Sullivan catches fire, much to Kewaskum’s chagrin

The best offensive player on the field last Friday in Kewaskum may have been Port Washington High School’s Kiya Sullivan. The senior wideout caught five passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

There may be less doubt as to the best defensive player in the Pirates’ 29-7 win. Sullivan recovered two fumbles when the Indians neared Port’s goal-line, returning one 84 yards for a touchdown, and he made a sliding interception to thwart another possible scoring drive.

“He had an incredible game,” coach John Bunyan said. “He shined.”

Port went to 4-0 while quarterback Jack Bunyan, the coach’s son, threw for more than 400 yards for the second time this season.

He hit Sullivan on Port’s first play from scrimmage for an 86-yard score. Sullivan lined up outside and ran up the seam untouched, caught the pass in stride and sprinted to the end zone.

The Indians were on their way to tying score in the second quarter when a running back fumbled at the 1. Sullivan fell on the ball.

Four plays later, Sullivan got a foot down in the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard score. He caught a 61-yard bomb on the drive.

Late in the first half, the Indians drove to Port’s 7-yard line. Quarterback Leviathan Whitfield bobbled the snap and faked a handoff left. As he turned to the right, Sullivan darted in from his left outside linebacker spot, took the ball away and took off, not stopping until he reached the end zone.

Sullivan caught the two-point conversion on an out route, and Port led, 22-0, at halftime.

Early in the fourth quarter with the score 22-7 and the Indians at Port’s 42-yard line, Sullivan made a sliding interception at the 21-yard line on a deep ball down the middle.

Later in the quarter, Bunyan found a wide-open Aedyn Brownmiller down the left side. Brownmiller blew by one Indian and cut inside to avoid others on his way to a 54-yard touchdown.

Bunyan went 15-for-24 for 413 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Port’s Kade Kintop, who led the state in receiving yards coming in, had three catches for 81 yards, including a nifty 36-yard gain on a short pass. Kintop juked a defender, sprinted down the sideline and stopped and started to pick up more yards before being knocked out of bounds.

Brownmiller had two catches for 61 yards and a score. Running back Mason Schwanz caught eight balls out of the backfield, usually on swing passes, for 50 yards.

“Jack will sometimes see the blitz coming and will signal him to swing to that side behind it. It just causes havoc,” Bunyan said.

The Pirates’ offense has seen different looks four games into the season.

“They were dropping eight and only rushing three, and we were still chipping away, having success throwing the ball. We’re seeing different coverages. Some teams will blitz us like crazy, some will drop and some will do a mix,” Bunyan said.

Port’s top single-game receiving performances this season include Brownmiller catching seven balls for a school-record 264 yards and two touchdowns, Kintop catching 12 for 204 yards and two scores, five for 196 and three touchdowns and now Sullivan’s big night.

Port’s deep passing and often no-huddle offense helped the Indians dominate time of possession, 32 minutes, 28 seconds to 15:22. Kewaskum ran around 70 plays to about 40 for Port.

Kewaskum’s Landon Scheel kept drives alive with a mix of runs. He had 37 carries for 180 yards and a touchdown. But Port held Whitfield to 6-for-19 passing for 55 yards and an interception.

“We bent a little bit but we kept fighting and kept working,” Bunyan said. “When you face a team that runs a double wing and just comes downhill like that, you’re going to have to shed some blocks and make some plays.”

Port hosts West Bend West, 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the Glacier Trails Conference, on Friday. It’s youth night, and Port’s three latest Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, Monika Haber Burrescia, Karin Haber Sevener and Tyler Kunz, will be honored at halftime.