Columbus upends 3-time state champion La Crosse Aquinas, avenging its playoff loss (2024)

COLUMBUS — Connor Roche was dealing with cramps for the second straight week, forcing him to exit the game multiple times Friday night.

“It was tough dealing with that but the motivation was from last year when we really wanted to beat them but this year we executed,” Roche said.

Roche had 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the 20-16 Columbus win over La Crosse Aquinas on Friday. His 2-yard rushing touchdown with 3 minutes, 14 seconds left served as the proverbial game winner.

Columbus stopped Aquinas on four consecutive plays once the Blugolds were threatening to score at the 27-yard line, 30 seconds after Roche scored.

“Our defense knew we’d have to step up against a dominant offense that’s tough to guard and they did that in a big way multiple times tonight,” first-year Columbus coach Andy Ryan said.

Roche had 15 first-half carries and scored the game's first touchdown with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

The 5-foot-9 running back spun out the scrum of surrounding defenders, then sprinted up the right sideline for a 35-yard touchdown. Columbus led 6-0, after failing on the 2-point conversion.

Aquinas responded early in the second quarter, relying on the wildcat formation to score its first points.

Senior running back Kyle White took a direct snap and scampered 53 yards for a touchdown, with 9 minutes left in the first half.

The 5-10 White had nothing but daylight after getting past the first level of Columbus’ all-out blitz on the crucial fourth-and-1 from the Blugolds’ 47-yard line.

"That was a heck of a high school football game with two teams going at it and this is better for us than playing someone we can roll over," Aquinas coach Tom Lee said.

The second half began with punts from both teams. However, Aquinas’ punt traveled just 8 yards, placing Columbus at the Aquinas 35-yard line as they trailed 8-6.

Columbus quickly capitalized on the short field, with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Peyton Powers.

It was a redeeming moment for the junior quarterback who had three interceptions, including the final one that Aquinas senior Isaac Schelfhout returned 52 yards for a touchdown that helped Aquinas gain a 16-14 lead after a successful 2-point conversion to break the tie.

“I believe in our offense and Peyton a lot, so I kept telling him to keep his head up and move on to the next play,” Ryan said.

Powers had two crucial scrambles on the ensuing drive, one for 19 yards and another for 3 yards on fourth-and-2 with 4minutes left in the game.

That fourth-down conversion kept the drive alive and set up Roche’s game-winning touchdown.

Columbus (2-0) travels Lodi (2-0) next week for its first road game as Capitol Conference play opens. The Blue Devils won the Division 4 state championship last season to cap a 14-0 season. They have a 16-game winning streak after wins over Monroe and McFarland to open the 2024 season.

"We have to fix the false start penalties that are on us because the little things matter and that's how you get better each week," Roche said.