Pirates hang on to beat D.C. Everest, heading to Camp Randall

OSHKOSH – For the second time in school history, the Bay Port football team is heading to the WIAA Division 1 state championship game. 

After jumping out to a 34-10 third-quarter lead against D.C. Everest in the state semifinals on Nov. 15, the Pirates hung on for a 34-27 victory. 

The Evergreens scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and added a field goal to make things interesting. 

Brock Gauthier recovered the final onside kick from Everest before Bay Port ran out the clock at Titan Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. 

Bay Port will see a familiar face in the title game when they take on Muskego, a 16-14 winner over Mukwonago in the other state semifinal game. 

The only other time the Pirates made it to state was in 2019 when they lost to Muskego, 21-10. 

Five years later, Bay Port will again take on the Warriors at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Friday, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. for a chance to take home the gold ball. 

“I am proud as can be,” Bay Port Coach Steven Jorgensen said. “We knew it was going to be a 48-minute battle. We’re blessed to be one of the last two teams remaining.”

After Brady Moon busted out for a 60-yard score on Bay Port’s fourth play from scrimmage, the Pirates led 7-0 after Beckett Koerten’s extra point. 

Sawyer Torp nabbed a 25-yard TD pass from Matt Stevens to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter before the Evergreens blocked a Bay Port punt halfway through the quarter for a score, closing the gap to 14-7. 

Moon scored his second TD of the night when he caught a four-yard pass from Stevens for a 21-7 halftime lead. 

Everest recovered an onside kick to start the second half and turned that into a 39-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 21-10. 

Bennett Deppeler bumped the lead to 28-10 on a 24-yard TD reception from Stevens on Bay Port’s next possession. 

Torp hauled in a long pass from Stevens three minutes later and dashed 77 yards for a score to seemingly put the game away, 34-10. 

Stevens led the Pirates with 136 yards rushing on 18 carries, while Moon added 110 yards on 16 carries. 

Stevens was 11 of 15 passing for 204 yards with four TDs. 

Torp hauled in four passes for 135 yards with a pair of TDs. 

Defensively, Mikey Jones and Jackson Otradovec had interceptions.