FIRST AND SHORT

Week Eight Wonders: Several top performances this week

JR Radcliffe
jr.radcliffe@jrn.com

With one week to go before the regular season concludes, there were several notable performances in Week 8 of the football season.

Brandon Berg, Pewaukee. The Pirates have a number of rushing threats, and it was Berg's turn Friday in a win over Messmer/Shorewood. He ran 19 times for 120 yards and two scores.

Jaylen Campbell, Catholic Memorial. The Crusaders won their first outright Classic 8 title since 2000 as Campbell ran for 198 yards on 29 carries with three touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 21 yards and played on defense in a 34-14 win over Mukwonago.

Jack Hansen, Nicolet. It didn't come in a win, but Hansen kept the Knights close in a 30-20 setback against Milwaukee Lutheran. He threw for two touchdowns and ran 15 times for 147 yards and another score.

Luke Howard, Martin Luther. With starting quarterback Nik Mueller and running back Darios Garrett out with injury, Howard did it all to help the Spartans clinch a playoff berth with a huge 21-0 homecoming win over Shoreland Lutheran. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 110 yards and ran 18 times for 107 yards and two scores.

Paris Howell, Wauwatosa West. Needing just eight attempts, Howell ran for 142 yards and a score (17.8 average) in a lopsided win over Brown Deer.

Will Kennedy, University School. The Wildcats became playoff eligible with a win over Living Word Lutheran, and Kennedy led the way with 185 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He also made 11 tackles on defense and forced a fumble.

Caden Knauer, Grafton. The Black Hawks threw a scare into Cedarburg, falling by a 20-17 count after Knauer ran for 144 yards on 15 carries and two scores and also caught five passes for 117 yards.

Cody Krause, Muskego. The Warriors downed Waukesha North in a bit of an upset, with Krause running 29 times for 100 yards and two scores.

Tommy Kujawa, Greendale. Now fully healthy, he racked up 194 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown, and he also caught two passes for 16 yards. Greendale also got a big performance from receiver Zach Harrison (six catches, 138 yards, touchdown).

Peter MacCudden, Waukesha West. The future Classic 8 Player of the Year ran 23 times for 245 yards with two touchdowns as West downed an early challenge from Kettle Moraine with a 41-21 victory.

Max Meleski, New Berlin West. The running back's big season continued as he ran for 207 yards and two scores in a win over South Milwaukee. Nate Egofske also ran for 164 yards and a score.

Nick Mirasola, Sussex Hamilton. The Chargers kept their playoff hopes alive thanks in large part to Mirasola, who ran 26 times for 180 yards and four touchdowns.

Jacob Morgan, St. Thomas More. Morgan returned two punts for touchdown and also ran in another as Thomas More won its first game of the year, downing Catholic Central.

Austin Mozdzen, Germantown. In a huge win for the Warhawks, Mozdzen ran 17 times for 201 yards and four touchdowns as the Warhawks kept their playoff hopes alive with a win over Port Washington.

Rusty Murphy, Cudahy. The quarterback almost led the Packers to the fourth-quarter comeback, completing 15 of 26 passes for 241 yards nand two scores and also rushing for another 39.

Elijah Robinson and Roy Harden, Oak Creek. The Knights needed a win to stay in the playoff chase, and the 34-21 win over Racine Case did the trick. Robinson ran for 118 yards and Harden 116 with one touchdown apiece.

Sam Santiago-Lloyd, Brookfield East. The Spartans endured heartbreak in a crazy loss to Marquette, but Santiago-Lloyd appears fully healed as he ran 45 tmes for 203 yards and two tocuhdowns, and he also finished with five tackles.

Jake Simuncak, South Milwaukee. His record-tying run of three straight 300-yard rushing performances is over, but he did run for 139 yards and two scores in a losing effor and also threw for two touchdowns.

Matt Ruppel, Port Washington. In a losing effort, the Pirates standout running back ran 24 times for 162 yards and two scores. Port needs one more win to reach the playoffs, but the Pirates will be heavily favored against Nicolet next week.

Joey Scaffidi, New Berlin Eisenhower. In the showcase Woodland Conference crossover battle of the week, newly-healthy Scaffidi ran 26 times for 127 yards and two scores as Ike downed Greenfield.

Davis Zeutzius, Arrowhead. Against Waukesha South, Arrowhead won big behind some strong running from Spencer Papandrea and the sophomore Zeutzius, who scored two touchdowns and racked up 111 yards on just eight carries in his first varsity game.

Ethan Wilkins, Lake Country Lutheran. The sophomore quarterback has fully embraced the role after taking over early in the season, and his 17-of-27 performance for 177 yards and four touchdowns was huge in a win over conference-title contender St. Francis. He also ran for a score.

Eric Zoeller and Bradley Woldt, Homestead. The duo posted nearly identical numbers, running for 168 and 169 yards, respectively, and both with two touchdowns as Homestead knocked off Whitefish Bay and secured the outright North Shore title.