MENASHA, Wis. — Seth Miron’s dad sent him a picture on Friday.
It was Seth as a middle schooler in the stands at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, with the football field in the background, during Kimberly’s run of five straight WIAA state championships.
“He’s like, ‘If you want this, go get it,’” the Kimberly quarterback said.
And like a good son, Miron did as he was told.
The senior quarterback threw a pair of touchdown passes and the Papermakers relied heavily on the legs of running back Blake Barry to topple top seed Bay Port 42-21 in a WIAA Division 1 state semifinal Friday at Calder Stadium in Menasha.
“You know, you don’t go into coaching for outcomes,” said first-year Kimberly coach Chad Michalkiewicz. “You hope for it. I think every coach dreams of going to state; I know I certainly did.
“But when you get to coach kids like this from this community who just flat out do things the right way, and then to see them achieve their goals that they’ve had since they’re a little kids growing up in this community. It’s just awesome.”
Kimberly’s game plan was to feed Barry and rely on its offensive line to clear a path. And all the key participants responded.
Barry, a senior, ran 28 times for 279 yards and four touchdowns.
“It feels great,” he said. “Coming through the program, watching all the alumni play in this game. I mean, it means so much to be a part of it. Now when we got our senior class here, it’s something we’ve dreamed of and worked our whole lives for.”
As for the offensive line, Miron had a front-row seat to their stellar performance.
“Most physical o-line I’ve ever seen,” Miron said. “I mean, they’re a bunch of dogs. They hit, they lift, they’re all strong and they can move. I love my o-line. A lot.”
This game turned in the final minute of the first half.
With Kimberly leading 21-14, Bay Port faced a fourth-and-five from the Kimberly 45 and decided to gamble. But quarterback Cole Bensen’s pass fell incomplete, and Kimberly took over with 52 seconds on the clock.
It took just four plays as Miron found Jaxson Garbisch for their second touchdown of the first half, this time from 10 yards out, for a 28-14 Papermakers’ lead.
“The second one was a red zone concept we put in a few weeks ago,” Michalkiewicz said. “We didn’t quite get to it, but needed it in a big moment to stretch that lead out at halftime.”
Kimberly then took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 72 yards in eight plays with Barry — who picked up 58 of those yards on the ground — going the final three. That gave the Papermakers a 35-14 cushion to put the game out of reach and ensure a rich legacy would continue.
“I get people that have to point it out,” said Michalkiewicz. “But the seniors were told they’d be the first group to not go to Camp Randall since 2008 or whatever. Which is not fair for those kids.
“But, you know, they were middle schoolers going to state and watching the (state record) 70-game win streak and all that. Again, we’re not outcomes focused. But you know, they’d be lying if they said it wasn’t on their mind. So they’re super happy to represent the ‘K’ down in Madison.”
True that.
“I think that was a big motivating factor for us,” Barry said of the senior class making it to Madison. “But I think for us, we just came in week in, week out, put in the work and did all the little things that got us to this level. And I think we’re gonna do something special here.”
KIMBERLY 14 14 14 0 – 42
BAY PORT 7 7 0 7 – 21
K – Blake Barry, 2 run(Hunter Berry kick).
BP – Cole Bensen, 1 run (Owen Bellisle kick).
K – Jaxson Garbisch, 22 pass from Seth Miron (Berry kick).
BP – Tevyn Montgomery, 2 run (Bellisle kick).
K – Barry, 24 run (Berry kick).
K – Garbisch, 8 pass from Miron (Berry kick).
K – Barry, 3 run (Berry kick).
K – Barry, 8 run (Berry kick).
BP – Bensen, 1 run (Bellisle kick).
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
DIVISION 1
Kimberly 42, Bay Port 21
Mukwonago 42, Hamilton 21
DIVISION 2
West De Pere 26, Kaukauna 7
Kettle Moraine 7, Brookfield Central 0
DIVISION 3
West Salem 37, Onalaska 14
Monroe 48, New Berlin West 6
DIVISION 4
Columbus 32, Freedom 16
Catholic Memorial 20, Two Rivers 14
DIVISION 5
Aquinas 44, Kewaunee 19
Mayville 26, Prairie du Chien 21
DIVISION 6
Stratford 20, St. Mary’s Spring 14
Mondovi 14, Darlington 7
DIVISION 7
Regis 43, Bangor 7
Shiocton 21, Cashton 19
STATE FINALS SCHEDULE
Camp Randall Stadium, Madison.
Thursday’s Games
Div. 7: 10 a.m. - Regis (13-0) vs. Shiocton (11-2)
Div. 6: 1 p.m. - Mondovi (12-1) vs. Stratford (10-2-1)
Div. 5: 4 p.m. - Aquinas (12-1) vs. Mayville (13-0)
Div. 4: 7 p.m. - Columbus (13-0) vs. Catholic Memorial (13-0)
Friday’s Games
Div. 3: 10 a.m. - West Salem (12-1) vs. Monroe (13-0)
Div. 2: 1 p.m. - West De Pere (12-1) vs. Kettle Moraine (10-3)
Div. 1: 4 p.m. - Kimberly (12-1) vs. Mukwonago (12-1)
Story idea? You can reach Mike Woods at 920-246-6321 or at: michael.t.woods1@charter.com