OCONOMOWOC — Grafton (13-0) pulled off a stunning overtime victory over Catholic Memorial 34-31 Friday night, earning their ticket to the Division 3 State Championship game at Camp Randall Stadium.
The undefeated Black Hawks will face Reedsburg in the state title game after surviving a thrilling back-and-forth battle with the Crusaders (11-2), who were seeking back-to-back state championship appearances.
Junior running back Jack Nelson emerged as the hero for Grafton, scoring three touchdowns, including the game-tying score with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Nelson opened the scoring with a 60-plus-yard punt return in the first quarter after Grafton's defense forced a three-and-out. Caleb Ernst and Max Glab combined for a sack on third and long to set up that momentum-shifting play.
Grafton took a 7-0 lead into halftime, but Catholic Memorial exploded for 28 points in the third quarter. Crusaders sophomore quarterback Dalton Steinke faked a handoff and found Gabe Talla over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown to open the scoring for Catholic Memorial.
Devon Williams Jr. gave the Crusaders a 28-7 advantage late in the third with a nine-yard rushing touchdown.
Watch here: How Grafton overcame a 21-point deficit against Catholic Memorial to advance to the Division 3 state championship.
The Black Hawks refused to fold in the fourth quarter. Nelson powered through the middle for a 5-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 14 points. Grafton's defense then returned a fumble for a score to make it a one-possession game.
With :34 remaining in regulation, Nelson bulldozed his way into the end zone again to force overtime at 28-28.
Catholic Memorial struck first in the extra period with a 38-yard field goal, but Grafton answered when Nicholas Schiller found a diving Max Glab in the corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
The victory sends Grafton back to the Division 3 State Championship game since 2023, where they will face Reedsburg at Camp Randall Stadium.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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