DE PERE – For one half, the West De Pere football team received a strong test from a determined Pulaski team.
In the second half, things were a different story.
Leading only 14-7 at intermission, West De Pere eventually pulled away for a 42-21 victory over the Red Raiders in a WIAA Division 2 Level 2 victory on Oct. 31 at West De Pere High School.
During the regular season, the Phantoms easily took care of their Fox River Classic Conference rival Pulaski, 52-9.
“Pulaski is a well-coached team,” West De Pere Coach Chris Greisen said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be the same as the last time we played them. Pulaski has some proud seniors, so they gave us a good battle. They gave us some different looks offensively and defensively we hadn’t seen before, but the kids adjusted well in the second half.”
The Red Raiders (7-4) moved the ball deep inside West De Pere territory four times in the first half but could only muster a lone touchdown before the break.
Their first drive ended in a missed field goal, and a turnover on downs ended their second drive.
After the missed field goal, the Phantoms jumped ahead 7-0 on a Patrick Greisen 69-yard touchdown pass to Judeah Kniskern late in the first quarter.
Pulaski tied the game early in the second quarter on a Bohdan Schmidt six-yard TD run.
The key moment of the game came on the Red Raiders' next drive after it was stopped by the West De Pere defense inside the one-yard line on fourth down.
The Phantoms promptly went 99 yards in 13 plays, capped by a Ryan Lutz short TD run for a 14-7 lead after Maverick Lor’s extra point.
“Our defense did a great job of stopping Pulaski near the goal line there,” Greisen said. “Then, our offense went 99 yards to score – that’s a backbreaker for Pulaski and a 14-point swing.”
Lutz scored again on West De Pere’s first offensive play of the second half before P. Greisen found Braylon Stegall from 28 yards out to make it 28-7 after the Lor extra points.
Schmidt and Lutz traded touchdown runs before Kniskern hauled in his second TD of the night halfway through the fourth quarter for a 42-14 Phantoms lead.
Schmidt ended the scoring with another TD run late in the game for Pulaski for the final margin.
With the win, No. 1 West De Pere (11-0) will host No. 3 Union Grove (10-1) in Level 3.
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