Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

WILLIAMSBURG – There are three phases in every football game. Offense, defense and special teams.

Domination in two out of three was enough to get West Branch to 3-0 on Friday night.

Class 1A fourth-ranked West Branch used a domination defense performance and a breakthrough game from junior quarterback Gavin Hierseman to overcome some shoddy special teams play in a 39-33 win at Williamsburg.

“Our special teams were horrendous tonight and we need to get that fixed,” West Branch coach Butch Pedersen said. “We were better on offense but we are going to have to keep improving on offense and obviously we are going to have to improve on special teams but defense has been pretty salty all year long and they will to continue to work to get better.”

Hierseman passed for 243 yards and three touchdowns, including two to senior Trey Eagle as West Branch (3-0) outgained Williamsburg by more than 250 yards.

West Branch limited Williamsburg (2-1) to 109 total yards and six yards rushing but couldn’t put the game away until a roughing the punter penalty gave the Bears a first down with under two minutes to play.   

Williamsburg returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and had 73-yard punt return that set up another score to keep the Raiders in the game.

However, every time the Raiders got back into the game West Branch had an answer.

“If you get knocked down you have to get back up somehow,” Eagle said. “Obviously we have some room to improve, 33 points that is too much to give up and win against a good team, but credit them they are a great team and they put up a good fight.”

West Branch led 17-0 midway through the second quarter when Eagle stepped in front of a Brody Wardenburg pass and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown.

Junior defensive end Jeff Bowie put pressure on Wardenburg who forced a pass from near his own endzone that Eagle intercepted before strolling untouched into the end zone.

The pick-6 by Eagle gave the Bears a 17-0 lead with 6:55 left before half and started a wild scoring streak to end the quarter.

“Our philosophy is we are going to get a rush so we just have to hold the receivers for five or 10 yards and our guys are going to get into the backfield,” Eagle said. “They ran a rub route into each other and the ball came right to me. That was good to get the momentum going in in our direction.”

Williamsburg got that score right back when senior Austin Burns scored the first of his two touchdown on kickoff returns with an 85 yard burst that made it 17-6.

Tanner Lukavsky capped a 6-play Bear touchdown drive on the ensuing possession but again Burns responded, this time with a 75-yard kickoff return that made the score 25-13.

West Branch closed the half with perhaps its best drive of the night, a 7-play, 74-yard march that ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Hierseman to the 6-foot-4 Eagle who outjumped a pair of defenders in the end zone.

“I just went up and made a play,” Eagle said. “He threw a great ball and the line gave him time and the play worked out great.

Williamsburg wouldn’t go away.

The Raiders cut the lead to 12 on a 3-yard touchdown plunge by Wardenburg set up by a 73-yard punt return by Kaden Wetjen.

Williamsburg got as close as 32-27 with 10:03 left when Riley Holt raced eight yards for a touchdown on a third and goal play.

Hierseman, Eagle and the Bears had the answer.

On the ensuing West Branch possession Hierseman hit Eagle in stride for a 54-yard touchdown pass that put the Bears up 39-27 with 8:50 left.
“Huge difference maker, huge play,” Pedersen said. “Trey is a tremendous playmaker and he can go out and get the ball and Gavin threw it right to him.”

That would be enough for West Branch to hang on – barely.

Williamsburg cut the lead to 39-32 on a 13-yard touchdown grab by Wetjen with 2:49 left and were set to get the ball back after forcing a three-and-out on the ensuing possession.
However, Williamsburg was called for roughing the punter and West Branch ran out the clock.

“I have never seen a game with two kickoff returns for touchdowns and a punt return like that,” Pedersen said. “We need to clean up those things our special teams but our kids really battled.”

In his third career start Hierseman completed 12-of-21 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns, adding a 22-yard scoring strike to Lukavsky.

The strong day from Hierseman helped West Branch put up a season-high 382 yards of total offense.

“Last week our offense didn’t come out and play very well and this week we came out ready right from the get go,” Hierseman said. “The line blocked extremely well, our receivers made plays I just have to put it out there for them.”

                                   WB                 WILL

First Downs                12                    9

Rushes-yards            42-139             24-6

Comp-Att-Int             12-21-1            8-27-1

Passing yards             243                  103

Total yards                 382                  109

Punts-avg                   8-26.1              7-35.3

Fumbles-lost               1-0                   6-2      

Penalties                     11-110             6-50

Williamsburg             0   13  7  12  –  32

West Branch             10  22  0   7   –  39

WB – Cael Fiderlein 25 field goal

WB – Tanner Lukavsky 22 pass from Gavin Hierseman (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Trey Eagle 10 interception return (Fiderlein kick)

WIL – Austin Burns 85 kick off return (Kick failed)

WB – Lukavsky 3 run (Eagle pass from Hierseman)

WIL – Burns 75 kick off return Kadince Kuesel kick)

WB – Eagle 19 pass from Hierseman (Fiderlein kick)

WIL – Brody Wardenburg 3 run (Kuesel kick)

WIL – Riley Holt 8 run (Kuesel kick)

WB – Eagle 54 pass from Hierseman (Fiderlein kick)

WIL – Kaden Wetjen 13 pass from Wardenburg (Kick failed)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING – WB: Tanner Lukavsky 22-88, Gavin Hierseman 14-20, Wyatt Goodale 4-33, Dakota Kaalberg 1-1, Team 1-(-3). WILL: Riley Holt 7-28, Austin Burns 5-2, Brody Wardenburg 10-(-12), Kaden Wetjen 2-(-12).

PASSING – WB: Gavin WB: Hierseman 12-21-1 243. WILL: Brody Wardenburg 8-27-1 98.

RECEIVING – WB: Wyatt Goodale 5-86, Trey Eagle 3-89, Tanner Lukavsky 3-51, Kaleb Sexton 1-17. WIL: Kaleb Wetjen 4-43, Alex Redden 2-24, Draven Williams 1-26, Austin Burns 1-10.

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by becoming a member.