THORP, Wis. -- Thorp couldn't figure out Hurley's offense in the first half, but the Cardinals turned the momentum and pitched a shutout in the second half for a 43-20 win in the first round of the WIAA Division 6 playoffs on a cold Tuesday night.
The Midgets put up 20 first-half points on a Thorp team that had given up just 40 points before halftime the entire season.
But the momentum swung late in the first half as the Cardinals scored two touchdowns, including one off a Hurley turnover as the Midgets were close to scoring.
Hurley finished 7-3, a strong year that ended at the hands of an 8-2 Thorp team.
Hurley started out strong with junior Daulton Levra scoring on a 63-yard run on the game's second play.
Thorp took a 7-6 first-quarter lead, but the Midgets began the second quarter with more offense.
Josh Thiede ran 16 yards for a touchdown to put Hurley up 12-7 and Levra broke loose for a 54-yard TD. The two-point conversion put Hurley ahead 20-7.
Thorp put a good drive together and quarterback Ari Pszeniczny punched it in from a yard out. Hurley led 20-13.
The Midgets got the ball back and a long Justin Rhenlund run put them within 33 yards of a touchdown that could have put Hurley up by two possessions.
The Midgets fumbled the ball there with 1:49 left in the first half, and the Cardinals pounced.
Pszeniczny found Spencer Olejniczak for a 43-yard TD pass on a middle screen with 20 seconds to go in the half.
Thorp somehow completed the two-point conversion after the snap went high. That gave the Cards a 21-20 halftime lead.
Pszeniczny scored on the Cardinals' first drive of the second half. The extra point put Thorp up 28-20. He scored again after Hurley went three-and-out. He went in from two yards out again, and the two-point conversion made it 36-20.
Hurley almost came back again in the fourth quarter. The Midgets drove all the way to the T-15, but lost a fumble for the second time. Instead of narrowing the gap to a touchdown, Thorp had the ball again.
The Cards ate up most of the fourth quarter and Pszeniczny scored yet again.
The point after made it 43-20. The 5-5, 190-pound senior quarterback scored every touchdown for Thorp.
The difference for Thorp in the second half was controlling the clock, getting stops it didn't in the first half and scoring on the opening drive, Goodman said.
The Hurley defense had trouble keeping up with Thorp's strong offensive line.
Thorp will play Edgar Saturday in the second round. Top-seed Edgar beat Owen-Withee 12-7 Tuesday.
