Area High School football playoff preview

The road to Camp Randall Stadium and the WIAA state football championship begins for area 11-player teams on Friday night with Level 1 play. Here is a breakdown, from Division 1 to Division 7, of Friday’s games:

Division 1:

Wausau West (5-4, 8 seed) at Arrowhead (8-1, 1 seed) 6:35 pm airtime on 98.9 WXCO, wxco.fm, mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the Civic Media app.

The Wausau West football team faces one of the stiff tests of Level 1 with a trip to Hartland to meet perennial power Arrowhead. The road has not been kind to the Warriors in 2025 with a 0-4 record away from Thom Field while winning each of their five home games. West will look for another strong game on the ground from senior RB Cooper DePuydt, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the last four games. The Warriors will also need the connection of QB Joe Graveen to TE Shea Jones to connect. Jones has a team-high 25 catches on 9 TD’s this season. Defensively the Warriors will need a team effort led by senior Teigan Rasmus, who has 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks this season. Arrowhead is among the most successful programs in Wisconsin football history with 6 state championships to their credit. The 2025 version looks to add another trophy with an offense that has moved the ball both on the air and on the ground. Junior QB Nolan Hanson has hit on 94 of 154 passes (61%) for 1362 yards, 11 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Senior RB Jacob Siner has led the Arrowhead ground attack with 979 yards rushing and 11 TD’s this season. Linebacker Brendan Foley has bee the top defender for the Warhawks with 86 tackles and 5 QB sacks.

D.C. Everest (6-3, 5 seed) at Brookfield East (7-2, 4 seed)

The Wisconsin Valley Conference champion Evergreens will try to replicate their 2024 run to the D-1 state semifinals with a road game. Last year Everest won three straight road games in the playoffs. Everest has great talent in both the run game and pass game. RB Corbin Enzenroth has 1082 yards and 15 touchdowns this season while WR Xavier Edwards is one of the most dynamic WR’s in the state and has 32 catches for 516 yards and 7 TD’s. Sophomore QB Ty Rohde, who came on midway through the season for injured starter Jake Staysniak, has completed 60 of 107 passes for 758 yards and 8 TD’s. Defensively the Evergreens have had moments of greatness along with a few bumps in the road. Senior Carson Kempf has 65 tackles and 5 sacks on the season. Brookfield East only has blemishes this season against perennial power Muskego (a D-1 #1 seed) and Germantown (a D-2 #3 seed). The Spartans have been strong defensively by allowing 13 or fewer points in six of their nine regular season games. Quarterback Zeke Sawall is 75 of 139 for 1063 yards and 14 TD’s with Running Back Max Matter with 509 yards on 101 carries with 6 touchdowns.

Division 2:

Marshfield (5-4, 6 seed) at Oshkosh North (8-1, 3 seed)

Marshfield comes in to the postseason with 4 straight wins, including a 32-30 victory over SPASH last Friday that knocked the Panthers out of the playoffs. The run game has been a staple for coach Dennis Goetll’s team with RB Haiden Carlson putting up 1525 yards on the ground with 16 TD’s, including 297 yards rushing last week. The pass game has been less productive with a split of QB reps between Ethan Foemmel and Trevyn Freis. Oshkosh North has lost just once with a dynamic pass combination between QB Bryce Ott and WR Dalton Clark. Ott has thrown for 1644 yards and 20 touchdowns while Clark has been the top target with 40 catches for 794 yards and 10 scores. The defense has been stout as well, allowing 13 or fewer points in 7 of their 9 games. However, they gave up their most points this season last week in a 34-14 loss to Notre Dame Academy.

Division 3:

Wausau East (4-5, 7 seed) at Mount Horeb/Barneveld (7-2, 2 seed)

Wins in the final two games and three of the last four has put Wausau East in the playoffs for the second straight season. Running back Iain Stahel cracked the 1000 mark for the season with a 286 yard effort last week vs. Antigo. Sophomore QB Cam Rye has a pair of very talented receivers in Henry Maahs and Kayden Meverden in helping to balance the Lumberjack attack. East also has a number of talented defenders from the line to the secondary with Peyton Nest leading with 95 tackles and Aiden Kilde not far behind with 85. The East defense will have a stiff test vs. Mount Horeb/Barneveld. The Vikings have scored at least 44 points in five of their last six games. QB Brooks Hendrickson has completed 128 of 198 passes for 1729 yards and 23 TD’s this season. Hayden Anderson has caught 42 of those passes for 558 yards and 8 TD’s.

Lakeland (5-4, 5 seed) at Merrill (6-3, 4 seed)

A rematch of GNC teams in Level 1 of the playoffs. Merrill beat Lakeland 34-14 in Minocqua last month. The teams have gone in different directions in the second half of the season with Merrill winning five of their last six games while Lakeland, after a 4-0 start, lost 4 of their last five. Merrill had gotten 879 yards rushing from Kanin Jahnke this season while Keylin Allen remains a big play threat on the outside with 20 catches for 393 yards and 5 TD’s. Noah Klug has led a tough Bluejay defense with 94 tackles while Hunter Opper has added 6 sacks. Lakeland has suffered through significant injuries during their late-season swoon. QB Deklan McQuade will be key for the Thunderbirds. He has thrown for 1238 yards and 11 TD’s this season.

Other GNC teams in action in D-3:

Medford (3-6, 8 seed) at Grafton (9-0, 1 seed)

Rhinelander (3-6, 8 seed) at Edgewood (8-1, 1 seed)

Division 4:

Turner (4-5, 7 seed) at Mosinee (7-2, 2 seed)

Mosinee enters the playoffs on a roll, winning five games in a row and earning a share of the GNC title with Tomahawk. Mosinee has been led by two-way starter Treve Stoffel. The senior has hit on 105 of 156 passes for 1342 yards and 16 TD’s while adding 875 yards rushing and 15 more scores. On defense, Stoffel leads the team with 81 tackles while adding four interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. Mitchell Michlig has been a big play guy on the outside with 24 catches for 471 yards and 8 touchdowns. Beloit Turner has faced tough competition in the Capitol Conference with teams such as #1 seed Columbus, #3 Lodi and #4 Lake Mills. The Trojans lost their last two games by a combined 71-14. QB Jaxon Walenga is 72 of 136 for 936 yards and 9 TD.

Division 5:

Omro (3-6, 8 seed) at Tomahawk (8-1, 1 seed)

The surprising Tomahawk Hatchets, co-champions of the Great Northern Conference, are a top seed in Division 5. Tomahawk has been sparked by an outstanding defense. Tomahawk allowed 10 or fewer points in five of their 9 games and never allowed more than 22 points in any game this season. Rex Reilly had 95 tackles in the regular season while Tiegan Sarazin had 67 and sophomore Hudson Evans recorded 6 sacks. Omro makes the playoffs despite losing their last five games, four of which they did not score a point. The Foxes compete in the Flyway Conference, which was won by Mayville with Winnebago Lutheran and St. Mary’s Springs in 2nd and 3rd.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood (4-5, 5 seed) at Brookfield Academy (5-4, 4 seed)

Despite losing starting QB Bryson Schmid in the preseason, Wittenberg-Birnamwood battled through an up and down regular season to return to the playoffs. The Chargers get there despite OT losses to two #1 seeds (Tomahawk and Stratford). Kaden Yaeger has had an outstanding season for W-B with 977 yards rushing and 380 yards receiving with 17 combined touchdowns. Brookfield Academy finished 2nd in the Midwest Classic-Small behind Kenosha St. Joseph. 2 of the 6 teams in that conference did not field a varsity squad this season so the Blue Knights picked up some solid non-conference opponents, including Hilbert, who they lost to last week. Brookfield Academy is a run first offense led by RB Beau Libbey, who ran for 1363 yards and 17 touchdowns in the regular season.

Richland Center (4-5, 7 seed) at Stratford (7-2, 2 seed)

The Stratford Tigers are back in the mix for another state championship as a 2 seed after winning their last 7 regular season games. After a slow offensive start in losses to Mosinee and Edgar, Stratford has gained momentum with QB Brady Berg throwing for 1083 yards and 21 touchdowns with Colton Breit catching 21 balls for 450 yards and 7 TD’s. Senior Brooks Vanderhoof has 608 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns. The Stratford “D” is again playing well with Jaeger Ormond leading the way with 62 tackles. Richland Center features a strong running game led by senior Brady Dosch, who has 1456 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns this season.

Also in D-5:

Spencer/Columbus (5-4, 5 seed) at New Holstein (6-3, 4 seed)

Lancaster (4-5, 7 seed) at Amherst (8-1, 2 seed)

Division 6:

Loyal/Greenwood (4-5, 8 seed) at Edgar (9-0, 1 seed)

It was a dominating regular season for Edgar, who looks for a third straight state title after winning the last two years in Division 7. It starts on defense for the Wildcats, who have allowed just 12 points total all season. Alex Schneider has 69 tackles and an interception. On offense, Maverick Butt has 889 yards rushing and 13 TD’s. Loyal/Greenwood started their season with four straight wins but heads into the playoffs on a 5-game losing streak, including 50-0 at Stratford last week. Jake Lindner has passed for 600 yards and Colten Sandelier has rushed for 649 yards for Loyal/Greenwood.

Marathon (4-5, 7 seed) at Kewaunee (8-1, 2 seed)

The Red Raiders return to the playoffs under 1st year head coach Vince Dinkel. True Thurs provides a lot of the offense both through the air and on the ground. Thurs has passed for 1531 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 564 yards and adding 10 more TD’s. Thurs top target is junior WR Garrett Bracewell. Bracewell has had an outstanding season with 55 catches for 804 yards and 11 TD’s. Kewaunee is a strong opponent as the Storm went undefeated in the Packerland Conference. Senior QB Brett Paulsen is a multifaceted threat with 1555 yards passing and 20 TD’s along with 761 yards rushing and 17 more touchdowns.

Abbotsford (6-3, 7 seed) at Mondovi (8-1, 2 seed)

After a strong start, the Falcons come into the postseason after two shutout losses (42-0 to Auburndale and 28-0 to Edgar). Abbotsford will, as always, look to run the ball. Chase Boller has 771 yards on the ground and averages more than 10 yards per carry. Mondovi is a very tough opponent who only lost the Cloverbelt championship because of a “Hail Mary” completion by Regis in their game earlier in the season that proved to be the difference in giving the Ramblers the title. QB Bode Falkner has thrown for 1465 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 922 yards and 14 scores.

Also in D-6:

Weyauwega-Fremont (5-4, 5 seed) at Cambridge (7-2, 4 seed)

Crandon (5-4, 6 seed) at Auburndale (8-1, 3 seed)

Division 7:

Assumption (3-6, 8 seed) at Cochrane/Fountain City (9-0, 1 seed)

Pittsville (4-5, 7 seed) at Hilbert (7-2, 2 seed)

8-Player Level 2:

Athens (7-2, 4 seed) at Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas (9-0, 1 seed)

The Athens football team was very impressive in a 44-0 win over Niagara last week in a 4 seed vs. 5 game. RB Evin Passehl had 14 rushes for 177 yards and 2 TD’s in that game and has 1116 yards on the season. It will be a stiff road test vs. Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas, who is undefeated this season and was state runner-up last year when they lost the title game to Owen-Withee. Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas leans on their run game, with 2435 yards rushing as a team this season compared to just 185 yards passing total. Max Peterson leads the way with 1004 yards rushing on just 104 carries.