KAUKAUNA — The Kaukauna Galloping Ghosts didn’t let a big halftime deficit bother them, coming out on fire in the second half and scoring 21 unanswered points to defeat Fond du Lac Friday 28-27 at Bank of Kaukauna Stadium.
Kaukauna took an early 7-0 lead, but never gained sustained momentum in the first half.
Fond du Lac, on the other hand, scored three times in the first half, however a blocked PAT along the way kept its lead at halftime to 27-7.
If the fans in the stands had their doubts about a Kaukauna comeback at that point, the Ghosts apparently did not.
Kaukauna received the second-half kickoff and methodically drove the field for a score on a Muhammad Jobe 1-yard run with a little over 7 minutes left in the third to trim the deficit to 27-14.
Then the defense stepped up, shutting down the Fond du Lac offense and giving the Ghosts another chance with the ball.
Kaukauna again drove the field, capping off the drive with a 2-yard Ryan Carrel touchdown run to trail by only 27-21.
The defense went to work again, forcing a turnover on downs when it stopped the Cardinals on a fourth-and-10 on the Ghosts 19 with two minutes to play.
For the third time in the second half, Kaukauna went on a lengthy drive into Fond du Lac territory, and a Carrel to Quentin Gustman 12-yard pass with 45 seconds left tied the game at 27.
Kicker Ryan Mayer then stepped on the field for the game-winning PAT to give the Ghosts the 28-27 lead.
It was only fitting that the defense had one last play to shine, when Aiden Moss picked off a Fond du Lac pass to seal the win.
2026 Kaukauna Football Schedule. Game time 7 p.m.
- August 20: at West Allis Hale; Kaukauna wins 41-7
- August 28: at Notre Dame Academy; Kaukauna loss, 35-28
- September 3: at Kimberly; Kaukauna wins 14-7
- September 9: vs. Neenah at Kaukauna High School; Kaukauna wins 34-21
- September 17: at Appleton North; Kaukauna loss 14-0.
- September 24: vs. Fond du Lac at Kaukauna High School; Kaukauna wins 28-27
- October 1: at Hortonville
- October 8: vs. Oshkosh West at Kaukauna High School
- October 15: at. Appleton East
