Cardinals Battle to the End in Sectional Playoff Thriller at Ray Dunn Field

In front of a packed house Friday night at Ray Dunn Field, the Mayville Cardinals gave everything they had in a hard-fought Level 3 playoff matchup against Amherst that kept fans on both sides on their feet until the final seconds.

The atmosphere was electric from kickoff. The Amherst student section brought the noise, but the Mayville faithful — students, parents, and community members — matched them cheer for cheer, filling the crisp November air with energy and pride.

From the opening series, it was clear this game would be a defensive slugfest. Early in the first quarter, Joe Promersberger set the tone with an interception on a third-and-25 play, halting an Amherst drive and firing up the home crowd. A few plays later, Landen Baker punched in a 24-yard touchdown run to give the Cardinals the early lead, 7-0.

Amherst answered quickly with a 74-yard touchdown run, but the Cardinals’ defense tightened up, led by Colton Carpenter and Owen Steger, who applied pressure all night long. Baker struck again in the second quarter on a one-yard run, and with Owen Mlsna’s extra point, Mayville led 14-6 going into halftime.

Mayville controlled possession throughout the game, methodically moving the ball down the field and eating up clock with a punishing ground game. Baker finished the night with 32 carries for 168 yards and three rushing touchdowns, while Tanner Schneider added 57 yards, and Emerson Mittelstadt picked up another 56.

After the game, Head Coach Scott Hilber talked about Baker’s performance with three rushing and one receiving touchdowns, “Landen hasn't had the ability to really carry the load for this team this year, even though we all recognize him as being our offensive leader.  I knew that eventually we would come to a point where we would have to lean on him, and I'm totally comfortable doing that. I've never coached a kid who is so eager to work on his craft on his own time.  Landen has been asking for this opportunity, and we are more than happy to give it to him.”

The Cardinals opened the second half with the ball, but both defenses refused to break. Amherst cut into the lead late in the third on a 43-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14.

Then came one of the night’s unusual moments; officials briefly paused play in the fourth quarter after a drone was spotted hovering over the field. When play resumed, Amherst capitalized on a Mayville fumble and took the lead, 21-14, with just under six minutes to go.

But Mayville refused to fold. Baker found the end zone again from four yards out to pull the Cardinals within one, 21-20, with 59 seconds left. Mayville’s onside kick was perfectly executed and recovered by sophomore Dominic Schuelke, setting up another stunning Baker touchdown, this one a 49-yard reception from Mittelstadt — giving Mayville a 26-21 advantage.

Looking back on the pivotal stretch late in the game, Hilber noted how momentum can shift in an instant — and how his team’s competitiveness kept them in it. “We were feeling pretty good about ourselves with seven minutes to go when we had a first-and-10 on their 35-yard line and were driving to take the lead. In a matter of three plays, our momentum and our tied game was gone. Our players know that our fortunes can shift in a heartbeat as long as we are willing to compete.“

The Cardinal defense sealed the win in fitting fashion. Tate Drinkwine broke up a late Amherst pass attempt on fourth down to force a turnover on downs, allowing Mayville to eat the clock and punch their ticket to Level 4 of the playoffs.

“Fatigue combined with an unfamiliar offense run by great athletes really challenged us, but ultimately we shut a high-performing offense to only 20 points, so we will take that as a win. We appreciate the adversity because our challenges tonight will force us to be better going forward,” reflected Hilber.

The Cardinals outgained Amherst 391 to 295 in total offense, held the ball for nearly 30 minutes, and converted 10 third downs, showing discipline and poise under pressure.

With the 26-21 victory, Mayville advances to Level 4 and will face Lake Country Lutheran(LCL) (11-1) at a neutral site in Slinger this Friday night with kickoff at 7 p.m.

“We have to bring Mayville football to Slinger on Friday and make sure we can adapt enough to contain their strengths.  LCL is a really good football team and so are we. We must be ready to compete at our highest level,” concluded Hilber.

Mayville, 26 vs. Amherst, 21

Friday, November 7, 2025

MAY   7-7-0-12-26 

WLA   6-0-8-7-21

Team Statistics (MAY/AMH)

First Downs: 20/10; Rushes-yards: 56-337/28-287; Passing yards: 54/8; Fumbles-lost: 1-1/0-0; Penalties-yards: 3-29/3-20

Mayville

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Baker 32-168 3TD; Schneider 10-57; Mittelstadt 5-56; Promersberger 8-53; Keller 1-3

PASSING: Mittelstadt 2-3-1   

RECEIVING: Baker 2-54 1TD

PUNTING: Wendorff 3-90

RETURNS: Schneider 2-34; Promersberger 2-20

KICK OFF: Mlsna 5-201

SACKS: Carpenter 1-9

INT: Promersberger 1-0; Zitlow 1-0

Scoring summary: Q1 3:45, MAY, Baker 24-yard run, PAT good Mlsna (7-0); 2:44, AMH, Nerdahl 74-yard run, PAT no good  (7-6); Q2 7:13, MAY, Baker 1-yard run, PAT good Mlsna (14-6); Q3 7:13, AMH, Nerdahl 43-yard run, 2 PT good Nerdahl run (14-14); Q4 5:59, AMH, Glodowski 66-yard run, PAT good Loken (14-21); 0:59, MAY, Baker 4-yard run, 2 PT pass failed (20-21); 0:45, MAY, Mittelstadt pass to Baker 49 yards. 2 PT run failed (26-21)