Whitefish Bay Rolls Over Bradley Tech in First Round of Playoffs

Whitefish Bay discovered a soft spot in the Bradley Tech defense. And Dee Brown took full advantage of the opportunity Friday night.

The Blue Dukes running back carried the ball 18 times, gained 241 yards and scored six touchdowns to lead his team to a 58-24 victory over Bradley Tech in the opening round of the WIAA Division 2 playoffs Friday night at South Stadium.

Whitefish Bay (6-4) will face Brookfield East (7-3) in the second round of the playoffs. East, which was unseeded, topped Greendale, 14-7, Friday night.

For Brown, a senior, it was the game of the lifetime. And he couldn’t have picked a better time to put on the show.

“It felt good, I’ve never had a game like this before,” he said. “The line blocked really well. We’ve been practicing hard all week.”

Brown’s offensive output probably came as a bit of a surprise for Bradley Tech. In nine games, Brown had rushed for 354 yards in 69 carries this season. The team’s top running back during the regular season was junior Rashadeem Gray, who gained 1,066 yards in 122 carries with 14 touchdowns this season.

“He’s had some big games for us last season before he got hurt,” Bay coach Jim Tietjen said about Brown.

The combination of Brown and Gray led the way in Bay’s first drive, which ended with a 1-yard run by Brown. After a punt pinned Bradley Tech at its 1-yard line, the Blue Dukes defense tackled quarterback Marquan Ellison in the end zone for a safety.

The Trojans got the ball back when they recovered the free kick after the safety, but failed to move the ball.

On the next drive, Brown ran off right tackle and gained 67 yards before being tackled at the Bradley Tech 1. He scored on the next play and the Blue Dukes held a 16-0 lead. Brown scored his third touchdown on a 15-yard run to give his team a 23-6 lead. Linebacker Jackson Weber completed the first half scoring for the Blue Dukes, turning an interception into a 70-yard touchdown play.

Whitefish Bay led at halftime, 30-6.

Brown finished his incredible night with touchdown runs of 15, 4 and 1 yard in the third quarter. Jordan Johnson completed the rout with a 1-yard run with 39 seconds left.

Although Bradley Tech never did slow down Whitefish Bay, its offense did put on a show.  Faced with a second and 26 from his own 4-yard line, Ellison scrambled his way for a 96-yard touchdown run.  He later scored on a punt return and a 4-yard run. He completed a touchdown pass to running back Marcus Horne in the second half.

Although it was far from a perfect performance, Tietjen said he was satisfied with his team’s effort.

“I thought we really competed tonight,” Tietjen said. “We made some mistakes, but we can fix that.”