Wis-Eau Claire 40, Carthage 0
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The Carthage football team fell to Wis.-Eau Claire, 40-0, on Saturday afternoon at Carson Park.
The Blugolds scored 14 points in the first quarter before adding nine in the second to take a 23-0 lead into halftime. Wis.-Eau Claire added a touchdown in the third quarter, another touchdown and a field goal in the fourth to complete the shutout.
Wis.-Eau Claire opened the scoring on its second possession of the game, driving 82 yards in seven plays. Ayden Helder capped the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown with 10:12 remaining in the first quarter, giving the Blugolds a 7-0 lead.
Carthage's defense forced a turnover on downs on Wis.-Eau Claire's next possession, but the Firebirds were unable to capitalize. The Blugolds later took advantage of a short field, driving 52 yards in three plays for their second touchdown. Helder connected with Levi Pooley on a 52-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter to make it 14-0.
The Firebirds opened the second quarter with a fourth-down stop, but the Blugolds' defense responded by forcing a turnover on downs on Carthage's ensuing possession.
After an interception by Adam Contreras gave Carthage possession at its own 11-yard line, the Firebirds were unable to move out of the shadow of their own goal line. Jack DeFilippis was sacked for a nine-yard loss and fumbled out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a safety that extended the Wis.-Eau Claire lead to 16-0 with 9:06 remaining in the half.
Wis.-Eau Claire added another touchdown later in the quarter, marching 53 yards in seven plays. Helder scored his second rushing touchdown of the game on a five-yard run with 5:15 remaining in the half, putting the Blugolds ahead 23-0.
Carthage's defense forced another turnover before halftime when Briton Stanton intercepted Helder with 3:07 remaining in the second quarter. The Firebirds were unable to turn the takeaway into points, however, as Joey Schilke fumbled near the UW-Eau Claire goal line with 1:07 remaining.
Wis.-Eau Claire added to its advantage in the third quarter with a 14-play, 72-yard drive that lasted 7:29. Paxton Rothmeier finished the possession with a two-yard rushing touchdown with 7:26 remaining in the quarter, making it 30-0.
The Blugolds added their final touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Adam Glynn capped an eight-play, 51-yard drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown with 11:48 remaining, extending the lead to 37-0.
Wis.-Eau Claire closed the scoring with a 22-yard field goal from Connor Radaj with 3:51 remaining. The Blugolds finished the afternoon with 409 yards of total offense, including 262 rushing yards and 147 passing yards.
Carthage put together one final drive in the closing minutes, moving from its own 26-yard line to the UW-Eau Claire 46 before the game ended. The Firebirds finished the game with 45 offensive plays and five first downs.
Carthage finished with 89 yards of total offense, including 79 passing yards and 10 rushing yards. Leo Chiappetta completed 10 of 14 passes for 53 yards, while DeFilippis completed four of seven passes for 26 yards. Davion Hayes led the Firebirds with 18 rushing yards on 10 carries, while Schilke caught four passes for 22 yards.
Defensively, Brad Filippis led Carthage with nine tackles, while Mariano Talamantez and Landon Paige each recorded eight. Briton Stanton and Jeremy Rowlett added seven tackles apiece. The Firebirds also recorded two interceptions, with Adam Contreras and Stanton each coming away with a pick.
"Proud of the effort we had all 4 quarters," said Head Coach
Matt Popino. "That was a really good team and we have a lot to learn from. I am confident our group will continue to learn and grow from this experience."
The Firebirds (1-1) return to action on Saturday, Sept. 26 as the squad heads to Waukesha, Wis. to defend the Old Musket against Carroll University at 6 p.m. Carthage football returns to Art Keller Field on October 10 for homecoming against Elmhurst. For more information, visit
athletics.carthage.edu.
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