By Jacob Heid

WISCONSIN RAPIDS — After taking back possession of the River Jug with a win a season ago, SPASH traveled to Wisconsin Rapids on Sept 9 to defend it but gave it to the Red Raiders for the second time in the last three contests. The Panthers fell 34-21 to Rapids’ run-heavy offense. SPASH kept the game close in the first half, but what happened in the third quarter would drastically change the game.

The Red Raiders opened their first possession by getting to mid-field before senior Teal Lucas threw his only pass to Evan Matthews for an electric 50-yard touchdown. Now, with the crowd into the game, the Panthers tried answering on the following possession. The offense drove the ball into Red Raider territory until Rapids forced a turnover on sophomore Grant Chandonais. The QB threw his fifth interception of the season. That gave Rapids the ball on its own 49-yard line. 

SPASH held its own defensively, getting a stop at the end of the first quarter, with Rapids holding onto a 7-0 lead. The Panther offense continued to fly down the field in the next drive, and the possession would stall out. SPASH converted on a fourth down and eight with a throw down to Rapids’ 20-yard-line. Chandonais then took a shot in the right side of the end zone that would get picked again by the Red Raiders with 7:10 left in the first half. Wisconsin Rapids then started to dominate the run game. Lucas trotted 16 yards into the end zone on the next possession to give Wisconsin Rapids a 14-0 lead before halftime. A 31-yard run by senior Leo Brostowitz before the touchdown brought them to that point. 

The Panthers closed the half with momentum on their side. Grant Chandonais bombed a 76-yard pass that put SPASH on the 20-yard line, another prime red-zone opportunity. A fourth and ten from the 10 followed, ending in a touchdown to Ethan Ehlinger, making it a 14-7 ball game with 2:37 remaining. Rapids crossed the goal line again before the half but had it called back because of a hold. Both teams had opportunities to score that they did not capitalize on. 

SPASH had a good night running the ball with Braylon Smola. He had 108 yards on 26 rushes. But, Rapids’ rushing was the game changer. The defense didn’t allow any points from the Panthers in the third quarter, while 13 points went up on the board via the run. Lucas took his second rushing touchdown from 38 yards, and Brostowitz followed that up late in the quarter with a 24-yard touchdown. Brostowitz finished the game with 308 yards rushing and two touchdowns. 

SPASH found themselves down 27-7 after the third quarter but got going in the fourth. Chandonais threw his second touchdown of the game in the quarter, finding Amon Konopacki. Smola snuck into the end zone for a score as well. Chandonais finished with 222 yards passing in the loss. Konopacki reeled in five catches for 68 yards on the outside. Senior Peyton Pumper led the Panthers with seven receptions. 

SPASH fell to 1-3 (1-1) on the year. They look to bounce back on Sept 16, when they travel to face D.C Everest in a conference matchup. Rapids improved to 2-2 (1-1) on the season and will face Hortonville on the road on Sept 16.

If you have any other local sports news or information, contact me at [email protected] You can also follow me on Twitter at JacobHeid_15 for updates on local sporting events.