Chickasaws fall in state playoff quarterfinals

A season few outside the New Hampton locker room would have believed back in August came to an end Friday night as Waukon rolled to a 34-13 win over the Chickasaws in a Class 2A state playoff quarterfinal game.
When it was over, New Hampton coach Scott Frerichs gathered his players for one final time and told them how proud he was of a team that entered the season in rebuilding mode yet reached for the quarterfinals for the first time since 2014.
“You did it the right way,” he said after his team finished the season 8-3, “and you represented New Hampton football very, very well.”
The Chickasaws had lost to Waukon 28-20 early in the regular season, but the Indians made sure this one wouldn’t be as close as that game as they put 21 first half points on the board.
Waukon built the lead to 34-0, and only a blocked extra point kept the “running clock” on the shelf.
Instead, New Hampton used two quick scores — both runs by Keagan John — to make the final score a little more respectable.
John scored on a 6-yard run and Austin Hemann’s kick made it 34-7 with 5:15 left. On Waukon’s first play from scrimmage, Areon Day recovered a fumble, and the Chickasaws cut the lead to 34-13 on John’s 2-yard run into the end zone.
The game marked the final one for 12 Chickasaw seniors — John, Braydon Fisher, Bradan Shoopman, Noah Fye, Alex Schumacher, Jake Zwanziger, Josh Fenske, Trevor Ferrie, Robert Diaz, Tyler Rentschler, Day and Wesley Wegman.
— For more on this story, see the Nov. 7 Tribune

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