Five things we learned in Week 4
The high school football regular season is not even halfway complete and several conference races are heating up. Some teams can even become playoff eligible this coming week.
And the area is down to six undefeated teams, all improving to 4-0 with Friday night wins.
In the Central Wisconsin Conference-8, Iola-Scandinavia stayed perfect with a 27-14 win over Bonduel, while in the Central Wisconsin Conference-10, Almond-Bancroft topped Pardeeville 34-12 in a nonconference game.
In the CloverWood, Abbotsford, the defending conference champion, and Loyal are the last two undefeated teams. The Falcons beat Owen-Withee 41-20 and the Greyhounds topped Newman Catholic 25-8. Adams-Friendship roughed up Shiocton 27-12 in a nonconference game and is undefeated heading into its South Central Conference schedule.
And finally, in the Valley Football Conference-South Division, Stevens Point Area Senior High beat Oshkosh North 22-7 to remain undefeated. Wisconsin Rapids slipped to 3-1 after a tough 36-35 loss to Hortonville Friday night and Edgar also dropped its first game, 7-6 to Marawood Conference rival Stratford Friday.
1. Stratford outlasts Edgar
The Wildcats scored first, the the Tigers scored on a 74-yard run by Cole Hoffman and the ensuing PAT kick by Kam Bornbach was enough for Stratford to eke out a win. All the scoring was done in the first half in the Marawood Conference clash. The win for Stratford was just the second over Edgar in the regular season since 2009. Since 2003, the teams are 7-7 during the regular season. Also during a span from 2003 to 2010, Stratford won six straight WIAA Division 6 state titles and Edgar claimed two, 2009 and 2010.
2 On the verge
Several teams are on track to make the playoffs, but have bigger conferences so they are still a few weeks from becoming eligible. In the CloverWood, however, every game is a conference game and co-leaders Abbotsford and Loyal can clinch playoff berths with wins in Week 5. The Falcons host Newman Catholic and the Greyhounds host Assumption, a team that hung 59 points on Gilman Friday. Teams like SPASH and Iola-Scandinavia for instance, still need two more conference wins to become playoff eligible.
3. Warriors notch big upset
Wausau West started 0-2 this season, but notched its biggest victory of the season, a 20-17 upset over Appleton North, the fifth-ranked team among large schools in the latest Associated Press poll. The Lightning led 7-0 after the first quarter, but the Warriors outscored their VFA-North Division foe 20-10 the last three quarters to win. Michael Neumiller had two second quarter field goals and made both PAT kicks. Quarterback Trevor Cunningham had a big night throwing the ball, completing 11 of 17 passes for 209 yards with a two touchdowns and an interception. West improved to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the league and North slipped to 3-1 and 2-1.
4. Adams-Friendship rolls, again
The Green Devils have breezed through their nonconference schedule at 4-0 with wins over Weyauwega-Fremont, Poynette, Watertown Luther Prep and Shiocton. A-F has outscored its opponents 127-53 and is led by dual threat quarterback Joe Duty. The senior signal caller has completed 22 of 32 passes for 496 yards and thrown six touchdowns and just one interception. He has also rushed for 248 yards and scored three times. Donnell Finch has rush for 169 yards and two TDs, Chris Deja has 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns to his credit and Alvin Parker is leading the receiving corps with 163 yards and two touchdowns.
5. Thundering birds
Not only is Iola-Scandinavia undefeated, the team has been downright dominating. Through four games the Thunderbirds have outscored their opponents 185-29 and are averaging 46 points per game on offense. Bryce Huettner leads the rushing attack with 303 yards and four scores, while Jayden Silverston is right behind with 281 yards and seven touchdowns. Silverston is also averaging 108 yards passing with two TDs and one interception.
Mark Massoglia: 715-424-7309 or mark.massoglia@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @markmazzy.