ONALASKA — He ran through tackles, he slipped away from tackles, and he ran away from tackles.
The only thing the Onalaska High School football team’s defense succeeded with in terms of squaring up with Logan senior Maxim Roberts on Friday was keeping him out of the end zone.
But Roberts ran wherever he wanted whenever he wanted between the goal lines to help the Rangers end the Hilltoppers’ season in convincing fashion during a WIAA Division 3 second-round playoff game.
Roberts carried 18 times for 187 yards, and senior teammate Bradley Check rushed for four touchdowns and passed for two as Logan overwhelmed Onalaska 42-6 to qualify for a quarterfinal game at top-seeded Medford next week.
“It seemed like every carry was 7, 8 or 9 yards for that kid,” Check said of Roberts. “It was taking two or three guys to take him down. It was never one.”
Roberts ran with the Logan’s desired intensity against an MVC foe it barely beat during the regular season. Onalaska came back from a 22-point deficit to take the lead that night before Check scored a touchdown and two-point conversion in overtime to give the Rangers a 36-35 victory.
Logan (9-2) cut out the drama with a one-sided win this time around. The Rangers scored the first 16 points and had a 22-6 halftime lead when Check connected with Jacob Hackbarth on a 21-yard touchdown pass with 2 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first half.
Check then ended Onalaska’s first drive of the second half with an interception and followed up a couple of big runs by Roberts by scoring from the 2 and making sure the momentum stayed on the side of his team.
Roberts, who entered the game with 98 carries for 593 yards, carried the ball five times for 61 yards on that drive and had a gain of 19 yards for one first down and another of 39 to give the Rangers a first down at the Onalaska 4.
“Physicality,” Roberts said of the difference between the games. “In the last game, we went into it and started kind of soft. This game, our (offensive) line — our whole team — wanted this win, and our line barreled through everyone tonight.”
Tight end Owen Check, left tackle Collin Wilson, left guard Wesley McGough, center Jesse Lycke, right guard Christian Parcher, right tackle Colton Mathews and fullback Hudson Davis controlled this game, and Roberts and Check took full advantage by combining for 314 of their team’s 343 rushing yards.
“I knew our guys were ready to go after a good week of practice, and we knew we were as physical as Onalaska,” Logan coach Casey Knoble said. “Our guys are just kind of riding that crest of confidence right now.”
With six wins in the past seven games, the Rangers are certainly playing the way any team would want for this time of the season. A good defensive effort against Cam Cornett — he gained 131 yards and scored a touchdown but 47 of those yards came on a great play where he got around the right end and broke a couple of tackles while running down the sideline — added to Logan’s confidence moving forward.
The Rangers kept pressure on Onalaska quarterback Ian Kowal, who passed for just 37 yards on 16 attempts and was intercepted twice as his group of wide receivers shrunk due to injuries.
But the night belonged to Roberts, who has gained 321 yards during two postseason games and is making the Logan offense that much more dangerous and life for Check that much easier.
Check’s last touchdown run was a 46-yarder and was set up by Onalaska’s focus on the ball being given Roberts on the previous four plays. Check burst right through the middle of the line and was off to the races untouched on that one. Roberts’ first two carries on that drive covered 16 and 9 yards.
“We have to find ways to get eyes off of Bradley,” Knoble said. “We were able to do some things to get him moving, but none of that happens without the (offensive) line. And they are turning into a special group with the way they are moving the ball and creating holes.”
