Slinger takes it to Port at home

Port Washington High School’s football team faced a tough matchup at Slinger last Friday, but the Pirates also did not play as well as they expected.

Port’s offense got off to a slow start for the second straight week, and the Owls took a 24-0 halftime lead on the way to a 31-0 win.

“We were disappointed obviously. We thought we’d able to compete a little better than we did,” coach John Bunyan said.

The Pirates first-half offense yielded 22 yards and turned the ball over on a fumble and interception on the first two drives.

“That was part of the disappointment in terms of us getting behind right away,” Bunyan said.

Sophomore Aeden Egan started at quarterback after senior Ethan Baierl missed a couple of practices last week due to an ankle injury. Baierl came in later in the game.

The Pirates’ defense, which includes seven sophomores, tried to keep the team in the game as best it could, holding the Owls to 302 total yards.

“We’re a young team,” Bunyan said. “Up front, those kids have played well and are doing some good things. We’ve got to work on our secondary.”

Bunyan said senior defensive end Jack Maciejewski played well.

Senior running back Nolan Makoutz, filling in for junior starter Nathan Kasdorf, had 60 yards rushing on 20 carries.

Baierl went 4-for-14 passing for nine yards. Egan went 0-for-6 with two interceptions.

No receiver caught more than one ball. Dylan Niehoff’s grab went for 11 yards.

“It’s just not fair to our defense. We’ve got to score some points and move the football,” Bunyan said, adding he wasn’t happy with his team’s penalties either.

For Slinger, running back Travis Dafour had 61 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.

Logan Homberg went 9-for-11 passing for 126 yards and two scores.

Connor Goodwin caught five balls for 99 yards and two scores, and had two interceptions.

Port, which plays in Division 3, is 0-2 after losing to its second North Shore Conference Division 2 opponent. The Pirates hold their home opener on Friday against 0-2 Nicolet on their new artificial turf field.

“We’re excited to finally have a home game, that’s for sure. I think we just want to make sure we get better and improve,” Bunyan said.

With school starting this week, Bunyan said, he will see a difference in his team.

“Their focus gets distracted but also at the same point it gets them into a routine. Their daily habits change a little bit too,” Bunyan said.

“I’m excited about my kids. They keep working hard.”