Loyal junior has notable season opener
WAUSAU - Loyal's Hunter Much had totaled 107 yards on 18 carries in two seasons for the Greyhounds coming into this year.
The Greyhounds junior running back doubled his yardage production in the season opener last Friday, rushing for 213 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries in a 41-12 win over Owen-Withee in a CloverWood Conference matchup.
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Much averaged 13.3 yards per carry and is the local area's top leading rusher after Week 1 of the prep football season.
Much was one of four players from the CloverWood to rush for more than a 100 yards in the opening week of the schedule, joined by Athens' Jake Stange (158 yards), and Assumption's Zack Krings (126 yards) and Jake Sullivan (123 yards).
Pacelli sophomore Xander Schmitz had the second-highest rushing performance last Friday as he totaled 198 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries in a 21-20 win over Saint Mary Catholic.
Other notable performances include Tri-County senior Claude Cleereman (185 yards, three touchdowns), SPASH senior Beau Rosenthal (166 yards, two touchdowns) and junior teammate Colton Kizewski (157 yards and two touchdowns).
The Spencer/Columbus Catholic duo of Noah Zastrow and Hunter Luepke combined to rush for 286 yards and five touchdowns, and the Marshfield brothers, Braden and Brant Bohman, totaled more than 230 yards and four scores.
Top passing attacks
Wisconsin Rapids senior Benjamin Olson went 15-of-24 for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-21 win over D.C. Everest last Friday and is top local area quarterback in terms of yardage after Week 1.
Adams-Friendship's Joe Duty and Nekoosa's Kyle Olson both passed for 155 yards in the season opener. Olson threw for three touchdowns,while Duty passed for two.
Marathon's Donovan Free completed all three of his attempts against Phillips, which went for 137 yards. Free averaged 45.7 yards per completion.
Conference winning streaks continue.
Three teams that went undefeated in conference play last season continued their winning ways in Week 1.
Spencer/Columbus Catholic downed Osseo-Fairchild 51-20 and extended a Cloverbelt Conference winning streak to 11 games. The Rockets last loss in the conference came to Regis nearly two years ago.
Abbotsford opened the season with a 49-6 win over Greenwood and host Assumption Friday with a 10-game CloverWood Conference winning streak. The Falcons last loss in the conference came on Oct. 17, 2014, against Athens.
Marathon rolled to a 64-0 win over Phillipsin the season opener and travel to Stratford this week riding an eight-game winning streak in the Marawood Conference. The Raiders streak stretches back to a loss to Auburndale in the final regular-season game of 2014 as well.
Losing skid ends
Wittenberg-Birnamwood snapped a eight-game losing streak with a 13-12 win over Northland Pines last week. McLain Alwes and Jack Stewart had touchdown runs of 7- and 6-yards, respectively, for the Chargers who defeated Northland Pines in the season opener last year as well.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood hosts Rhinelander Friday.
Case for the defense
Edgar held Pittsville to less than 100 yards of offense in a 35-0 win last week. It is the fourth straight year that the Wildcats have opened the season with a shutout and the seventh time in the past eight years.
Tim Johnson: 715-845-0731, or timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter@timmyjo11