It wasn’t a clean win, nor was it easy. But the JWP Bulldogs football team pulled an upset when they defeated 3-3 NRHEG on the road 21-14 on Thursday, October 10, taking back the coveted Golden Brick, a symbol of a decades-long rivalry between the two schools. It was all thanks to the connection between junior quarterback Daulton Bauer and senior wide receiver Landon Johnson; Johnson scored all three passing touchdowns for the victory.
The “Battle of the Golden Brick” has been split between the schools for the past two years. In 2022, JWP defeated NRHEG at home 25-14 to win the Golden Brick. NRHEG returned to Janesville last season during a cold, wind-driven rainy night to win it back with a 12-6 victory. This year, the weather couldn’t have been better for a high school football game.
JWP started with the ball and took advantage of the opportunity to put the night’s first points on the board. The Bulldogs only needed four plays to score, as a throw by Bauer hit Johnson’s hands, and he shimmied out of the grips of Panthers defenders for the score.
The defense also gave NRHEG a challenge. Although they bent a bit, they didn’t break, forcing turnovers on downs for the Panthers’ first two offensive drives, including a goal-line stand.
Admittedly, the Bulldogs shot themselves in the foot as punter Ethan Born struggled to haul in an errant snap for the punt. As Panther defenders came his way, he panicked and threw an interception returned for a 38-yard pick-six. The defense prevented the two-point conversion.
The Bulldogs’ final drive of the half took four minutes off the clock. The offense did well in a two-minute drill thanks to some gritty running by running backs Lucas Morsching and Chase Gerdts. Bauer connected with Johnson a second time, jumping up in the air as he passed the ball for the touchdown.
After a 14-6 half, the JWP defense continued frustrating NRHEG. Panthers’ quarterback Alden Dobberstein threw an interception three plays into their opening drive, the pick hauled in by senior Peyton O’Brien. Sadly, although the Bulldogs took the ball into the Panthers’ red zone, Bauer threw a pass too high for Caleb Quast to catch cleanly, and as it bounced off his hands, NRHEG’s Harbor Cromwell took advantage by getting the pick.
The defense did well, for the most part, trying to stop NRHEG. However, a pass defended well by Isaac Gahlon was still ruled complete. Ryan Schlaak seemingly came down with it as it hit the ground, although the Bulldogs sideline disagreed with the official’s call. It set up momentum for the Panthers, and they scored a rushing touchdown thanks to the work of Owen Bartlett. With a successful two-point conversion, it was tied 14-14. But not for long.
The Bulldogs only needed one play to respond, with Bauer slinging it for Johnson to score his third touchdown of the night, this one for 65 yards. It ended up being the game-winning touchdown.
The rest of the game was a back-and-forth as both defenses stymied each other’s offenses. The Bulldogs had a three-and-out after NRHEG turned it over on downs. The defense shut down the Panthers’ final offensive drive with its second interception of the night, this one picked off by Ethan Born. Although it was pretty much over, NRHEG still used all of its timeouts to try and get at least one shot at a last-second play on offense. However, they didn’t have enough timeouts to stop the clock completely, and on fourth down, Bauer kept backing away from defenders with the ball until time ran out.
In the end, NRHEG was much more successful on the ground, with 152 yards compared to JWP’s 61. However, the Bulldogs didn’t need to depend on the running game as they had 222 passing yards to NRHEG’s 90.
Bauer ended his night 15/22 with 222 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He also led the team in rushing with 40 yards on the night. Morsching had 13 carries with 23 yards, with Gerdts running with the rock five times for a net gain of a yard.
Johnson scored three touchdowns off of five receptions and had 135 yards on the night. Caleb Quast had five receptions for 41 yards, Morsching had three for 32, and Isaiah Berndt’s lone reception went for 14 yards. Davien Weis also had a two-yard reception.
Although Born had that one throw for a pick-six, he was great on defense, getting the team’s two lone tackles for loss on the night and an interception. O’Brien also had an interception, seven assists, and three solo tackles. Berndt tied with Born for the lead for solo tackles, with four solo tackles on the night and two assists. Morsching led the team in assists with nine.
The team’s upset against NRHEG helped them improve their record to 2-5. The win also marked the team’s only road victory in the regular season. With the victory, the team improved its record against Section 2AA opponents to 2-1, with their only loss to section leader Waterville-Elysian-Morristown. They will have one last game in-section at home against Medford on Wednesday, October 16.
