 0-0

Penalties-yards: 5-35

Individual leaders

Rushing: Ben Sigwarth S 20-85; Alec Hafferman E 21-144; Will Raatz E 12-49.

Passing: Noah Wand S 7-18-3-108; Karson Butt E 1-1-0-20.

Receiving: Hunter Matye S 3-25; Ben Sigwarth S 1-40; Shawn Bunkelman E 1-20.

Brett Christopherson: 920-993-7117, or bchristopherson@gannett.com; on Twitter @PCBrettC