NEW BERLIN — New Berlin West knew that if it could get a win over Parkland Conference and crosstown rival New Berlin Eisenhower, it would most certainly earn a No. 1 seed heading into the Division 3 playoffs.
But the Lions, who hadn’t beaten the Vikings since 2021, were looking to spoil the party. Behind two touchdowns from senior everything-man Caleb Johns, the Lions did just that, beating the host Vikings 15-10 on Friday and spoiling West’s Senior Night in the process.
“It obviously feels great,” Lions coach Matt Kern said. “It’s been a great rivalry for so long. There’s so many games in the history of Ike-West that are like this.”
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Both teams were without key contributors on Friday, as Ike senior quarterback Jarrett Hall was out after suffering an injury last week, and Vikings all-conference junior wide receiver Zach Hewitt was sidelined with an injury as well.
West’s run game, led by junior running back Aidan Devine, had been its calling card this season, and on the first drive, it looked like it would keep the train moving. Devine and Co. started their drive from their own 20 and marched down the field, moving it to the Lions’ 25.
Ike’s defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs after West had used up 10 minutes of clock. But without Hall under center, Ike had trouble moving the ball.
After back-to-back three-and-outs from the Lions, it seemed destined that the game would go into halftime scoreless, but then disaster struck for the hosts. After Ike got a defensive stop, the Vikings were forced to punt from their own 30, but the snap was too high for Vikings junior punter Spencer Phelps, and he was forced to fall on the football and the 15-yard line.
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New Berlin Eisenhower junior wide receiver Nicco Caravella tries to escape the grasp of New Berlin West sophomore defensive back Alex Warshauer during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin Eisenhower senior running back Caleb Johns (0) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday at New Berlin West.
New Berlin West junior Brody Beauchamp evades New Berlin Eisenhower senior Joshua Bonin during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin West junior quarterback Logan Zylka throws a pass during a Parkland Conference football game against New Berlin Eisenhower on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin West junior running back Aidan Devine stiff-arms New Berlin Eisenhower sophomore linebacker Lincoln Sherwood during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin West junior running back Aidan Devine is tackled by New Berlin Eisenhower junior defensive back Brayden Luckman during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin West freshman running back Evan Trudell (33) scores a touchdown as junior offensive lineman Devin Kibler (57) celebrates during a Parkland Conference football game against New Berlin Eisenhower on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin Eisenhower junior wide receiver Nicco Caravella tries to escape the grasp of New Berlin West sophomore defensive back Alex Warshauer during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin Eisenhower senior running back Caleb Johns (0) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday at New Berlin West.
New Berlin West junior Brody Beauchamp evades New Berlin Eisenhower senior Joshua Bonin during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin West junior quarterback Logan Zylka throws a pass during a Parkland Conference football game against New Berlin Eisenhower on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin West junior running back Aidan Devine stiff-arms New Berlin Eisenhower sophomore linebacker Lincoln Sherwood during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin West junior running back Aidan Devine is tackled by New Berlin Eisenhower junior defensive back Brayden Luckman during a Parkland Conference football game on Friday in New Berlin.
New Berlin West freshman running back Evan Trudell (33) scores a touchdown as junior offensive lineman Devin Kibler (57) celebrates during a Parkland Conference football game against New Berlin Eisenhower on Friday in New Berlin.
The Lions, who hadn’t moved the chains in the first half, were suddenly gifted a lifeline and made the Vikings pay. Johns took the handoff to the right and pounded it in from five yards out to give the Lions a surprise lead.
“I think just being physical and matching their physicality was key,” Johns said. “Especially with a team like New Berlin West, they hang their hats on being physical.”
That physicality was exemplified when the Lions, gifted a yard after an offside call against the Vikings on the point-after attempt, pounded home a two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead into halftime.
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“They did a great job of coming out and kind of getting on us a little bit,” Vikings coach Ben Chossek said. “And I didn’t think we matched that real well in the first half. Credit them for that.”
After a first half that found offense hard to come by, the Lions came out of the break swinging. Receiving the second-half kickoff, Ike marched straight down the field, and Johns ran it right up the gut, powering his way in for another Lions touchdown midway through the third quarter.
“We weren’t really sure as far as kind of how it was going to go down,” Johns said. But it turned out that the formation was hot, and we kept rolling with it.”
But West came into Friday’s game 7-1 for a reason. After going down two scores, the Vikings’ run game, which had been stifled for the previous 20 minutes, finally kicked into gear. With 24 seconds left in the third, freshman Evan Trudell dashed to the right, getting just enough space on the edge to take it in for the score.
Buoyed by the touchdown, West’s offense clicked into gear and nearly looked to have scored the touchdown that would have put it down by just a two-point conversion. After nearly getting sacked, junior quarterback Logan Zylka managed to find Devine with a short pass, and Devine dashed 15 yards to the end zone, but it was called back for an illegal block in the back.
The Vikings decided to settle for a field goal, as Phelps banged it in from 29 yards to make it 15-10 with just over four minutes to go.
The Vikings went for the onside kick, but it was recovered by the Lions, who managed to get enough first downs to run out the clock and secure their first win over the Vikings in four years.
“We were fortunate enough to have a lead, but we got the stop when we needed it there defensively at the end, and the four-minute offense there was able to finish the game out,” Kern said. “So very, very gratified to see us finish the game the way we did.”
For West, Friday’s loss to the Lions might sting a little extra as it could have knocked them down from a No. 1 seed. Playoff seeding is at 10 a.m. today, but Chossek is more concerned about what his team can learn from Friday’s game.
“We have a really young team and every Friday night is a learning experience for them,” Chossek said. “So if they can learn that we’ve got to come out and we’ve got to play a certain way from the very beginning, then this will be a benefit for us.”