WIAA Football Playoffs: Waterford falls short in upset bid at No. 1 overall seed Pewaukee

Originally published by Racine County Eye.

PEWAUKEE – After a hard-fought upset bid fizzled out in the fourth quarter, underclassmen on the Waterford Union High School football team formed two lines in the end zone.

Waterford’s senior class then went through the lines, hugging each teammate before embracing their coaches at the end. It was a somber final scene for a group accomplished notable feats and powered through painful lows.

At times on Friday night, the Wolverines looked like they could be reaching new heights with a shocking upset of an elite Pewaukee team. Waterford led 7-6 at halftime, fell behind 13-7 two plays into the third quarter and had three separate chances to retake the lead after.

But the Pirate defense was too fundamentally sound for the Wolverines to land a knockout punch. Those three drives ended with two interceptions and a turnover on downs just outside the Pewaukee red zone.

Waterford’s defense, which had one of its most impressive efforts of the season in the first half, finally wore down in the fourth quarter. Long touchdown runs from Benji Weis and Colton Wall put the game out of reach, sending Pewaukee to the sectional finals with a 27-14 victory.

“Pewaukee’s a great team,” Waterford linebacker John Cramer said. “In the end, I feel like they got momentum on us and got us at the end. They were the better team and we didn’t fly around at the end like we were supposed to.”

“There’s just a sadness knowing that it’s over,” Waterford running back and linebacker Jax Pesch said. “But I’m really excited for these young guys, I’m excited to see where they go in the next couple years.”

While the Wolverines will likely ruminate on their missed opportunity, the program still earned statewide respect for their play this October. One year after getting humiliated in a Level 1 loss at Reedsburg, Waterford went blow-for-blow against an offense anchored by two future Big Ten offensive linemen.

“Pewaukee is a power, that’s an established program that’s been established for a long time,” Waterford coach Brent Thoen said. “We hope to be that someday, but we just have to get consistent and keep working.”

On a night where star running back Jax Pesch was stifled by Pewaukee’s elite defense, junior quarterback Hunter Schneiker stepped up to keep the offense moving. Schneiker completed 17 of his 27 pass attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions, spreading the ball around to six different receivers.

While Schneiker and his pass catchers were able to move the ball against the Pirates, Waterford’s inability to establish the run proved to be costly. The Wolverines finished with 41 rushing yards on the night.

“Even when we blocked guys, we just couldn’t move them,” Thoen said. “I wasn’t running Jax into a brick wall 30 times, we tried and just could not move them. We just could not block their guys for whatever reason.”

Pewaukee had trouble sustaining drives, with Waterford stopping the Pirates on fourth down four separate times, but the Pirates wore down the defense by the fourth quarter. Junior running backs Benji Weis and Colton Wall made for one tough tandem to tackle, with Weis rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and Wall rushing for 120 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries.

The Pirates will host New Berlin Eisenhower in the sectional finals this Friday night.

Waterford lands first punches

Facing a Pewaukee team with an elite offense and a suffocating defense, the Wolverines were considered underdogs by nearly everyone outside of Racine County.

The Pirates are anchored by offensive and defensive lines that feature Northwestern commit Cade Reikowski and Wisconsin commit Jack Tabbert, both of whom measure taller than 6-foot-5 with plenty of size.

While Pewaukee was intimidating on both sides of the ball, Waterford was ready for the challenge. After a quick three-and-out, the Wolverine defense made an early statement with a stop on fourth down at the Waterford 31-yard line.

Three plays later, Schneiker rolled out on play action and launched a 64-yard touchdown pass over the Pirate defense to Mason Lusic. Halfway through the first quarter, Waterford had a surprising 7-0 lead.

Pewaukee’s second possession also ended with a shocking turnover on downs, with the Wolverine front seven getting through for a tackle for loss on fourth-and-inches.

The Pirates finally sprung a long run out of their Wing-T offense on their third possession, getting down inside the Waterford 5-yard line early in the second quarter. But once again, the Wolverine defense stood strong and made a goal line stand to keep Pewaukee off the scoreboard.

Through the first 1.5 quarters, Waterford had shown that it was ready for a fight. While Pewaukee was moving the ball, the Wolverines were able to get stops when it mattered.

“Pewaukee was 10-0 and we were winning for over half of that game,” Cramer said. “We died down and didn’t play like we were supposed to, but we gave it our all.”

Pewaukee defense shuts down Waterford run game

On offense, it was clear from early on that running the ball against the Pirate defense would not be easy. Senior Jax Pesch is one of the top running backs in Division 3 and the Waterford offensive line has plenty of size and strength, but Pewaukee was still the larger team and had excellent tackling form.

Thoen and the coaching staff anticipated this challenge, putting the ball in Schneiker’s hands to make a play more often. Schneiker kept the defense on its toes, hitting a variety of different targets for big gains early.

But while Schneiker was having success spreading the ball around, Waterford’s inability to consistently run the ball started to wear on the offense. Short downs and distances that were normally automatic for the Wolverines became battles just to gain positive yardage.

The Pirates loaded the box to stop the run, and Waterford countered with pop passes to speedy wide receiver Kylor Loomis and screens to multiple receivers. But Pewaukee’s linebackers, safeties and cornerbacks all made excellent open-field tackles throughout the game to prevent long plays.

The Wolverines had two different chances to extend their lead in the first half but went 3-and-out in their first drive after the touchdown and had a drive stall out just past midfield on their second drive.

Pewaukee then put together its most impressive drive of the game to end the first half, going 70 yards while using up most of the final five minutes of the period. Waterford had a chance to make another stop, with the Pirates inside the Wolverine 5-yard line with nine seconds left and no timeouts, but quarterback Brooks Dobberstein connected with Bryson King for a three-yard touchdown pass.

The score proved to be significant, as Pewaukee received the ball to start the second half and quickly took a 13-7 lead with a 50-yard touchdown run by Weis on the second play of the drive.

“In the first half we played great defensively,” Pesch said. “In the second half, they gashed one on the second play and you could tell that our mentality was distraught from where it was in the first half. I think that’s where the game started to get away from us.”

While it seemed like momentum was slipping away, Waterford regained its composure to keep this game close throughout the second half.

The Wolverines forced a punt on Pewaukee’s next drive, then forced a fourth turnover on downs to get another shot at retaking the lead. But Waterford just could not move the ball consistently against the defense.

Pesch was stuffed on third-and-one on the opening drive deep in Waterford territory, forcing a punt right after Pewaukee took the lead. The Wolverines put together a promising drive later in the quarter behind a 32-yard pass to Carter Thoen, but a screen pass on fourth-and-three was batted down at the Pewaukee 28-yard line.

“Their pure size and strength,” Pesch said when asked about what made Pewaukee’s defense challenging to run against. “Those guys didn’t stop fighting. I give them props and I really hope the go win it all.”

After Waterford got the ball back again, still trailing by six halfway through the fourth quarter, Pewaukee started to drop more defenders back in pass coverage. An open-field tackle on a screen set up third-and-long, where Schneiker was intercepted near midfield.

One play later, Weis broke through for a 37-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 13.

Waterford was able to land one last punch on its finest drive of the night, with sophomore Emmett Dargatz leaping for an impressive 22-yard touchdown catch with 3:44 remaining.

After a decent onside kick attempt was recovered at midfield by the Pirates, the Wolverines appeared to catch a break when Pewaukee was penalized for holding on the next play. With two timeouts remaining and the Pirates needing to gain 20 yards for a first down, it appeared that Waterford would have a chance to get the ball back with enough time for one more drive.

But that hope was short-lived, as Wall broke multiple tackles on the very next play for a game-breaking 61-yard touchdown run.

“We just didn’t sustain anything on offense to give them a little bit more of a break,” Thoen said about the defense. “Our defense had a really good plan, but Colton Wall is a really good player.”

Two plays later, Wall intercepted Schneiker to seal the win and end Waterford’s season.

“I am proud of our effort but at the same time I feel like we could have gone farther if we trusted ourselves and listened to our coaches,” Cramer said.

“I thought it was a fun game,” Pesch added. “We couldn’t get much started running the ball, which is fine because we could pass the ball alright. I wanted to play these guys. I think we’re a phenomenal team and I like that we get put against phenomenal teams.”

An impressive senior class

The Wolverines have an extensive recent history in football, qualifying for the postseason each of the past 16 seasons and earning a State Runner-Up finish in 2011.

But this senior class still made history, with offensive lineman Peyton Schuster and running back/linebacker Jax Pesch becoming the first two football players from Waterford to earn Division I college football scholarships.

Schuster has been committed to Wake Forest University since last summer, while Pesch earned an offer from Division I FCS powerhouse South Dakota State last Thursday and announced his commitment to the Jackrabbits two days after the loss to Pewaukee.

Wake Forest is currently 7-1 and ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 while South Dakota State is 7-2 and ranked No. 5 in the FCS Coaches Poll.

Sometimes, high school athletes tend to immediately look towards their own personal future after playing their final game. Pesch did not even mention the recent offer in his postgame interview on Friday night, instead choosing to focus on his teammates.

“They changed the culture of Waterford football,” Thoen said about the senior class. “That group treated each other the right way. There were a lot of ‘I love yous’ from that group after the game and that means a lot to me. They made lifelong memories and will be sorely missed.”

Pesch had a tough final game, but still finished his senior season with 1,787 rushing yards and a school record 27 rushing touchdowns. Pesch committed to South Dakota State as a linebacker after finishing with 14 tackles for loss this year. Senior wide receiver Mason Lusic finished with 23 catches for 464 yards and four touchdowns.

The Waterford defense will miss senior linebacker John Cramer, one of the hardest hitters in the physical Southern Lakes Conference. Cramer had over 100 tackles and 22 tackles for loss in his final season, and is hoping to play college football next fall.

“I do believe we left a really good mark on this program though,” Cramer said. “These past four years have meant everything to me. The environment, the family, the coaches, they’re all awesome. It’s why I feel pretty emotional right now.”

Thoen’s son Mason will also graduate, finishing with 63 tackles this season. The Wolverines will also lose Thomas Greil, Alexander Lapotko, Ian Adams and Aleksandor Goronja from the defense.

While this senior class had plenty of memorable moments on the field, it will also be remembered for the stability it brought to the Waterford football program during a tumultuous time several years ago.

Thoen had recently joined the Wolverine football program as their defensive coordinator after a long stint as Franklin’s defensive coordinator when he unexpectedly took over as head coach just over one month before the 2024 season.

This senior class helped Waterford continue its run as one of the more consistent programs in the area, finishing 6-5 in 2024 and 5-5 last fall. The Wolverines improved to 7-4 this year and will likely continue to play at a high level with the amount of young talent starting to break through.

“Those seniors mean a lot to me and they’ve meant a lot to the program,” Thoen said. “The transformation that the program has made as a whole in the last four years is unbelievable. It’s cool again in Waterford to play football. I just love their effort and what they put into the program, and they’ll be sorely missed.”

Some of the players to watch for next season include Schneiker, who threw for nearly 2,000 yards in his first full season as a starting quarterback, and Emmett Dargatz, who had a breakout sophomore season with 742 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches.

Replacing Pesch will be no easy task, but freshman Dayton Hartmann showed plenty of promise in late-game carries during games this fall. Other players singled out by the outgoing seniors as potential breakout candidates next fall included sophomore lineman Kyle Toedter and sophomore wide receiver/defensive back Max Beyer.

Player of the Game

Pewaukee junior Colton Wall was one of the more impressive all-around players that I’ve seen this season.

Wall had breakaway speed on offense that ended up being the difference in the game, made three tackles for loss on defense and had the game-sealing interception as well. His hustle and sound fundamentals are what coaches dream of.

Play of the Game

Hunter Scheiker had several impressive throws, but Emmett Dargatz’s 22-yard touchdown reception in the final minutes was the play of the game.

Dargatz dealt with double-teams throughout the night but finally had one-on-one coverage on this play. Schneiker threw the ball high enough where Dargatz was able to leap up and snag the ball from directly in front of the defender’s face for the score.

After dominating the second half of this season, expect to hear a lot more from Dargatz over the next two seasons.