The last time Kimberly lost a playoff game was six years ago to the day. Since then, it's been five consecutive state championships for the Papermakers. And they don't appear to be slowing down this year since their season-opening loss to Fond du Lac.
The Papermakers took down top-seeded, undefeated Bay Port Friday night, 38-20, setting up a rematch with Fond Du Lac in Level 4, the Division 2 semifinals.
Adding to the significance of the Friday Night Blitz Game of the Week, Bay Port and Kimberly have never met in a football game in their storied histories.
Andrew Thomas was in at quarterback for the injured Jake Plummer, and he got the Pirates started in the first with a 44-yard pass to Cody Lindquist who finished it with a stiff arm. Isaiah Gash would rush in for the first score of the night.
The Makers responded on the next possession with a Caleb Fraser touchdown.
The sophomore kept the hot hand in the second half with an impressive, tip-toeing 68-yard gain down the sideline. That set up a Cody Staerkel to Connor Wnek touchdown pass for a 13-7 Kimberly lead.
Each team would score once more before half, making it 20-13 at the break.
In the second half, the Pirates took the lead with a goal-line plunge from Gash, his second score of the game, giving Bay Port a 20-19 advantage.
But that did not last long. Staerkel found Wnek again for a 35-yard touchdown and all the momentum.
In the fourth, Fraser ran in one last touchdown for Kimberly.
