Red Hawks return to postseason football with triumph over Westby

When Paul Anderson was coaching the freshman football team at Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School back in 2019, he could tell that he had future varsity playmakers on his team.

Then COVID erased the 2020 season and pivoted into spring ball with no playoffs. The season was followed by a down 1-8 season for the program last year.

Anderson showed the same group of now seniors just how excited he was for them last Friday, letting the fist pumps fly — along with a few dance moves to the tune of cheers and screams, too — following a 34-12 win over Westby. It’s a win that puts the Red Hawks into the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

“I knew that they had the ability to do some things once they got older. When they come together and play like they can, that’s a very good group. It’s so nice to have a veteran group like that,” Anderson said following Friday’s win.

The Red Hawks (4-4 overall, 4-2 Coulee Conference) close the regular season with a Trempealeau County matchup at Arcadia on Friday. A win could give G-E-T an argument for a home playoff game.

Westby (5-3, 3-3) opened the scoring on a 21-yard run in the first quarter after a failed fourth down attempt gave the visitors a short field. Senior Brady Seiling blocked the extra point for G-E-T, a play that Anderson felt tilted the scales a bit in favor of the home team.

Still trailing midway through the second quarter, Seiling blocked a punt near midfield. Facing a third-and-20 on the next drive, G-E-T quarterback Cody Schmitz took advantage of man coverage to find senior Ben Hilton on back-to-back passes for the first down. The Red Hawks would go on to take a 7-6 lead with under two minutes left in the first half.

Kyle Seiling made his impact felt in due time, returning the second half kickoff 81 yards for the score and a 14-6 advantage for G-E-T. The defense made its presence known from there in a game that saw three interceptions (two from Brady Seiling) and 19 different players record a tackle.

Anderson gave the credit to his defensive coaching staff and the team’s seniors.

“We got some momentum on a couple of things in the first half,” Anderson said, “ and you could sense that the defense was taking control a bit in the second half.”

Senior Nate Schindler added a pair of touchdown runs in the second half and Schmitz added a third to seal the Coulee Conference win for the Red Hawks. Schindler led G-E-T with 108 yards on the ground and also paced the team in tackles (9.5).

Anderson and the Red Hawks are focused on Arcadia and finishing the regular season the right way. After starting the season 0-3 against some of the top teams in the area, the first year coach said Friday was the result of continuous improvement and learning from mistakes.

“It made us better. We understand what it is to go up against tough teams, and obviously we learned from them. We got better I think.”

As the Red Hawks prepare for their first postseason run in years, it’s time to keep that improvement going, Anderson said. But they planned to enjoy Friday for what it was — a team effort years in the making.

“I’m just so proud of these seniors that they got this opportunity to play and get into the playoffs,” Anderson said.

G-E-T—

Rushing (att./yds.)—Schindler 26/108, Schmitz 14/53, B. Seiling 6/9, Stoner 3/-17.

Receiving (rec./yds.)—Stoner 2/37, Hilton 2/25, Repaal 1/38.

Passing (comp./att./yds.)—Schmitz 4/10/94, Knott 1/1/6.

Tackles (solo/total)—Schindler 7/9.5, Robinson 2/5,  B. Seiling 3/4, K. Seiling 1/2, Mack 1/2, Lakey 1/1.5, Th. Haney 0/1.5, Jimenez 1/1.5, Knott 1/1, Corcoran 1/1, Peterson 1/1, Hilton 1/1, Pickering 1/1, Schuh 1/1, Hansen 0/0.5, Ta. Haney 0/0.5, Regal 0/0.5, Jockish-Buchert 0/0.5.