LITTLE CHUTE, Wis. — The “We’ll Show You” tour wrapped up its 11th week Friday night and once more the artists known as Little Chute turned in performance you just couldn’t beat.
Which is kind of funny, because before this football season began, Little Chute was the team everyone was supposed to beat.
“You know, they don’t believe the press clippings,’’ said Little Chute coach Ted Evers, following his Mustangs’ 7-3 victory over Xavier in a WIAA Division 4, Level 2 playoff game.
“We were picked last in the conference prior to the year by Wissports. I still think people doubt us. But maybe they’ll start believing now, because our kids definitely believe.”
In a game where defense ruled the day, it was going to come down to someone making a play.
That someone was Little Chute wide receiver Hunter Thiel.
With time winding down in the third quarter and Little Chute railing 3-0, the Mustangs found themselves facing third-and-12 from the Hawks’ 48.
Quarterback Charlie VandenBurgt went back to pass and found nothing. He scrambled right and bought enough time before spotting Thiel down field. The senior used all of his 6-foot-5 frame to leap up and snare the ball out of the air for a 25-yard gain to the Xavier 23.
Eight straight running plays brought the ball to the Xavier 1, and on fourth-and-goal VandenBurgt burrowed into the end zone to give the Mustangs a 7-3 lead with 10:56 remaining.
“I thought it was a really good catch,” Thiel said of the key play on the 15-play, 60-yard drive. “It was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation, trying to go up and grab it. And like, just a quick audible because I wasn’t even supposed to run that kind of route. He was scrambling. It was just a scramble route.”
Evers said it was a play symbolic of his team’s makeup.
“Our seniors; we just got to ride our seniors,” he said. “You knew they were gonna make a play, someone was gonna make a play.”
The Little Chute defense made all the plays in the second half. Xavier was held without a first down, went three-and-out four times and finished with a negative three yards of offense.
“I think it was just a matter of us buckling down and staying disciplined and doing our job,” said Evers. “Because Xavier does a lot of good ball fakes and all that. I think they might have got us early and then, when we read our keys, we were successful.”
Thiel was also at the center of the key defensive play of the game. With 3:28, Xavier took over at its own 28. On the first play, the Hawks used misdirection, handed it to Evan McCormick, and he took off around the left side and went up the sidelines for an apparent 72-yard score.
But Thiel, a defensive end, was standing back at the 28, arms ups in the air, looking for a flag as he was clearly held on the play. He saw three.
“I wanted that call,” Thiel said. “And I’m glad (the referee) did because that was a really big run otherwise.”
The Mustangs (11-0) will host Freedom (10-1) next Friday. It will mark the third straight game Little Chute faces a team it beat earlier this season. On Sept. 30, the Mustangs got a 10-yard TD from Drew Joten in the fourth quarter to pull out the win over the Irish.
“It’s definitely going to be a challenge,” said Evers.
Just another in a season full of them for the team whose season was supposed to be already over. But the Mustangs had other plans.
“It feels good,” said Joten of Little Chute’s unexpected success this season. “We use that as fuel. We knew we were this good. We just had to prove it to everyone else.”
Xavier 0 3 0 0 — 0
Little Chute 0 0 0 7 — 7
X – AJ Seidler, 21 FG.
LC – Charlie VandenBurgt, 1 run (Dawson Roseman kick).
Story idea? You can reach Mike Woods at 920-246-6321 or at: michael.t.woods1@charter.com