Football: Wausau East erases early 14 point deficit and beats Antigo behind 125 yards rushing from Seefeldt

It was Homecoming for the Wausau East football team at Thom Field on Friday night but the winless Antigo Red Robins delayed the party for a while. Antigo jumped out to a 14-0 lead after one quarter but East was able to rally and win 33-22 to stay one game back of 1st place Medford in the Great Northern Conference.

Despite entering with an 0-6 overall record, Antigo has been threatening to win in each of their last two games with leads over Rhinelander and Merrill before falling just short. The Red Robins scored twice in the first quarter on 4th down conversions. First it was a 13 yard touchdown reception by Owen Medo on 4th and 11 with just under 5 1/2 minutes left in the 1st quarter to lead 8-0. After a 3 and out by the Red Robin defense, Antigo would extend their advantage. With under a minute to go in the quarter, it was a 21 yard scoring run by Seth Medo on 4th and 5 to lift the Antigo lead to 14-0.

When the second quarter started the Lumberjacks had no first downs on offense. However, a big pass play turned the momentum as Camdyn Rye hit Henry Maahs for a 84 yard touchdown pass with 9:01 left in the half to cut the deficit in half at 14-7. Maahs then tied the game at 14 when he returned a punt 41 yards for a score with 3:15 left in the half.

Antigo had a golden opportunity to regain the lead before the half as Seth Medo ran 47 yards to the East 7. However, Owen Medo was stripped of the ball a couple of plays later and the Lumberjacks recovered to keep the game tied at 14 at halftime.

The Red Robins didn't let the tough end to the 1st half slow them down when they took the first drive of the 3rd quarter down the field for a touchdown. The drive, that lasted 4 minutes and 13 seconds, ended on a 9 yard scoring run by quarterback Randy Quevedo to put Antigo up 22-14 with 7:47 left in the 3rd quarter. It didn't take East long to respond. On the first play of the next series it was Cash Ryan Seefeldt running 58 yards to the Antigo 7 and then taking the handoff on the next play into the end zone. Seefeldt then added a two-point conversion to tie the game again, this time at 22.

At this point the Wausau East defense stepped up to finally slow down the Antigo run game. East would get the ball back in great field position and turns the tables on the Red Robins with some 4th down magic. It was 4th and 15 for the Lumberjacks at the Antigo 25 when Camdyn Rye found Xander Klein in the deep left corner of the end zone for the touchdown that put East up for good. The 2-point conversion made it 30-22 East with 2:38 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

East was able to get some insurance on a 21 yard field goal by Mathias Clements with 5:44 left in the game and finish the scoring at 33-22 East. Seefeldt finished the game with 21 rushes for 125 yards and 1 touchdown. Rye was 8 of 18 passing for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns. Maahs caught 2 balls for 99 yards and a score along with an interception on defense and the punt return score. Seth Medo ran 16 times for 127 yards and a score for Antigo.

East is now 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the GNC, tied for 2nd place with Merrill heading into the final two games of the regular season. The Lumberjacks will travel to Marshfield next Friday before concluding at home vs. Merrill.