By Murray Gleffe, Correspondent
ASHWAUBENON-The Ashwaubenon Jaguars put everything together Friday night at Goelz Field. The result was a 55-0 shutout of the Sheboygan North Golden Raiders.
Anthony Guarascio passed for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Alex Stanko rushed for 68 yards on just six carries and had two touchdown runs and one touchdown reception.
The Jaguars limited the Golden Raiders to 162 yards of total offense, and just ten yards through the air. Diego Zastrow had a fumble recovery and three broken up passes attempts.
Zastrow, ” I liked the intensity we showed throughout the game. We didn’t put the points up early, but got it going in the second quarter and then brought it home in style. We have to be ready to play next week in hopes that the playoff berth will be calling our name.”
The Jaguars popped out of the gates quickly after the Golden Raiders first drive stalled on downs at midfield. Alex Stanko took the ball 39 yards from QB Guarascio and barreled through the defensive line, the linebacking core, and then the secondary en route to a touchown. It put the Jaguars up 7-0 with 5:48 left in the first quarter.
It looked like the Jaguars were well on their way to victory, but then two drives stalled, and suddenly their early touchdown were the only points on the board with just seven minutes left until the break.
The coaching staff and players weren’t about to disappoint the faithful that came out and braved the driving rain storm..
During the last seven minutes of the second quarter, the Jaguars erupted for an unprecedented 28 points which included three touchdown passes from Guarascio to Evan Wood (21 yards), Stanko (14 yards), and Graham Manders (7 yards). Not to be outdone was the last of the four touchdowns, in which Stanko scored on a 21-yard touchdown run to put the Jaguars up 35-0 at intermission and issue a mandatory running clock to the Golden Raiders.
The second half started with a fantastic kickoff return by Will Adair, and a fifteen-yard personal foul at the end of the play. The Jaguars started on the Golden Raiders 31-yard line, and only needed one play. Jaguars WR Griffin Baierl made a circus ‘over the head’ catch from Guarascio to extend the lead to 42-0 just one minute into the third quarter.
Many reserves on both sides of the ball entered the game the final eighteen minutes of the ball game, and RB’s Troy Lo, and Jonathan Maldonado took advantage of extended playing time by scoring touchdowns late in the game to propel the Jaguars onto victory.
Coach Jonas, “I was very happy with the play last night. We talked all week about being disciplined on defense because of the option that North runs. For the most part, the kids really did a nice job of doing their assignments. Offensively, we liked the fact that some kids who hadn’t scored yet had the opportunity to get the ball in the end zone: Griffin Baierl, Graham Manders, Troy Lo, and Jonathon Maldonado. I’m very happy that we were able to get all the kids in the game on Homecoming. It means a lot to the players who work hard every week, the parents, and the kids in school who are friends with them.”
The Jaguars will take their 3-5 mark into next Friday when they travel to Sheboygan South to take on the 1-6 Redwings. They must win the ball game and then wait for the WIAA to unveil the playoff teams that evening.
Notes from the Game:
-The homecoming court was presented on the Goelz Field track just prior to the game.
-Fireworks lit up the sky for 17 minutes after the ball game.
Game Preview (October 13th): Ashwaubenon Jaguars 3-5 at Sheboygan South Redwings 1-7
The Jaguars will travel to Sheboygan South for the regular season finale, and hope that they end their season on a high note. The Jaguars won the contest between the two schools 52-21 in 2016. Anthony Guarascio continues to tear it up in the FRCC passing for over 1800 yards and 21 touchdowns on the season. Alex Stanko will look to make a mark in his last regular season game as a Jaguar. He has been held in check of late, but still leads the team in rushing yards, and overall toughness. The Jaguars have had as many as 11 different receivers catch a pass from Guarascio, and will look to continue that trend of spreading the ball around on Friday night. The Redwings have endured a long and trying season much like their rivals on the north end of town. The Redwings come into the contest with their lone win being over the Golden Raiders in Week 4. Offensively, the Redwings average only 8.4 PPG, and give up a staggering 38.9 PPG defensively. Jacob Bonin leads the way at QB, with Jacob Case at running back, and Phillip Clavelle, Jr. catching a majority of the balls through the air. The Jaguars need a win and some help to qualify for the WIAA Playoffs starting October 20th.
