Week 3 Postgame: Monona Grove Overwhelms Milton 42–7 Behind Six First-Half Touchdowns

mgfootball

Sep 5

7 min read

Monona Grove entered Friday night ranked No. 3 in Division 2 and looking to open Badger Large play with another statement. It did not take long.

The Silver Eagles scored on six first-half possessions, built a 42–0 halftime lead and rolled past Milton 42–7 at John Klement Stadium to improve to 3–0. MG finished with 360 total yards, held the Red Hawks to just 77, and continued to get production from a growing list of veterans, first-year starters and younger contributors.

The tone was set immediately.

Starting from its own 20, MG needed only five plays and 54 seconds to reach the end zone. Jaxon Zukowski capped the opening drive with a touchdown run after completions to Nic Busalacchi and Henry Parrott and a run by Carson Schoenherr helped move the offense quickly downfield. Hans Haffele added the extra point for a 7–0 lead.

That was only the beginning.

Zukowski scored four rushing touchdowns in the first quarter alone, carrying 10 times for 100 yards and four scores before halftime.

By the end of the opening period, MG led 28–0, with Haffele perfect on all four extra points.

Milton had no answer.

The Red Hawks repeatedly went three-and-out while the Silver Eagles controlled field position and tempo.

Zukowski Produces Six First-Half Touchdowns

Zukowski's night was complete by halftime. The junior finished 9 of 12 passing for 90 yards and two touchdowns, added 100 rushing yards on 10 carries and accounted for six total touchdowns in only two quarters of play.

After scoring four times on the ground in the first quarter, he shifted to the passing game in the second.

At 9:54, Zukowski found Diego Adame for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 35–0. Then, with 57 seconds left before halftime, he connected with Nic Busalacchi for a 16-yard score. That final touchdown gave MG a 42–0 halftime advantage and effectively ended the competitive portion of the game. The performance was efficient as much as explosive. Zukowski completed 75% of his passes, did not throw an interception and averaged 10 yards per rush.

Busalacchi Emerges as a Major Receiving Target

One of the biggest offensive stories was Nic Busalacchi.

The 6-foot-5 junior tight end led MG with five receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown, repeatedly using his size and strength to create yards through the Milton defense. His 16-yard touchdown just before halftime capped the scoring barrage, but his impact was felt well before that. Busalacchi was involved in the opening drive and continued to give Zukowski a dependable target throughout the first half.

He also contributed defensively, forcing a second-quarter fumble that helped set up another MG possession. That turnover was recovered by Colten Jenkins, who made his season debut at linebacker and finished with two solo tackles and a fumble recovery.

For Jenkins, it was an immediate contribution in his first action of the fall.

Schoenherr Helps Power the Ground Game

While Zukowski's four rushing touchdowns dominated the stat line, MG's ground game remained balanced.

Junior Carson Schoenherr carried seven times for 59 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt.

Deangelo Clay added 13 yards on two carries, giving MG multiple physical options before the starters sat for the second half.

Zukowski, Clay and Schoenherr combined for 172 rushing yards on 19 first-half carries, averaging better than nine yards per attempt.

The production continued after halftime.

Sophomore Mario Melone rushed three times for 39 yards, an average of 13 yards per carry. Senior Steven Brumm handled second-half quarterback duties and added 23 rushing yards while completing one pass for 12 yards.

Austin Donkersgoed also made a memorable season debut after a hand injury delayed the start of his year. The junior contributed in all three phases, catching one pass for 12 yards, rushing once for 17 and making three tackles on defense with a pass breakup.

His first appearance gave MG another versatile contributor at a point in the season when the roster is continuing to expand.

Rosol and Jordan Earn First Varsity Starts

Friday was also a milestone night for two juniors in the trenches.

Evan Rosol made his first varsity start on the offensive line at center, while Lucas Jordan made his first varsity start at defensive tackle.

Both stepped into important roles during a game in which Monona Grove controlled the line of scrimmage from the opening series.

MG rushed for 254 yards on 33 carries, averaging 7.7 yards per attempt, while Milton finished with only 77 total yards of offense.

For Rosol and Jordan, the night was not simply about getting on the field. It was about contributing to another physical performance in the Silver Eagles' 3–0 start.

Melone Leads Another Dominant Defensive Effort

Senior linebacker Dom Melone led the defense during a first half in which Milton barely moved the football.

Melone finished with five tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks, continuing what has been a productive start to his senior season.

Clay added four tackles and two tackles for loss, while junior Cole Kessenich finished with four tackles.

Kyle Carey tied Melone for the team lead with five tackles, including four solo stops.

Carey's production became especially noticeable in the second half as the Silver Eagles rotated heavily and gave younger players extended varsity snaps.

Junior Alonzo Garcia also made a major impact after halftime, finishing with three tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

Together, Carey and Garcia helped maintain control after the starters exited.

MG finished the night with seven tackles for loss and three sacks.

Younger Defenders Continue to Add Depth

The defensive stat sheet again showed just how many players are beginning to contribute.

Landry Ganshert had three tackles and returned three punts for 34 yards. Aiden Dennis added two tackles. Daniel Strohbusch and Carson Bauler each finished with two. Santana Jackson had two tackles, while Devaron Green recorded a tackle for loss.

Zion Ozulamoi added a tackle and handled a kickoff return, while Nysiah McKinney, and Zander Vosberg also appeared on the defensive stat sheet.

The breadth of participation mattered because MG played the entire second half with a running clock and with its starters largely finished for the night.

For a team that entered the season with many players taking on larger varsity roles, Friday gave another long list of Silver Eagles meaningful game experience.

Special Teams Stay Clean

Special teams had been one of the biggest concerns entering the matchup because Milton had already scored both a kickoff-return and punt-return touchdown earlier this season.

MG did not allow that phase to become a factor.

Hans Haffele finished a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points and added a 32-yard punt.

Diego Adame handled six kickoffs, while Haffele had one touchback on his lone kickoff.

Landry Ganshert averaged more than 11 yards on three punt returns, consistently giving MG positive field position.

That clean execution helped prevent Milton from creating the kind of momentum-changing special-teams plays that had kept the Red Hawks competitive in Week 2.

Milton Finds Late Score

Milton's only touchdown came late in the fourth quarter after forcing a fumble near the goal line and returning it to the MG 45.

The Red Hawks followed with their best offensive possession of the night, and quarterback Brice Remington connected with Caden Pernot for a 10-yard touchdown to make the final score 42–7.

That late drive accounted for 45 of Milton's 77 total yards.

Until that point, the MG defense had allowed only 32 yards over nearly the entire game.

Remington finished 5 of 11 for 40 yards and a touchdown. Pernot caught two passes for 22 yards and the score, while Max Grady had three receptions for 18 yards. Brayden Dopkins led Milton on the ground with 43 yards on eight carries.

Milton head coach Jeff Spiwak credited Monona Grove afterward.

“That's a very, very good football team,” Spiwak said. “They're very well coached, they're very physical.”

A Complete First Half

The game was effectively decided in the first 24 minutes as Monona Grove scored six touchdowns, allowed none and controlled every phase. Jaxon Zukowski accounted for all six scores, Nic Busalacchi emerged as the leading receiver, Carson Schoenherr added another efficient rushing performance, Deangelo Clay and Dom Melone continued to make plays defensively, and Hans Haffele was perfect on extra points.

Another player whose role continues to grow is senior Hunter Meyer.

After not playing football during his junior year, Meyer has steadily expanded his impact across all three phases of the game. Against Milton, he contributed on offense, defense and special teams, adding two receptions for 22 yards, a rushing attempt and a defensive tackle while continuing to earn a larger role each week.

At the same time, the night created opportunities for Evan Rosol, Lucas Jordan, Colten Jenkins, Austin Donkersgoed, Kyle Carey, Alonzo Garcia, Mario Melone and others to step into larger roles. That combination may be the most encouraging part of the victory: MG did not simply win with its established starters — it continued building depth and finding new ways for more players to contribute.

Three Weeks, Three Convincing Wins

The Silver Eagles now move to 3–0 after victories of:

42–0 over Janesville Parker

52–14 over Madison La Follette

42–7 over Milton

Through three games, Monona Grove has scored 136 points and allowed only 21. The offense has produced at least 42 points in every game. The defense has allowed only three total touchdowns. And the roster continues to expand with players such as Rosol, Jordan, Jenkins and Austin Donkersgoed making their first starts or season debuts.

The 42–7 win also extends MG's advantage in the Milton series to 14–3 and gives the Silver Eagles three consecutive victories over the Red Hawks. More importantly, it gives Monona Grove a 1–0 start in Badger Large play. The first two games showed that MG could dominate and respond to adversity.

Week 3 showed something else. The Silver Eagles can overwhelm an opponent early, turn the game over to the rest of the roster and still maintain control. For a 3–0 team with increasingly ambitious goals, that may be every bit as important as the final score.