Haupt dominates as Stratford blanks Mosinee in season opener

STRATFORD – Four times, the Mosinee offensive lineman slapped the top of his helmet before turning away from the line of scrimmage, a visible sign of frustration as the Tigers struggled to find their rhythm in Friday night’s 31-0 loss to Stratford.

It wasn’t just that.

Throughout the night, the Indians performance was littered with penalties as Stratford quarterback Kolton Haupt took control of the game early and forced a handful of pre-snap penalties.

Still, by the first snap of the second quarter the game stood scoreless. Until Stratford’s only turnover of the game snowballed the Tigers into a shutout victory, rectifying last season's loss to Mosinee and capturing the first Week 1 victory of the Marshall Lehman era.

“Feeling pretty good,” Lehman said after the victory. “We needed to see the young guys step up today, and I thought they did that against a good Mosinee team that's physical and big, and our guys didn't back down on that. So that's what we needed to see.

I thought Caden Elstreeki stepped up huge. I mean, he's playing nose right now for us in a spot that doesn't normally play, but he's filling in right now, and he absolutely stepped up. I called him out after the game in a positive way. He's just got a motor, and it kind of became contagious for the rest of the guys. So that was great for us.”

In front of a fairly split crowd, Stratford entered their Week 1 matchup against Mosinee determined to get off to a better footing than the two-game skid they began the season with last year.

Mosinee was a part of Stratford’s two losses to open last season, but once the Tigers’ defense found its rhythm, the offense wasn’t far behind coming away with big plays through the air and the ground. 

On Friday, Aug. 21 at Tiger Stadium, Stratford jumped on Mosinee early, and only gained steam as the game progressed. It all started when Haupt picked off Mosinee in the second quarter, and then drove the Tigers down the field and tossed in the game’s first touchdown of the day. 

Haupt opened the season with an impressive two-way performance, snagging the game’s only interception and rushing for two touchdowns.

He was all across the field directing traffic, from back deep at safety, undercenter at quarterback and also as one of the Tigers’ primary returners in special teams.   

“Just gotta just gotta lead every side of the ball and just be the captain that they need me to be,” Haupt said. 

Haupt has long waited for this moment to steer the ship for the Tigers football team, and he wants his play to reflect that. 

“It means a lot,” Haupt said about leading Stratford. “They know I’ll die for them on and off the field because they're just my family. They're my brothers.”

Week 1 results:

Stevens Point 41, River Falls 18

Wausau West 36, Menomonie 21

Hurley 36, Tri-County 0

Chippewa Falls 50, D.C. Everest 22

Port Edwards 58, Princeton-Green Lake 6

Hudson 52, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 7

Wausua East 28, Shawano 0

Abbotsford 21, Markesan 8

Spencer 7, Auburndale 6

Colby 39, Stanley-Boyd 22

Marathon 24, Loyal 16

Holmen 21, Medford 14

Neillsville 35, New Lisbon 0

Whitehall 40, Pittsville 0

Assumption 49, Rosholt 0

Athens 30, Niagara 8

Edgar 21, Cadott 0

Central 46, Merrill 16

Algoma 44, Newman Catholic 6

Luther 27, Tomahawk 6

Bonduel 36, Wittenberg-Birnamwood 7

Waterloo 18, Adams-Friendship 10

Nekoosa 38, Crandon 8

Marshfield 44, Rice Lake 6

Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at alfred.smith@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AlfredS_III.

This article originally appeared on Marshfield News-Herald: Haupt dominates as Stratford blanks Mosinee in season opener