In the final game of the season, it was no surprise that the defense came up big for the UW-Eau Claire football team. For most of the season, the defense has been the backbone of the team, which held true on Saturday.
The defense was able to keep UW-Stout off the board until late in the game, and that was enough to get the Blugold offense going. The offense put up 17 points and the Blugolds were able to defeat Stout 17-6 in their final game. The win gave the Blugolds sole possession of third place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).
Junior placekicker Craig Kolb kicked a 26-yard field goal to give the Blugolds a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Senior Craig Polifka opened the half with a 50-yard kick return, helping to set up the Blugolds first touchdown. Two plays later, junior running back Cory Sartorelli ran down to the three-yard line on a 41-yard run. Sartorelli put it in the end zone a couple plays later and gave the Blugolds a 10-0 lead.
On its next drive, Eau Claire found the end zone again. This time it was a pass from junior quarterback Kyle Paulson to freshman receiver David Goodman. Kolb hit the extra point, giving the Blugolds all the points they would need.
Stout was not able to score until there were only 22 seconds remaining in the game. The Blue Devils went for a two-point conversion but failed and the game ended with a score of 17-6.
Stout gained more yards than the Blugolds on offense, but the Blugold defense came up big when they had to. Sartorelli finished a busy day with 86 yards on 33 carries. Paulson was 13-21 with a touchdown and an interception and threw for 145 yards. Junior receiver Spencer Kehoe was the leading receiver with four catches for 38 yards.
Senior safety Paul Bielmeier led the Blugolds with five solo tackles on defense. Polifka had an interception to go with his big kick return.
The Blugolds finished with a respectable 6-4 overall record. The Blugolds will miss the leadership and talent of the senior class, but next year sets up for another promising year, as many underclassman return with a lot of experience from this year.
– The Spectator staff
