High school football: Top 10 games of Week 5
Bay Port (4-0) at Pulaski (4-0)
The series: Bay Port leads 31-22.
The last time: Bay Port won 48-27 on Sept. 15, 2017, at Suamico.
About the Pirates: Two-time Fox River Classic Conference champion Bay Port has more than looked the part, outscoring opponents 202-18 or by an average of 50.5-4.5. Bay Port is coming off a 49-12 thrashing of Ashwaubenon. Isaiah Gash powered the Pirates, rushing 25 times for 183 yards (7.3 average) and three touchdowns.
About the Red Raiders: Unlike the Pirates, Pulaski is flying a bit under the radar. The Red Raiders held off Green Bay Southwest 21-17 in the season opener before cruising to big wins against the two Sheboygan schools. The Red Raiders opened some eyes last week, however, by topping Green Bay Notre Dame 35-28. Dylan Hendricks led the way, completing 5 of 7 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing 35 times for 212 yards and two other scores.
Hortonville (3-1) at Fond du Lac (4-0)
The series: Fond du Lac leads 4-0.
The last time: Fond du Lac won 42-19 on Sept. 15, 2017, at Hortonville.
About the Polar Bears: Hortonville's lone loss this season was to Valley Football Association-West-leading Marshfield 41-20 in Week 3. The Polar Bears enter the game one game behind Neenah and one-half game behind Fond du Lac in the conference standings. Hortonville is coming off a 53-14 win over Wausau West, pulling away in the second half. Quarterback Kyle Allen led the way, completing 15 of 21 passes for 184 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted once. Jose Concepcion also rushed 30 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
About the Cardinals: The top-ranked team in the state has opened the season 4-0, including 3-0 in the VFA-South. Each of Fond du Lac's wins has been impressive. After ending Kimberly's 70-game winning streak in the season opener 31-28, the Cardinals have outscored D.C. Everest, Appleton North and Kingsford, Mich., a combined 128-13. Against Kingsford, quarterback Carson Raddatz led the way, rushing 10 times for 80 yards and three touchdowns, and completing all six of his passes for 124 yards and one TD.
Green Bay West (0-4) at Green Bay East (1-3)
The series: Green Bay East leads 60-49-3.
The last time: Green Bay East won 36-26 on Sept. 15, 2017, at Green Bay West.
About the Red Devils: East has won 18 of the last 20 meetings in the series, which began in 1905. The Red Devils are coming off a 41-13 setback at New London last Friday night. In that game, Hayden Ostertag and Koda Kinjerski shared quarterback duties with Ostertag completing 7 of 18 passes for 112 yards and one TD. He was picked off twice. Kinjerski completed 7 of 12 passes for 33 yards and one touchdown and one interception.
About the Wildcats: Green Bay West has had a rough go, having been outscored 186-6. Last Friday, the Wildcats were beaten 49-0 by Waupaca. Despite similar numbers last season, West went toe-to-toe with the Red Devils and led 26-21 after three quarters before being outscored 15-0 in the fourth quarter.
Appleton Xavier (2-2) at West De Pere (4-0)
The series: West De Pere leads 5-2.
The last time: West De Pere won 36-26 on Sept. 15, 2017, at Appleton.
About the Hawks: Xavier has held its own the past two weeks in a tough stretch of its schedule. After opening wins over Green Bay West (39-6) and Green Bay East (23-17), the Hawks fell at Menasha (41-21) and at home against Seymour (38-28). Last week against the Thunder, quarterback T.J. Van Eperen led the way for Xavier, completing 6 of 13 passes for 60 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for two others.
About the Phantoms: The Bay Conference co-leaders enter the contest at 3-0, tied with Menasha and Seymour for the top spot. West De Pere is coming off a 33-14 nonconference win over Luxemburg-Casco. Quarterback Josh Blount led the way, completing 6 of 9 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed 28 times for 171 yards and two TDs. Cody Cavil also had a big night on the ground, rushing 24 times for 113 yards and one touchdown.
Hilbert (4-0) at Howards Grove (3-1)
The series: Hilbert leads 7-0-1.
The last time: Hilbert won 24-13 on Sept. 15, 2017, at Hilbert.
About the Wolves: Hilbert is 3-0 in the Big East Conference and is tied with Cedar Grove-Belgium and Reedsville for first place. The Wolves are coming off a 41-6 win over Kohler/Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian. In that game, Hilbert took charge with a 28-point second quarter as Dylan Dohr led the way with 11 carries for 70 yards and two TDs. Also rushing for scores were Grant Propson and Evan Lau. Propson also threw for another touchdown.
About the Tigers: Howards Grove is 3-1 in the conference and is coming off an 18-0 setback to Reedsville. Kaeden Roethel and Luke Schroeder led the Tigers' offense with Roethel rushing 18 times for 73 yards and Schroeder completing 6 of 15 passes for 85 yards. He was picked off twice. Defensively, Roethel added an interception.
Iola-Scandinavia (4-0) at Bonduel (3-1)
The series: Bonduel leads 9-4.
The last time: Bonduel won 47-20 on Sept. 8, 2017, at Scandinavia.
About the Thunderbirds: Iola-Scandinavia is 2-0 in the Central Wisconsin Conference-Large and is coming off a 49-6 win over Wittenberg-Birnamwood, rolling up 432 yards rushing. Bryce Huettner led the way with 15 carries for 260 yards (17.3 average) and four touchdowns, while quarterback Connor Kurki added seven rushes for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
About the Bears: Bonduel is also 2-0 in the conference after topping Weyauwega-Fremont 35-7 last Friday. Against the Indians, Parker Bohm completed 15 of 24 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once. Isaac Boldt added 12 carries for 91 yards, while Jacob Giese also rushed for a score.
Wisconsin Rapids Assumption (1-3) at Abbotsford (3-1)
The series: Abbotsford leads 12-6.
The last time: Abbotsford won 19-7 on Sept. 15, 2017, at Wisconsin Rapids.
About the Royals: Assumption has opened Cloverwood Conference play with a 38-0 loss to Loyal before bouncing back to beat Athens 46-22 last Friday. Against Athens, Cole Statz paved the way with 246 yards rushing and four touchdowns on just eight carries (30.6 yards-per-carry average). Aden Elsen added 10 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns, while Craig Elsen carried nine times for 62 yards and another score.
About the Falcons: Abbotsford has opened conference play at 2-0 and suffered its lone defeat on Aug. 31 at Marathon (28-17). Last week at Thorp, the Falcons also relied heavily on its ground attack as Joe Aguilera led the way with 14 carries for 259 yards (18.5 average) and three touchdowns. Chance Clement added four carries for 80 yards and one TD, while Dalton Feddick carried five times for 36 yards and a score.
Winneconne (3-1) at Berlin (3-1)
The series: Berlin leads 27-22.
The last time: Berlin won 44-6 on Sept. 22, 2017, at Winneconne.
About the Wolves: The Wolves have opened East Central Conference play 2-0 with wins over Kewaskum (34-7) and Campbellsport (35-0). Winneconne's lone loss came in the China Bull Game at Omro, 27-7, on Aug. 24. The Wolves had opened the season with a 37-6 win over Southern Door. Against Campbellsport, the Winneconne defense limited the Cougars to 21 total yards, including 15 on the ground.
About the Indians: Berlin, which finished second in the conference a year ago, is 1-1 in the conference. The Indians opened ECC play with a 20-7 setback at Plymouth before rebounding last week with a 42-7 win over Waupun. Against the Warriors, Berlin was led by running back Alec Moriarty with 10 carries for 104 yards and three touchdowns. Aidan Schilling added a touchdown on two carries for 77 yards, while Jack Trochinski carried twice for 39 yards and another score.
Two Rivers (2-2) at New Holstein (4-0)
The series: Two Rivers leads 24-15.
The last time: Two Rivers won 33-21 on Sept. 15, 2017, at Two Rivers.
About the Purple Raiders: After nonconference losses to Peshtigo (34-24) and Kewaunee (47-14) to start the season, Two Rivers has bounced back to open conference play at 2-0, defeating Roncalli (24-7) and Brillion (35-0). Against Brillion last Friday, quarterback Jayden Kiphart completed 28 of 44 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns and one interception. Carson Koch added a rushing touchdown on seven carries for 49 yards.
About the Huskies: New Holstein opened with a pair of impressive nonconference road wins against Mishicot (48-13) and Waupun (58-7) before holding off Sheboygan Falls (22-14) and Chilton (28-21) in conference play. Against Chilton last Friday, Tyler McCoy led the rushing attack with 26 carries for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Teddy Schnell added a rushing touchdown, while Collin Hau recovered a fumble in the end zone for New Holstein's final score.
Stevens Point (0-4) at Marshfield (4-0)
The series: Stevens Point leads 62-34-9.
The last time: Marshfield won 17-14 on Sept. 15, 2017, at Stevens Point.
About the Panthers: For the second year in a row, the Panthers have opened VFA-West play at 0-3 due to a brutal opening month. A loss to the Tigers could put the Panthers' playoff hopes on ice, especially with a late-season trip to Fond du Lac still on the docket. SPASH has opened the season with losses to VFA-South leading Neenah (24-6), Big Rivers co-leading Hudson (48-20), VFA-North leading Kimberly (21-0) and Appleton North (56-36), a major contender in the VFA-North. Against the Lightning, Jack Kelly led the Panthers with 33 carries for 141 yards and three touchdowns, while Brett Ehr completed 12 of 18 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. He was picked off twice.
About the Tigers: Already in firm control of the VFA-West at 3-0, Marshfield could all but seal up a playoff spot with a victory. The Tigers have been impressive with wins over Oshkosh West (26-6) in a nonconference game, Appleton West (35-6), Hortonville (41-20) and Kaukauna (24-21). Against Kaukauna last Friday, quarterback Ryan Kruger led the way, completing 10 of 17 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Brant Bohman added 13 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground.