Fond du Lac Loses Another Heartbreaker in the FVA

In a tale of two halves, Fond du Lac came up just short Friday night, falling to Kaukauna 28-27 after surrendering a late lead.

The Cardinals found themselves in an early hole when a bad snap on a first-quarter punt resulted in a Kaukauna touchdown and a 7-0 Ghosts lead. Fond du Lac quickly regrouped and took control of the game, scoring 27 unanswered points before halftime. Leading the charge was Eli Michelwicz, who crossed the goal line three times on touchdown runs as the Cardinals built a commanding 27-7 advantage at the break.

Kaukauna wasted little time making things interesting in the second half. The Ghosts took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 27-14. The momentum continued to swing in Kaukauna’s favor as they trimmed the lead to 27-21 heading into the final minutes.

Despite appearing to be in control, Fond du Lac could not put the game away. Facing a crucial fourth down with less than two minutes remaining, Kaukauna converted to keep its drive alive. The Ghosts eventually found the end zone and added the extra point to take their first lead since the opening quarter at 28-27.

Fond du Lac had one final opportunity with 45 seconds remaining, but the Cardinals’ last-ditch drive came up short as Kaukauna completed the comeback victory.

The loss drops Fond du Lac as they now turn their attention to another tough test next Friday night. The Cardinals will host Neenah in their Homecoming game at Cardinals Stadium.

Post Game Comments from Head Coach Sam Plucker