DE SOTO — There was little question about the eventual outcome of the De Soto High School football team’s matchup with Monticello as quickly as it began on Friday.
Senior Austin DeFlorian took the ball from quarterback Finn Wrobel and raced 42 yards for a touchdown on the first play, and that started a 36-point first quarter and 52-point first half.
The Pirates (4-1 overall, 4-1 Ridge and Valley) did what they wanted when they wanted in a 64-7 victory over the winless Ponies as the home crowd celebrated Homecoming at The Pit.
De Soto, which is part of a three-way tie for second place in the conference, pummeled Kickapoo/La Farge, Wonewoc-Center/Weston and Wisconsin Heights, too.
But the focus this week will be on playing better against the toughest teams on the schedule and reversing some of the things that went wrong in a 44-16 lost to first-place and state-ranked North Crawford (6-0, 5-0) a couple of weeks ago.
The Pirates have beaten the teams they should beat so far, but they didn’t perform up to their own standards in the big matchup against the Trojans. The next two games will be against opponents of a similar caliber.
“We want (players) to remember that, and they do,” De Soto coach Ev Wick said of the loss to North Crawford. “We have two tough ones coming up here with Belmont and Highland.
“We don’t bring it (the North Crawford game) up. They know we didn’t play our best game, and we don’t need to keep drilling it in their heads, but it’s still there, and I think they kind of use that for motivation.”
The Pirates first travel to Belmont (5-1, 4-1) this Friday. The Braves faired a little better than De Soto against North Crawford last week, but they still came up on the short end of a 44-28 score. The final game of the regular season is at home against the Cardinals (5-1, 4-1) on Oct. 10.
Belmont was also challenged by Wonewoc-Center/Weston (1-5, 1-4) before emerging with a 32-26 win a couple of weeks ago.
Senior quarterback Finn Wrobel has an idea of something that can work in De Soto’s favor as it approaches two huge games as it tries to return to the playoffs and earn the right to host a first-round game.
“Effort and energy,” Wrobel said after throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for two touchdowns in the win over Monticello. “We need everyone going 100 percent, take no plays off and attack, attack, attack.”
The Pirates have a lot of weapons to use in that attack with a strong group of experienced seniors who are having big seasons.
Wrobel has completed 22 of 42 passes for 521 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. He has also rushed for five touchdowns.
Senior running back Austin DeFlorian has rushed for 499 yards and 10 touchdowns, and senior tight end Bryce Schultz has 11 catches for 348 yards (31.6 yards per catch) and six touchdowns to go with 271 rushing yards and another TD.
Senior wide receiver Jackson Trussoni also had a breakout game against the Ponies with three touchdown catches and has four this season.
“They’ve played a lot of football,” Wick said of his seniors. “That’s a nice problem to have.
“They are all smart kids, and if (a play) doesn’t come in right, they have the ability to self-correct and move each other around. They are like mini-coaches, too.”
With all of those weapons in hand, Wick shifted a couple of skill players to the offensive line, and they have helped the Pirates average 46 points and 355 total yards per game. Senior left guard Griffin Hanson and junior Drake Ebner have teamed up with junior right guard John Seagrove to give the offense the space it has needed.
“They bring energy,” Wrobel said. “They are ready to go get the defense right away, and I love their intensity.”
The defense has been just as intense while allowing 16.4 points per game and holding two opponents to seven points or less.
Wrobel and Schultz have combined for seven sacks, and Hanson leads the team with 46.5 tackles and five them coming behind the line of scrimmage.
“I feel pretty good about it,” Hanson said of the defense. “We’re getting to the ball and making the right reads.
“I think we need to focus on speed and playing a little more clean (for upcoming games).”
