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Niagara’s 2026 eight-player football season came to an end with a 32-6 WIAA opening round playoff loss at Sevastopol on Saturday.
“It’s tough to see the seniors walk off the field for the last time,” said Badgers coach Ben Laarman. “They were a great group to coach and will be missed.”
Niagara senior Sawyer Rouse rushed nine times for 68 yards and scored on a 38-yard touchdown run that pulled the Badgers within 14-6 late in the second quarter.
A huge moment came when Sevastopol scored on a fourth-down run with under 30 seconds left in the half to make it a 20-6 halftime score.
“Sevastopol is a very talented team at all positions,” Laarman said. “They are the most complete team we’ve seen. We battled hard but couldn’t run the ball consistently against their outstanding front and missed our opportunities both to make big plays in the passing game and to get takeaways on defense.”
The Pioneers scored on their opening drive and Niagara mishandled a squib kickoff, which the Pioneers recovered, setting up their second TD.
Niagara forced a three-and-out on Sevastopol’s first possession of the second half, but its own first drive was stalled by a holding penalty. The Pioneers extended their lead, aided by an officiating decision and an interception.
Niagara senior Owen Dunkes rushed for 11 yards and sophomore Parker LaFave had 19 yards on three carries. Rouse completed 3 of 10 passes, including two to senior Abain Patterson for 18 yards.
Dunkes led the defense with 10 solo tackles, while sophomore Jesse Wahlstrom had eight solo tackles, including two for loss. Other leading tacklers were Patterson and fellow senior Mason Whaley, along with juniors Landon Sweig and Myles Laarman.
Sevastopol’s offense was paced by junior Bo Tank, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 253 yards and 3TDs. He also rushed 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. Junior Cash Kuehn had nine receptions for 177 yards, catching all three of Tank’s touchdown passes.
The Badgers finished the season at 5-6.
Sevastopol (8-1) will travel to Suring in the next playoff round, with the winner advancing to the state quarterfinals.
Laona-Wabeno, the top seed in the region, advanced with a 44-6 win over Three Lakes-Phelps and will host Northwood/Solon Springs on Friday.