Local high school football teams close out the season with fantastic plays, incredible comebacks, and last minute touchdowns.
By Michael Kommer
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WIS (WFHR, WIRI) – The Assumption and Wisconsin Rapids High School Football teams ended the regular season in thrilling fashion on Thursday and Friday, October 17 and 18.
The Royals overcame nine turnovers in the game to earn a safety with just over two minutes to go in the game, and grabbed an interception at the goal line as the clock expired to preserve a 22-20 victory over Rosholt on the 17th.
Rapids needed similar heroics as they earned a 28-24 victory over Eau Claire North in the season finale after leading nearly the entire game.
The Huskies kicked a field goal with three-minutes remaining to take a 24-21 lead, but the Raiders had one last crack at regaining the lead as with 11-seconds remaining in regulation, Rapids’ Leo Rangel hauled in a 25-yard touchdown strike that brought the Raiders back for the victory.
Port Edwards captured its first conference title since 2019 when it earned a 38-26 victory over Tri-County for a share of the Mideast Conference title as it shared the championship with Almond-Bancroft and Newman Catholic with 6-1 records in league play.
Nekoosa had a strong first half effort against the Wisconsin Dells, but the second half was the opposite as the Chiefs earned a 26-16 victory,
The Papermakers led 16-6 at halftime, but were unable to reach the end zone the rest of the way as they finished in third place in the South Central Conference.
Nekoosa and Port Edwards qualified for the playoffs where the Papermakers earned a No. 5 seed and will play at No. 4 Abbotsford in the WIAA Division 6 playoffs, while Port earned a No. 4 seed and will play at top-seeded Owen-Withee in the 8-player play ranks.
Both games will be played on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7pm.
You can find more local sports reporting on Michael Kommer’s website. You’ll also be able to tune in to broadcasting of high school sports on WFHR and WIRI. The call-in sports talk show Playmakers airs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5 to 6 PM on 97.5FM / 1320AM.
