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

The do-it-all senior started the night with touchdown receptions of 36 and 59 yards. He then caught a pass to set up another early Skutt touchdown. He was quarterback Dylan Van Dyke’s target all night. Another game wouldn’t be a problem. Kolega sank the kick to give the Skyhawks the lead in the final two minutes. They won 38-30, ending Bennington’s 46-game winning streak.

The game-winning play, 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 came out early and knew they were too good a team,” Skutt coach Matt Turman said. “They’ve won too many games in a row to just overtake.”

Kolega said: “They were just single and covered for me. Their corner was good, but Dylan put the ball in a good spot so I could make a play.”

Skutt had built an early 21-0 lead behind Kolega’s two goals and a Van Dyke sneak. Bennington began its comeback with a 31-yard touchdown reception from Elliott Andersen and a 30-yard dash from running back Will Gutz

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

The Badgers got another special teams score in the second half when Gavin Olson went down on a bad snap in the end zone after an attempted punt.

After leading by two points in the first 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 a fire under us and kind of got us going again,” Turman said.

The score remained 30-28 until Van Dyke engineered a 97-yard drive for the win, which ended with a kick from Kolega, angering Bennington and prompting a sea of ​​Skutt students to pour onto the field for a cathartic victory over to celebrate a team that surpassed the Skyhawks twice in 2023.

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