River Falls head coach Ryan Scherz called the West De Pere Phantoms’ defense the best defense he’s ever had to deal with at the high school level.

West De Pere’s size, speed and overall physicality helped the Phantoms force four River Falls turnovers, which put the Wildcats behind the 8-ball early in the D2 Level 3 playoff game on Friday night at Ramer Field in River Falls.

“That’s a very good team,” Scherz said. “They’re probably the best defense that we’ve ever had to deal with. If we didn’t have the turnovers, it would have been helpful, but at the end of the day, they had some really good players and a really good plan.”

Throughout the 2022 season, River Falls hung its hat offensively on junior running back Jonah Severson, who entered the Level 3 playoff game averaging 143 rushing yards and nearly two touchdowns per game. The Phantoms’ defense held Severson to 67 yards from scrimmage and zero scores.

River Falls’ offense never got into a rhythm against West De Pere, in large part because of the four fumbles that regularly derailed the Wildcats’ offensive possessions. Those turnovers put a significantly larger burden on the River Falls defense, which already had its hands full with a dynamic West De Pere offense that went into the game averaging more than 37 points per game.

See RF FB, Page B-4 On the first play from scrimmage, River Falls senior linebacker Reece Jahnke stripped West De Pere senior running back Najeh Mitchell during a routine tackle. The Wildcats dove on the ball and gained possession at the Phantoms’ 27-yard line just 14 seconds into the game.

However, River Falls turned it over on downs after a couple of fruitless rushing attempts and a bobbled pass down the sideline by senior wide receiver Jordan Karras. Coach Scherz spoke about how not getting points and capitalizing on that early West De Pere turnover changed the feel early in the game.

“That (turnover) was exactly what we needed,” Scherz said of the opening drive. “We had a negative play on third down and then we had a nice play setup on the corner, but it didn’t go our way and that might have changed things a little. Everything feels different (if we score there).”

River Falls forced a punt on the ensuing drive and got the ball back at their 36-yard line. That’s when senior wide receiver Wyatt Bell fumbled on a third-and-six, which gave the Phantoms a prime scoring opportunity by starting a drive in River Falls territory.

West De Pere put together a two-minute, 48-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a seven-yard touchdown run by the aforementioned Mitchell. A successful PAT gave the Phantoms a 7-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

West De Pere continued to create additional possessions on the ensuing kickoff when the Phantoms executed a flawless onside kick that they recovered at the River Falls 40-yard line. Coach Scherz spoke about the Phantoms’ early onside kick recovery.

“We practiced that all week, he just hit a really, really good kick,” Scherz said. “You can’t put your hands team out there every time. I mean, you could, but you’d be starting inside the 10. They just executed it really well.”

The Phantoms capitalized on the onside kick with a 23-yard field goal to make it 10-0 in favor of West De Pere going to the second quarter. A couple of possessions later, the Phantoms struck again. This time it was junior quarterback Duke Shovald who connected with junior running back Kaleb Cameron on a 17-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-0 with four minutes to go in the second quarter.

West De Pere forced another River Falls three-and-out on the ensuing drive and got the ball back at the River Falls 38-yard line after a short punt. The Phantoms capped off another scoring drive when Shovald connected with Mitchell on a screen pass that went 22 yards to the house late in the first half. With the score, the Phantoms took a 24-0 lead over River Falls into the halftime intermission.

The Wildcats’ three-score halftime deficit proved to be too much to overcome, as West De Pere cruised to a 38-6 victory. River Falls’ lone score came via special teams late in the third quarter when senior wide receiver Jacob Gilbertson returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-6.

River Falls ends its season with a 10-2 overall record and as co-champions of the Big Rivers Conference with the Hudson Raiders – both programs finished 6-1 in league play. Coach Scherz spoke about reaching double- digit wins in a season and raising the bar of the program.

“I guarantee if you polled the crowd about what they thought we would be this year, it wouldn’t be 10-2 and Level 3 (in the playoffs),” Scherz said. “It’s not that they didn’t believe in us, but we lost a lot of good players. We’re trying to build a program, not just have a good year or a good class.”

River Falls has unquestionably raised the bar of the program. This season’s 10-win team marked only the second time in program history the Wildcats have reached double- digit wins. The senior class is a large part of the reason why River Falls made a jump this year. Scherz spoke about his seniors.

“They were relentless in the weight room in the offseason. We’re not loaded with scholarship guys, but they refused to lower the standard and in fact, they raised it almost on the sheer power of will and leadership,” Scherz said. “They’re extremely competitive guys over there and I’m going to miss them.”

Coaching also certainly impacted River Falls this season. Scherz earned a head coaching distinction last week when he was named the Packers High School Coach of the Week. Throughout the season, the Green Bay Packers select one outstanding high school football coach each week to receive the honor.

While the distinction certainly is a great honor for Scherz and his staff, it also includes tangible benefits. As part of the selection, the Packers, Buffalo Wild Wings and NFL Foundation will band together to make a $2,000 donation to the River Falls High School football program.

“It’s an honor, but it doesn’t happen without an outstanding coaching staff,” Scherz said. “I share it with all of them. It’s humbling, but it’s a collective effort.”

River Falls senior linebacker Gavin Kohel (#29) and junior defensive back Bryce Bevan (#13) combine for a tackle on West De Pere senior running back Najeh Mitchell. Photo by Reagan Hoverman