Minnetrista, MN – It had been a while since Mound Westonka was able to celebrate a playoff victory, but on Tuesday night they did just that while scoring on every meaningful possession in a 47-0 decimation of Delano in a Section 6AAAA Quarterfinal game at a windy Haddorff Field.

Cole Drill had his most complete game of the season completing 9-of-12 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for 126 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. His knack to find either the open running lane, or the wide-open receiver, was instrumental in Westonka accumulating 442 yards of offense, The White Hawks didn’t have to punt at any point in the game.

Westonka took the opening kickoff and “pounded the rock” as the offensive line, which consists of Phil Pisarchuk, Owen Dillon, Dawson Leinfelder, John Seemann, Dylan Holappa, and Dylan Sloan, helped open holes for Drill, Blake Reinbold, and Joe Sluka at the outset. On the fifth play of the drive, Drill found a wide-open Max Kraay (3 receptions, 55 yards) down the left sideline for a catch-and-run TD from 38-yards out. Delano had a blown coverage on the play allowing Kraay to get past both defenders, who chased him down, but Kraay lunged across while being tackled, just barely breaking the plane of the goal line. Drill’s run for the two-point conversion gave Westonka an 8-0 lead just 3 minutes into the game. “We have made some big strides these past couple of weeks up front and the boys have come together and are playing at a really high level,” noted Westonka offensive line coach Brandon Brakstad.

The Tigers would come right back however, while also using the run game. In fact, on their second play from scrimmage, senior running back Caden Rock almost broke free at the Delano 40-yard but he stumbled before Sloan was able to tackle him from behind, saving an even longer play than the 20-yard scamper. After another first down that put Delano in Westonka territory, Holappa would meet running back Davin Clare in the hole stopping him for minus two yards on first down. Then, on third down, Tigers quarterback, Bryce Peterson, couldn’t find an open receiver and was sacked by junior linebacker Andrew Hoisington (7 tackles) for an 8-yard loss forcing a Delano punt. On the ensuing punt, junior Brandt Tebbs dropped the punt at the Westonka 10-yard line, but he was able to fall on the ball at the 1-yard line.

It took only six plays for the White Hawks to go 99 yards, as Drill found another wide-open target in senior George Eberhart (3 catches, 97 yards), who had escaped down the Westonka right sideline. Eberhart had to turn around and catch the ball at the 15-yard line before outracing the Tigers defender to the right pylon for a 64-yard score. Drill was pushed up the middle on the two-point try giving the White Hawks a 16-0 advantage with 1:13 to play in the first quarter. “George has had several big catches this season, and this one might have been his biggest of the season,” said Westonka wide receivers coach Jared Chapman.

Delano would start on their own 35-yard line after a short kickoff and get a 13-yard completion from Peterson to Rock down to the 50-yard line. But, once again, the Westonka defense would clamp down as Holappa would stop Rock for a 2-yard loss on first down, and then on second down, he forced Peterson to throw from outside the pocket which allowed Sluka to come over from his cornerback position and knock the ball away. On third down, Sluka broke up the pass down the left sideline and the Tigers had to punt, which Tebbs fair caught at the Delano 15-yard line.

For the first time all season, Westonka was able to consistently move the ball on the ground, which became evident on their third drive. Five straight running plays resulted in two first downs, and then Drill hit Eberhart down the left sideline for 25 yards taking the ball down to the Delano 32-yard line. Sophomore running back Blake Reinbold would eventually hit paydirt from 19 yards away off right tackle. Reinbold got great blocks on the outside from Kraay and Sluka to help spring him to the end zone. Chase Lee’s extra point made it 23-0 with 6:04 left in the second quarter.

The Tigers’ next possession would see Peterson finally find his favorite target, Jake Schultz, for a short gain on first down. Schultz caught the game winning TD against the White Hawks during the regular season matchup, but this would be his only catch of the night, as the Westonka secondary blanketed him all evening long. Holappa’s pressure on 2nd down made Peterson throw to his right, however there wasn’t a receiver in sight, and he was flagged for intentional grounding. On third down, Sloan literally ran around the right tackle forcing Peterson to scramble aimlessly, where Hoisington tracked him down for another sack. This time for a 12 yard loss. Schultz’s 63-yard punt came to a stop at the Westonka 22-yard line.

A 10 play, 78-yard drive resulted in a Drill 10-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds remaining in the first half giving the White Hawks an insurmountable 30-0 halftime lead. The White Hawks offense erupted for 327 total yards in the first half with 183 yards on the ground, while the defense held Delano to just 42 yards on 16 plays from scrimmage. In fact, Westonka only gave up 11 yards (in 14 plays) following Delano’s initial two rushing attempts. “Our defense has been executing at a very high level these past 3 weeks, and tonight was just another example of that. It has been so fun to see their growth throughout this season,” said White Hawks Head Coach Nick David.

Delano received the second half kickoff and Peterson promptly threw an interception after an initial first down. On the play, Schultz stopped short, while Peterson threw long to a wide-open Reinbold, who took it back to the Tigers 10-yard line. Delano’s defense held for the first time in the game forcing a Lee 23-yard field goal attempt which he drilled right down the middle.

The Westonka defense forced another punt on Delano’s next possession. A methodical 15-play, 70-yard drive would lead to a Roman Larsen (11 rushes, 49 yards) 1-yard touchdown run with 11:54 in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, Hoisington fought off a Schultz block before hitting returner Johnny Barcenas which jarred the ball loose allowing Mason Sebasky to recover the fumble. Another long series of nine plays over 38 yards whittled the fourth quarter running clock down to 5:07 after Reinbold (15 carries, 88 yards) bolted in from two yards out giving the final margin of 47-0. On Delano’s last drive, Peterson would throw an ill-advised pass across the middle which Tebbs picked off, returning it to the Tigers 25-yard line. Kraay would step in at QB to run out the remaining 3 1/2 minutes of game time. “Anytime you can hold one of the top wide receivers in the state (Delano’s Schultz) to 1 catch means you are executing and communicating at a high level,” said White Hawks defensive backs coach Brian Ibs.

The Westonka defense only allowed 25 passing yards on three completions, while holding the Tigers running game to 84 yards on 21 carries. Rock finished with 46 yards on eight carries. Tebbs (INT) and Hoisington (2 sacks, forced fumble) both had a team-high 7 tackles. Senior Cole Munsterteiger finished with 6 tackles, while Sloan had 4 tackles, a sack, and a tackle-for-loss. Holappa had two TFL’s while wreaking havoc on the defensive line. Larsen and Sluka (2 passes defended) both finished with three tackles.

In a game that is billed as the “War on the Shore”, Mound Westonka will embark on a trip just 6.4 miles to the northeast to face archrival Orono in the Battle of the Anchor II in 2024 in the MSHSL Section 6AAAA Semifinal match-up. The last time these two teams met, Orono defeated the White Hawks 40-8 in late September. Orono will be coming off back-to-back losses to Totino-Grace and Rocori, teams that are ranked in the top 5 of Class 4A, while Westonka will be riding a three-game winning streak. In 2021, Orono upset the White Hawks in the section semifinal game at Haddorff Field on a last second, 16-yard touchdown catch.

The Section 6AAAA Semifinal game is scheduled for 3:00pm at Pesonen Stadium on the campus of Orono High School this Saturday, October 26th.