The high school football regular season wrapped up last Thursday…also that day, the News 18 Sports Department tabulated the final results from our weekly picks:

          Rob Kadonsky   73-19 (.793)

          Stephen Kelley  80-21 (.792)

          Bill Port     79-22 (.782)

          Bob Bradovich   74-27 (.732)

          Lee DeJarlais   72-29 (.713)

          Tim Schultz    48-21 (.696)

          Weather    30-21 (.588)

A couple things to note….rumors of Rob Kadonsky (sports intern) copying others picks will not help him going forward.    Chief meteorologist Doug Michaels says he’ll bounce back by winning the postseason picks for a second year in a row…but we’ll see about that.   We can already assume that weekend meteorologist Nick Grunseth is going with Gilman, his alma mater, all the way to a state title.

Here are our state finals picks:

Division 1: Arrowhead over Homestead (Brado, Bill, Stephen)

Division 2: Kimberly over Waunakee (Brado, Bill, Stephen)

Division 3: Wisconsin Lutheran over GB Notre Dame (Brado, Bill); West De Pere over Evansville (Stephen)

Division 4: Kewaunee over Brodhead/Juda (Brado), Kewaunee over Lodi (Bill), Mondovi over Lodi (Stephen)

Division 5: Colby over La Crosse Aquinas (Brado, Bill); Colby over Lancaster (Stephen)

Division 6: Stratford over Edgar (Brado, Bill); Fennimore over Edgar (Stephen)

Division 7: Shell Lake over Plum City (Brado, Bill, Stephen)

We’ll check in periodically on this blog as we move forward with the playoffs.  Also, we’re anxiously awaiting the brackets from former News 18 employees David Kmiecik and Melissa Wollering.

Enjoy the games!

Posted under Hometown Sports

I was excited Thursday night waiting for the high school football brackets to be released, even more than the high school basketball brackets.  I am just a huge fan of football in general, and this year I have gotten much more familiar with the area and the teams.  I’ll probably get pretty pumped for the basketball brackets this year too, but until then it’s high school football.  I won’t get a chance to talk about every team from our area because there are about 40 local teams in the post-season and this would get far too long if I did that.

Division 1 – I think we all saw Chippewa Falls getting a top seed.  This team hasn’t had many snags, if any, this season.  Michael Adams can run extremely well, but they have a fairly solid passing game to go with it.  I definitely don’t see the Cardinals getting bounced out in the first round again this year, but with teams like Arrowhead and Homestead being so good every year, I can’t a state championship in the future.  Hudson surprised some teams this year.  Winning against SPASH will not be easy but I do think the Raiders have a chance.  Depending on how close this game is, it will give us an idea as to how good teams in this part of the state are compared to other parts of the state (Central Wisconsin).

Division 2 – It is really great to see that Menomonie got a home game in level 1.  I think the people doing the brackets know the same thing we do…Menomonie is always a force in the post season.  It was a down year for the Indians standards, but the team still went 6-3.  Anytime you win 2/3 of you games, and it’s a "down" year, you are doing something right.  I could see Menomonie winning 2 games this year and possibly seeing River Falls in level 3.  La Crosse Logan is the top seed, but I am just not sold on the La Crosse area football schools.  I may be a bit of a "homer" (one who thinks their home teams are better than everyone else) but I could see River Falls and Menomonie both winning 2 games.  And of course if that happened, I would have to go with Menomonie because of their tremendous history.

Division 3 – First off, if Hayward doesn’t make it to level 3, I will be very surprised.  They have an awesome rushing attack.  But if they make it to level 3, they would likely face unbeaten Waupaca.  I don’t know much about them, but they are unbeaten.  It would be a great game…two unbeaten teams in the post-season…it doesn’t get any better.  I should mention New Berlin Eisenhower here as well.  It’s my alma mater, and like last year, I will be picking them to win the State Championship in our Sports Department picks.

Division 4 – I was high on Mondovi to start the season, and that hasn’t changed.  Their only loss was to Baldwin-Woodville in the first game of the year, and I don’t think the Buffaloes knew what they had in Sophomore running back Alex Wolf.  Mondovi will likely beat Durand, and I think Bloomer will snap their 2-game losing skid by beating St. Croix Falls.  That means Mondovi versus Bloomer in level 2 and that would be a great game to watch.  If I weren’t working, I would probably just go and see that game as a fan.  If Mondovi can beat Bloomer, I think they have a shot of getting to Madison.  Baldwin-Woodville got a 3 seed because their only loss was a conference game to Somerset, the 2 seed in this bracket.  If both of those teams win, it will be a great rematch from the final game of the season when Somerset beat B-W.  But I think B-W will get it’s revenge.  Don’t count out Altoona against B-W in level 1 though, the Rails could possibly pull that one off if they can get that spread offense clicking.

Division 5 – Right off the bat, Colby has to be the favorite.  They have rolled over teams this season, and some have been pretty good teams, too.  The Hornets should win the first 2 games convincingly.  If that’s the case, they could possibly see Stanley-Boyd in level 3…a rematch from a News 18 spotlight game earlier this season.  Once again, I would have to give the edge to Colby though.  I think they have a legit shot to win a State Title.

Division 6 – I read through the brackets quickly when they first came out, and I quickly came up with my "shaft" of the tournament.  OWEN-WITHEE.  Here is a team that has the area’s leading rusher…another RB that is averaging more than 130 yards per game…they had 1 loss entering the final week of the season (and it was a 1 point loss to conference champion Gilman in OT)…and they face top seeded Edgar???  I realize the seeds go by conference record, but how are they not better than Washburn (4-4, 5-4).  In this Division, I see Edgar making it to State but the level 2 possibility of Edgar versus Thorp is intriguing.  That could be closer than expected.  Eleva-Strum got a tough draw facing Stratford in level 1.  They only have 1 loss and they are good every year.  Regis against Blair-Taylor could be a good level 1 match-up as well.  Regis is much improved this year and that double-wing offense can be tricky to stop unless you REALLY know how to slow it down.

Division 7 – Shell Lake, Plum City.  If these 2 teams don’t meet in the State Championship, I will be surprised and kind of sad.  I think Shell Lake is just too strong to stop.  Their games, and the scores of those games, remind me a lot of Eleva-Strum last year.  They are just blowing people out, even the better teams.  Gilman is strong though too, and McDonell could beat Frederic in level 1.  This whole division is loaded with good teams, and most are from our area.  It should be fun to watch this bracket unfold over then next few weeks.

Top 3 State Championship Contenders (from the area)

1. Shell Lake

2. Colby

3. Mondovi

Top 3 Level 1 Upsets (from the area)

1. McDonell

2. Osseo-Fairchild

3. River Falls

-Bill Port

Posted under Hometown Sports

Sorry, but it’s been a while since I’ve posted–you may have noticed we in the News 18 Sports department have been a little busy now that the WIAA fall sports postseason has arrived.

Still, we don’t mind…it’s an exciting time of the year, and any event that gets us fired up to spend time outside in dreary, cold weather is a good thing.

Next week, we’ll blog more about our exact picks for Level 1 of the WIAA football playoffs.  We’ve been keeping track of our weekly picks through the regular season, but this is where things really get interesting.   Will yours truly (the grizzled veteran) keep his late season momentum going?  Will young upstart Rob Kadonsky (sports intern) keep surprising the department with his prognostications?  Can Bill Port (New Berlin Eisenhower alum), Stephen Kelley (Platteville), and Lee DeJarlais (Marshfield) use their local knowledge to help them correctly assess games outside the local area?   And will meteorologists Doug Michaels and Nick Grunseth prove they can predict more than just the weather?

For now, here are some of my early thoughts on the football brackets:

Division 1

Chippewa Falls has a good enough team to make it to Madison, but the Cardinals will have to run a gauntlet of solid programs to get a glimpse of Camp Randall Stadium.  Try a Level 1 home game with Bay Port, a Level 2 matchup with either Green Bay Preble or Appleton North (if Preble wins then it’s a road game for Chippewa), D.C. Everest in Level 3….with Arrowhead awating in Level 4.   Most every Big Rivers coach believes the conference was "up" this season…the BRC gets a chance to prove it with Chi-Hi, as well as Hudson and Superior squaring off with Wisconsin Valley heavyweights Stevens Point and D.C. Everest, respectively.

Division 2

Menomonie opened the season with a loss at Marshfield, a game in which the Indians let a two-touchdown lead slip away in the second half.  The Indians could tangle with the Tigers again in a Level 3 matchup.  The La Crosse schools get home games, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Marshfield won at Logan…River Falls may have a tougher time at Central, but if the Wildcats can channel the same energy they brought to Menomonie Thursday night, RF could get it done.   Getting to Madison will be tougher…whoever survives the Level 3 game will likely play defending state champ Kimberly in Level 4.

Division 3

The WIAA has made a change to its original bracket….Hayward will now host Medford, not Mosinee.  The Hurricanes should win that one, but Lakeland will be a tough challenge in Level 2…and Waupaca even tougher in Level 3.

Division 4

Nice job by the WIAA to set up a backyard brawl, local rivalry game right out of the gate, as Durand goes to Mondovi…but that’s only one of four intriguing Level 1 games.  Can Bloomer bounce back after two late season losses as the Blackhawks travel to St. Croix Falls?  Altoona at Baldwin-Woodville ought to be a very entertaining game between two spread offense teams, while St. Croix Central at Somerset features two teams which will slug it out with their ground attacks.   Whichever team emerges from the Level 3 game has a very good shot of advancing to the state finals.

Division 5

The "left" side of the bracket is clearly Colby’s to lose.   The Hornets haven’t been tested in the regular season, but as we know, things can change in the playoffs.   Chetek is the type of team that doesn’t get intimidated, so the Bulldogs could make things interesting against Colby in Level 2.  Stanley-Boyd would love another shot at the Hornets, and Ladysmith has played well down the stretch…but if Colby isn’t playing on the turf at Camp Randall, it’ll be an upset.

Two local teams have tough draws on the "right" side of the bracket.   Fall Creek has a winnable game at Whitehall, but top-seed Lancaster lurks in Level 2.  Osseo-Fairchild has to travel to Holmen for a Level 1 game against defending state champ La Crosse Aquinas.

Division 6

Hmmm….Edgar is on the "left" side of the brackets, while 5-time defending state champ Stratford is on the "right" side.   These two teams both play in the Marawood Conference –the Wildcats beat the Tigers in Week 8 of the regular season — and they could meet again in the state finals.   Talk about tough draws: defending D7 state champ Eleva-Strum goes to Stratford in Level 1, while Owen-Withee has to go to Edgar.   I don’t expect any upsets in this bracket, which means I’d be shocked if the D6 state final was some matchup other than Edgar vs. Stratford. 

Division 7

On our last few installments of "Sports OT Online Wrap," we’ve speculated about a playoff matchup between Shell Lake and Plum City.  Thanks to some nice bracketing by the WIAA, such a matchup wouldn’t occur until the state finals.  Congrats to New Auburn for making the playoffs…but the Trojans will have to travel to Gilman in Level 1.  Kudos, also, to Spring Valley for its late season push to qualify for the postseason–but the "reward," such as it is, is a trip to Shell Lake.  McDonell, under first-year head coach Todd Brown, could be a sleeper team in this bracket–the Macks have a dangerous passing attack, and if weather conditions are favorable for throwing the ball, McDonell could make a run. 

On the "right" side of the bracket, Plum City could play a South Lakeland rival in Level 3, either Elmwood or Pepin.   At the moment, I’m predicting another all-area matchup in the state finals…much like we had Gilman vs. Eleva-Strum in the 2006 D7 championship game, I’m going to say Shell Lake vs. Plum City in ’08.   However, as it is the case in the six other brackets, there are plenty of other teams that want to end their seasons on the turf at Camp Randall Stadium.

We at News 18 Sports are excited about the opportunity to cover all the action.  We hope you can join us either on the air, or online, for highlights and all the scores.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports