NEW LONDON — A shutout performance by the New London-Spicer football team’s defense led the Wildcats in securing their first victory of the season on Friday night.
The turnover-free Wildcats limited Watertown-Mayer’s offense to 179 yards in their 22-0 win in the non-district game on a windy, but comfortable, Tackle Cancer Night at Pederson Field.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Liam Macik, who is in his first year as NLS’ starting quarterback, threw his first two touchdown passes this season. Nolan Caskey has scored each of the previous two touchdowns this fall.
Macik, a 6-foot-1, 180 pound junior, tossed a 51-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Logan Hagedorn on a catch-and-run off a play-action pass with 49.1 seconds left in the first quarter.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
That touchdown pass came on the Wildcats’ second drive. The first NLS drive saw senior kicker Griffin Thompson nail a 23-yard field goal.
Luke Hannig’s fumble recovery at Watertown-Mayer’s 31-yard line helped set up Macik’s second touchdown pass, where he dished a 14-yard catch-and-run pass to Brecken Westby. A botched snap ensued on the extra point, but the Wildcats took a 16-0 lead with 7:06 in the half.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Macik and company added some insurance when Caskey scored a 1-yard touchdown with 1:50 to go in the third quarter. Caskey is a senior running back who has scored three touchdowns.
Macik finished his third varsity start with 221 yards and two touchdowns on 11 of 16 passing.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Friday night featured a Tackle Cancer benefit for the Lilleberg Family Foundation of Atwater.
Kristi Lilleberg-Barber and her children Levi, Jillien and Prestan created the foundation in memory of husband and father, Nickolas Lillberg, 42, who passed away from Classic Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December 2016. He was diagnosed in February 2014.
Since 2017, the Lilleberg Family Foundation provides a $1,000-$2,000 scholarship each year for an Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City graduate pursuing a four-year agriculture degree, according to the Lilleberg Family Foundation website. It has offered a $1,000 scholarship to an Alpha Gamma Rho-Lambda Chapter member who is pursuing an agriculture degree since 2022.
NLS is at Dassel-Cokato at 7 p.m. Friday in Cokato.
NLS (1-2) 10 6 6 0 — 22
NLS – Griffin Thompson 23 field goal
NLS – Logan Hagedorn 51 pass from Liam Macik (Thompson kick)
NLS – Brecken Westby 14 pass from Macik (Thompson kick failed)
NLS – Nolan Caskey 1 run (Macik pass failed)
First downs: 7 … Penalties: 3-25 … Rushing (Individual and team): Carson Wasser 11-36, Karson Tufte 3-15. Team: 25-65 … Passing (Individual and team): Matthew Isakson 12-25-0 114 … Receiving: Samson Plahn 4-40, Benjamin Guetzkow 4-23, Blake Danielson 1-36, Isaac Ostlie 2-15 … Interceptions: none … Fumble recoveries: none … Tackles (solo-assist): n/a … QB sacks: none
First downs: 10 … Penalties: 6-40 … Rushing (Individual and team): Griffin Mayhew 9-31, Nolan Caskey 7-24, Liam Macik 15-7, Luke Hannig 3-11. Team: 34-73 … Passing (Individual and team): Liam Macik 11-16-0 221 … Receiving: Logan Hagedorn 2-83, Weston Steele 4-69, Matthew Gehrke 2-44, Brecken Westby 3-25 … Interceptions: none … Fumble recoveries: Luke Hannig 1 … Tackles (solo-assist): Holton Hanson 6-1, Evan Jones 5-0, Isaac Taatjes 5-0, Hannig 4-0, Hagedorn 3-1 … QB sacks: none
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.wctrib.com ’
