WIAA D3: DeForest rolls the dice late, tops Menasha 8-7

DeForest rolled the dice in head coach Mike Minick’s final game at the helm.

It payed off.

The Norskies went for two after scoring their first touchdown of the day in the final minute of the WIAA Division 3 championship game, converting and holding on for an 8-7 win over Menasha and their first title since 2007.

Quarterback Trey Schroeder hit Gabe Finley on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining to get DeForest on the board, before floating a jump pass to Nolan Hawk for the two-point conversion.

Schroeder completed three passes on the Norskies’ go-ahead drive, hitting Logan Bierman for 28 yards and Hawk for 11 yards before finding Finley for the score.

For a while, it appeared that Menasha’s first-quarter touchdown would hold up as the game-winner.

Davontre Smith punched in a nine-yard rushing touchdown on the game’s opening drive, a lead that lasted until the final minute of the fourth quarter.

The Bluejays’ defense made plays throughout, piling up seven tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions, while recovering a pair of fumbles.