LA CROSSE — As the West Salem High School football team faced a third-and-8 snap from its own 23-yard line while trailing by a touchdown with 22 seconds left in their Coulee Conference showdown on Friday, Aquinas senior Will Flottmeyer knew where he needed to be to defend.
Instead of playing inside, where he was supposed to line up, Flottmeyer swapped with teammate Charlie Kirchner and moved to the outside. He thought it gave him a better shot at reaching West Salem quarterback Drew McConkey as he tried to complete a first-down pass downfield and give his team another snap.
As Flottmeyer, a North Dakota commit, burst through the left side and got eyes on his target, McConkey turned in an attempt at an escape, but Flottmeyer was there to bury him for the second time in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers weren’t able to get back to the line of scrimmage in time for a fourth-down play, so Flottmeyer’s big play at a big time secured a 20-13 victory for the Blugolds at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.
“Drew was starting to roll out more, and I asked Charlie if I could go outside and try to condense him in,” Flottmeyer said. “Instantly, when I went to weak-side end, I saw the clock , turned to Chuck and said, ‘This is a legacy moment.’
Flottmeyer took advantage of the opportunity and gave the Blugolds (8-0, 6-0) a share of the conference title. Aquinas can win the championship outright by beating Viroqua next week.
Aquinas scored all of its points in the first quarter, senior quarterback Ryan Johnson passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and Isaac Miller (punt) and Joseph Korger (extra point) blocked kicks as the Blugolds beat the Panthers for a third straight time.
West Salem (6-2, 5-1) was on its heels almost immediately as Aquinas drove 54 yards for a touchdown on its first possession. Miller’s blocked punt followed the Blugolds’ first defensive stand, and senior Marcus Klar was there for the recovery and short run for another touchdown and 12-0 lead with 6 minutes, 4 seconds left in the first quarter.
“Miller came through the middle and got the block, and I was on the outside,” Klar said. “No one was near me. All I could think in my head was, ‘Don’t fall down, get the scoop and score.'”
Johnson later connected with junior Brady Lee on a 71-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline for the 20-0 lead with 10:05 left in the first half.
The Panthers weren’t able to cross midfield until McConkey recovered a fumble at the Aquinas 36 with 4:10 remaining in the half. They moved the ball to the 12, but Flottmeyer was there for a sack and 10-yard loss on third down, and an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the drive.
McConkey, who passed for 124 yards but was held without a completion until the second half, helped turn a fumble recovery by Parker Whitacre into a three-play, 39-yard touchdown drive that finished with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Landon Michlig in the third quarter.
A fumble recovery by West Salem’s Will Byom set up his team’s second touchdown, which came when Lucas Fry scored from 10 yards out to make it 20-13 with 3:23 left in the game. Korger’s blocked extra point meant there would have to be some kind of conversion attempted to tie the game if the Panthers got the ball back.
The Panthers also had a chance to get on the board before Michlig’s touchdown catch when they took the ball to the Aquinas 2 on their first drive of the third quarter. Coach Ryan Olson opted to go for a first down on fourth-and-goal from the 2, but Fry was stopped a yard short of the end zone.
Flottmeyer was likely part of that stop, too, because it seemed like he was everywhere throughout the night.
“There are probably hunks of him still sitting out on that turf right now,” Aquinas coach Tom Lee said of Flottmeyer’s performance. “That guy was unbelievable tonight.
“Landon Michlig is the real deal, and Will had to block that guy all night long. That’s tough sledding, but then to make those defensive plays, too. Incredible.”
