STEVENS POINT — All week long, Brillion coach Pete Kittel was worried about one thing when he watched film of Arcadia's football team: Speed.

Speed from linebackers. Speed from defensive backs. Raw, lightning-fast speed.

Unfortunately, Kittel's worst fears came to fruition on Saturday in a WIAA Division 5 state semifinal game at Goerke Field.

Arcadia defeated Brillion 31-0, and its speed all over the field proved too much for the Lions.

"They had too much speed for us. They were a great team," Kittel said. "In preparing for the game, I was concerned about their overall team speed. Their linemen, their backs … they had a lot of quickness and we couldn't handle that speed today."

The Lions were already without injured running back Kyle Kittel heading into the game. While Arcadia was proud of the result, it knew it was provided a break by not having to face Brillion's top running back.

"A lot of what they do revolves around Kyle Kittel," Arcadia coach Derek Updike said. "I know what a special player he is. That hurt them on that side of the ball, no doubt about it. We know that, and we still know that.

"So it's with a heavy heart that we say we're glad to have a victory but we feel for Brillion because we know they didn't have their full team available."

The team that was available to the Lions (12-1) continued to play hard, though. Several times, Brillion was able to move the ball into Raiders territory only to punt or turn the ball over.

The final opportunity for the Lions came late in the game, as they drove inside the Arcadia 15-yard line. But just as the rest of the day went for the Lions, they fumbled and Arcadia took over with just more than three minutes remaining.

While the afternoon did not go as the Lions envisioned, they weren't hanging their heads.

"I'm real glad of how far our team got," said Brillion running back Casey Mueller, who finished a good day on the ground with 123 yards on 23 carries. "It didn't turn out the way we wanted, but we've all been together the entire season. We might have lost, but at least we lost together.

"Going into the season, a lot of people were pessimistic about how we would do," Mueller added. "Especially after a great game last week. We were just so happy to be here and compete."

And the thrill of competing is something Pete Kittel has tried to instill in his young men all season long.

"A lot of teams wished they were playing today," Kittel said. "I stressed all year the enjoyment is in playing the game. If you learn to love playing, and you learn to love competing, you're going to be successful. The results just take care of themselves."

And that's not just what Kittel preaches, it's what he practices.

"This is what kind of a class act coach Kittel is," Updike said. "We chat a little bit, and I told him the other day that we've never been this far. This is uncharted territory for us. Instead of just telling me, 'That's too bad for you,' Coach told me if we were fortunate enough to beat them, he'd chat with me this coming week and go over things he's done that has worked for them."

Arcadia (11-2) was led by Reid Christ with 105 yards on the ground on 16 carries.

"This group of kids did a great job," said Kittel of his Brillion team. "I stole a line from Kyle this morning when I told a group gathered to send us off that this group loves each other. You're not supposed to talk about that kind of stuff in football, but they cared for each other and played awesome as a team.

"You wish you had better results today, but I'm proud of all they've accomplished."

BRILLION (12-1) 0 0 0 0 — 0

ARCADIA (11-2) 14 7 10 0 — 31

First Quarter

A – Brock Haines 16 run (A.J. Bellville kick)

A – Reid Christ 19 run (Bellville kick)

Second Quarter

A – Bellville 13 pass to Andrew Meinerz (Bellville kick)

Third Quarter

A – Haines 2 run (Bellville kick)

A – Bellville 30 FG

A B

First Downs 16 15

Total Yards 312 234

Rushes-Yards 30-222 47-238

Passing Yards 90 -4

Comp.-Att.-Int 8-14-0 2-5-1

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 4-4

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING – A: Reid Christ 16-105, Brock Haines 16-99; B: Casey Mueller 23-123.

PASSING – A: A.J. Bellville 8-14-90.

RECEIVING – A: Andrew Meinerz 2-26.

Ryan Wilson: 920-993-1000, ext. 1230, or rwilson@postcrescent.com