Racine Case's football season ended one win short of the state final on Friday, Nov. 13, in Sun Prairie, where West De Pere rallied to beat the Eagles 20-19 in a Division 1 state semifinal.
Case running back Morell Jackson carried the Eagles, rushing 32 times for 326 yards and three touchdowns. His 93-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter gave Case its first lead of the night, 19-13.
West De Pere had led 13-0 early, scoring on a 47-yard touchdown pass on its first offensive play and adding a 9-yard touchdown run after a Case special teams mistake. Jackson answered with touchdown runs of 33 and 38 yards to tie the game 13-13 at halftime, though a blocked extra point kept it tied.
After a scoreless third quarter, Jackson's long run put Case ahead, and an interception with just over five minutes left gave the Eagles a chance to close it out. A holding call and an incomplete screen pass stalled that drive and gave West De Pere the ball back with about three minutes to play.
West De Pere drove to the Case 6-yard line, then scored the tying touchdown on a short pass with 1:11 remaining. The extra point put the Phantoms ahead 20-19, and a late Case drive ended with a sack.
Case finished as Southeast Conference champions for the first time since joining the conference in 1993, earning a No. 2 seed and holding Muskego to three points in the quarterfinals. West De Pere, now 13-0, advances to face Sussex Hamilton in the Division 1 title game on Nov. 20 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
