Fast start propels Kewaunee in opener
KEWAUNEE – Every football team gets a fresh start this time of year.
Kewaunee enjoyed getting off to a fast one as well.
The Storm took advantage of great field position early in recording a 34-14 victory over Racine Lutheran in a nonconference game Friday at Don Rabas Field.
“We had a lot of young guys in there that were willing to step up to the challenge,” Kewaunee coach Randy Charles said.
“We had a nice, hot start. We made some mistakes, especially as things went on early in the second half. We made some mistakes we didn’t make in the first half, but I think that’s things you’re going to have with a young team and the growing pains we have to go through. But they found a way to stop that negative momentum and getting it back going when they needed to.”
Four of the Storm’s five touchdowns came from inside the 10-yard line, including a
5-yard run by senior Jackson Wisnicky early in the third quarter to push the lead to 34-0
It was the kind of start Kewaunee was looking for in replacing 15 seniors that helped the program advance to WIAA state semifinal games in back-to-back seasons.
“It's really great to see these young guys grow and just the tip of the iceberg of what they can do,” said Wisnicky, who also scored on a 49-yard scamper in the second quarter for the longest play from scrimmage of the night. “I’m really excited to help them grow and continue the legacy of Kewaunee football.”
The first 17 minutes of Friday’s game were played in Racine Lutheran territory as Kewaunee benefited from a kickoff placed inside the 5, a short punt returned inside the 10, and an interception by junior Trevor Gauthier to build a 15-0 lead by the time Racine Lutheran was able to get off a snap on the Storm’s side of the field.
Gauthier opened the scoring by catching a touchdown on fourth-and-7 from fellow junior Brett Paulsen to cap the Storm’s first series of the season.
Senior Tyler VanGoethem added a one-yard plunge on third-and-goal on the next drive. The bounces continued to go in Kewaunee’s favor when the extra-point attempt went array and Paulsen was still able to find Wisnicky for a 2-point conversion to push the lead to 15-0.
The first half ended with Paulsen improvising again to beat the clock in scrambling for a score on the final play before halftime to extend the lead to 28-0.
“I’m definitely proud to see the guys that were given some opportunities step up,” Charles said. “We took advantage of some opportunities early. That got us up. We definitely got a lot of learning and growing to do yet, but we’ll take it and go from here.”
Kewaunee heads north – like way up north – for its next nonconference game Thursday, Aug. 29, at Negaunee in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula before opening Packerland Conference play by hosting Oconto on Sept. 6.