By Murray Gleffe, Sports Correspondent
The Jaguar front seven couldn’t stop #12 on the other side of the field. Pulaski Red Raiders QB Dustin Graf had touchdown runs of 84, 91, and 98 yards en route to 332 yards on the day. Dylan Hendricks added 153 on just 13 carries as the Pulaski Red Raiders racked up 561 yards of total offense to just 160 for the Ashwaubenon Jaguars. In the defeat, Jaguars QB Anthony Guarascio threw for two touchdown passes.
The Jaguars won the toss and elected to receive to open the game. They went a quick three and out, and the Red Raiders took over their first possession at their own 24. Graf carried it four times during the drive and Hendricks three. The last one came on a 24-yard power run to the right half of the field that ended with a touchdown. The ensuing PAT put the Red Raiders up 7-0 just six minutes into the contest.
The Jaguars, however, fought back on their next possession. With the running game having problems with the stout Red Raiders defensive line, Jaguars QB Anthony Guarascio got hot through the air connecting with Murphy, Griffin Baierl, and Ben DeLaurelle on the drive. DeLaurelle ended the drive by catching a short 1-yard touchdown reception on a roll out by Guarascio. Jaguar placekicker Kole Kolinski knocked the PAT through and it deadlocked the score at 7-7 with 5:46 left in the opener! That would be the first and last score the Jaguars would have, however, till the opening seconds of the 4th quarter.
The Red Raiders took their second possession of the 2nd quarter and ran, ran, and ran some more. The 11-play 69-yard drive was capped off by a Hendricks 12 yard touchdown run on a counter. It put the Red Raiders up 14-7. The Jaguars had to punt on their subsequent drive. However, the Red Raiders returner muffed the ball, and the Jaguars set up shop at the Red Raiders 6. However, Red Raiders LB Andrew Egnarski snuffed out the drive by intercepting Guarascio in the end zone. A potential turning point yielded 0 points for the Jaguars. That series seemed to change the outcome of the game.
The ‘Dustin Graf Show’ started in the 2nd quarter. After another Jaguar punt, Graf took the snap from center and danced around the right tackle before going 84 yards untouched to the end zone. The 20-7 Red Raider lead extended when after another Jaguar drive ended in a three and out series, Graf did it again. This time, he went 98 yards straight up the middle of the field! When the dust had settled in that six-minute period, the Red Raiders had scored a quick 14 points, and took a 28-7 lead into intermission.
The Red Raiders received the ball to start the 3rd, and they couldn’t be stopped. On the 5th play, Hendricks took the ball on an inside reverse, and scampered 41 yards to the end zone. After a Guarascio interception near the end zone, Dustin Graf did the unthinkable! He took the ball and this time went 91 yards down the right side of the Jaguar sidelines and leapt into the end-zone just before a tackle was about to be made. Three carries, Three Touchdowns, 31 seconds of running, and 273 yards during his three-play video-like performance. Suddenly, the lead had spiraled to 42-7 for the Red Raiders with 8:19 still remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Jaguars had a running clock issued to them.
Murphy (Jaguars) and Hendricks (Red Raiders) added 4th quarter touchdowns for their respective teams and the Red Raiders handed the Jaguars their worse loss of the season at 49-14. The 2-5 Jaguars will be back in action next Friday October 6th when they host the Sheboygan North Golden Raiders for homecoming. The Jaguars will have to win their remaining two games, and hope that the WIAA doesn’t have enough plus .500 teams to qualify, to put them in the mix for a playoff berth.
Oct 6th Game Preview: Ashwaubenon Jaguars 2-5 vs Sheboygan North Golden Raiders 0-7
The Jaguars will look to get back on track during Homecoming week when they take on the winless Sheboygan North Golden Raiders. The Jaguars have to defeat both Sheboygan schools to end the season, and hope that the WIAA doesn’t have enough plus 500 conference records to continue its streak of making the playoffs. The Jaguars will look to get Alex Stanko going on the ground after being limited to 42 yards the last two weeks. Jaguar QB Anthony Guarascio continues to put up big numbers (10 TD’s the last 3 games). For the season, the Jaguars are averaging 25.9 PPG, but are giving up 32.2 PPG defensively. The Golden Raiders are struggling through another winless season. They have been shut-out twice and have not scored more than 9 points in a single game all year. Mitchell Mahler leads the Golden Raiders at QB. His favorite target is Mykael Coleman at split end. Isaiah Love-Beringer has been an absolute work load for his team. He averages 20 carries a ball game and has topped out at close to 500 yards for the season. On the other side of the ball, the Golden Raiders have given up an average of 48.2 PPG. They have held one opponent (South) to under 42 points all season.
