Football: Breitbach too much as SPASH stays perfect in WVC with shootout win over D.C. Everest

Trent Breitbach ran for 4 touchdowns and threw for 3 more as SPASH won a Wisconsin Valley Conference shootout 55-35 over D.C. Everest at Stiehm Stadium on Friday night. The Panthers scored the final 21 points of the game to stay perfect in conference play.

It was a slow start for the Evergreens as Breitbach ran for one score and passed for another in the first quarter to give SPASH a 13-0 lead. Midway through the 2nd quarter the Evergreens got on the board as Ty Rohde scored on a 1 yard quarterback sneak to pull Everest to within 13-7. However, Breitbach ran it in from 9 yards out with about 3 minutes left in the half to give the Panthers a 21-7 lead at the break.

The second half turned into an offensive showcase with Everest coming all the way back to take the lead. First it was Rohde going 53 yards for a score early in the 3rd quarter to pull Everest to within 21-14. Less than a minute later, Rohde would score his third touchdown of the night, this time from 17 yards, and the game was tied at 21.

Breitbach came right back for SPASH and put the Panthers back up within a minute with a 53 yard completion to Trent Gawlik followed by a 7 yard touchdown run of his own to make it 28-21 SPASH with just over 8 minutes left in the third quarter. The big plays kept coming in the third quarter as Rohde found a wide open Andrew Bangtson for a 65 yard touchdown connection just past the midway point of the quarter to tie the game at 28.

Unfortunately for the home fans Breitbach made it four rush touchdowns just a couple of minutes later when he ran it to the end zone from 20 yards out to put SPASH ahead 34-28 but the conversion was blocked. Everest would take advantage of that to take their first lead of the game early in the 4th quarter. Rohde would would match Breitbach with his 4th rush touchdowns of the game, from 5 yards out, and with the extra point the Evergreens would take a 35-34 lead with just over 10 and a half minutes remaining.

However, it was all SPASH the rest of the way. First, less than 30 seconds later, Jontarius Moore made a head first diving catch from 37 yards out on a pass from Breitbach to give the Panthers the lead back at 40-35 after the 2-point conversion failed. SPASH would add two more touchdowns to pull away for the 55-35 win. With the victory, SPASH remains all alone in first place in the WVC at 4-0 and are 6-1 overall. SPASH will host 2nd place Marshfield on Friday with a chance to clinch the conference championship with a win.

Rohde finished 213 yards rushing on 27 rushes and 4 touchdowns while hitting on 8 of 17 passes for 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Bangtson had 4 catches for 77 yards with 1 score. D.C. Everest falls to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the WVC. The Evergreens travel to Eau Claire Memorial next Friday.