Neenah's Strong, Resilient Second-Half Performance Played Key Role In Critical League Victory

Rockets overcame 13-point deficit en route to 29-27 home-field victory over Appleton North in Fox Valley Association showdown of state-ranked teams

Neenah High School quarterback Ashton Van Beek (7) throws a pass during warm-ups before facing Appleton North in a Fox Valley Association game at Neenah, Wisconsin on Friday, September 26, 2025. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsi / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Neenah High School football team showcased its resilience in what proved to be a pressure-packed second half and walked from the field with arguably one of its most satisfying victories of the 2025 season.

Overcoming an early 13-point deficit

The high-powered, ninth-ranked Rockets overcame a 13-point first-quarter deficit, eventually defeating No. 22 Appleton North, 29-27, in a hard-fought, home-field Fox Valley Association battle Sept. 26.

Rockets drive winning streak to five

It was the fourth consecutive victory for defending league co-champion Neenah, which remained in a tie for first place in the league standings with a 4-0 record and improved to 5-1 overall.

Trailing 20-15 at the intermission, the Rockets responded to the challenge by outscoring Appleton North 14-7 in the second half.

Cooper Sieck sparks the comeback

Cooper Sieck, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior running back, sparked the comeback with a 36-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter to reclaim a lead.

"It was a big play and turned the momentum around," said Sieck, in a post-game interview with Appleton Post-Crescent reporter Ricardo Arguello. "But I just trust my teammates to get to the outside (and block). That's our play, to get to the outside. I had one that I dropped before, but I just believed in my training to catch it and I was gone."

Neenah High School's Ashton VanBeek (7) rushes for a fourth quarter touchdown against Appleton North as teammate Cooper Sieck (4) follows during a Fox Valley Association game on Friday, September 26, 2025. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

VanBeek continues to be a dual threat

VanBeek, a 6-2, 205-pound junior starting quarterback, rushed 24 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Neenah offense, highlighted by what proved to be the winning TD on a 46-yard run with less than two minutes remaining.

VanBeek has been a dual-threat this season, completing 37 passes for 585 yards and eight TDs and rushing 119 times for 846 yards with 10 TDs.

Charles and Rittner make major contributions

Matthias Charles, a 6-foot, 190-pound junior, is the team's leading receiver with 15 catches for 214 yards and four TDs for the Rockets.

Senior 5-11, 195-pound linebacker Jonah Rittner leads the defense with 32.5 tackles and three sacks. Junior 6-2, 215-pound linebacker Connor Stuckel follows with 24.5 tackles and one sack.

"We're going to enjoy this and take it one day at a time," said Neenah head coach Steve Jung, whose team's only loss came to previously No. 1-ranked Arrowhead (16-13) on Aug. 29. "Enjoy it, but then start the process. We need to get a lot better, be much more crisp and execute at a more consistent level. If we give some of these opportunities to Kimberly next week, that's not going to be good for us."

Three of the team's five victories this season have been decided by four points or less, also including wins over WIAA Division 1 state runner-up Muskego (14-13) on Aug. 22 and Oshkosh West (28-24) on Sept. 19.

The Neenah High School football team runs onto the field before a Fox Valley Association game versus Appleton North on Friday, September 26, 2025. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The spirited road loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Appleton North, which dropped to 3-1 in league and 4-2 overall.

Neenah is scheduled to travel to No. 13-ranked reigning conference co-champion Kimberly, 4-0 in league and 5-1 overall, for a first-place showdown at Papermaker Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.

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-- Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com