On Friday, October 10, the Ashwaubenon Jaguars closed out their home schedule with a hard fought 16-7 victory over the Green Bay Southwest Trojans.
It was an important night for the Jaguars, as they honored their seniors with one final win on their home field.
Both teams started slow, trading possessions back and forth until the Trojans finally broke through early in the second quarter when Traevaughn Weaver punched in a touchdown, and the extra point made it 7-0.
Southwest’s offense found its rhythm as the quarter went on, but Ashwaubenon’s special teams delivered a huge momentum shift.
With just under five minutes before halftime, number 12 Isaac Aoki broke through the line and blocked a Southwest punt, setting the Jaguars up with great field position.
Moments later, senior Jameson Stewart carried the ball across the goal line for his first ever varsity touchdown.
The extra point was good, and Ashwaubenon took a 14-0 lead with 3:36 left in the half.
The score remained tied for the majority of the game, and both teams fought tooth and nail for the ball.
The Jaguars added to their lead in the fourth quarter when Stewart struck again, finding the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.
Shortly after Stewart’s second touchdown, Ashwaubenon tackled Southwest quarterback Danny Stevens in the end zone, resulting in a safety, bringing the score to 16-7.
Southwest was unable to make a play to score, and the game resulted in a satisfying win for the Jaguars.
For head coach Brian Ryczkowski, it was a satisfying way to cap off Senior Night.
“It’s the last home game of the year, that’s going to happen a lot across the state with senior night,” Ryczkowski said. “I’m happy that the seniors got a win. You only get to play football for so long, I’m glad we could get them a win at their last home game. I really like this group of guys– they’ve done things the right way all year. This is our third win; you can’t win them all, but I’m proud of the way they do things.”
Ryczkowski credited his players’ effort and discipline throughout the night.
“We knew there were tough games on our schedule, and Southwest was going to give us a tough game regardless of their record,” he said. “I thought the guys had a good week of practice. Things don’t always go the way you plan, we got a safety, a blocked punt, that hasn’t happened all year, so whatever it takes to find a way to win.”
He said the victory was a full-team effort.
“Our defense has been tough all year. We did some good things on the ground in the second half, so I’m proud of our offensive linemen and the guys blocking and carrying the ball. The defense scored, the punt return team had a block, the offense had two touchdowns, it was kind of a team win,” Ryczkowski said. “Not perfect by any means, plenty of penalties, but I’m just happy for the seniors most of all that they got a win.”
Senior Jameson Stewart, who scored both offensive touchdowns, said the night couldn’t have gone much better.
“It’s senior night, all I asked for was a win, and we got it,” Stewart said, smiling. “Now we’ve got a chance at playoffs.”
For Stewart, who typically plays defense, finding the end zone twice made the moment even sweeter.
“I just wanted to get in the end zone. I’ve never scored in a varsity game, so my eyes got wide, I was just excited as a defensive player,” he said. “I was proud of how everyone battled. They fought hard, we fought harder.”
Stewart said the team’s mentality was key to pulling out the win.
“We stayed level headed. All week in practice we talked about how we can’t have an ego, we just have to go into this game level headed and play our football,” he said. “They (the coaches and teammates) reminded us it was our last game on this field. They brought us together as a family and as seniors.”
With the 16-7 victory, the Jaguars gave their fans one last reason to cheer under the home lights, and gave their seniors a memory they’ll carry long after the season ends.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here