Underdogs That Could Make a Run: Division 1-4

Playoff season! The stakes have never been higher and the matchups are going to be off the charts! With the win or go home scenario being held over the tops of teams, the pressure can be quite a bit to handle. Whoever can capture that feeling and put it to good use are going to be poised to make a deep run this playoff season. Along with those high stakes comes the extra motivation, for some teams, of being the underdog. Those lower seeds are who I want to focus on in today's article. Today, we are going to dive into one team from each division that is a 5 Seed or lower that I believe can pull off some upsets and make a deep playoff run. For each team I will give a quick breakdown of why I believe the team can make a run, an then identify the players that will be key to making said run. Let's get it started! Division 1: #5 Verona Team Overview Verona finished the regular season with an overall record of 6-3 and a conference record of 4-3. You can expect them to come into the playoffs hungry for a win to get them back on track and kickoff what could be a surprising run here in the 2021 WIAA Playoffs. They are coming off one of the games of the year, losing to #1 seed Sun Prairie on a last second field goal. So far this season, Verona has been a team that has been middle of the road until that week 9 showdown. They beat who they should and their only losses are to teams currently seeded higher than them. However, proving you can go score for score with one of the best teams in the state is huge right before playoffs and I believe that showing, along with a lot of senior and junior leadership, should set Verona up with momentum to start pulling off some upsets. A quick look at the stats also shows a team ready to make a run. In their conference play, Verona's offense was averaging 33 points per game, in the 6 games they played, and are allowing only 19.8 points. There also is some extra motivation knowing that this is Head Coach Dave Richardson's final run at the helm before retiring. Another key is that Verona has players at nearly every position that can take over a game. QB, RB, WR, defensive front seven, and the defensive backfield all have veteran, experienced players ready for tough matchups under the brightest lights. The road to state for Verona starts on Friday vs Fond du Lac on Ingalls Field on the Ripon campus. Key Players to Watch Mason Fink, '22 QB

5'11" 175 lbs
77/143, 1315 yards, 18 Passing TDs, 2 Rushing TDs (8 Games)
Mason vs Sun Prairie Highlights

Kyle Krantz Kyle Krantz 5'11" | 180 lbs | RB Verona | 2022 State WI , '22 RB

5'11" 180 lbs
101 Carries, 651 Yards, 6 TDs, 9 Receptions, 125 Yards
Kyle's Midseason Highlights

Cole Jannusch Cole Jannusch 6'4" | 210 lbs | WR Verona | 2022 State WI , '22 WR

6'4" 210 lbs
28 Receptions, 598 Yards, 11 TDs
Cole vs Sun Prairie

Karson Mitchell, '22 WR

5'11" 165 lbs
20 Receptions, 278 Yards, 4 TDs
Karson's Highlight Page

Mason Armstrong Mason Armstrong 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB Verona | 2023 State WI , '23 LB

6' 210 lbs
72 Tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 Sacks
Mason vs Sun Prairie

Drake Badger, '23 DL

6'2" 190 lbs
49 Tackles, 11 TFLs, 5.5 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PBU
No film, but keep an eye out for this impactful junior! Clearly a disruptive presence in the trenches!

Collin Stubitsch Collin Stubitsch 6'3" | 205 lbs | DB Verona | 2022 State WI , '22 DB

6'3" 205 lbs
48 Tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 INTs, 1 Pick Six, 2 PBUs
Collin's Highlight Page

NJ Elias NJ Elias 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Verona | 2022 State WI , '22 DB

5'11" 180 lbs
43 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FR, 2 FF, 2 INTs, 8 PBUs
NJ vs Sun Prairie

Division 2: #6 Kettle Moraine The seeding for Kettle Moraine is a bit of a strange one in my eyes, and it makes them a very quick choice for my favorite underdog in Division 2. They finished the regular season 6-3 overall with a 4-3 conference record. Those three conference losses are to a #1, #2, and #4 seed playoff team at the Division 1 level. Despite finishing with a better overall record than the #4 and #5 seeds in their own region, and while playing in arguably the toughest conference in the state, Kettle Moraine slipped to a #6 seed. It's not just the team record that points to a potential deep run by the #6 seed. What they put on the field should prove to be tough to stop. They have a very balanced offensive attack. With 1,507 yards through the air and 1,323 yards on the ground, it is going to be tough for defenses to know what to key on. Those yards have also translated into an average of 33+ points per game over their 9 game regular season. Their defense has proven to be very strong in the front seven. They have allowed less than 100 yards rushing per game this season. If they can maintain that dominance in the trenches they should be able to put opposing offenses in tough down and distance situations. Maybe the most interesting part of this team is the players that make it up. They don't have a ton of seniors on the roster, instead it is led by special players in the junior and sophomore classes. If the young studs can go out and just play their game then watch out! Check out these dudes below! They kickoff their run to state on Friday vs Racine Horlick! Key Players to Watch Chase Spellman Chase Spellman 6'4" | 230 lbs | QB Kettle Moraine | 2024 WI , '23 QB

6'3" 220 lbs
84/127, 1,309 Yards, 21 Passing TDs, 75 Carries, 275 Yards, 2 Rushing TDs
Chase's Midseason Highlights

Nolan Schopp, '23 RB

6'2" 240 lbs
105 Carries, 623 Yards, 6 Rushing TDs, 7 Receptions, 143 Yards, 2 Receiving TDs
Nolan's Highlight Page

Luke Hardin, '22 RB

5'11" 195 lbs
54 Carries, 289 Yards, 3 Rushing TDs, 5 Receptions, 22 Yards
No film, but the team's second leading rusher is a solid change of pace option to the bigger Schopp

Drew Wagner, '24 WR

5'9" 155 lbs
38 Receptions, 763 Yards, 12 TDs
Drew vs Waukesha South

Payton Schopf Payton Schopf 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Kettle Moraine | 2022 State WI , '22 WR

5'11" 175 lbs
11 Receptions, 135 Yards, 3 TDs, (5 Games)
26 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
Payton Senior SZN

Braden Stoffel, '22 DL

6'2" 215 lbs
62 Tackles, 16 TFLs, 6.5 Sacks, 2 FFs
No film, but a disruptive force that college coaches need to check out!

Sam Coufal Sam Coufal 6'2" | 250 lbs | DL Kettle Moraine | 2023 State WI , '23 DL

6'3" 250 lbs
53 Tackles, 14 TFLs, 6 Sacks, 1 FF
Sam's Midseason Highlights

David Trafton David Trafton 6'1" | 205 lbs | LB Kettle Moraine | 2022 State WI , '22 LB/TE

6'2" 210 lbs
52 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 Sack, 2 FF, 2 FR, 4 Receptions, 48 Yards, 2 TDs
David's Highlight Page

Reid Spencer Reid Spencer 6'3" | 220 lbs | ATH Kettle Moraine | 2022 State WI , '22 DL

6'3" 220 lbs
36 Tackles, 9 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 5 Receptions, 31 Yards, 1 TD
Reid's Regular SZN Highlights

Division 3: #5 Monroe This is another seeding that I find hard to believe. Monroe has two losses by a total of four points including a last second loss to #1 seed in the Division 4 bracket Madison Edgewood for the conference championship. Aside from those two very close losses, Monroe has handled their business week in and week out to the tune of a 7-2 overall record, and 6-1 conference record. Yet, somehow Monroe has slid down to a #5 seed in the D3 bracket. The Monroe ground game is what has led the way this season. They have piled up 43 rushing TDs and 3,200+ rushing yards in a mere 9 games averaging out to 36+ points per game and 359 rushing yards per game. With that type of rushing attack, Monroe is going to be able to go into any matchup and have a fighting chance if they can use that play style to control the flow of the game. The defense is just as dominant as the running game. The defense only allows 128 passing yards per game and 64 rushing yards per game. Monroe's stifling defense and explosive rushing attack are going to be hard to counter setting them up to shock some teams as they look to make a run at state! The team is led by a stable of rushers/athletes, including Wisconsin Badgers TE commit JT Seagreaves JT Seagreaves 6'6" | 220 lbs | TE Monroe | 2022 State WI . The balanced attack will field two RBs with over 900 rushing yards and Seagreaves, who has 700+ rushing yards and is the team's leading receiver when they do decide to go to the air on the rare occasion. The dominant defense has five players with 5 or more TFLs, and has eight defenders that have gotten to the QB at some point this season. Keep an eye on this team They may surprise people with how far they go. Key Players to Watch JT Seagreaves JT Seagreaves 6'6" | 220 lbs | TE Monroe | 2022 State WI , '22 TE/ATH

6'6" 220 lbs
86 Carries, 761 Yards, 11 TDs, 10 Receptions, 182 Yards, 2 TDs, 32 Tackles, 3 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 3 PBUs
JT's Highlight Page

Keatin Sweeney, '23 RB

5'11" 190 lbs
95 Carries, 949 Yards, 14 TDs, 8 Tackles, 3 TFLs
Keatin's Highlight Page

Alex Hernandez, '23 FB

6'1" 230 lbs
166 Carries, 920 Yards, 8 TDs, 1 Reception, 10 Yards, 1 TD

Liam Hermanson, '22 LB

5'11" 175 lbs
76 Tackles, 3 TFLs, 2.5 Sacks
Liam's Highlight Page

Sean Rufenacht, '22 DL

6'3" 210 lbs
18 Tackles, 8 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 1 PBU

Aaron Roidt, '22 DB

6'2" 175 lbs
53 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 7 PBUs
Aaron's Highlight Page

Tucker Markham, '23 LB

6'1" 190 lbs
53 Tackles, 6 TFLs, 1 FR, 2 PBUs, 5 Carries, 22 Yards, 1 TD
Tucker's Highlight Page

Kaden Kuester, '24 RB/DL

6'2" 180 lbs
35 Tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 2 FRs, 22 Carries, 183 Yards, 2 TDs

Division 4: #7 Two Rivers The Division 4 playoffs are going to be a tough bracket to get through if Two Rivers is coming in as a #7 seed. Two Rivers finished the regular season with a 4-3 conference record and 6-3 record overall. Two Rivers may have turned the corner on their season after a midseason lull where they lost back to back to back games. Since then they have ripped off four straight wins to lock up a playoff spot. So in reality, Two Rivers have been in a playoff situation since Week 6. The pressure won't be too much for them. Diving further into the team, Two Rivers goes as the running game goes (245 yards per game). However, they do have enough of a passing attack to keep opposing defenses honest (116 yards per game). Their defense smothers opponents. They only allow 67 yards passing per game and 130 yards rushing per game. That defensive unit as a whole is very disruptive as they have piled up 97 TFLs and 22 sacks as a team! When you pair that smothering defense with an offense putting up just under 30 points per game you get a team that is poised to wreck havoc on the WIAA D4 Playoff bracket. The offense is led by a couple of sophomores in stud RB/LB Chase Matthias Chase Matthias 6'0" | 215 lbs | ATH Two Rivers | 2024 State WI and QB Justin Klinkner. The defense is a collection talent once again led by Matthias. Matthias and two other defenders have 15+ TFLs on the season, and their are four defenders on the team with 3 sacks or more. There are going to be playmakers all over the field for Two Rivers on Friday night as they look to start their run to state against Denmark. Key Players to Watch (No Hudl Film, but I highly recommend looking into this team) Chase Matthias Chase Matthias 6'0" | 215 lbs | ATH Two Rivers | 2024 State WI , '24 LB/RB