By,
Rob Reischel
Middleton Times-Tribune
Jeremy Ziegler was standing a good 25 yards outside the football field at Middleton High School late Saturday. At least 20 minutes had passed since his Cardinals' had been manhandled, 42-21, by Waukesha West in a WIAA Division 1 second round playoff game.
Yet Ziegler was reluctant to leave the area. And even more so to take off his equipment.
''We as seniors never lost on this field,'' the Middleton quarterback said. ''I'm still kind of in shock.''
Most who attended the contest were. The Wolverines scored the game's first 28 points, eventually stretched their advantage to 42-7, and coasted into the state quarterfinals.
''I don't think anyone could have predicted this,'' Middleton coach Kurt Gundlach said. ''That was about the last thing we expected to happen.''
Not many people would have expected West senior tailback Aaron Dyszelski to dominate the game as he did. At 5-foot-6, Dyszelski's one of the shortest players on the field each game. And at 170 pounds ‹ wringing wet, maybe ‹ he's one of the lighter players around, too.
But despite being one of the smaller players around Saturday, no one packed a bigger punch than Dyszelski, who ran for 260 yards on 29 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. West, which won its fifth consecutive game, improved to 8-3 on the season and now faces Janesville Parker (10-1) on Saturday. Middleton ended its year 8-3.
''A lot of people are surprised when I tell them I play football,'' said Dyszelski, who also caught two passes for another 63 yards. ''They kind of seem skeptical. I just keep trying to show them what I can do.''
What he did against the Cardinals was rush for a career-high 260 yards while helping the Wolverines roll up 377 rushing yards, which was more total yardage than Middleton had allowed in any game all season.
''He was something else,'' Middleton defensive coordinator Tom Cabalka said. ''When he got to that second and third level, we really had a hard time bringing him down.''
They sure did.
While Dyszelski's line did a fantastic job clearing holes for him, roughly 110 yards came after contact. Despite his size ‹ or lack thereof ‹ Dyszelski laid a hurt on Middleton defenders, then often used his impressive speed to just outrun them.
''The kid's a great back,'' said West coach Steve Rux, who's in his first year at Waukesha. ''He really carried us tonight.''
In all honesty, he had plenty of help.
Junior wideout Eric Kettenhofen returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and later caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Jim Kals on a gorgeous crossing route. Kals had a five yard scoring run of his own and fullback Kevin Schultz (105 yards rushing) added a 67-yard scoring run.
But first and foremost, this was Dyszelski's show.
In the first half alone, he carried 18 times for 159 yards as West built a 28-7 halftime lead. Dyszelski then carried nine times for 88 yards in the third quarter and figured his night was over as the Wolverines stretched their lead to 42-7.
But after Middleton tried rallying late with two touchdowns in a 37 second span, Dyszelski was re-inserted and broke off a 16-yard run that squelched any hopes the Cardinals had for a miracle.
''We all wanted to go farther and we thought we could,'' Ziegler said. ''It's a little frustrating to end like this, but we had a good year. They were just a great team.''
Oct. 28
Level 2 playoffs
Waukesha West 42, Middleton 21
Waukesha West ................................. 14 14 6 8 ‹ 42
Middleton ............................................ 0 7 0 14 ‹ 21
Waukesha West ‹ Eric Kettenhofen, 83, kick return (Terry Pugh kick)
Waukesha West ‹ Jim Kals, 5, run (Terry Pugh kick)
Waukesha West ‹ Aaron Dyszelski, 40, run (Terry Pugh kick)
Waukesha West ‹ Eric Kettenhofen, 42, pass from Jim Kals (Terry Pugh kick)
Middleton ‹ Matt Meinholz, 67, pass from Jeremy Ziegler (Brandon Hellenbrand kick)
Waukesha West ‹ Aaron Dyszelski, 20, run (kick failed)
Waukesha West ‹ Kevin Schultz, 67, run (Jake Carolan run)
Middleton ‹ Matt Meinholz, 34, run (Matt Meinholz pass from Jeremy Ziegler)
Middleton ‹ Jeremy Ziegler, 13, run (pass failed)
Midd WW
First downs 14 19
Rushing (Att.-Yards) 25-113 45-377
Passing yards 155 115
Passing (C-A-I) 12-20-3 4-6-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 1-1
Pen-Yards 2-10 9-50
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Middleton ‹ Meinholz 6-69, Brodd 10-34, A.J. Ziegler 1-5, J. Ziegler 8-5. Waukesha West ‹ Dyszelski 29-260, Schultz 9-105, Duffek 4-6, Jenson 1-3, Kals 2-3.
Passing: Middleton ‹ J. Ziegler 11-20-113. Waukesha West ‹ Kals 4-5-115, Dyszelski 0-1-0.
Receiving: Middleton ‹ Meinholz 5-110, Brodd 3-19, D. Ziegler 2-13, Hines 1-9, Morris 1-4. Waukesha West ‹ Dyszelski 2-63, Kettenhofen 2-52