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Cards overcome mistakeswin inOTCruciani scores on 3-yard run to give Fond du Lac 13-10 victoryBy BILL CARYtReporter Sparts Editor)OSHKOSH — Fowl du Lac High School's foot ball team was something ie.ss than impressive here Friday mghr at Titan Stadium, but had what it takes in (he end as theCardanals whipped Oshkosh West, 13-10, in the first overtime game that either the Cardinals or Indians ever found themselves in.The teams battled to a 7-7 standoff in regulation time, then went into overtime, aSouthwest Fond du LacManitowoc G.B WestWL0 0 0 0 fl 0 0 1FOX RIVER VALLEY WL1 0 Pr^bto 0 0 Sheb North 0 0 50u:n0 0GB Oit Friday's scores Fond du Lac 13, Oshkosh West 10 (overtime)Green Bay Southwest 21, Green Bey East 6Appleton East 16, Green Bay West 6 Games today Green Bay Pretoie at Shebayaan North Manitowoc at ShcooycjaM Southprocedure Uwi the W 1 A A introduced Iasi se.i.son lo .settle tie games.In overtime, a com m flipped to determine which team goes on offense first and which goes on defense. Each team is then given four plays to score from the 10-yard line. They continue this procedure until one teamwins.Fond du Lac won the coin flip, and elected to go on defense. We felt we were tough on defense, and if we could hold them, we felt the offense was tough enough to get 10 yards,” Fond du Lac coach George Trtan said as he savored his first victory as the successor of Jim Johnson.More or less, it worked out ■that -way. Oshkosh West got to the five-yard line in three plays. With the ball squarely in front of the goal posts, tailback Kurt Hiedstberg kicked * 22-yard field goal to give the Indians a temporary 10-7 lead.Then it was Fond du Lac’s turn- Wmgback Mike Ritchie lost a yard on first down, then Hielsberg interfered with Rick Zielinski at the one-yard line on a pass from quarterbacklodd Cructani.The penalty — half the d'siance to the goal and an automatic first down — gave Fond du Lac the ball on the Oshkosh West six-yard line. Tailback John Hanisch, the busiest back on the field this eight, powered off tackle for three yards. Then, with second and goal at the three, Cruciani won the game for Fond du Lac.He faked to Hanisch off tackle, then tucked in the ball, raced to the corner and fell into the end zone. The longest game in Fond du Lac history was over, and the Cards’ 17-game winning streak was intact — however shakily.Other than the fact that they won. this was not a n impressive performance for the Cardinals Or, more precisely, the Fond du Lac offenseFond du Lac fumbled the ball six times — five times on plays from scrimmage, and once on a punr m Fond du Lac territory Oshkosh West recovered five of these fumbles, with John Leffin making three recoveries Cruciani was charged with three of the fumbles, and another junior, fullback Jim DeNelf, with tiwo on the only two times he carried the ball The fumbles appeared to be more a problem of erratic ball handling than hard hit-ting by the Oshkosh defenders. Zielinski com milt teed Fond du I ac’s sixth fumble on a punt, but Ritchie recovered.How can you get anything go mg if von fumble the ball six times?” Trtan said outside the Fond ud Lac dressing room. Six times — that’s ridiculous. T*.m just amazed at our offense. I just can’t under-TODD CRUCIANIRICK ZIELINSKIJOHN HANISCHJEFF NORENBERGmMstand it.Perhaps,” he continued, it had to be first-game jitters Cruciani is not a nervous kind of kid. 1 have a lot of confidence in him Other than fumbles, he did a good job. He’s a good football player.”DeNell’s second fumble, at the Fond du Lac 14 early in the third quarter, w a s particularly costly, since it set up Oshkosh West’s only touchdown Leffin made the recovery, then on the third play thereafter, junior Jack Brewer, in his first carry of the game bolted eight yards up the middle on a scissors play to score. Hielsberg converted,and it was 7-7.Fond du Lac had scored first •with only 4! seconds remaining in the first, half when Cruciani passed 38 yards to Zielinski, a 5-ilfl, 165-pound jtumor who showed he can catch theball. Zielinski lined up in theslot to the left, went deep, caught the ball at the four-yard line and fell into the end zone. Cruciani converted to imake it 7-0The touchdown was set up by John Vande Guchte’s second interception of thegame. The Cards intercepted three of Oshkosh quarterback Kurt Heinbigner’s passes (Hamseh got the other) The Inmans also lost one of two fumbles for four turnovers in the game.Fond du Lac had a total of six — the five lost fumbles and an interception by Heuv bigner on Cruciani’s first pass of the game.Fond du Lac lost all II starters on offense from the 1974 state champions, and it showed here Friday night. Criciam was one of five juniors who started on of reuse, and She seniors were la rgelvuntested, too.Fond du Lac o u t g a i n ed Oshkosh West, 180-97, with Hanisch, a 6-1, 180-pound senior tailback, leading the way with 75 yards in 26 carries. Hanisch Tan well, he ran tough. He’ll be all right. But our off-tackle play (with Hanisch carrying the ball) should have gone better far us,” Trtan explained-.Cruciani gained 31 yards in 11 tries, and tied Hanisch for the longest gain of the game with a 15-yard sprint, DeNCli had one carry in each half, Trtan exptatnmg that Oshkosh jammed its defense against the anticipated thrusts of his 210-pound junior fullback.Another junior, tailback TomRmdduLacKqprfrteiBrazil!, gained 18 yards in four tries, but left the game with a bruised right thigh in the second quarter and did not return. His injury is notbelieved to be serious,however.Cruciani finished with three of five completions for 50 yards — all to Zielinski. For Oshkosh West, which got all of its yardage on the ground,Hielsberg, a tough tailback, ledthe way with 58 yards in 2i attempts.Defensively, it was hard to find fault with Fond du Lac, which held Oshkosh West without a first down in the second half, without a pass completion and interceptedthose three passes.The defense did a goodjob,” Trtan said. It played tremendous football.”Senior linebacker Jeff Norenberg, one of three returning defensive starters (tackle Charlie Koeck and Vande Guchte are the other two) led the defensive charge with 15 tackles. Junior end Rick Zabel had 13, including10 unassisted, while Tony Re, a senior who shares the insidelinebacking duties withNorepberg, and senior end Mai* Bostwick were in on 11 tackles.The defense found itself tested early, when Cruciani’s fumble on Fond du Lac’s second play of the game gave West the ball at the Cardinal 32. West got a first down at the 22, but the drive fizzled wnen Ron Willis and Zabel dumped Heinbigner on successive plays to stop West.West advanced to the Fond du Lac 26 later in the quarter, but Vande Guchte’s firstinterception -af the ninestopped that foray.Early in the second quarter, Fond du Lac got its offense going for the first time.Starting at its 40, the Cards drove to the West six in 10 plays, but DeNell fumbled and Leffin recovered for Oshkosh.Fond du Lac got the ballat the Oshkosh West 27 with 1:33 left in the half when senior tackle Jeff Lewis recovered Kapp Schwebke'sfumble. But, two plays later, Cruciani fumbled at the 28 and Bill Peters recovered for the Indians.Finally, presented their third scoring opportunity of the half on Vande Guchte’s second interception at Oshkosh West 38, Cruciani hit Zielinski for Fond du Lac’s only score in regulation play.Other than its touchdown, West never got closer lo Fond du Lac’s goal line than the Cardinal 34 after Cruciani’s thjrd fumble in the third quarier. Rtif the defense held again, allowing West three yards in three plays before Hielsberg punted lo the end zone.Fond du Lac had one fairly good drive in the second half, moving from its 43 to the Oshkosh 28 before being pushedback. Hanisch gained 19 yards on this advance.Trtan realized that his team could have been much sharper, but he was, nevertheless, happy with the victory in his head coaching debut at Fond du Lac before a crowd of perhaps 2,000 fans.I think we showed a lot of guts, we showed determination,” he said. It was a tough, hard-hitting game. Right now, I’m so elated about winning the game.*The Cards begin defense ol their Fox River Valley Conference championship next Friday at Green Bay against Green Bay West, which lost to another Fox Valley Association team, Appleton East, 6y a 18-6 score at Appleton Fridaynight.And Green Bay East, the preseascnr-pick in the Valley,was upset by Green Bay Southwest, 21-6.First downs RushingPassingPenalty Total yards gained Rushing PassingattemptedPasses completedFond du Lac QWa 47 30 01 1180 97130 9750 O5 73 oPasses had intercepted Fumbles Fumbles tost Punts/average Penal ties/distance1 34 25 16/ZS 0/32,1 4/47 9/45Score By Quartan Fond du Lac 0 7 • I 4—13Oshkosh West 9 0 1 1 3—10SCORINGFond du Lac Zielinski lt;33-yard pas* from Cruciani); Cruciani (3-yard run); extra point—Cruciani (placement); Oshkosh West. B'ewer (0-yard run); Hiefo* berg (22-yard field goal); extra point— Hielsberg (placement)RUSHING For.d duHanisch 26/?5. Cruciani 11/31.* DeWetl 21-2, Mike Ritchie 3/3. Srarlll a/1*. Oshkosh WestHrefctjcrg 2t/53, Hemblgnar 10/-7, Brady 2/4, Brewer 2/0, Schwepkt 5/29, Kurkowskl 2/5.PASSINGAft. Comp- Inf. Tft Yd*.Cruciani 5 3 115*Heinbigner 7 0 3*0RECEIVING Fond du LooZielinski 3/50.
Newspaper Details
Fond Du Lac Reporter
Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, US
Sat, Sep 06, 1975
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
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USA 31 Mar 2022
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