OWEN - Owen-Withee football coach Terry Laube left the field after his team's 35-8 loss to Gilman in Week 3 and knew something had to give.

The Blackhawks, winless at the time, were not only out of sync but just plain uncomfortable and out of sorts at the early juncture of the season. Uncharacteristic mistakes were stunting Owen-Withee's ability to score, several players were playing out of position and the Blackhawks appeared headed in the wrong direction fast.

That's when the veteran coach went all out.

Laube walked into his next team meeting, looked his players in the eyes and laid out what players called an overhaul of personnel on both sides of the ball. Complete with new starters, reshuffling of positions and the insertion of several freshmen into the regular rotation, Laube felt his team needed a fresh way to attack opponents in the final six weeks of action.

"When it was still the fourth week and we were changing we got a little worried," senior halfback David Simenson said. "I was just like 'oh boy.'"

But in the spirit of trust that Laube strives to build between his staff and his team, the players bought in. Seven wins, one loss and a renewed sense of confidence later, the Blackhawks (7-4) find themselves with a chance at redemption when they host Gilman (11-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a WIAA Division 7 state quarterfinal matchup in Owen.

"We felt as a staff we had to influx some of this youth," Laube said. "So we brought some young kids up, we felt it was time. Earlier, we didn't feel they were ready. But they stepped in. We knew we were going to have some growing pains with them, but by golly they matured and this maturation that they showed and the fact that they are making plays has really helped."

Defensively, the Blackhawks took 2008 all-Cloverwood pick Ryan Kitzhaber and moved him from linebacker back to his natural defensive end position. They also inserted freshman Tommy Schuh into the starting lineup at safety, just two of the moves that helped solidify a defense that was allowing 27 points per game through the first three contests.

But the biggest move came even earlier in the year, when Laube took sophomore Mark Wilson and put him into the backfield with Simenson - a returning starter - in the second game of the year. The switch, which sent Simenson from fullback to halfback, paid immediate dividends as the new duo combined for 319 yards rushing against Wausau Newman and helped re-establish the dominant ground game that has become synonymous with Blackhawks football.

"That is all credit to the coach," senior lineman Josh Niemi said. "He could see who needed to go where and got them into the right spots. We've switched our whole offense around and our whole defense around. He knows what he is doing and we had faith in him that he would make the right choice and its paying off."

Wilson and Simenson have provided O-W with an impressive 1-2 punch since joining up, combining for more than 200 yards six times and more than 300 yards three times. The pair has accounted for more than 2,300 yards and 21 TDs in an offense that has become much more dynamic since they began playing together.

"Our first-year starter in Wilson, he had to figure out where his blocks were coming from and where his holes were," senior quarterback Derek Wegerer said. "And he keeps learning, it's really helped our offense."

The change was never more apparent than in a surprising 12-0 victory over Cloverwood favorite Thorp. In that game the Blackhawks, who were 4-4 in Cloverwood action heading into the contest, got just enough offense to reclaim the Milk Jug - a rivalry game trophy between the two schools - and secure a berth to the playoffs.

The victory was the second of the Blackhawks' current four-game winning streak, all four of which have come as they tried to maintain their spot in the playoffs. Which is something they will try to do one more time Saturday against the perfect Pirates.

"It's going to be a lot of fun, it's going to be a battle," senior lineman Cole Szpara said. "We've matured a lot since the last game."