The WIAA Division-1 State championship game will be played on Nov. 20 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

In reality, it may have been held on Saturday night in front of more than 6,000 frenzied fans at Indian Trail Academy.

Living up to the pregame hype, top-seeded Marquette scored 21 unanswered points in the second half for a 35-28 victory over second-seeded Bradford in the quarterfinals of the Division-1 playoffs.

It was the first loss of the season for the Red Devils (11-1), who lost in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row. With eight Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association State championships to its credit, Marquette (12-0) advanced to the WIAA semifinals for the first time.

“They had some kids make some great plays,” Bradford coach Jed Kennedy said. “They just had one more than we did.

“It was a great game. Our kids busted their tails.”

‘One of the best’

Marquette coach Dick Basham, the state’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 350-87 in 39 seasons, put Saturday’s thriller near the top of the list.

“We’ve had some good ones over the years, but this is one of the best,” he said. “This would have to be in the top 10 of all-time comebacks and efforts by a team, that’s for sure.

“Bradford is a terrific team. They’re well-coached and they’re young. Their best days are ahead of them.”

The Hilltoppers scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 8-yard run by John LoCoco with 57 seconds remaining. The TD capped a 10-play, 89-yard drive that took a shade under two minutes.

Kevin Fink connected with Nick Reardon for the 2-point conversion pass.

LoCoco a factor

The 5-foot-11, 207-pound LoCoco scored the final three TDs for Marquette, which lost leading rusher Brock LaFace to a broken collarbone when he was tackled by Billy Sangbusch after a short gain with 10:28 left in the second quarter. LaFace was called the “heart of our offense” by Basham.

“We beat a great team tonight,” LoCoco said. “When Brock went out, I knew I had to step up.”

The final 57 seconds became even more interesting when the scoreboard became inoperable.

With the time being kept on the field by the officiating crew, Bradford took over at its 20 with 51 seconds left.

After a hook-and-ladder play from Gino DeBartolo to Ryan Furtney to Melvin Gordon picked up 15 yards, the Red Devils got the ball to midfield on a 27-yard run by Gordon. DeBartolo and Gordon then hooked up on a 21-yard pass for a first down at the Marquette 27.

The late-game magic ended there as DeBartolo threw three incomplete passes. He overthrew Gordon in the end zone on the final play of the game as the stunned Bradford fans watched helplessly in silence. A short time later, they applauded their team that fell short of the ultimate prize.

“Bradford is an amazing team,” Marquette linebacker Marcus Trotter said. “When good teams face each other, you get a game like this.”

Red Devils total 414 yards

In a game pitting Bradford’s dangerous offense against Marquette’s stingy defense, the Red Devils finished with 414 total yards, including 274 rushing on 55 carries. Gordon had 13 carries for 127 yards and Cody Brady added 96 yards on 22 carries. DeBartolo finished 7-of-13 for 114 yards along with 45 yards rushing.

The Hilltoppers rushed for 94 of their 98 yards in the second half. Fink finished 16-of-26 for 197 yards. He completed passes to seven different receivers.

“I think we know who won the offense-defense battle,” Kennedy said. “Let’s be realistic, we shoved the ball down their throats the entire game.”

Shaky at the beginning

The game got off to a shaky start for the Red Devils as LaFace fielded an attempted squib kick by Zach Swisher and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown.

“That turned out to be the difference,” Basham said. “It doesn’t matter when you get ’em.”

Bradford caught a break on Marquette’s second possession when punter John Kopriva fielded a low snap with his knee on the ground, giving the Red Devils the ball at the 28.

The Red Devils scored three plays later on a 17-yard run around end by Gordon.

Bradford then took the lead on its next possession on a 15-yard pass from DeBartolo to Torrie Tyson with 4 minutes left in the first quarter. The score was set up on a sliding interception by Justin Otto at the Bradford 43.

Tying the score

The Hilltoppers tied it up on a 3-yard run by Josh Bragg with 7:03 left in the first half on the drive that knocked LaFace out of the game.

Bradford answered with a 10-play, 88-yard drive that was capped on a 2-yard run by Tyson with 3:13 remaining. John Stevens tacked on the PAT to make it 21-14.

Opening the second half in impressive fashion, the Red Devils put together a 15-play, 92-yard scoring drive that took 6:28 off the clock. A 4-yard keeper by DeBartolo helped boost Bradford’s advantage to 28-14. On the drive, Bradford converted a fake punt on fourth-and-1 from its 33 and Gordon completed a 26-yard halfback option pass to Tylerr Ortiz.

Marquette responded with a scoring drive of its own as LoCoco plowed in from one yard out with 3:48 left.

On the ensuing possession, DeBartolo lost a fumble at the Marquette 28 on a second-effort attempt on second-and-1.

The Hilltoppers made good use of the turnover by driving 72 yards for a score as LoCoco bounced outside for a 10-yard TD with 10:20 to play. The potential game-tying PAT was blocked by Michael Mayfield, keeping the score 28-27.

After Marquette went three-and-out on its next possession, Bradford took over at its own 1 with 10:11 left. The Red Devils ran 12 plays and picked up three first downs before punting the ball away.

Starting from their own 11 with 2:53 to play, the Hilltoppers methodically marched 89 yards in 10 plays for the go-ahead score.