Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
SEYMOUR — The Seymour football team got the signature win it’s been looking for all season.
The No. 2-seeded Thunder defeated No. 3 Antigo 33-0 in a WIAA Division 2 Level 1 playoff game Nov. 13 at Seymour High School.
The Thunder (2-6) held the Red Robins veer/wing option to 173 yards of total offense.
“You have to play differently when you see double-tight like we did tonight in Antigo,” said Matt Molle, Seymour head coach. “We watched film on them, and I thought our guys up front did a tremendous job stopping the initial attack.”
Seymour quarterback Peyton VanDeHei rushed for three touchdowns and was on the receiving end of another.
Meanwhile, running back Carson Molle rushed for 86 yards and had two interceptions on defense.
After forcing a three-and-out on Antigo’s (2-5) first possession, the Thunder’s initial drive was extended when a Red Robins player ran into the Seymour punter.
Five plays later, VanDeHei snuck in from the three for a 7-0 lead with 5:53 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Thunder then set the tone for the rest of the evening when they stopped a 15-play Antigo drive on downs inside the 10-yard line.
Near the end of the first half, Red Robins quarterback Alex Stank elected to throw a pass, and Molle picked him off inside the 15-yard line.
“We knew they’d be running flag routes to their tight end,” said Carson Molle. “I watched the quarterback’s eyes and read the play. I’m happy I could help my team on the defensive side of the ball.”
Four plays later, Seymour went up 14-0 when running back Logan Mattson kept his feet alive on the right sideline and danced into the end zone.
Up two touchdowns to start the second half, the Thunder used a reverse on the kickoff return to set up favorable field possession on the Antigo 39-yard line.
“You get to have a little fun when it’s the type of season everybody’s dealing with,” said Matt Molle. “When you unveil the plays and they work, it’s all the better. We work on them in practice to implement in games when needed.”
A few plays later, VanDeHei called his number again and rambled in from nine yards out, putting Seymour up 20-0 after the point-after attempt failed.
After another long drive for Antigo went awry, VanDeHei rushed for his third touchdown with a 1-yard plunge and a 27-0 advantage.
A late fourth-quarter touchdown and stop on defense preserved the shutout for Seymour.
The Thunder advanced to Level 2 Thursday, Nov. 19, and will see a familiar foe in Shawano (5-3), which was victorious in its Level 1 game against Marinette, 46-6.
The Hawks defeated Seymour 27-0 in week one.
“Shawano is a good football team,” Molle said. “They were tougher than us in the first game. We’ll have our hands full, but we’re excited to be playing. What the heck, man, this is awesome.”
Box score
Antigo: 0, 0, 0, 0 — 0
Seymour: 7, 7, 13, 6 — 33