Madison, WI – November 17, 2025 – In a thrilling showdown at Camp Randall Stadium, the Winneconne football team (14-0) staged a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Little Chute (12-2) with a final score of 28-22, securing the 2025 State Championship title. The Foxes, who remained undefeated, overcame a significant deficit, scoring 15 unanswered points in the final quarter to seal their historic victory.
The game began with Little Chute setting the pace. Running back Reece Joten broke free for a 24-yard touchdown run at 7:28 in the first quarter, though the extra point rush failed, leaving the score at 0-6. Winneconne responded quickly, with Brody Schaffer punching in a 2-yard rushing touchdown, and Andrew Dorn’s successful PAT kick putting them ahead 7-6. However, Little Chute wasn’t done, as Tyler Hietpas unleashed a massive 63-yard touchdown run shortly after, followed by a successful two-point conversion from William Goffard, giving Little Chute a 7-14 lead heading into the second quarter. The second quarter was a defensive battle, with neither team managing to put points on the board, maintaining Little Chute’s 7-point advantage at halftime.
The second half opened with Winneconne narrowing the gap. Quarterback Schaffer connected with K. Hawthorne for a 31-yard touchdown pass at 8:18 in the third quarter. Dorn’s PAT kick failed, making it 13-14. Little Chute once again extended their lead when Joten completed a 1-yard rushing touchdown, and a successful two-point rush by Joten pushed the score to 13-22 with 2:25 left in the third.
The fourth quarter belonged entirely to Winneconne. With just under six minutes remaining, Schaffer threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Karter Hawthorne, this time from 9 yards out. A successful PAT kick brought Winneconne within two points at 20-22. The Foxes’ defense held firm, setting the stage for the final, decisive drive. At 1:20 in the fourth, Mason Mathe delivered the championship-winning play with an 8-yard touchdown run. Hunter Samolinski’s successful two-point conversion rush provided the final margin, making it 28-22.
WINNECONNE
Rushing
| Player | Att. | Yrds | TD | Lg | Avg |
|---|
| B.Schaffer | 22 | 123 | 1 | 27 | 5.6 |
| B.Jones | 11 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 1.8 |
| M.Mathe | 3 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 6.7 |
| TEAM | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1.0 |
| Totals | 37 | 162 | 2 | 27 | 4.4 |
|---|
Passing
| Player | C-A-I | Yds | TD | Long | Sack |
|---|
| B.Schaffer | 11-16-1 | 149 | 2 | 31 | 1 |
| Totals | 11-16-1 | 149 | 2 | 31 | 1 |
|---|
Receiving
| Player | No. | Yards | TD | Long | Tgt | YAC |
|---|
| K.Hawthorne | 5 | 55 | 2 | 31 | 5 | 20 |
| R.Quigley | 4 | 65 | 0 | 21 | 6 | 7 |
| B.Jones | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 16 |
| J.Nettekovan | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| TEAM | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 11 | 149 | 2 | 31 | 15 | 46 |
|---|
Punting
| Player | No. | Yds | Avg | Long | In20 | TB |
|---|
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
Punt Returns
| Player | No | Yds | Lg |
|---|
| B.Schaffer | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
Kick Returns
| Player | No | Yds | Lg |
|---|
| B.Schaffer | 3 | 69 | 39 |
| Totals | 3 | 69 | 39 |
|---|
Field Goals
All-purpose
| Player | Run | Rcv | KR | PR | IR/FR | Total |
|---|
| B.Schaffer | 123 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 192 |
| R.Quigley | 0 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 |
| K.Hawthorne | 0 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 |
| B.Jones | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
Fumbles
| Player | No. | Lost |
|---|
| JONES, B | 1 | 1 |
| SCHAFFER, B | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 2 | 1 |
|---|
Defense
| # | Player | Solo | Ast | Total | Sacks-Yds | TFL-Yds |
|---|
| 43 | E.Duel | 8 | 5 | 13 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 2 | B.Jones | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 54 | D.Walker | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0.0-0 | 1.0-4 |
| 57 | J.Michaud | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 71 | H.Samolinski | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 1 | K.Hawthorne | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 4 | N.Bouras | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 6 | A.Lang | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 1.0-4 |
| 14 | J.Zeller | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 63 | C.Blackburn | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 3 | B.Schaffer | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 15 | K.Kachur | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 5 | J.Hutchinson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 28 | L.Bertrum | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 73 | G.Adkins | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| Totals | 33 | 30 | 63 | 0-0 | 2.0-8 |
|---|
LITTLE CHUTE
Rushing
| Player | Att. | Yrds | TD | Lg | Avg |
|---|
| R.Joten | 21 | 118 | 2 | 24 | 5.6 |
| T.Hietpas | 4 | 69 | 1 | 63 | 17.3 |
| J.Hermsen | 13 | 55 | 0 | 9 | 4.2 |
| C.VandenHeuvel | 3 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 4.3 |
| T.Verhagen | 6 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 1.5 |
| TEAM | 1 | -27 | 0 | 0 | -27.0 |
| Totals | 48 | 237 | 3 | 63 | 4.9 |
|---|
Passing
| Player | C-A-I | Yds | TD | Long | Sack |
|---|
| M.Schneider | 0-1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J.Hermsen | 1-4-1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 1-5-1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
Receiving
| Player | No. | Yards | TD | Long | Tgt | YAC |
|---|
| T.Verhagen | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| W.Goffard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| G.Dove | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| R.Joten | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
|---|
Punting
| Player | No. | Yds | Avg | Long | In20 | TB |
|---|
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
Punt Returns
Kick Returns
| Player | No | Yds | Lg |
|---|
| W.Goffard | 2 | 20 | 13 |
| T.Verhagen | 1 | 18 | 18 |
| Totals | 3 | 38 | 18 |
|---|
Field Goals
All-purpose
| Player | Run | Rcv | KR | PR | IR/FR | Total |
|---|
| R.Joten | 118 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 118 |
| T.Hietpas | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 |
| W.Goffard | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 44 | 64 |
| J.Hermsen | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 |
Fumbles
| Player | No. | Lost |
|---|
| TEAM | 1 | 0 |
| HERMSEN, J | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 2 | 0 |
|---|
Defense
| # | Player | Solo | Ast | Total | Sacks-Yds | TFL-Yds |
|---|
| 81 | J.Thiel | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1.0-13 | 2.0-14 |
| 20 | R.Joten | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 52 | G.Wittmann | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 3 | K.Hoffman | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 2.0-7 |
| 10 | T.Verhagen | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 13 | W.Jansen | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 73 | G.McInnis | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 4 | W.Goffard | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 5 | A.Hawthorne | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 1.0-2 |
| 14 | L.McMahon | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 72 | N.Faccio | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 80 | T.Lyon | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 6 | H.Weyenberg | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 21 | B.Ruesch | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 25 | J.Tobon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 29 | P.Effa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| 56 | M.Lenz | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0.0-0 |
| Totals | 43 | 2 | 45 | 1-13 | 5.0-23 |
|---|
Despite Little Chute holding a significant possession advantage (28:11 to 19:49), Winneconne’s ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities, especially in the clutch, proved to be the difference. The Foxes’ 4th quarter surge cemented their perfect season and a well-deserved State Championship.
