LA CROSSE — The Holmen High School football team secured a share of the MVC championship on a touchdown with 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining to beat Logan 24-18 Friday at Swanson Field.
The Vikings (8-1 overall, 6-1 MVC) drove 93 yards on their final possession and took the lead for good when junior John Faherty scored from 6 yards out with just over a minute to play. The victory allowed Holmen to tie Central for the conference title after the RiverHawks were beaten by Onalaska 20-14.
Senior Jack Barth rushed for a team-high 124 yards on nine carries and scored on a 60-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Senior Eli Kane added 83 rushing yards on 11 carries as the Vikings rushed for 309 yards as a team.
The Rangers (6-3, 4-3) received 104 rushing yards from senior Maxim Roberts, 70 from senior Jackson Bosch and 58 from sophomore quarterback Tommy Check. Check threw a touchdown pass to senior Preston Elston in the first quarter and scored on a 1-yard run in the second to give the Rangers an 18-14 halftime lead.
Junior Brock Needham kicked a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut into that deficit. That and Faherty’s touchdown run were the only second-half points.
The Vikings were also part of last year’s five-way tie for the MVC championship.
Both teams, like the rest from around the state, await WIAA playoff pairings that will be announced on Saturday. The Vikings have assured themselves of a Division 2 home game, and the Rangers have assured themselves of a spot. in Division 3
Aquinas 49, Viroqua 0
VIROQUA — The Blugolds (9-0 overall, 7-0 Coulee Conference) put the finishing touches on an unbeaten season and conference championship by blasting the Blackhawks (0-9, 0-7).
Aquinas scored 22 points in the first quarter to kickstart their victory and cruised from there.
Senior quarterback Ryan Johnson passed for 94 yards and a touchdown, junior Brady Lee rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown, and senior Logan Becker recorded a team-high 61 receiving yards.
Senior Marcus Klar added 50 rushing yards, Lee started the game with a 29-yard touchdown run, and senior Will Flottmeyer returned a fumble 20 yards for a touchdown.
West Salem 54, Black River Falls 7
WEST SALEM — The Panthers (7-2 overall, 6-1 Coulee) finished off their second-place conference finish by blowing out the Tigers (2-7, 2-5).
Junior Lucas Fry carried six times for 67 yards and two touchdowns for West Salem, which shook off its 20-13 loss to Aquinas last week.
Junior quarterback Drew McConkey completed 6 of 10 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown and carried twice for 47 yards and a touchdown in a game that included a defensive touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Junior Isaiah Laack had the fumble return, and junior Josiah Wolbrink returned a kickoff 74 yards for a score.
Laack also rushed for a 22-yard touchdown, junior Justice Elam rushed for 47 yards and a score, and sophomore Kaden Langrehr rushed seven times for 83 yards.
Arcadia 42, Onalaska Luther 20
ARCADIA — The Raiders (7-2, 5-2) scored at least once in every quarter to hand the Knights (4-5, 4-3) a defeat.
Senior Max Blaschko rushed 32 times for 264 yards and five touchdowns for Arcadia, which pulled away from a 12-12 tie after one quarter. Blaschko scored on runs of 40, 3, 21, 49 and 26 yards.
Junior quarterback Carter Wegman completed 6 of 8 passes for 115 yards and a 16-yard touchdown to receiver Khyle Updike to help the Raiders finish the regular season on a four-game winning streak.
Senior Jax Hendrickson rushed for a team-high 75 yards for Luther, which received a 12-yard touchdown run from junior Logan Pierce and a 75-yard kickoff return from junior Ashton Kendall in the first quarter.
Junior quarterback Jonny Holub later completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Kendall, but Blaschko scored two more times after that for the final margin.
