Waupaca ready for challenge in West De Pere

WAUPACA - Waupaca has met every challenge this season, winning all 11 games, but Friday the Comets will be an underdog when they take the field in a Level 4 Division 3 playoff game at Kimberly.

The reason they will be the underdog is because Waupaca is facing a team that is riding a mere 39-game winning streak – West De Pere.

The Comets are OK with this.

“Well, we go into it as a pretty good football team, because you don’t win 11 games during the course of a season without establishing that fact,” Waupaca coach John Koronkiewicz said. “Yeah, we play a great football team in West De Pere, but I think our guys are looking forward to the opportunity.”

Last season, West De Pere hosted Waupaca and won 27-7. However, the game was tied 7-all entering the fourth quarter and West De Pere had all-state quarterback Jay Tollefson, who scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Tollefson has graduated and Waupaca is riding a wave of momentum all season, which is why it won’t back down.

“It is weird to be an underdog,” quarterback Sam Menzies said. “Based on our practice we’ll give West De Pere a game.”

If Waupaca does challenge West De Pere or beat the Phantoms, it’ll need Menzies to continue his brilliant season. Menzies has 1,197 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 1,074 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.

If Menzies continues his stellar play, it’ll be coming against one of the state’s best defenses. West De Pere allows 6.3 points per game and only two teams have reached double figures this season, none scoring more than 14 points.

In fact, only once has a team scored more than one offensive touchdown against West De Pere.

Menzies, though, is confident he’ll be able to move the ball.

“Coach Koronkiewicz has prepared us well so far,” Menzies said. “He’s seen West De Pere for a few years now and if we can come out and play we can get things going.”

Koronkiewicz appreciates what Menzies has done.

“He’s had a great year,” he said. “He’s running the football. He’s had a great year throwing the football. His decision making has been pretty good for the most part over the course of the season.”

Menzies is a huge reason why Waupaca is a No. 1 seed and Friday the Comets will meet another No. 1 seed. Some believe there’s a difference between these No. 1 seeds, but Koronkiewicz e is looking forward to the game.

“The seeding kind of worked out,” Koronkiewicz said. “No. 1 seed against No. 1; 11-0 against 11-0; couldn’t ask for a better matchup, I don’t think.”

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

doug.ritchay@wluk.com