Wiry sophomore Johnny Duranso wasn’t teammate Thomas Eggert’s first choice to start at quarterback for the Hartland Arrowhead football team.
Eggert, a senior cornerback, said junior Blake Mielke’s leadership qualities made him the preferred option over Duranso among the Warhawks’ upperclassmen entering the season.
But Duranso’s undeniable physical talents eventually vaulted him into a share of the starting job. And when Mielke broke his leg in the second round of the playoffs, Duranso became the guy.
His potential was on full display during Friday night’s WIAA Division 1 state championship game. Duranso threw for 235 yards and three scores at Camp Randall Stadium, and his vaunted defense helped turned all three of Franklin’s second-half turnovers into touchdowns as the Warhawks earned a repeat title with a 45-24 victory.
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“We call him ‘Johnny Football,’ ” said senior right guard George Panos, a University of Wisconsin recruit. “He’s obviously a great player as a sophomore; he’s going to be the best player in the state in a few years. Couldn’t have asked for him to play any better. He really is something else.”
Eggert, meanwhile, was front and center for Arrowhead when he and senior linebacker Matt Seitz combined on the play that completely shifted the game’s momentum.
With Franklin (12-2) marching for a go-ahead score midway through the third quarter behind quarterback Sean McGuire, whose 250 passing yards set a Division 1 title game record, Seitz stripped Chad Walton inside Arrowhead’s 30, and Eggert came up with the recovery.
What followed was an 11-play, 76-yard drive — capped by Duranso’s 4-yard hookup with Ricky Finco — that gave the Warhawks (13-1) the lead for good.
On Franklin’s next drive, McGuire was intercepted by Charlie Reuteman, who returned the pick 44 yards for a score. Although replays showed Reuteman clearly lost the ball before entering the end zone — a touchback would have been the correct ruling — the damage was already done.
“I thought they were kind of gassed,” Sabers coach Louis Brown said of Arrowhead’s defense. “We were pushing ‘em. They were getting tired. We kind of had them on their heels for a while, and all of the sudden they got the fumble (and) a renewed sense of energy and just kind of steamrolled from there.”
Cody Sellhausen’s 66-yard TD run with 8 minutes, 45 seconds left in the fourth took any remaining doubt out of Arrowhead’s sixth successful state title run.
“We have all these (Division 1) recruits, people think we’re always talking stuff,” Eggert said. “But you know what? Every day, we just practiced hard.”
Arrowhead 3 14 14 14 — 45
Franklin 0 10 7 7 — 24
Arrowhead — FG Ostling 25
Arrowhead — Miller 9 pass from Duranso (Ostling kick)
Franklin — FG Manning 24
Franklin — Walton 4 run (Manning kick)
Arrowhead — Miller 1 pass from Duranso (Ostling kick)
Franklin — McGuire 8 run (Manning kick)
Arrowhead — Finco 4 pass from Duranso (kick blocked)
Arrowhead — Reuteman 44 interception return (Argue pass from Duranso)
Arrowhead — Sellhausen 66 run (Ostling kick)
Arrowhead — Jager 70 run (Ostling kick)
Franklin — Walton 31 run (Manning kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs — A 23, F 21. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) — A 34-230, F 30-177. Passing yards — A 235, F 250. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) — A 18-29-0, F 21-37-3. Penalties-yards — A 7-59, F 10-120. Fumbles-lost — A 0-0, F 4-1.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: A — Jager 7-104, Sellhausen 6-75, Duranso 19-55. F — Walton 14-78, McGuire 9-61.
Passing: A — Duranso 18-29-0, 235. F — McGuire 21-37-3, 250.
Receiving: A — Miller 11-96, Finco 5-113. F — Bell 6-84, Plath 4-79.