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Brodhead/Juda falls short in Division 4 quarterfinals

BRODHEAD — Travis Hull tried valiantly to extend Brodhead/Juda’s football season.

The senior quarterback stretched all of his 5-foot, 11-inch frame on a fourth-and-goal run from the Lodi 1-yard line in an attempt to tie the WIAA Division 4 quarterfinal matchup with Blue Devils here Saturday afternoon.

But despite reaching the ball across the goal line after faking a handoff, Hull’s knee touched down prior to the lunge, and Lodi kept its shutout intact.

To make matters worse for the Cardinals, Lodi responded with a seven-play, 99-yard drive for a 14-0 third-quarter lead en route to a 17-0 victory.

That set up the Blue Devils (11-1) for a semifinal battle with Rock Valley South champion Walworth Big Foot (12-0) next weekend for a berth in the state title game.

“That (stop) was certainly a big momentum shift,” Brodhead/Juda coach Jim Matthys said.

It also turned out to be the Cardinals’ only chance to crack the Lodi end zone. The Blue Devils held Brodhead/Juda (9-3) to 46 yards of offense (37 rushing and nine passing) to earn the shutout.

“That goal-line stand was phenomenal,” Lodi coach Dave Puls said. “It was huge, and then to turn around and go 99 1/2 yards to score, that is a big swing.”

Lodi quarterback Lucas Stronach completed a 25-yard pass on third down from the Brodhead/Juda 6 to start the drive. The senior added completions of 14 and 39 yards before connecting with Dakota Cable on post for an 18-yard touchdown strike.

Stronach’s passing turned out to be the difference. Brodhead/Juda held Lodi to 110 rushing yards on 34 carries, but Stronach completed seven of 17 passes for 132 yards.

Stronach also scored the first Lodi touchdown from a yard out with 9:58 left in the first half. Jordan Robertson set up the score on a 43-yard reverse before going out of bounds at the Brodhead/Juda 6-yard line.

“They got a couple big plays, and that was the difference,” Matthys said.

Lodi also matched the big plays with a stingy defense that corralled a Brodhead/Juda team that came into the game averaging 296 yards on the ground.

“When you have 10 guys in the box, there’s not a whole lot you can do,” Matthys said. “You get to this point, you can’t just ride your running game the whole way.”

LODI 17, BRODHEAD-JUDA 0

Lodi 0 7 7 3—17

Brodhead-Juda 0 0 0 0—0

Scoring summary: L—Lucas Stronach 1 run (Donnie Manke, kick). L—Dakota Cable, 18 pass from Stronach (Manke kick). L—FG, Manke, 36.

Statistics: First downs—L 14, B-J 8. Rushing—L 34-110, B-J 28-37. Yards passing—L 132, B-J 9. Passes—L 17-7-1, B-J 15-5-2. Fumbles—L 2-0, B-J 0-0. Penalties—L 9-65, B-J 3-15.