Algoma stays hot to win 4th straight
Wolves use flurry of second-half turnovers and points to upend Sevastopol
INSTITUTE – The sprinklers turned on along the Algoma football team’s sideline Friday night as its players were packing up to head home.
It’s the only thing that could have cooled off this red-hot team.
The Wolves forced four turnovers in the second half and fired off several big plays to light up the scoreboard in a 36-6 victory to spoil Sevastopol’s homecoming in an Across the Bay Conference game.
Algoma shined brighter than the bomb fire burning near the field during the contest, which was a scoreless slugfest until the final play of the first half when junior Joey Cabino scored a 4-yard touchdown.
Juniors Lane Cochart and Parker Lischka then connected on the 2-point conversion to put the Wolves up 8-0.
“I thought as a team we had a slow start to the first half, but when it started to get more emotional we picked it up and we secured the score that you see right now,” senior lineman John Kirchman said.
The victory keeps Algoma’s hopes of securing a conference title alive and comes a week after seeing one of its best players, senior Isaac Yunk, sustain a torn ACL to one of his knees.
“Each season has its own unique aspects to it,” said Algoma head coach Wade Vandervest, whose team has won four straight since a triple overtime loss in the opener. “We’ve had some adversity, and we’ve had to figure out how to overcome that adversity.”
The flurry of points in the second half was sparked by the defense, as it produced a fumble recovery by junior Aiden Moen to stop Sevastopol at the Wolves’ 11-yard line on the opening drive of the second half.
A couple plays later Cochart found Lischka for a 64-yard scoring strike, extending the lead to 16-0 with Cochart completing the 2-point conversion pass to senior Wyatt Fay.
Fay followed it up by recovering a fumble forced by Moen on the ensuing Pioneers’ possession. Fay then made a nice catch off a slant to move the chains before ultimately catching a 35-yard touchdown from Lischka on a double pass at the start of the fourth quarter.
Lischka caught the 2-point conversion pass from Cochart to push the lead to 24-0.
“We just work our interior and then we can get those big plays to the outside,” Vandervest said. “That’s what we’re trying to do is get those big plays to the outside and trying different ways to do it.”
Cabino made an interception later in the fourth quarter to halt Sevastopol’s momentum after it scored on a long run and getting a stop.
Cochart would add a 6-yard touchdown off the turnover. Algoma’s final turnover and score came on an interception return by sophomore Cooper Fay.
“You need the kids to buy in,” Vandervest said. “It’s a credit to them for doing all the little things.”
The Wolves will host Gillett in their homecoming game next Friday. Algoma then travels to Suring on Oct. 11 before closing out its season by hosting undefeated Lena/Marinette St. Thomas on Oct. 17.
The season finale not only could shape up to be for the conference title, but potentially also could be the last home game at Perry Field as there have been discussions about moving home games to the field by the school in upcoming years.
The only certainty as this point is that the Wolves’ final game this year will be at the end of the regular season, as they’re unable to qualify for the WIAA’s 8-player playoffs since the school’s three-enrollment average remains just over 200.
“We can’t make it, but the big thing is what can we do as football players to get better overall? That’s the goal,” Vandervest said.
“I just want to make sure we’re improving. By the time you step on that field as a freshman from the time you step off that field as a senior, are you making a good progression? That’s where our focus is.”