How a switch at LB helped Portage start its season with momentum (2024)

WISCONSIN DELLS— Something seemed to be missing when the Portage football team participated in a three-way scrimmage between Randolph and Pardeeville.

The linebacker group just didn’t have the mojo the team needed. So, coach Chris Rice and his staff decided to move senior Max Kreuziger from safety, where he had played the last two years, to middle linebacker in hopes of him serving as a spark plug.

That seemed to do the trick as he was all over the field during Friday’s 40-7 nonconferencevictory over Wisconsin Dells to kick off the 2024 season.

“That was tough, mentally, for sure,” Kreuziger said of making the switch. “…They really needed me to switch back down to linebacker. I felt like I could do that for the team. Monday and Tuesday were big mental days.

“I feel confident moving down there.”

Kreuziger finished with six solo tackles and assisted on two more as the Warriors held Wisconsin Dells senior running back Sam Ersland to just 113 rushing yards.

“He gets after it and he’s a competitor,” Rice said. “You’ve got to give him credit, he’s doing an unselfish thing moving to linebacker. He’s awesome to have.”

Ersland ran for 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior, so the Warriors (1-0) built their defensive game plan around him.

The Chiefs started out on offense well before an interception in the end zone by Portage junior Ryker Rockhill stalled the drive with 8 minutes, 39 seconds left in the first quarter.

Portage drove down the field and with nine yards left, handed the ball to Kreuziger for the game’s first score with 6:16 left in the opening quarter, but after a missed extra point, led 6-0.

“He was running with power,” Rice said of Kreuziger. "He knew how to hit his holes. He was on a mission.”

Later in the first quarter, Kreuziger picked off Wisconsin Dells junior quarterback Lex Reittinger and returned it for a 70-yard touchdown to put the Warriors up 12-0 after a failed two-point conversion with 3:07 left in the opening frame.

“He just jumped the route,” Wisconsin Dells coach Mike Janke said. “It was a very good jump. Give him all the credit. He’s obviously one heck of a football player. He just jumped the route and played it perfectly. He took it to the house.”

Kreuziger proved to be a big momentum boost to start the 2024 season.

“The momentum is a huge thing,” he said. “Last year, we struggled in the fourth quarter, so getting up big in the first and second was huge for us.”

Kreuziger finished with just 20 rushing yards, as he didn’t play much on offense due to his calf cramping up in the second half.

That gave the rest of his teammates opportunities to shine.

Junior quarterback Brody Kayartz delivered a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior Elias Vera with 2:06 left in the first half. Rockhill had a 7-yard touchdown run to put Portage up 27-0 with 6:53 left in the third quarter.

Reittinger hit senior Tristan Edgerton for a 29-yard touchdown pass to trim the Dells' deficit to 27-7 with 4:07 remaining in the third.

Portage senior David Nadolski finished out the scoring with rushing touchdowns of 38 and 42 yards to push the lead to 40-7.

“Offensively, me and David are two powerhouses,” Kreuziger said. “Him getting big runs, that gives me a nice break not being able to run the whole time.”