GREEN BAY (NBC 26) – Bay Port is one win away from its ultimate goal: a trip to Camp Randall Stadium for the state championship game.
After the Pirates failed to win their regular conference championship, their postseason mission was to reach Madison.
“We didn’t get what we wanted,” junior center Aiden Dirksen said. “We wanted to be conference champions. That was the goal at the start of the season, including winning, and I think that kind of drives us.”
The Pirates dominated the first two playoff games, defeating Milwaukee Bradley Tech and Sheboygan North. Last week, Bay Port defeated defending state champion Marquette University High School.
“It was amazing,” Dirksen said. “It meant so much to our team to win, knowing that we could beat a pretty high-caliber team.”
First-year head coach Steven Jorgensen said Bay Port started off leisurely at the beginning of the season, but as the season progressed, the Pirates began to play better football.
“Going into this match, we were confident that if we followed our plan for 48 minutes, we would win, and we did,” Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen has been an assistant coach at Bay Port for the past two years and took over as head coach this season.
Senior defenseman James Williams said the team is a brotherhood and Jorgensen has had a huge impact on him.
“He really rallied the team,” Williams said. “We struggled a bit in the regular season with two losses, but in the playoffs he really supported us.”
Jorgensen hopes to lead his team to Madison. But first, the Pirates must defeat No. 7 seed DC Everest, the lowest-seeded team, to advance to the Division 1 semifinals.
“It’s not a No. 7 seed,” Jorgensen said. “They are the conference champions. They will be confident. We are sure. It’s going to be a great fight.”
Bay Port will face DC Everest in Oshkosh at Titan Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m
