West Delaware on a roll with 3 straight wins, rebounding from 0-2 start

MANCHESTER — West Delaware Coach Doug Winkowitsch appreciated a rare short Friday night.

He was going to make a quick exit, getting ready to attend his son’s wedding Saturday.

Luckily, the weather and the Hawks’ dominant first half allowed for that to happen.

Brent Yonkovic contributed scores on the first three drives and Sawyer Krogmann added a defensive touchdown, while extended weather delays led to a shortened 28-0 victory over Maquoketa at Brown Field. The Hawks have won three straight games, moving to 3-2 this season.

The season’s rough start led to a rebound that has resulted in routs, posting 112 points in the last three weeks.

“We’re healthy,” Winkowitsch said. “We have some guys back. We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now. They guys continue to work hard and we create some depth.

“Early on we had a lot of guys going both ways. We’re getting to a better number there. They are continuing to improve.”

Despite playing just two quarters in constant rain, the Hawks produced touchdowns on their first three possessions. Brent Yonkovic had his hands in each score. He capped the opening 70-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run. The next drive spanned 68 yards on 11 plays, concluding with a 3-yard Yonkovic run and a 14-0 lead with 1:18 to go in the first quarter.

“It wasn’t the best conditions to play in, but to overcome those obstacles and playing the game in general helped us out a little bit,” Yonkovic said. “We did a great job punching them right in the mouth and getting after it.”

The Hawks’ stout defense allowed just 28 total yards in the half and also outscored the Cardinals (3-2). Krogmann picked up a fumble on the first snap of Maquoketa’s ensuing series and returned it 20 yards for a score, making it 20-0 just 18 seconds later.

“The dominant defense the last two weeks has been really impressive,” Winkowitsch said. “The kids really rally to the ball. We keep making strides defensively.”

Yonkovic completed 9 of 11 passes for 153 yards, connecting with Conrad Smith five times for 62 yards. Yonkovic dropped a 35-yard TD pass into Smith’s hand for a 28-0 advantage with 7:36 left before halftime.

“I told myself to relax,” Yonkovic said. “Have fun just like practice. We’ve run that in practice. Just do it like in practice and it worked out perfect.”

Yonkovic used his arm and his legs, leading West Delaware with 75 rushing yards. Macoy Roling added 27. Yonkovic has about 1,284 yards of total offense with 15 total TDs.

“Offensively, we have some weapons,” Winkowitsch said. “Yonkovic is a tremendous asset to our team. He’s a dual-threat quarterback, so people really have to honor that.”

The Hawks have jelled during the win streak. They noticed they weren’t congratulating one another and not making big plays. They began to talk and now they are gaining confidence that they are good.

“It’s awesome to be a part of this team,” Yonkovic said. “We’re coming together as a team, in general.”

West Delaware 28, Maquoketa 0

AT MANCHESTER

MAQ WD

First Downs 4 13

Rushes-yards 15-0 24-111

Passing yards 28 153

Comp-att-int 4-9-0 9-11-1

Total yards 28 264

Fumbles-lost 4-1 2-1

Punts-avg. 4-34.5 0-0

Penalties-yards 4-30 1-15

Maquoketa 0 0 -- 0

West Delaware 20 8 -- 0

WD – Brent Yonkovic 1 run (kick failed)

WD – Yonkovic 3 run (Macoy Roling rush)

WD – Sawyer Krogmann 20 fumble return (kick failed)

WD – Conrad Smith 35 pass from Yonkovic (Roling rush)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Maquoketa: Spencer Martin 4-13, Carter Meyer 6-2, Tate Martin 2-2, Derek Wilhelm 1-(-6), Team 2-(-11). West Delaware: Yonkovic 14-75, Roling 8-27, Smith 2-9.

PASSING – Maquoketa: Meyer 4-9-0-28. West Delaware: Yonkovic 9-11-1-153.

RECEIVING – Maquoketa: Riley Christiansen 1-24, M.J. Warthan 1-5, Braedon Tranel 1-4, Wilhelm 1-(-5). West Delaware: Smith 5-62, Keagan Jackson 2-19, Seth Jackson 1-41, Roling 1-31.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com