BHS makes it a memorable one on Senior Night

By Pete Watson/News Republic

It was Senior Night at Beryl Newman Field on Friday, and sophomore Ben Kowalke helped make it a memorable one for his fellow Baraboo Thunderbirds teammates.

Kowalke's 23-yard finger-tip grab in the corner of the endzone with 34 seconds remaining gave the BHS football team an emotional and thrilling, 31-28, come-from-behind victory over Badger North foe, the Sauk Prairie Eagles (1-7).

Though senior Micah Kuchta was the go-to guy all day at the wideout position, it was the 6-foot-5 Kowalke who got the call on 3rd down and 10 and the T-Birds trailing by four.

Kowalke ran straight down the left sideline as quarterback Jake Banks rolled right and fired. The towering sophomore angled his route to the back pylon and made an over-the-shoulder grab just out of reach of Eagles' defender Derrik Huisman.

"We haven't ran that play in six weeks. I tolk my offensive coordinator to switch Micah and put Kowalke out there and run it. He's our tallest guy and that was the best option. It worked," said BHS coach Scott Carr.

The touchdown capped an emotional rollercoaster for the T-Birds, as the squad and its hopeful seniors watched an 18-point third quarter lead evaporate. The two teams traded possessions seven times in the final nine minutes of the game, during which the Eagles took the lead, 28-24, with 1:56 remaining on Zach Buelow's 34-yard off-tackle rushing touchdown.

"The story of our life. We just didn't execute in the second half, we had some bad plays but we battled back and I'm proud of the kids," said Carr.

BHS took a 12-0 lead into the break, as Kowalke got the squad on the board in the first quarter with a 16-yard touchdown reception. Five minutes into the second period the T-Birds found paydirt again, as senior Ethan Dosier foreshadowed Kowalke's game-winning catch by outleaping his defender in the back of the endzone on a 22-yard strike from Banks.

In the second half, BHS used its first possession to go up 18-0, as Dosier made a 33-yard reception, before Banks plunged into the endzone from one-yard out at the 8:14 mark.

From there, things took a turn for the worse. Sauk Prairie recorded a 35-yard rushing score with 4:01 left in the quarter, and tacked on another two minutes later on a 55-yard run from Buelow to cut the Thunderbirds lead, 18-14.

Kevin Green answered right back for Baraboo, returning the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to give BHS a 10 lead.

With 12 second left in the third, the Eagles scored again to pull within three, 24-21, this time on a 48-yard Chad Pings TD reception.