POUNDING THE GOLDEN ROCK

The Grafton High School football team is golden, and it took everything the Black Hawks had to bring that coveted Division 3 state championship trophy back from Camp Randall in Madison.

Senior Graysen Bollech put the Hawks on top of Reedsburg, 17-15, by sliding a 35-yard field goal just inside the right upright with 6 seconds to play.

On the ensuing kickoff that involved multiple laterals, Hudson Miller sprinted to make a tackle on the sideline that sealed the game, title and this team’s place in Grafton history.

The undefeated Hawks stormed the field after their first title since 1982. Coach Jim Norris shed a few tears before lineman Sam Heerey hugged him, followed by multiple assistant coaches sharing a group embrace they’ll never forget. A few players quickly approached and dumped a bucket of ice water on their beloved coach before the trophy ceremony.

It was a happier ending than two years ago when the Hawks lost to Rice Lake, 28-20, in the title match.

“It’s a crazy feeling. We’ve worked all four years to get to this point. In 2023 we came up short, and since then we’ve had that chip on our shoulder that we want to come back,” senior lineman Miles Muilenburg said.

“It doesn’t feel like a real thing. It’s incredible. It’s what you dream about, and your senior year,” senior Ian Cornelius said.

“It’s incredible. No words,” Bollech said.

“That was a wild ride. Roller coaster of emotions,” Norris said.

It was a fitting end to the team’s personality that reflects that of its coach.

“Resiliency, belief and just going back to the mantra, the blood of this program. Pound the rock. We just kept swinging,” Norris said.

“Pound the rock,” meaning keep working and giving 100% effort in everything and eventually the rock will break, has been Grafton’s motto since Norris took over the program in 2018 and has become its battle cry. It’s on all sorts of Grafton paraphernalia, and players quote it often.  

“Pound the rock. That mentality came together and we got it done,” senior Tyler Heinle said.

Reedsburg took a 15-14 lead on a two-point conversion. The Beavers first lined up to kick the extra point to tie, then called timeout and had Will Mikonowicz run left for the conversion.

With 1 minute, 39 seconds left, Grafton had to score.

The Hawks had been here before.

In the state semifinal against powerhouse Catholic Memorial, the Hawks went on a 94-yard drive in less than three minutes to tie the game with 34 seconds left, then won in overtime.

This time, a score meant a title.

Cooper Ehr fielded the Beavers’ squib kick at Grafton’s 33-yard line and went to the ground. Only one second ticked off the clock.

It was up to cool, calm and collected quarterback Nick Schiller again. The senior, who had only taken snaps in garbage time before this season, had two timeouts but was without his top wideout and the state’s leader in catches, Tyler Deer, who injured his foot in the fourth quarter and was replaced by junior Parker Shaw. Tailback Jack Nelson injured his shoulder before halftime but was toughing it out.

A surgical drive with a collection of clutch plays followed.

“I was just thinking to myself there’s no way we’re going to lose the game. We’re going to get it done,” Schiller said.

“I knew we could do it. We’ve been here before. They gave us too much time,” Muilenburg said. “I knew our offense and the quarterback that we have and the players that we have at the perimeter and inside the blocks. I knew we were going to be able to get down in field goal range or even score a touchdown.”

It’s a situation the team practices every Monday, Norris said, but he admitted it’s not possible to replicate the Camp Randall atmosphere in a championship game.

1st and 10 — Schiller throws incomplete, off the fingertips of Shaw for what would have been a first down near the right sideline. 1:33 left.

2nd and 10 — Schiller steps up in the pocket, avoids the outstretched arms of a Beaver and scrambles left before being taken out of bounds for a three-yard gain. 1:22.

3rd and seven — Schiller gets pressure up the middle, rolls right and throws incomplete to Shaw on the right sideline. Mikinowicz broke it up. 1:14.

4th and seven — Schiller gets good protection and fires left to Shaw, who runs straight, turns around, leaps and catches the ball in front of a reaching defender for a 12-yard gain to Grafton’s 48-yard line. Their season was still alive. 1:09.

“I take pride in knowing each spot at the receiver position. If Tyler went down and he did, I would be ready to go. Me and Nick just had it clicking there,” Shaw said.

1st and 10 — Schiller throws short left to Shaw, who got out of bounds for four yards to the Beavers’ 48. 58 seconds.

“It was great confidence. We had dudes injured, but it didn’t matter,” Cornelius said. “A minute 30 left, two timeouts, we knew we could get it done.”

2nd and 6 — Schiller misses Shaw high on a wide receiver screen. Mikonowicz nearly got a hand on the ball and pulled it in. 54 seconds.

3rd and 6 — Schiller throws short right to an uncovered Nelson out of the backfield. He runs for a 10-yard gain to the Beavers’ 38-yard line before being hit on the sideline and flying out of bounds. 48 seconds.

“I had faith in our offense the whole time,” senior Colton Boehlke said.

1st and 10 — Schiller throws short right to Shaw, who got knocked out of bounds for a five-yard gain to the Beavers’ 33. 44 seconds.

2nd and 5 — Nelson runs up the middle but finds no room, bounces to the right and runs out of bounds for a two-yard loss. 39 seconds.

3rd and 7 — Five-wide formation, Schiller throws right to Shaw, who gets pushed out of bounds at the Beavers’ 30 for a five-yard gain. 35 seconds.

“We knew Graysen was hitting them up to about 45 yards. His longest on the season was 46,” Norris said of his kicker.

4th and 2 — Nelson runs a lead play up the gut for four yards to the Beavers’ 31. Grafton linemen signal first down. The Hawks call their second timeout. 31 seconds.

“Adversity. We saw it the week before. We know exactly what to do in those moments,” senior Max Glab said.

1st and 10 — Schiller throws short right to Shaw, who is pushed out of bounds for a three-yard gain to the 23-yard line. 26 seconds.

2nd and 7 — Schiller takes a long look as the Beavers only rush three. He throws deep right out of the end zone. 19 seconds.

3rd and 7 — Nelson runs up the middle and moves the pile a couple of yards to the 18-yard line. Grafton calls its final timeout. 12 seconds.

4th and 2 — Miller snaps to Schiller, who double clutches but gets the hold down on the right hash mark. Bollech’s kick — any light breeze would have been at his back by design — stays just enough on course to squeeze inside the right upright. 6 seconds.

The Hawks had the game’s last lead.

“God was with me today. I have nothing else to say. All my teammates believed in me. Everyone in the stadium believed in me, and that’s all I need,” Bollech said.

“We’ve been in this moment before. I just have to execute, and I did my job.”

“I had faith in him the whole time. Once I saw it leave his foot, I knew it was going to be good,” Deer said.

“I was praying, I was crossing my fingers. I was looking, I saw the ball go through. We’ve got this from here,” Muilenburg said.

“I was thankful, really thankful. You can’t describe the emotions. Just a lot of belief in our kicker Grayson Bollech,” senior Jack Marti said.

“It was one of the best sights of my life,” Shaw said.

The 14-play, 49-yard drive took 1:32. Schiller went 6-for-10 for 37 yards.

“Ice in his veins,” Norris said.

Shaw caught five passes for 27 yards and got out of bounds on four of them.

“The more impressive part was Tyler Deer was out and Parker Shaw goes in and knows everything Tyler Deer does in those situations,” Norris said, adding Bollech even filled in at wide receiver in the second half.

“As the season went on, we built some more chemistry,” Shaw said of him and Schiller. “We knew each other’s tendencies more. We were just able to build off that and each game get more comfortable, and it worked out.”

The work wasn’t done, but the Beavers’ bid for a miracle on the ensuing kickoff fell short.

This state championship belonged to the Black Hawks.

“It’s incredible to do what we couldn’t do two years ago. And the team we had this year, it’s just so incredible to be together and live this moment as one team,” Glab said.

The Hawks held the lead for most of the game. They lost the toss and the Beavers deferred. Norris took the side of the field so he’d have the wind in the fourth quarter.

Schiller hit Deer on a 74-yard bomb on the game’s first play, but it was called back due to an illegal man downfield.

No matter, the Hawks embarked on an 86-yard 14-play drive capped by a Nelson six-yard touchdown run.

After forcing a three-and-out, Grafton nearly went up two scores, but Ian McClure intercepted a pass in the end zone that was just a tick short of Deer, who tried to outfight the Beaver for the ball but lost.

Mikonowicz answered with an 80-yard touchdown burst up the middle on the next play.

The game remained tied at 7, in part due to two stout defenses and a key play by Hawks’ punter Reed Schaefer. A snap sailed over his head deep in Grafton territory. He ran back, picked it up and quickly booted it. The ball went 21 yards to the Beavers’ 45-yard line, and the Hawks’ defense held. On fourth and four, the Beavers tried one of their three passes in the game, and Heinle instantly ate the quarterback for lunch, forcing a throw that came up way short. 

The Hawks took a 14-7 lead late in the third quarter on a 13-play, 91-yard drive. Nelson finished it off with an eight-yard run.

The Beavers picked off Schiller in the fourth quarter, and went on a 53-yard drive to tie the game. Mikonowicz, who ran 38 times for 270 yards  — the Beavers had 288 total, all on the ground — took it in from a yard out, then ran it in for the two-point conversion, setting up the game’s final drive.

Heinle finished with 11 tackles. Muilenburg had nine, Boehlke had six and Peyton Wissmueller had five, including a sack. Jayden Smith-Kaylot had five tackles. Schiller, who has started at safety since filling in for injured Garrett Bonk two years ago, picked off a pass to end the first half.

“We knew we’d have to come in with a chip on our shoulder, play downhill and try our best. Fill our gaps like we always do,” Heinle said.

“The entire defensive side of the ball played their butts off and contained a really good offense and a really good player,” Norris said.

He singled out Marti, who was on the field for nearly every play on both sides of the ball.

“He was a guy who really didn’t come off the field,” he said.

Playing at Camp Randall in 2023 helped set the stage for this game, the Hawks said.

“Everything from where the bus is parked to the walk to the locker room,” Norris said. “Even for the coaching staff, getting film set up. We all felt more prepared. We were in a much better spot pregame. No one was rushed. We knew how to handle it.”

“It made it all more normal,” Heinle said. “Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing we haven’t seen before.

Schiller went 17-for-33 for 206 yards and two interceptions.

“It’s just special to go out this way, 14-0 as a senior,” he said.

Nelson had 30 carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns with one lost fumble. He came out of the game late in the first half with his shoulder injury, but came back.

“I said 24 more minutes the game’s over, and I had to push through,” he said. “I’ll be fine. We won the game. That’s all that matters.”

Deer caught seven passes for 129 yards before breaking his foot. He exited one of the team buses on crutches upon arriving home.

“The pain is only temporary. The memory’s going to last a lifetime,” he said.