Black Hawks blank WB East

Grafton High School’s football team continued its development last Friday by dominating a team it is better than on paper.

The Black Hawks took a 35-0 halftime lead and beat West Bend East, 49-0.

The Hawks’ ground game grounded the Suns. Grafton ran 36 times for 388 yards and six touchdowns, averaging nearly 11 yards per carry.

“That was a big point of emphasis this week,” coach Jim Norris said.

Senior tailback Jack Nelson ran 14 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Hunter Klippel ran eight times for 96 yards and two scores, and junior wideout Andy Tran took an end-around 55 yards for a score.

Backup quarterback Drew Olson hit Luke Benter for a short touchdown.

“It was another step for our guys in the right direction. I was happy with what we did,” Norris said.

On defense, 18 players were in on at least one tackle, led by senior Logan Oberheu and junior Caleb Butler’s four each. Butler and Bohdan Gartman each made a sack.

Norris praised Cooper Her and Jason Grunwaldt for their work inside.

“I was really happy with our defense and how they kind of came out of the gates swinging,” Norris said.

He also liked his team’s “off-schedule plays and our athleticism.”

When the pocket broke down, Klippel found room to scramble, which led to his touchdown run down the right sideline.

The Hawks dominated despite missing two starting offensive linemen, who are lost for the season. Junior Sam Heerey tore his ACL in the scrimmage eight days before the first game, and two weeks ago junior Luke Schubert broke his leg on the first series during a win over Slinger.

The Hawks lost some size — Heerey is 6 feet, 1 inches tall and 265 pounds and Schubert is 6-5 and 245 — but picked up experience. Senior Sam Benter (6-0, 230) stepped in for Heerey and senior Anthony Eickermann (6-0, 210) took Schubert’s spot. The line now has three seniors, a junior and a sophomore.

Norris said there is a learning curve with the two new starters, but seniors tend to play with a little more accountability.

Eickermann is an “outstanding technician with jobs and assignments,” he said, and Benter’s work during the offseason put him at the first lineman off the bench.

“It really sucks for Luke and Sam Heerey,” he said, adding, “We spent a lot of time throughout the summer playing different combinations of lines. These guys have all worked together a ton.”

Division 1 tight end recruit Hank Doyle caught one ball for 18 yards but contributed in paving the way for backs.

“His run-blocking and ability to finish plays- jumped up,” Norris said.

Grafton, 2-1, plays at Nicolet, 1-2, on Thursday, Sept. 10.