Local teams closing in on conference titles
WAUSAU - Five local football teams can clinch an outright conference championship with a victory this week
Abbotsford, Amherst, Medford, Stevens Point Area Senior High and Stratford all secured ties for titles in their respective conferences with victories on Friday. The group heads into the final week of the prep football season in an enviable position now.
Then there is Adams-Friendship and Nekoosa who will settle things on the field this week, but we will get to that game in a moment.
Conference championships aren't the only thing at stake in Week 9. Let's call this five things to watch going into the final Football Friday before the postseason.
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1. Showdown set for South Central Conference title
It comes down to this. Adams-Friendship hosts Nekoosa on Friday for the conference championship. Both teams improved to 4-0 in SCC play in impressive fashion. Adams-Friendship, which received votes in the Medium Division for The Associated Press state poll, rolled to a 34-7 win over Mauston and moved to 8-0 overall. Nekoosa downed Westfield 35-0 for its fourth straight victory. The Papermakers (5-3) lost their first two games of the season and overcame a 1-3 start after four weeks. Friday's shutout was the second for Nekoosa in its current winning streak.
2. Question is, which West is best?
Second place in the Valley Football Association-North Division and possible playoff seeding will be on the line next week as Wausau West hosts Appleton West at Thom Field to close out the regular season. Both teams enter with 5-2 marks in conference play. Both teams have beaten Appleton North this season as well. The Warriors (5-3 overall) beat Appleton East 30-19 Friday for their second straight win and fifth in the past six games. Last season, the Warriors traveled to Appleton West in the final game of the regular season with a playoff berth on the line and the Terrors won 31-17.
3. It's win and probably in for five teams
Athens, Auburndale, Colby, Pittsville and Tri-County all have the chance to improve to 4-5 with victories on Friday and would at least be considered eligible for the postseason. With wins, Colby and Tri-County would improve to .500 in the Cloverbelt and Central Wisconsin Conference-10, respectively, and would become playoff eligible. It's the same story for Auburndale and Pittsville as both programs are 3-4 in the Marawood Conference. Auburndale travels to Tomahawk this week, while Pittsville travels to Marathon.
Athens is 3-5 in the CloverWood and hosts Loyal Friday. The entire nine-game schedule for the CloverWood is conference games and conference teams with 4-5 records have advanced to the postseason in the past.
4. Edgar middle of pack in Marawood?
When is the last time the Wildcats lost three Marawood games in the season? It was in 2005, when the Wildcats posted a 5-4 mark in conference play. Edgar fell to 4-3 in the Marawood with a 24-16 loss to Rib Lake/Prentice on Friday and will close out conference play at home against Chequamegon this week. The Wildcats likely will finish fourth in the conference this season and enter this week with an un-Edgarlike record of 5-3. But don't be quick to count Edgar out yet. The finished last year with three losses and made it to Level 3 of the WIAA Division 6 playoffs.
5. A matchup between two winless teams can provide a memorable moment
Newman Catholic traveled to Greenwood on Friday for a matchup between two CloverWood programs which were both looking for the first victory of the season. The matchup was not among the highlighted games for the week but the Cardinals' 41-0 win did provide a memorable moment in the first half. Lauren Fech caught a 24-yard touchdown in the second quarter on a halfback option pass from Connor Miller. She might not have been the first girl to score a touchdown in a Wisconsin prep football game, but she has to be on a short list of girls who have accomplished the feat. Either way it was a cool moment for Fech, the Cardinals program and its fans.
Tim Johnson: 715-845-0731, or timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter@timmyjo11