Lomira Football Plays with the Heart of a Champion

On October 24, sixth-seeded Lomira football lost 17-14 to St. Mary’s Springs Academy in the Division 6 Level 1 playoff game, featuring two programs with state championship pedigrees.
Lomira’s (6-4) offense went three-and-out on their first possession against Springs (7-3) before the Ledgers returned a punt for 27 yards to the Lomira 23-yard line.
The Lions’ defense responded with three tackles for a loss from Mason Schelvan, Hunter Duley, and Blake Steger, plus a pass breakup in the end zone by Jamie Duran to force a Springs’ 38-yard field goal.
The Ledgers’ field goal kicker slipped on the damp Furth Field grass and missed an opportunity to score points after starting with very good field position, giving the ball to Lomira at their own 20-yard line.

Lomira got two first downs on their ensuing drive, highlighted by a 12-yard run by Hunter Schaumberg, before punting the ball back to the Ledgers.
Springs got the first big offensive play of the game when they got a 36-yard run from Jack McGuire to get into Lomira territory, but the Lomira defense stood up to stop the Ledgers on fourth down when Steger pressured the quarterback and Aidan Campbell made a sliding press break to give the Lions the ball at their 24-yard line early in the second quarter.
The Lions threw an interception on third down to give Springs the ball in favorable field position at the Lomira 37-yard line, but Lomira’s defense showed their heart again in the game when the Lions stopped them again on fourth down, featuring a two-yard tackle for a loss by Duley.
“Our defense kept us in the game in the first half because they battled and flew all over the field to make plays,” said Head Coach Bryan Gregory. “They were almost perfect going into the half except for that one big play.”
Lomira started their next drive with two holding penalties and punting the ball to the Ledgers after three plays, with the Springs’ drive starting at the Lions’ 34-yard line.
The Lions’ defense featured some good tackling by Schaumberg on first down on a swing pass and a strong combo tackle by Kolton Wagoner and Trent Kulczewski to set up a third down for the Ledgers.
The Ledgers converted that third down, but the Lions’ defense put the Ledgers into a third-and-11 situation in the waning seconds of the first half.
Springs quarterback Zander Lenz found Jaxon Sabel on the crucial third down for a 21-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead with 14 seconds left in the half.
The Ledgers got the ball first in the second half and seemed to score a big 55-yard passing touchdown, but it was negated by a very clear offensive holding call on Springs, which ended the drive for the host team.
Lomira got the ball on their own 45-yard line and proceeded to first down, but then the Lions were facing a fourth down when Keegan Kell found Wagoner for a big conversion of six yards to continue their drive in the third quarter.
The Lions got a free 15 yards when former Springs Head Coach Bob Hyland got a penalty from the sideline, putting Lomira inside the Ledgers’ 20-yard line.
Lomira got to the four-yard line after a first-down carry by Elijah James for seven yards, but the Lions got a holding penalty and had to settle for a 31-yard field goal attempt, which went left of the field goal post, leaving the score at 7-0 in favor of Springs with two minutes on the third-quarter clock.
Springs got their first passing play of the game when Lenz found Sabel for 45 yards, setting the Ledgers at the Lomira 15-yard line.
The big pass play allowed the Ledgers to kick and make a 29-yard field goal to extend their lead 10-0 over the Lions with 7:13 left in the game.
Lomira wasn’t going to go quietly into the night in this playoff matchup as Kell saw Schaumberg running open on a wheel route in front of the Lomira sideline. Kell threw a pass which went perfectly over an outstretched Springs defender, and Schaumberg leaped up into the cool night air to snatch the pass, come down with proper balance, and streak into the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown, which sent the Lomira bench and crowd into a frenzied state of joy with 4:58 left on the fourth-quarter clock for a score of 10-7.
“We needed a big play like that to jumpstart our offense with Keegan and Hunter stepping up when we needed them the most,” said Gregory. “Great throw and even better catch by two great athletes that kept the game within reach and gave us hope of a comeback.”
The Lomira defense came with increased fire by forcing a third down after strong tackles by Duley and Wagnoer, but Springs converted the third down with a 47-yard passing play to move the ball to the Lions’ 19-yard line.
The Lions forced Springs into another fourth down, but the Ledgers responded with a 12-yard passing touchdown to extend their lead to 17-7 with 2:18 left in the game.
Lomira converted three first downs before capping off the 63-yard drive with a Kell to Steger seven-yard passing touchdown to close the gap to 17-14 with 1:22 left in regulation in this highly competitive playoff game.
“They fought until the final whistle and left it all on the field,” said Gregory. “They more than upheld the standard of excellence and further fueled the belief we have in the direction of the program.”
“We take a lot of pride in what it means to represent and play for Lomira football,” said Gregory. “This season gave us a lot of meaningful experiences that will propel us moving forward.”
Springs was able to recover the Lions’ onside kick attempt at the Lomira 48-yard line with 1:17 left in the game, and the Ledgers ran out the final minute to secure a 17-14 playoff victory over their conference foe.
“The final score will fade, but the pride I have in calling myself their coach will always be there,” said Gregory. “They left it all out on the field and have nothing to hang their heads about.”
“That feeling we had at the end of the game will be there all offseason, and it will be a driving force for us to come back better than ever with the work starting now for 2026,” said Gregory. “The future is extremely bright, and the expectations have never been higher, with the standard having been set, and this group will rise to it.”

Game Summary

Friday, October 24
Lomira 0-0-0-14 14
Springs 0-7-0-10 17
Final

Second Quarter

Springs: Lenz to Sabel 21-yard passing touchdown (XP Good) 0:14 Springs 7-0
Fourth Quarter
Springs: Kutz 29-yard field goal 7:13 Springs 10-0
Lomira: Kell to Schaumberg 52-yard passing touchdown (Stoffel XP) 4:58 Springs 10-7
Springs: Lenz to Baker 12-yard passing touchdown (XP Good) 2:18 Springs 17-7
Lomira: Kell to Steger 7-yard passing touchdown (Stoffel XP) 1:22 Springs 17-14

Game Stats
Lomira: Total Yards: 227. Passing: 10-17-126-2-1. Rushing: 27-101-0
Springs: Total Yards: 233. Passing: 6-11-140-2-0. Rushing: 34-93-0

Individual Stats
Passing: Keegan Kell 10-17-126-2-1
Rushing: Hunter Schaumberg 6-49. Keegan Kell 12-28. Elijah James 7-18. Hunter Duley 1-3. Charlie Cole 1-3.
Receiving: Hunter Schaumberg 3-72-1. Kolton Wagoner 2-21. Blake Steger 2-17-1. Huner Duley 2-14. Charlie Cole 1-2.

Offensive Season Stat Leaders:
Passing: Keegan Kell 65-105-965-8-4.
Rushing: Elijah James 83-519-6. Keegan Kell 102-517-9. Hunter Schaumberg 82-490-8. Kolton Wagoner 10-198-4. Hunter Duley 10-55-1. Charlie Cole 4-16. Aidan Campbell 1-12. Jackon Breitlow 5-(-2). Miles Amerling 1- (-2).
Receiving: Charlie Cole 14-262-2. Hunter Schaumberg 13-172-2. Kolton Wagoner 12-188-1. Hunter Duley 11-157-1. Blake Steger 7-81-1. Elijah James 5-78-1. Alex Zahn 3-27.
Defensive Season Stat Leaders thru Regular Season
Tackles: Kolton Wagoner 97. Hunter Duley 69. Blake Steger 47. Hunter Schaumberg 43. Elijah James 38. Alex Zahn 33. Jamie Duran 32. Mason Schelvan 31. Aidan Campbell 30. Jayden Gibson 28. Cole Geiger 20. Trent Kulczewski 18. Keegan Kell 17. Alex Almeda-Potter 11
TFL: Blake Steger 15. Kolton Wagoner 14. Hunter Duley 12. Mason Schelvan 11. Jayden Gibson 8. Cole Geiger 5. Hunter Schauumberg 4. Elijah James 4. Trent Kulczewski 3
Sacks: Blake Steger 6. Kolton Wagoner 4. Hunter Duley 3. Cash Agamaite 2. Mason Schelvan 1.5. Brock Breitlow 1. Jayden Gibson .5
FF: Mason Schelvan 1. Blake Steger 1. Hunter Duley 1
FR: Hunter Duley 1. Hunter Schaumberg 1
Int: Blake Steger 2 (1 TD). Charile Cole 2. Jamie Duran 2. Cole Geiger 1. Hunter Duley 1. Aidan Campbell 1