Grafton defense comes through in clutch with last-second stand

The Grafton High School football team’s defense has been stout all season, and last Friday at Whitnall it stood tough just when the Black Hawks needed it most.

Forcing a turnover on downs inside their own 10-yard line in the game’s final minute gave the Black Hawks a 12-7 win and moved them to 2-0 in the Woodland Conference.

“It certainly came down to the fourth quarter and our defense once again stepping up and doing a really good job, especially on that last drive,” coach Jim Norris said.

With four minutes and 14 seconds left, Whitnall, which had already scored earlier in the fourth quarter, got the ball on its own 25-yard line after a punt and began to mount a drive.

On fourth and four from Grafton’s 18-yard line, the Falcons completed a pass, and the receiver broke a tackle before being pushed out of bounds at the five.

On first and goal, linebacker Itaza Manzoor nearly tackled Miguel Rodriguez behind the line on a jet sweep right, then got help from his teammates to hold the play to no gain.

On second and goal, linebacker Ben Birch stormed through unblocked and engulfed quarterback Aden Burke for a four-yard loss.

On third and goal, Burke rolled right and just missed his receiver who broke open for a second on the right side of the end zone.

On fourth and goal, Burke hit Rodriguez with a pass to the three-yard line, but Manzoor and defensive back Garrett Bonk instantly charged up to make the tackle and seal the win. Grafton only needed one kneel down to run out the clock.

Norris praised Birch, who is “the heart and soul of the defense” with Bonk and tackle Josh Lee-O’Bryant.

“He’s just such a special kid. There’s a reason he was voted captain by his teammates,” Norris said of Birch, who had 14 tackles.

He also loves the play of Manzoor, who stepped in after Tyler Van Sluys injured his knee two weeks ago.

“He’s an absolute stud in there. I’m really proud of him,” he said.

Another backup played a key role. Sophomore Tommy Lutz ran 21 times for 66 yards and two short first-half touchdowns as he filled in for Chase Norton, who injured his elbow a week earlier.

“He has been really chomping at the bit all the way back to summer and last year as a freshman. He continues to prepare himself like a starter,” Norris said.

Senior Vince Cameranesi went 8-for-16 passing for 116 yards, and sophomore Brady Hilgart was 2-for-4 for four yards.

“As a coaching staff, we felt it was right time to let (Brady) get in there and get some reps. I’m not taking anything away from Vinny — he has been awesome for us, a great leader and mentor for Brady. With two really good quarterbacks, it’s tough for one to sit there and not take any reps,” Norris said.

Jaeden Tiegs caught four balls for 86 yards.

Grafton’s other leading tacklers were Connor Robinson with six and Max Aria with five. Kian Elliott had a sack. Norris complimented the defensive line play of Lee-O’Bryant, Nathan Krause, Clay Wiziarde, Aidan West, Toby Luedtke and Louis Berns.

Burke went 17-for-24 for 185 yards. Jayveon Gold ran six times for 11 yards and a score. Whitnall (0-4) had 208 yards of offense to Grafton’s 199.

The Hawks (3-1 overall) host Greenfield (1-1 Woodland, 2-2 overall) on Friday.