Black Hawks Drop Dukes
- Updated: August 21, 2023
Photo Courtesy of Rod Brower
The Whitefish Bay Blue Dukes dropped their opening game to the Grafton Black Hawks for the second consecutive season, this time with a final score of 23-7.
Grafton got on the board first after the Dukes fumbled on their opening drive, taking a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter. Bay would even the score at 7 with 1:31 left in the first quarter on a 30-yard rushing touchdown by junior halfback Harry Bortolotti. Bortolotti finished the game with 86 yards on 15 attempts and added 4 catches for 31 yards. That would be the only offensive drive that ended in points for the Bay offense as mental miscues and missed opportunities doomed several promising drives.
Grafton would take a 14-7 lead going into the half on a 8-yard rushing touchdown with just over 3 minutes left in the second quarter. They would tack on their remaining 9 points in the third quarter with a 23-yard passing touchdown and a 22-yard field goal.
Defensively, the Dukes D recovered two Grafton fumbles and limited the Black Hawks to 79 yards on the ground on 23 attempts. Through the air, however, the Black Hawks threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns on 19 completions. Senior linebackers Carter Smith and Ben Beckmann led the team with 7 tackles each.
Box Score Ι Photo Gallery
Statistics courtesy of Brandon Rindfleisch
Photo Gallery courtesy of Rod Brower
Next Up…
The Blue Dukes host the Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings (1-0) for the first game at Lubar Stadium of the 2023 campaign on Friday, August 25th. Kickoff is set for7pm.
