Football Level 3 Preview: Division 7
posted by Travis Wilson at 11/3/2009
Division 7 Bracket Toughest Road So Far
De Soto drew a determined Cochrane-Fountain City team in Level 1, and came away with a 36-14 win, although it wasn't easy; CFC had it at 16-14 late in the second quarter before the Pirates pulled away. The real challenge for De Soto came in Level 2 though, where a Belmont team that had played with it's back against the wall all season (who can forget the story of the Braves having to recruit players door-to-door just to have a team) pushed De Soto for four quarters, and then four full overtimes. A 9-yard pass from Dylan Vassar to Andy Lee in the fourth extra period finally allowed the Pirates to advance.
Cinderella
Frederic was unseeded at 5-4 on the season, but went into Pepin/Alma and came away with a 14-8 win, earning the right to host second-seeded Shell Lake in Level 2. Frederic led 14-7 heading into the fourth quarter, but Shell Lake proved their mettle by tying it up and forcing overtime. A 1 yard touchdown run by Frederic's Ben Ackerley gave the Vikings the win and the right to advance.
Most Impressive
Catholic Central lost a 1700-yard rusher, 1000-yard receiver, and 2,000-yard passer off last year's Division 7 state championship team. Despite this, offense has not been a problem for the Hilltoppers. Quarterback Brian Fliess has rushed for just over 1000 yards and 16 touchdowns so far while completing 60% of his passes for nearly 1500 yards to go with 19 passing touchdowns. Sam Wagner has been solid at running back, accounting for over 90 yards per game and 11 touchdowns while missing some action. The Hilltoppers dominated both Hustisford and Benton/Scales Mound (IL), compiling a 69-6 edge in first half points and cruising to big victories.
The Matchups McDonell Central (8-3) vs. Frederic (7-4) Saturday, 5 p.m. at Chippewa Falls H.S. -- McDonell struggled to close out the regular season, with injuries really piling up in the face of a difficult late schedule. The Macks are getting healthy at the right time though, and have looked impressive so far. Running back Alex Heiss returned to the lineup last Saturday, and made an impression even in limited snaps. He teams with quarterback Andy Davis to give the Macks a dangerous backfield. Frederic's defense will be in for a test, although they've held up pretty well so far this year, allowing just 15 points per game. The offense has been solid, but not spectacular (they haven't had a 100-yard rusher in either playoff game), meaning for Frederic to have a shot, the defense will need to stop the high-powered McDonell offense and likely create some turnovers.
Edge: McDonell Central
Potosi (11-0) vs. De Soto (11-0) Saturday 2 p.m. -- These two southwest Wisconsin powers have been on a collision course for some time now. Statistically, the teams are both incredibly dominant, as they finished #1 and #2 in Division 7 in scoring, and #4 and #3 in scoring defense. Both teams are led by outstanding rushing attacks. For De Soto, Dylan Tully gets the bulk of the carries, and he has amassed 1800 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. Taylor Udelhofen, Dakota Runde, and Collin Udelhofen have formed a dangerous trio in the backfield for Potosi, combining for over 3,000 yards and scoring 54 touchdowns on the ground. Both teams feature offensive lines much larger than normally seen in Division 7. De Soto has been a little more successful passing the ball this year, as quarterback Dylan Tully has thrown 19 touchdowns with over 900 yards. Both teams have done very well on producing turnovers, and whoever wins that battle could come out ahead in this very evenly matched game.
Edge: Potosi
Owen-Withee (7-4) vs. Gilman (11-0) Saturday 4 p.m. -- Gilman has been dominant this year, and that has extended into the post-season. Owen-Withee began the year with three straight losses, but has really turned it on since then. So which will give first, the recent hot streak of Owen-Withee or the season-long dominance of Gilman? If we look at the first matchup between these Cloverwood teams in Week 3, we may get some clues. Gilman won 35-8 in that one, with the lone O-W touchdown coming on an interception return in the fourth quarter when the game was already well out of hand. Gilman didn't put up very impressive rushing numbers that day, but hurt the Blackhawks through the air. Quarterback Shawn Hoehn completed 13 of 17 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns, with Corey Tallier on the receiving end of most of those throws. Tallier caught 8 balls for 169 yards and both touchdowns. Owen-Withee running back David Simenson was held in check that week, but has been running wild lately, including 400 yards and 5 touchdowns in the two playoff games. Owen-Withee has improved since that first match-up, but have they improved enough to knock off the Pirates?
Edge: Gilman
Shullsburg (8-3) vs. Catholic Central (10-1) Friday, 7 p.m. -- Catholic Central is the defending Division 7 champion, and is becoming quite familiar with teams from the Six Rivers Conference. The Hilltoppers knocked off three such teams last year, and take on their second of this season, Shullsburg, in Level 3. However, this is the first time Catholic Central will make the trip across the southern part of the state to play one of those teams. How will that nearly three hour trek play into things? We'll have to see. The Hilltoppers will bring a high-powered offense with them, led by quarterback Brian Fliess, who has passed for over 1400 yards and rushed for over 1000 more while accounting for a combined 35 touchdowns. You would expect for the Hilltoppers to get their points, but defense may be where the game is decided. They've already allowed almost twice as many points this year as they did in last year's title run, which could come back to bite them as soon as this weekend. Shullsburg, meanwhile, will look to continue their recent upset history. Last year they knocked off second-seeded and unbeaten Rio in Level 1, and so far this year have knocked off seeded teams Cambria-Friesland and Randolph. Can they carry that level of success they've had against the struggling Trailways Conference and de-throne the champs? For that to happen, running backs Nate Carrier and Trevor Milestone along with outstanding receiver Jacob Holland will need to put some big numbers on the scoreboard.
Edge: Catholic Central
Division 7 and 6 breakdowns will be posted Tuesday, Divisions 5 and 4 on Wednesday, Divisions 3 and 2 on Thursday, and Division 1 on Friday.
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