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Kettle Moraine found itself down 10-7 at the end of the first quarter but dominated the final three periods to claim a 27-10 victory over West De Pere in the WIAA Division 2 football state title game.

The offenses came out firing for both teams, with Kettle Moraine getting on the board first when Chase Spellman capped off a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge. 

It did not take West De Pere long to answer, as the Phantoms went 86 yards in just three plays, capped by a 28-yard touchdown strike from Duke Shovald to Landon Nordgaard. 

West De Pere got the ball right back thanks to a surprise middle onside kick, and turned it into points and the lead when Bryce Smith booted a 36-yard field goal. 

The lead would be short-lived as Kettle Moraine answered with another long touchdown drive that covered eight plays and 76 yards, with Nolan Schopp taking it in from a yard out to put the Lasers up 14-10 early in the second quarter.

Kettle Moraine dominated the rest of the proceedings, adding a 68-yard touchdown run from Dylan Portz and a 35-yard Jacob Eifert field goal to take a 24-10 lead into halftime.

Neither team was able to get a lot going in the second half, but Kettle Moraine did add to its lead on the opening drive of the second half when Eifert drilled another field goal, this one from 25-yards out.

Kettle Moraine's stout defense came up big in the second half, limiting West De Pere's high-powered offense to just 48 yards after halftime.

Nolan Schopp was a two-way All-State player and proved why today, rushing for 67 yards and a touchdown, catching three passes for 38 yards, and recording four tackles on defense with a sacks, tackle for loss, and pass breakup. 

Lasers quarterback Chase Spellman had a nice game as well, completing 10-of-15 passes for 195 yards with 57 yards and a score on the ground. Drew Wagner hauled in six passes for 147 yards, a new Division 2 title game record.

Duke Shovald threw for 213 yards for West De Pere, completing passes to eight different receivers. Senior All-State running back Najeh Mitchell showed off his all-around prowess, rushing for a team-high 63 yards with a team-high five passes for 63 yards through the air as well.

Kettle Moraine wins its second WIAA state championship, also capturing the Division 2 crown in 1988 with a win over New Berlin West.

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.