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Washington Evening Journal
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Redemption: Raiders win first state title
CEDAR FALLS — As the final seconds ticked away in last year’s 10-6 loss to Central Lyon/George-Little Rock in the Class 2A state football finals at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Williamsburg players, tears streaming down their faces, vowed to remember what this moment felt like.
If given an opportunity to come back and play for another championship, they would redeem themselves.
The third-ranked Raiders lived up to their word and, in a dominating performance Friday afternoon, shut out No. 8 Sioux City Heelan for the Class 3A state title, 20-0.
It’s the first ever state football championship for Williamsburg and their head coach of the last 23 seasons, Curt Ritchie. Nobody deserves this championship more than he does, having placed second in each of the Raiders’ three previous trips to the state finals — 2002, 2017 and 2022 — all in Class 2A
Ritchie said it was finally time to see his players shed tears of happiness instead of disappointment and sorrow. “That thrilled me more than anything,” he said. “Seeing the smiles on their faces and how happy they were.”
After putting up 45 points the week before in their semifinal win over Solon, the Raiders didn’t need as much offense against Heelan, thanks to a superb defensive effort fueled by junior Rayce Heitman and senior Braylon Wetjen.
Heitman, as he’s done all season, led the team in tackles and Wetjen intercepted Sioux City quarterback Quinn Olson three times as Williamsburg held Heelan to 154 yards of total offense.
The Raiders scored all the points they would need in the first quarter on a pair of Derek Weisskopf touchdown passes, both to Wetjen, covering 5 and 57 yards.
Wetjen’s 45-yard run after catching a swing pass from Weisskopf set up the first score, and TD number two was a perfectly thrown bomb by Weisskopf which hit Wetjen in stride.
Heitman scored the Raiders’ only other touchdown in the third quarter on a five-yard run.
Wetjen was named the Iowa High School Sports Network’s Most Valuable Player. In addition to his three interceptions, he caught six passes for 121 yards and the two TDs.
Williamsburg senior lineman Braden Plotz received the Iowa Pork Producer’s Player of the Game Hog award.
The Raiders finished the season with a 12-1 record, their lone loss 17-14 to Solon, which they avenged in their rematch at the UNI Dome.
Williamsburg also went 12-1 last year and during their three straight trips to the UNI Dome were 30-6.
A class of 18 seniors has been a big part of that success — Braylon Wetjen, Kellen Cockrell, Anthony Fenton, Caleb Welsh, Logan Rethwisch, Derek Weisskopf, Clayten Steckly, Kyler Provin, Max Wodianka, Marcus West, Allen Miller, Bryan Riedel, Bryce Yearian, Gavin Vesey, Simeon Armbrecht, Ian Stumpff, Beau Carney and Braden Plotz.
“These guys met the challenge of carrying on after losing a good group of seniors the year before,” said Ritchie. “They believed they could fight for another chance at a championship from the very beginning.
“They didn’t lower their standards or make excuses,” said Ritchie. “They owned the good and bad and played as well in the playoffs as they had all year. That says everything about them that one needs to know.
“They won because they kept persevering no matter what. They are champions.”
Ritchie said that credit for a lot of the team’s success goes to his assistant coaches — Matt Matthes, Steve Hester, Brian O’Neil, Lee Wetjen, John Dayton, Mike Van Etten, Chad Thurm, Pat O‘Brien, Trevor Smith, Mickey Hines, Clayton Thurm, Cade Ritchie and Austin Blythe.
“Without those guys, this isn’t possible,” said Ritchie, who took over the Williamsburg program in 2001.
Over 23 seasons as a Raider, Ritchie has compiled a 197-59 record. He’s 238-92 for his career, with a 41-33 record during his eight years as head coach at English Valleys from 1993-2000.
Ritchie guided the Bears to their first playoff appearance in 2000 and, since taking over at Williamsburg, has been to the state playoffs 21 times, won 11 district titles and made the state semifinals or championship game seven times.
See more photos in Friday’s Williamsburg Journal Tribune.
