October 8, 2021 – Hartford, WI – It was senior night for the Hartford Orioles and unfortunately the field conditions could not have been much worse on such an important night thanks to rainfall throughout the day.
The grass was wet and sloppy, leading to multiple injuries as both teams’ offenses were almost entirely reliant on the rushing game.
The Blue Dukes scored on the game’s opening possession, with a 15-yard touchdown pass to senior Nigel Cheeks, capping off a drive that just left 3:05 on the clock in the first quarter.
The Orioles would strike back within the first minute of the second quarter, as senior AJ Pepin scored on a 3-yard touchdown.
The score would be tied at 7-7 halftime, as both teams’ defenses stepped up to stop their opponent’s rushing attack.
This trend continued well into the third quarter, when Hartford managed to breakthrough on a drive capped off by junior Noah Diebert scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run, leaving 4:33 left in the third quarter.
The Blue Dukes would respond when senior Jack Nau ran for a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Hartford drove the ball down the field once more and had a chance to kick a 35-yard game-winning field goal with 2:35 left to play, but the kick was blocked by Whitefish Bay.
Two plays later, Whitefish Bay senior running back Dominic Bartolone would break free from defenders to score a 66-yard touchdown run with just 1:37 left in regulation. The Orioles attempted one final drive, but were ultimately stopped on downs, losing 21-14.
Whitefish Bay (6-2, 5-1) will close out their 2021 regular season schedule at home where they will take on Slinger (3-3, 2-3), Friday October 15, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Hartford (5-3, 4-2) will look to avoid entering the playoffs on a three-game losing streak as they close out their regular season on the road against West Bend West (0-7, 0-5) on Friday October 15, 2021with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.