By City Times staff

EDGAR – The Loyal Greyhounds suffered their third loss of the season Nov. 2 in Edgar, as the Wildcats won the WIAA Division 7 football quarterfinal matchup 25-6. The Greyhounds end their season 9-3. Edgar remained undefeated and will face Reedsville Nov. 9 in a semifinal contest in Waupaca. Reedsville got past Pittsville in a squeaker, 17-14.

The Greyhounds and Wildcats were scoreless after one quarter, but Edgar put up 18 points in the second quarter to take control of the game. You wouldn’t know that by looking at the game statistics, however. Loyal outgained Edgar 284-216, and ran 29 more offensive plays than the Wildcats; but, the Greyhounds couldn’t sustain drives.

On the opening drive of the game, Loyal ran 14 plays that covered 74 yards, when the drive stalled out at the Edgar six-yard line. The Wildcats punted when their drive stalled after eight plays. Loyal then went three-and-out, and Edgar ran two plays early in the second quarter, and scored on a 19-yard run by quarterback Karson Butt, whose two-point conversion attempt failed. On the first play of their next possession, Loyal’s quarterback Quinn Brussow was intercepted by Mason Stoudt. The Greyhounds’ defense held, though, and forced an Edgar three-and-out.

Loyal went three-and-out, and the Wildcats got the ball back on the Greyhounds’ 48-yardline. An eight-play drive stalled out; however, but Edgar’s defense forced another three-and-out and the Greyhounds punted the ball away. That proved to be costly. Kaleb Hafferman returned the punt 35 yards for a touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 12-0 lead.

When the Greyhounds got the ball back, they ran plays for six and seven yards, but an incomplete pass and a three-yard loss on the next play forced another punting situation. The Wildcats made them pay again, as Butt took the punt 60 yards for another score – the second punt return touchdown of the game for Head Coach Jerry Sinz.

“We’ve been returning punts great all year,” Sinz said after the game. “In the first playoff game, we returned punts for 125 yards total, and last week (Oct. 26) we only had two returns, but it was for 50-some yards so we’ve been doing well on them. Karson and Kaleb were both back there last year returning them, so they got a lot of experience and they took advantage of what they gave us.”

The Wildcats got their final score of the game on the opening drive of the second half. Edgar covered 63 yards in 11 plays and scored on a three-yard touchdown run by Will Raatz. On their ensuing drive, the Greyhounds put together a very impressive 17-play, 70-yard drive scoring on a nine-yard touchdown run by Brussow. After an Edgar three-and-out, the Greyhounds got the ball back at their own eight-yard line.

Loyal put together another long drive with 18 plays, but the drive stalled and Edgar ran the clock out from there. Loyal was led by Stephen Buchanan, who rushed for 135 yards on 29 carries.

The win was the 81st playoff victory for Sinz, since his first playoff appearance in 1979 – the same year he won the first of his seven state championships. The contest was also the 500^th career game for Sinz, who began coaching the team in 1975. His current record is 418-82.