A football night of celebration in Three Lakes

The Three Lakes-Phelps varsity football team beat the Wausaukee Rangers 45-12 last Friday night in front of another large home crowd at Three Lakes Stadium. The victory was fun and rewarding as the Bluejays scored a season high 45 points to thrill fans with touchdown after touchdown, but the game itself was just part of the celebration. It was also Senior Night at the stadium, honoring four members of the Bluejays who played their last home game of varsity football, and it was a special game for Sawyer Szews, as the only senior to have played in all four seasons and who has been a long-time fan favorite.

Most important for the team, however, the victory clinched a playoff spot in the WIAA 8-Player Football Championship tournament, which begins this Saturday, October 18, in Wabeno, where the Bluejays will look to even the season series with the Rebels and advance to the second round. The victory last week against Wausaukee was the second win in a row, and the third in the past four games, and gave the Jays a third-place finish in the Northeast Conference.

Bluejays Head Coach Justin Szews was happy with the team effort and the back-to-back wins that earned a postseason invitation.

“This was a great way to finish up the regular season,” he said. “Especially in front of supporters on our home field. I loved the way our kids were ready to play at the first snap of the game. We put up some early scores and never took our foot off the gas.”

The high-speed action began two minutes into the game when defensive back Sam Koshuta intercepted a Rangers pass. A few plays later in his quarterback role, Koshuta hit (Sawyer) Szews with a long over-the-shoulder touchdown pass to give the Jays an early 6-0 lead. Moments later, he would hit a sprinting Owen Liebscher in stride for another touchdown pass, extending the Bluejays’ lead to 12-0. Then, with less than a minute in the quarter, Koshuta hit Jack Westfall near the end zone for his third touchdown pass in ten minutes, giving the Bluejays an 18-0 advantage as they cruised to victory.

Koshuta would go on to throw five touchdown passes in the game with 220 total yards in the air and no interceptions. He also rushed for 23 yards and a touchdown. Liebscher and Szews were the primary receiving targets with a combined nine catches for 236 yards and four touchdowns, while also being effective on defense with 23 combined tackles and an interception each.

Other standout performances were found by Jack Bauknecht as he scored a touchdown on a 41-yard rushing play while also leading the Jays on defense with 15 total tackles. Bentley Bills played well with nine tackles, while Westfall, Koshuta, Zach Weavers, Carter Nelson, Garrett Mandli, and Ayden Scheppele combined for 27 tackles in the game. The head coach also acknowledged the offensive line.

“Sam had his best night statistically,” he said. “And some of the credit goes to the linemen who did an excellent job giving him time to find the open man.”

The emotional moment of the night, however, occurred after the game when a long list of teammates lined up for one-on-one photos with (Sawyer) Szews as he waved goodbye to the fans at Three Lakes Stadium for the last time after four seasons. He went out with 180 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns to complement his fine defensive efforts.

Coach (Justin) Szews reflected after the game about watching his son mature on and off the field. “Sawyer stepped on the high school football field for coaches Tyler Maney and Pat George in 2022 as a 140 lb. freshman cornerback and wide receiver. He is now a 180 lb. linebacker and tight end. It’s hard to believe how fast the four seasons went, and it’s been great to watch Sawyer’s growth and to watch the Bluejay teams compete from the sideline view. I think our team and our coaches would agree with me that Sawyer is a great teammate and we are going to miss having him around the team next year.”

The first round WIAA football tournament starts this Saturday, October 18, for the Bluejays as they will face the Wabeno-Laona Rebels at Wabeno High School. The game has a 1:00 p.m. kickoff time.