July 10, 2025
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Johnsburg keeps postseason hopes alive with win over Woodstock

By Thom Gippert for Shaw Local
Ian Boal

Ian Boal (Thom Gippert)

JOHNSBURG – The message was crystal clear for Johnsburg this week: stay focused and take care of your own business.

Needing to win the final two games of the regular season to make the playoffs, there was a lot on the line on Friday night as the Skyhawks hosted Woodstock. In the end, the Skyhawks took that message to heart in churning out a 30-6 win.

Johnsburg (4-4) can qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2018 with a win over Harvard in Week 9.

After a sluggish, scoreless first quarter, the offense provided the first spark of the game. Johnsburg quarterback A.J. Bravieri hit Ian Boal in stride and the senior receiver raced 79 yards for the first points of the game.

“What we needed was a little bit of boost at the beginning and I feel if I can get some space and AJ throws it up, I think good things can happen,” Boal said.

Johnsburg running back Jake Metze then chipped in a 2-yard touchdown run later in the quarter to give the Skyhawks a 14-0 lead at the break.

In the second half, both sides of the ball contributed to extending the lead.

After a Boal punt placed the ball inside the 2-yard line, the defense stepped up. Lineman Jacob Welch broke though the Woodstock line and forced a safety, extending the lead to 16-0.

The defense played well all night. The Skyhawks had four interceptions, three by Boal and one from Maddux Malachuk. They held the Blue Streaks to 54 yards rushing and 123 yards passing.

“Our defense was outstanding tonight, the takeaways were huge, they kept us in short fields all night and I am so proud of the way they played,” Johnsburg coach Sam Lesniak said.

“We changed our defense a couple of weeks ago, so our defense led to this win today,” Welch added.

The Skyhawks ground game was effective and was a big factor in the outcome. In the second half, Metze added touchdown runs of 19 and 62 yards. The senior finished the game with 25 carried for 224 yards.

“We had some holes to run through and I just followed my blockers,” Metze said. “Give a lot of credit to them.

Bravieri 8-of-30 passing for 123 yards. Boal led the way with two catches for 83 yards.

For Woodstock (2-6), the offense struggled to gain traction. Playing without injured starting quarterback Jackson Lyons, the Streaks had trouble finding rhythm. Charlie Walrod made his first start at quarterback and led the team in rushing and passing. Walrod had 20 yards on five carries and was 5-for-20 passing for 114 yards. Woodstock scored on a 59-yard touchdown pass from Walrod to Kaden Sandoval. Defensively, Noah Mauer and Kaden Perkins had interceptions for the Streaks.

“At times, we looked good, a little inconsistent, but we played hard and pushed them tonight,” Woodstock coach Mike Brasile said.

Johnsburg turns its attention to next week’s must-win.

“We knew we needed this one and we need to take care of business again next week,” Metze said.