ONALASKA — Ian Kowal dropped back to pass with everything on the line and 26.6 seconds on the clock during a WIAA Division 3 second-round playoff game against Pewaukee on Friday.
The Hilltoppers had used big plays to claw their way back into the game after trailing by as many as 17 points, and they were 9 yards away from the end zone while facing a three-point deficit.
Kowal dropped back, looked at his options and found senior Luke Siegel alone in the back of the end zone. He fired the pass and Siegel caught it, but he was ruled out of bounds.
As the Pirates kneeled to run out the clock on a 24-21 victory, Onalaska was left to think about a handful of ‘what ifs’ as their season was ended.
Sixth-seeded Pewaukee (6-5) had one 50-yard touchdown drive, but its other scores came on a 29-yard touchdown drive that followed an Onalaska fumble, a 31-yard drive that produced a field goal after an Onalaska interception and blocked punt that was carried to the end zone.
The second-seeded Hilltoppers (8-3) battled to the end, but the Pirates were able to pounce on each of those mistakes to advance to the next round.
“You fumble the opening kickoff, you throw a pick right before the end of the (first) half that leads to three, and you get a punt blocked,” Onalaska coach Tom Yashinsky said. “If any one of those things doesn’t happen, you have a shot.
“And then we still were 3 feet away from winning it. It’s a tough one to swallow, but we’re close.”
Yashinsky’s assessment that his team is ‘close’ connects to the fact that the Pirates were prepared by a schedule that included many of the top Division 1 programs in the state. The Hilltoppers eliminated Menomonie — a team with 78 playoff victories under its belt — last week and hung with a team that plays in the toughest conference in the state.
The blocked punt was recovered and advanced to the end zone by senior Liam Rhoades for a 17-0 Pewaukee lead with 7:49 left in the third quarter.
That’s when things finally started to shift for Onalaska, which has won at least one playoff game in nine of its past 10 seasons.
After taking over at his own 33, Kowal connected with Siegel on a short pass that Siegel’s speed turned into a 67-yard touchdown play.
A fumble forced by Adam Kuhn and recovered by Tanner Siebert gave the Hilltoppers the ball on their own 48, and senior Carson Zinnecker gained 12 yards on the ground during the first three plays.
A flag for pass interference moved the ball to the 20, and Zinnecker plunged in from the 1 to open the fourth quarter just three plays later. Maximus Todd’s conversion catch on a pass thrown by Grayson Andel had Onalaska within 17-14.
Pewaukee’s longest touchdown drive — a 50-yarder — followed, but a double pass led to another big play for Onalaska. Wylder Burch caught the initial pass from Kowal, then launched it to Siebert, who had slipped past the defense, for a 43-yard scoring play. The extra point made it 24-21 with 3:37 left.
A defensive stop gave the Hilltoppers one last chance, and that drive was kept alive by a two Kowal-to-Burch completions at key months. The first gained 23 yards on fourth-and-10 from the Onalaska 34, and the second moved the ball 31 yards and produced a first down at the Pewaukee 12 with less than a minute remaining.
A 3-yard gain moved the ball to the 9, and Kowal followed that with a couple of incomplete passes. That set up another fourth down and the pass to Siegel that ended the game.
“We converted that first fourth down, and it was like, ‘Oh, man, let’s go,'” said Kowal, who rushed for a 6-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left to beat Menomonie last week. “Wylder Burch made that great catch, and we were right there. A game of inches, literally.
“It was a broken play, and I thought he was right in the middle of the end zone, but he was inches out of bounds. It was heartbreaking.”
What wasn’t heartbreaking was the way Onalaska’s offensive line played against a defensive line that featured 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior Jack Tabbert and 6-7, 300-pound junior Cade Reikowski.
The Pirates provided pressure early, but that evaporated as the game progressed. Kowal moved well in the pocket, but pressure wasn’t heavy.
“Those were some big individuals,” Onalaska senior offensive and defensive lineman Aiden Knopp said. “The rain made it a fair battle, and if we stayed low and found that inner fight, we were okay.”
Pewaukee had 233 offensive yards on 51 plays, but it didn’t have to move much after the first-half turnovers to get 10 of its points. The punt block also helped the Pirates.
Kowal passed for 182 yards, and Zinnecker rushed for 54 as the Hilltoppers put up 299 yards and gave themselves a chance to win at the end.
“How many times was their back against the wall, and they kept fighting?” Yashinsky asked about his team. “I’m really proud of them.”
