Waterford Controls Blue Dukes Offense, Ends Playoff Run with 17-0 Win

A play-by-play man announcer watching Friday's WIAA Division 2 Level 3 playoff football game compared tackling Waterford tailback Greg Steffens to "like jumping in front of a dump truck."

Whitefish Bay was the team on the wrong end of the collision. Steffen rushed for 139 yards and helped Waterford control the clock in a 17-0 victory at Whitefish Bay on Friday night.

Junior tailback Rashadeem Gray led the way for the Blue Dukes with 70 yards but Whitefish Bay could not get into the end zone as its season ended with a 7-5 mark.

This was indeed a physical football game and it was also a very efficiently played football game as both teams combined for a total of seven penalties the whole game. Whitefish Bay was able to move the ball, but the game came down the the fact that the Blue Dukes were unable win at the point of attack on either side of the ball. Gray had some nice runs, but he was unable to break anything big. Steffens, meanwhile, picked up 61 of those rushing yards in the fourth quarter as Waterford put the game away.

Whitefish Bay coach Jim Tietjen had good things to say about Steffens and his teammates after the game.

“They are a fine football team. They got some nice players” said Tietjen after the game. “That (Steffens), that runningback, he just kept moving the sticks, they are just a nice football team who played hard and tonight was their night.”

The game actually started quite well for the Blue Dukes. After winning the toss and deferring to the second half, Whitefish Bay forced Waterford (11-1) into a quick three and out. The Blue Dukes got the ball on their own 40 and moved the ball down inside the 15 but were stopped on a fourth down attempt.

Wateford moved down and picked up a field goal at the end of the first quarter. After forcing Whitefish Bay to punt, Waterford got the ball on its own 29-yard line with just over nine minutes to go in the second quarter and went on a 15-play, 71-yard drive that lasted almost six minutes and was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Steffens.

There was no scoring in the third quarter as the game turned into a chess match of field position. Early on in the fourth quarter Waterford got the ball on its own 20-yard line and with a 10-0 lead, began one of those signature drives to finish off a game that champions are known for. The drive went for 16 plays, 80 yards, lasted almost seven minutes and was finished off by 1-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Zach Fisher.