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Every Wednesday during the regular season we will highlight the 8-Player Football game with a spotlight article on WisSports.net. We'll look back at the action and big stories from the previous week, look ahead at the coming week's big match-ups, and select a Star of the Week.

8-Player coaches, please enter player stats on WSN so that we can continue having the necessary information to produce this weekly spotlight of your game, and feel free to send any news or information to us as well.

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In a battle for first place in the Northwoods-West on Thursday, Northwood/Solon Springs took control of the league with a 38-30 win over Shell Lake. Cole Neva returned a kickoff 61 yards for the game-winning points in the fourth quarter. Jared Schultz continued his strong season, throwing for 156 yards and two touchdowns with another 133 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Oh yeah, he also caught an 85-yard score and had 22(!) tackles on defense.

Also on Thursday, Highland downed De Soto 46-6 behind a masterful performance from Bennett Smith, who completed 15-of-19 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns.

In a non-conference showdown between ranked teams, top-ranked Owen-Withee defeated ninth-ranked Clayton 36-22. More on that one later.

It was a wild game as Siren defeated New Auburn 76-66. Gannen Reynolds accounted for more than 500 yards of offense and nine touchdowns, completing 29-of-43 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns, also rushing for 109 yards and three scores. He'd add 16 tackles over on defense. 

Phillips took the solo lead in the Northwoods-East in a 48-32 victory over former third-ranked Hurley. The Loggers rolled up 372 rushing yards, led by 158 from Shay Denzine and 132 by Ayron DeLeasky.

Wisconsin Heights hammered Wonewoc/Weston 69-0 as Cody Blicharz ran for 307 yards and five touchdowns. Quinn Payne completed 12-of-20 passes for 204 yards and two scores.

Almond-Bancroft scored a 66-28 win over Wabeno/Laona. Emmitt Stiles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 159 yards and four scores in the victory.

There's a couple big games on Thursday night. The championship of the Across the Bay conference is on the line to the winner of Algoma and Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas. Since Algoma is not eligible for the playoffs, this is about as big as it gets for the Wolves.

While Northwood/Solon Springs is in control of the Northwoods-West, the next two teams, Bruce and Shell Lake, are facing off on Friday. Should Bruce lose, they would drop to 5-3, which may not be enough to get into the 8-player postseason.

The same could be said of the Rib Lake versus Hurley matchup in the Northwoods-East on Friday, with the winner having a much better postseason chance.

Owen-Withee takes on Gilman on Friday, as Owen-Withee leads the North Central-East as the state's top-ranked team. Gilman is currently second, just a game behind, with a chance at a share of the league title and a huge playoff chance as well.

The biggest game in the state this week is in the Southeast-8, where a pair of unbeaten teams will square off. Fifth-ranked Oakfield will travel to tenth-ranked Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah.

It was a top ten showdown for both teams, though a non-league replacement game, as Owen-Withee beat Clayton 36-22. Mason Gay ran for 207 yards and three scores, but he wasn't done there. Gay also had 13 tackles and a pair of interceptions on defense, one of which he returned 102 yards for a touchdown. He also handled the punting duties for the Blackhawks.

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.