Highland dispatches Dunlap, advances to second round of football postseason
Highland’s football team picked up right where they left off in the regular season during Friday night’s playoff opener.
Facing No. 15 seed Dunlap in the opening round of the IHSA Class 5A postseason, the No. 2 seed Bulldogs used a 30-point second quarter to post a decisive 50-0 victory.
The Bulldogs improved to 9-1 while scoring 50 or more points for the sixth time this season. Dunlap finished at 5-5.
“I felt like we didn’t rest on our laurels of the regular season,” HHS coach Jimmy Warnecke said. “I felt like our kids knew the playoffs were a new beast and that we needed to prove ourselves. And I thought we did that tonight. Offensively, we had a good tempo. Our offensive line dominated.
“We were hitting up front. The difference in the game was our ability to stop their run and our ability to pound the rock.”
Highland — which has won nine-straight games — now will host Mascoutah in round at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs handled the Indians 56-0 in a Mississippi Valley Conference game Oct. 14. Mascoutah defeated Marion 21-20 in a first round game Saturday.
“We’ll enjoy this one tonight, find things to fix and work on those things in the morning ... we have a long road ahead of us,” Warnecke said.
Overall, Warnecke was pleased his team did overlook a 5-4 opponent. He attributed that to the Bulldogs’ senior leadership.
“We’ve got a group of 20 seniors. Sometimes, even the best of us look past things in life. But our kids know the postseason is a different monster and that if you look past someone your season is over with and your career is over with,” Warnecke said.
“I thought that was the big difference. Last week we did not play our best game against a good Effingham team (a 34-20 win). I feel that was a good thing for us.”
Highland jumped out to a 13-0 lead against Dunlap, as senior quarterback Brent Wuebbels scored on a 41-yard touchdown run and fellow senior Travis Porter rumbled 67 yards for a score. Meanwhile, early on, Dunlap pushed Highland’s defense, which bent but didn’t break, according to Warnecke.
“They definitely had a good passing attack,” Warnecke said. “The first two series were a situation of bend but don’t break. They were driving on us, but our defense did a great job of stepping up and not breaking. We break there and they match our scores, it’s a different game.”
43-0 halftime bulge
After that, Highland rolled, posting 30 points in the second quarter. Wuebbels connected with senior Brode Lewis (2 yards) and senior Cade Altadonna (26 yards) on touchdown passes while also posting rushing scores of 11 and 6 yards. During the dizzying offensive eruption, Wuebbels also hit senior Brenden Gelly for a 2-point conversion pass.
Leading 43-0 at halftime, the Bulldogs posted one final score as Wuebbels and senior Paul Graham hooked up for a 10-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Senior Joey Geromiller added four extra points on the night.
Plenty of praise to go around
Overall, Warnecke highlighted several players’ performances, including Wuebbels, who completed 13-of-16 passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 138 yards and the two touchdowns on just seven carries. Porter, meanwhile, scampered for 147 yards on 10 carries and Warnecke also noted Graham’s performance and that of senior strong safety Cameron Willis.
“Brent played an efficient game and controlled the offense,” Warnecke said. “I thought Paul Graham — our defensive end — played a very good game. Cameron Willis had a very good game and Travis Porter ran hard.”
More high marks from the Bulldogs coach
The praise did not stop there.
“I thought our offensive line stood out and was outstanding along with our wide receivers and blocking backs,” Warnecke said. “We blocked really well tonight.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 8:00 AM.