FIRST AND SHORT

Week One Wonders: performances of note from opening weekend

JR Radcliffe
jr.radcliffe@jrn.com

Week 1 was a strange one in 2016. Most games in the area were at least delayed by lightning, some needed multiple days to complete and some (for Greenfield and Germantown) were halted and wiped from the slate altogether. Some still need to be finished Monday, including Whitnall's clash with West Allis Central and Messmer/Shorewood's battle with Milwaukee King.

Stat reporting for area teams at Wissports.net was also a little spotty, so some of this information might be incomplete or calculated incorrectly. But according to the Wissports database, here are some performances of note from the first week of the year.

Bo Bennett, Dominican. The Knights may have lost their opener to Bay View, 32-30, but Bennett passed for 248 yards and four touchdowns on 16 of 33 passing.

Brennan Demark, Waukesha North. The talented quarterback is one of the area's best kept secrets. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, and he also ran for another as part of his 43-yard rushing performance in an easy win over Elkhorn.

Cade Garcia, Whitefish Bay. The Blue Dukes got a huge pickup from the first-year quarterback, who completed 17 of 31 passes for 344 yards and five touchdowns. Bay lost in overtime, 50-43, but it certainly gave Brookfield Central a run for its money. Alex Anthony caught 10 passes for 181 yards and two of those scores, and Michael Kirkendoll had three catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

Zach Genrich, Mukwonago. Did most of his damage on big plays, racking up 80 of his 193 yards rushing on one brilliant touchdown score and adding a 46-yard run to set up another.

Mitchell Gnadt, Greendale. The junior quarterback completed 17 of 27 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-40 shootout win over Menomonie. Tommy Kujawa ran for 172 yards and was one of three Greendale players to score two touchdowns, joining Isaac Seibold and Zach Harrison in the game.

Tripp Grebe, University School. He caught nine passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in a smooth win over Watertown Luther Prep.

Zach Heckman, Brookfield Central. Heckman was one of the reasons Central won that overtime thriller against Whitefish Bay. He ran 43 times for 190 yards and three touchdowns.

Paris Howell, Wauwatosa West. Howell ran for three tocuhdowns and 142 yards on just 13 carries, then added another 64 yards through the air to help Tosa West win the battle with crosstown Wauwatosa East easily.

Peter MacCudden, Waukesha West. Ran for 179 yards and two scores and also caught two passes, including a 43-yard touchdown, to help the Wolverines bring down Watertown, 28-7. MacCudden, who has played in two state finals, is perhaps the state's most experienced varsity player as a junior.

Max Maleski, New Berlin West. The Vikings nearly upset Port Washington before falling in overtime. Maleski finished with 17 carries for 157 yards and two scores, and he also accounted for the third touchdown with a receiving score, part of his four-catch, 105-yard performance in the air.

Bryce Miller, New Berlin Eisenhower. The junior quarterback led the Lions on a furious comeback, with four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the game before Plymouth scored once more for a 34-28 victory. Miller threw for three of the scores himself with 212 yards passing overall, plus he ran for another 69 yards. Jake Belongia caught two touchdowns, and Joey Scaffidi ran for one with 189 yards on the ground.

Nik Mueller, Martin Luther. Mueller completed 19 of 22 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns as Martin Luther opened the season with an easy win over Palmyra-Eagle. Two of his receivers -- Mike Rohleder and Luke Howards -- finished wiith more than 100 yards receiving.

Rusty Murphy, Cudahy. Picking up where he left off after a strong 2015, Murphy threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-14 win over St. Thomas More, and he also rushed 15 times for 124 yards and another score.

The Oconomowoc offense. The Raccoons racked up huge offensive numbers across the board in the 42-35 win over KM. Ben Nienhuis threw for 329 yards  and a score, Zach Clayton caught 13 balls for 244 yards and finished with a rushing touchdown, and Christian Gurule ran for 131 yards and two scores in addition to a kickoff returned for a TD.

Matt Ruppel, Port Washington. The two-way player keyed the defensive effort from his linebacking position and scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime in a 28-21 victory against New Berlin West. He finished with 20 carries for 152 yards.

Tanner Smith, Kettle Moraine. In defeat, the Lasers showed they were no pushover, taking powerful Oconomowoc to the brink before a 42-35 loss. Smith finished with 121 rushing yards and 121 receiving yards with two touchdowns.

Dakari Williams, Nicolet. His 70-yard touchdown run was the difference in a 13-12 win over Waukesha South, marking the Knights' first varsity victory since 2012.

Bradley Woldt, Homestead. In a losing effort, Woldt ran 20 times for 124 yards and a score, and he also racked up 35 yards receiving and threw a 52-yard touchdown that pulled Hometead to within 2 points of Arrowhead late before ultimately falling short.