By Reagan Hoverman

Week one of the 2022 high school football season is in the books and three local teams lost three close games against non-conference opponents including Prescott against Regis, Spring Valley against Durand and Elmwood/ Plum City against Pepin/Alma.

The Prescott Cardinals entered the 2022 campaign coming ou one of the program’s most successful seasons in recent memory. The graduation of star running back Aiden Russell meant a transition to a new style of Prescott football.

The first game on the road against Regis, played at historic Carson Park in Eau Claire on Saturday, Aug. 20, featured a Cardinals ouense that relied on the passing attack more than the rushing.

After nearly an entire first half without any scoring, Regis put a drive together late in the second quarter and began marching into Prescott territory. The Ramblers executed nearly perfect clock control as Carson Tate burst into the endzone to give Regis a 6-0 lead going into the halftime intermission.

The Cardinals bounced back with four minutes left in the third quarter with a touchdown of their own. Prescott sophomore Barrett Temmers followed blocks into the endzone to make it a 6-6 ballgame due to the missed PAT.

Less than two minutes later, Regis was back on the board with a 48-yard touchdown run by senior running back Jack Weisenberger. A successful PAT made it a 13-6 game in favor of the Ramblers. The scoreless fourth quarter by both teams led to the 13-6 loss for Prescott, dropping the Cardinals to 0-1 for the season.

Durand defeats Spring Valley 22-21

Spring Valley suuered its first loss of the season on opening night against Durand when the Panthers put together the lone scoring drive of the fourth quarter to secure a 22-21 victory over the Cardinals.

Spring Valley enters the 2022 season with a fresh roster sans familiar faces such as Connor Ducklow and Tyler Bowman. The Cardinals are a young team that will focus primarily on the rushing attack, according to head coach Ryan Kapping.

In the Friday night contest on the road, Durand got on the board first with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter when senior running back Dawson Hartung found the endzone on a one-yard touchdown run to make it 6-0 Panthers.

Spring Valley responded with a scoring drive of its own in the middle of the second quarter. The Cardinals capped ou the drive with a one-yard touchdown run by junior running back Diego Schmitt. The successful PAT by Cade Stasiek made it 7-6 in favor of Spring Valley.

Midway through the third quarter, Spring Valley extended its lead when junior quarterback Wyatt Goveronski punched in a oneyard touchdown to make it 14-6 Cardinals. Durand responded on the ensuing drive when the aforementioned Hartung scored his second touchdown of the game. This time it was a one-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion to tie it 14-14 with three minutes to play in the third quarter.

Just when it appeared that Durand was going to steal the momentum, the aforementioned Stasiek fielded Durand’s kick, saw daylight, and took it to the house to give Spring Valley a 21-14 lead with a 70-yard kick return touchdown.

Spring Valley’s seven-point lead disappeared with ten minutes left in the fourth quarter when junior quarterback Ryan Mason scored on a nine-yard touchdown run. The Panthers took a 22-21 lead with 10 minutes left in the game when Hartung successfully scored on the two-point conversion and held the lead for the remainder of the game.

Spring Valley’s tough loss drops the overall record to 0-1 for the season. Up next for the Cardinals is a game on Friday, Aug. 26, when Spring Valley travels to Chetek-Weyerhaeuser for a 7 p.m. non-conference game.

Elmwood/Plum City loses shootout against Pepin/Alma 36-26 The Elmwood/Plum City football team dropped to 0-1 for the season after the Wolves lost an ouensively thrilling game on the road against the Pepin/Alma Eagles 36-26 on Friday, Aug. 19.

Each team scored a touchdown in the opening frame, the only diuerence was that Pepin/Alma made its PAT to take a 7-6 lead going into the second quarter. The Eagles added a touchdown in the second quarter to take a 14-6 lead going into the half.

Elmwood/Plum City scored two touchdowns in the third quarter – one through the air and one on the ground – to keep the game close. The first was a two-yard touchdown run by Trevor Asher to make it 14-12, still favoring the Eagles. Two minutes later, Pepin/ Alma responded with a seven-yard rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion to make it 22-12.

The Wolves responded ouensively with their first passing touchdown of the season when the aforementioned Asher connected with junior running back Riley Bechel on a 45-yard pitch and catch that made it a 22-18 ballgame with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Pepin/Alma ouense proved to be too much for the Wolves to handle. Less than 30 seconds later, the Eagles scored a 43-yard passing touchdown that made it 30-18 as the third quarter came to a close.

The 12-point deficit proved to be too much for the Wolves to overcome, as their comeback fell short in the 36-26 loss on the road against a tough Eagles squad. Elmwood/ Plum City drops to 0-1 for the season.

Up next for the Wolves is a Friday, Aug. 26, contest at home against Blair-Taylor. That game is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Two Prescott defenders sophomore Will Packard (#19) and junior Nolan Thomley come together to make a tackle on Regis senior running back Zander Rockow during the road game at Carson Park on Saturday, Aug. 20. Photo courtesy of GX3 Media