After all, he had done just about everything else for the Skyhawks.

The do-it-all senior started the night by hauling in touchdown receptions of 36 and 59 yards. He then picked off a pass to set up another early Skutt touchdown. He was targeted by quarterback Dylan Van Dyke all night. Playing one more time wouldn’t be a problem. Kolega buried the kick to give the Skyhawks the lead inside the final two minutes. They won 38–30, snapping Bennington’s 46-game winning streak.

The play that sealed the game, of course, came from Kolega, who jumped in front of Bennington quarterback Ty Bouaphakeo’s final attempt and returned it for a final exclamation point of a touchdown.

“We got out there early and we knew they were too good a team,” Skutt coach Matt Turman said. “They’ve won too many games in a row to just stay down.”

Kolega said: “They were just single and protected me. Their corner was good, but Dylan ended up in a good spot so I could make a play.

Skutt had taken an early 21-0 lead after Kolega’s two scores and a sneak from Van Dyke. Bennington started his comeback with a 31-yard Elliott Andersen touchdown reception, followed by a 30-yard run from running back Will Gutz

Late in the first half, Van Dyke was sacked deep in Badger territory. Skutt rushed his field goal into the field and the kick was blocked. Bennington linebacker/kicker Morgan Schuman bobbled the ball, then scooped it up and returned it for a stunning, momentum-swinging touchdown.

The Badgers had another special teams score in the second half when Gavin Olson fell into the end zone on a bad kick attempt.

Trailing by two scores after dominating the opening 12 minutes, Skutt needed a spark. Nate Christensen got a few blocks, found a seam and returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

“That kick return lit the fire under us and got us going again,” Turman said.

The score remained 30-28 until Van Dyke engineered a 97-yard drive for the victory, ending with Kolega’s kick, upsetting Bennington and causing a sea of ​​Skutt students to rush onto the field and celebrate a cathartic victory over a team at the top the Skyhawks stood. twice in 2023.

“Obviously the winning streak is on my mind, but this is not the end goal, and the end goal is Nov. 25 at Memorial,” Van Dyke said. “We want that more than this.”