Chippewa Falls McDonell Wins 8 Player Football Championship
Sunday, November 16th, 2025 -- 7:07 AM
Chippewa Falls McDonell (12-1) avenged a regular-season loss to Gilman (12-1) with a 22-0 victory in the 8-Player Football Championship Final at South Wood County Stadium on Saturday.
The Macks began taking control of the game late in the first quarter following a wind-blown punt by the Pirates that set-up a possession for McDonell Catholic at the Gilman 24-yard line. Four plays later, Cael Holm found Luke Andersen in the end zone for a 22-yard scoring pass for a 6-0 Macks lead with 3:10 remaining in the first period.
McDonell Catholic scored again on its next possession on a 25-yard pass from Holm to Andersen with 13 seconds remain in the first quarter. A Holm to Andersen connection added the two-point conversion to give the Macks a 14-0 lead, which they took to the locker room at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, the Holm to Andersen connection struck again with a 1-yard pass at the seven-minute mark. Andersen hauled in another Holm toss for the successful two-point try to account for the 22-0 final score.
The Macks had a distinct advantage in total yards, more than doubling the Pirates’ production at 378-176, and in time of possession, which was almost double the time Gilman had the ball at 31:10 to 16:50.
Andersen accounted for all the scoring in the game, catching four passes for 71 yards and a championship game record three receiving touchdowns. He also added six points on three two-point after conversions. Holm completed 12-0f-17 passes for 176 yards and championship game record three touchdowns. Dawson Moulton was the game’s leading rusher with 146 yards on 32 carries for the Macks, and Eli Stepp led all receivers with six catches for 78 yards. Stepp and Moulton led the defense with 7.5 tackles apiece. Four of Stepp’s stops were for loss, which ties a championship game record, and Moulton added an interception.
Gilman was led on offense by Logan Halda. He ran for a team-high 63 yards on 12 rushes, and he completed 7-of-17 passes for 49 yards. Sawyer Winger was on the receiving end of four of those throws for 33 yards. Anthony Syryczuk had busy day defensively, making a game-high 13 tackles.
McDonell Catholic won its first 8-player championship in its first appearance in the title game. Gilman finishes runner up in its first experience in the championship game.
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