WIAA Football: Teams Look For State Ticket

Rice Lake (10-2) vs. Menasha (10-2), Friday 7 pm at Rhinelander HS

Rice Lake and Menomonie each have a pair of state finals appearances in the last eight years, as these are two of the more consistent programs in Division 2/3. Rice Lake shared the Big Rivers Conference title in a bit of a surprise, and the Warriors have looked very impressive so far in the postseason, winning by an average of 28 points per game, though the team was tied with Baraboo into the fourth quarter of last week’s 29-13 victory. Menasha hasn’t lost since a 49-21 defeat against West De Pere in mid-September. Quarterback A.J. Korth and running back Davontre Smith combined for 359 yards on the ground last week in a win over Luxemburg-Casco.

Ellsworth (11-0) vs. Freedom (10-2), Friday 7 pm at Marshfield HS

Both teams were dominating winners last week, as Ellsworth hammered fellow unbeaten Northwestern 54-13 behind 403 rushing yards, including 209 and two touchdowns by Max Grand. Freedom broke open a close game with Wisconsin Dells to finish off a 35-0 running clock victory, limiting the Chiefs to 127 yards of offense on just 25 plays.  Ellsworth’s last loss came back in the final game of the 2019 regular season when the Panthers missed the playoffs. The team now has the state’s longest active winning streak at 20 games. Freedom Coach Clint Kriewaldt returns to Level 4 where he left the team when he stepped down the first time. Freedom has been to Level 4 three other times, but never to State.

Aquinas (12-0) vs. Wittenberg-Birnamwood(9-3), Friday 7 pm at Wisconsin Rapids HS

Aquinas was a pass-first team in the regular season when the Blugolds dominated the Coulee Conference and went unbeaten. Aquinas has been able to flip the switch to dominating on the ground. Two weeks ago they put up huge rushing numbers against Stanley-Boyd, and last week ran for 312 yards and four touchdowns (and also threw for 149 with two scores) in a dominating victory over Saint Croix Falls. Wittenberg-Birnamwood lost to Amherst in a close game earlier this year, but given another chance at the unbeaten and top-seeded Falcons, the Chargers scored a late touchdown and converted on the two-pointer for a 29-28 victory. Quarterback Ben Wesolowski continues to be one of the state’s top dual-threats in the backfield.

Darlington (11-1) vs. Saint Mary’s Springs (10-2), Friday 7 pm at DeForest HS

These teams met back in Week 2 of the regular season when Springs handed Darlington its only loss of the season 20-6. Springs’ defense kept Darlington in check, as the only points for the Redbirds came on a blocked punt that was returned for a score. That win for Springs was sandwiched around losses to Lake Country Lutheran and Mayville, as the Ledgers struggled out of the gates. However, they’ve won nine straight since that early swoon and have looked very impressive in doing so, as they seem to be rounding into typical Bob Hyland playoff form. Darlington has re-emphasized the running game this year to great success, as four players have between 680 and 1063 yards on the ground this season.

Regis (12-0) vs. Coleman (12-0), Friday 7 pm at D.C. Everest HS

Regis remains undefeated and has been considered the favorite in Division 7 since it became official the Ramblers would drop down to the division after the completion of the regular season. They’ve had some close games in the latter half of the year but have continued rambling on. Coleman was one of the most impressive teams in the state last week, going more than three hours to Hurley in a showdown of undefeated teams, winning 36-6 over the Northstars by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Cougars were out-sized by Hurley, but out-leveraged the Northstars consistently, thanks in part to their strong wrestling background. They were more athletic than Hurley, but I’m not sure that will be the case this week against Regis.