NEW LONDON -- Mike Bonynge put New London-Spicer's offense on his back and the defense shut down Melrose for the last three quarters, leading to a 26-6 win for the Wildcats in the quarterfinal round of the Section 6AAA football playoffs Tuesday.
NLS (7-2), the No. 3 seed, will play at No. 2 Staples-Motley at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Bonynge carried the load for the Wildcats, rushing 28 times for 182 of NLS' 325 yards and two touchdowns.
The Dutchmen scored first on a four-yard Seth Gieske run, but the Wildcats answered on the next drive, capped off by Bonynge's two-yard plunge to take a 7-6 lead.
Both teams stalled early in the second quarter, but NLS tacked on 13 points thanks to two touchdown passes by Austen Hadley. He hooked up with Wade Powers for an 11-yard score and with Skylar Wachter for a 14-yard touchdown, which gave the Wildcats a 20-6 halftime lead. Bonynge scored on a seven-yard run in the third quarter.
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NL-S 26, Melrose 6
Melrose (2-7) 6 0 0 0 -- 6
NL-Spicer (7-2) 7 13 6 0 -- 26
Mel - Seth Gieske 4 run (pass failed)
NLS - Mike Bonynge 2 run (Blake Williamson kick)
NLS - Wade Powers 11 pass from Austen Hadley (Williamson kick)
NLS - Skylar Wachter 14 pass from Hadley (kick failed)
NLS - Bonynge 7 run (kick failed)
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Melrose
Team statistics
First downs: 12 ... Rushing: 29-106 ... Passing (com-att-yds-int.): 8-24-75-3 ... Fumbles lost: 1 ... Penalties: 2-20
Individual statistics
Rushing: Seth Gieske 5-46, Danny Beste 8-(-1), Eric Orth 16-61 ... Passing: Beste 8-24-75-3 ... Receiving: Wiehoff 4-44, Rayn Mascho 1-12, Phillip Herkenhoff 1-7, Skylar Uphoff 2-18 ... Punting: Brad Wiehoff 6-30.1 ... Interceptions: not available ... Fumble recoveries: not available ... Tackles (solo-assist): not available ... QB sacks: not available
New London-Spicer
Team statistics
First downs: 21 ... Rushing: 54-325 ... Passing (com-att-yds-int.): 3-6-48-0 ... Fumbles lost: 2 ... Penalties: 5-35
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Individual statistics
Rushing: Mike Bonynge 28-182, Blake Willamson 16-83, Shawn Holliday 5-37, Austen Hadley 5-23 ... Passing: Austen Hadley 3-6-48-0 ... Receiving: Skylar Wachter 2-37, Wade Powers 1-11 ... Punting: Hadley 3-35 ... Interceptions: Jacob Reiter 1, Mike Bonynge 2 ... Fumble recoveries: Alex Nelson 1 ... Tackles (solo-assist): Blake Williamson 7-1, Jacob Reiter 5-2, Sam Stefl 2-4, Ben Koch 2-4, Joe Stenzel 6-2, Mike Bonynge 5-0 ... QB sacks: Joe Stenzel 2, Blake Williamson 1, Jake Stenzel 1
