Underdogs That Could Make a Run: Division 5-7
We have made it to Round One of the WIAA State Playoffs! Before we kick them off this evening I want to dive into the brackets for Division 5-7. In each division there is a team that I believe has…
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Continue ReadingWe have made it to Round One of the WIAA State Playoffs! Before we kick them off this evening I want to dive into the brackets for Division 5-7. In each division there is a team that I believe has the ability to pull off some upsets and make a deep run towards a state championship. In today’s article we are going to dive into those teams and look at them as a whole, and then I will provide the players are going to be key to making a run. All hudl links to those players will be included, so college coaches make sure you check these dudes out! Let’s get it started!
Division 5: #5 Mayville
This is a surprising seeding for a D5 team that has been dominant for the majority of the season. Mayville is a team that I have been keeping my eyes on throughout the season as they’ve worked their way to a 7-2 overall record, and 6-1 conference record. They finished the season as the highest scoring team in the Flyway Conference by a large margin, and they held offenses to the third fewest points.
Diving in further on the team’s outstanding production on the year, the offense averages over 380 total yards per game with an emphasis on the ground game. That ground game has churned and burned it’s way to 280 yards per game, and the passing attack has been able to keep defenses honest while putting up 102 yards per game. The defense has been just as red hot this season as well. The Mayville defense is allowing less than 100 yards passing and rushing on the season. They’ve proven to be an unstoppable force on offense, and an immovable object on defense.
Looking into the individual performances on the team it is easy to see how the offense has become so explosive. Their junior QB averages over 10 yards per pass attempt. Their top four leading rushers all average over 5 yards per carry, and they have a workhorse in Blake Schraufnagel carrying the rock for over 1,400 yards at a 9 yards per carry rate. When they do take to the air, the WRs are big plays waiting to happen as they have three of them averaging over 20 yards per reception. It’s going to take a well balanced defense to be able to contain this unit. Flip over to the defensive side and you see that WR/TE Bradley Bushke also is a dominant defensive lineman as he leads the team with 10 TFLs, and 1 sack. Based off the teams stats you can assume the Mayville defense is elite at swarming to the ball, and it’s further proven by the fact that five defenders on this squad have 40+ tackles on the year. Before the seeding came out I would of expected Mayville to not be an option for this article, but with them getting a five seed I had to jump all over them!
Key Players to Watch
Adison Mittelstadt, ’23 QB
- 6’3″ 160 lbs
- 43/86, 905 Yards, 10 TDs, 27 Yards Rushing, 1 TD
Blake Schraufnagel, ’23 RB
- 6’1″ 180 lbs
- 155 Carries, 1,437 Yards, 23 TDs, 6 Receptions, 206 Yards, 2 TDs, 30 Tackles, 2 TFLs
- Blake’s Highlight Page
Braedon Vollmer, ’22 RB/DB
- 6′ 180 lbs
- 60 Carries, 362 Yards, 5 TDs, 11 Receptions, 186 Yards, 1 TD, 41 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 INT
Bradley Bushke, ’23 TE/DE
- 6’4″ 190 lbs
- 18 Receptions, 368 Yards, 4 TDs, 35 Tackles, 10 TFLs, 1 Sack
- Bradley’s Highlight Page
Ty Hockers, ’22 LB
- 6’2″ 240 lbs
- 51 Tackles, 5 TFLs, 1 FF, 1 FR
Zane Vetter, ’23 DL
- 6’3″ 205 lbs
- 48 Tackles, 5 TFLs
Cadon Hardesty, ’22 LB
- 6′ 190 lbs
- 44 Tackles, 4 INTs, 1 Pick Six
Garrett Olson, ’22 DL
- 6’3″ 210 lbs
- 42 Tackles, 3 TFLs
Jackson Wade, ’22 OL
- 6’4″ 240 lbs
- Jackson’s Highlight Page
Hewsten Steger, ’22 OL
- 6’6″ 310 lbs
- Hewsten’s Highlight Page
Division 6: #5 Mondovi
This is a great example of how a record doesn’t show how talented a team is. Mondovi finished the regular season at 5-4 with a conference record of 4-3. However, half of their losses are vs teams that hold #1 seeds in the playoffs and three of the four losses were by one possession. Mondovi is much better than their record suggests, and if teams sleep on them they are going to catch them very off guard.
Mondovi is powered by an explosive ground attack. As a team, Mondovi averages over 7 yards per carry and 287 rushing yards per game. As soon as you load the box, which should be early in the game, they can also throw it over the top with a passing offense that has generated over 1,000 yards on it’s own. On defense, Mondovi gives up just a little over 100 yards rushing and passing per game. On a down by down basis, they are holding opposing offenses to less than 4 yards per carry. Mondovi is great at getting a jump on opponents as they have outscored opponents 95-26 in the first quarter.
Looking at the individual performances, RB Dawson Rud Dawson Rud 5'7" | 170 lbs | RB Mondovi | 2023 State WI is the first player you are going to want to get your eyes on. He has piled up over 1,400 yards and 19 TDs. The reason they are so dangerous is because even when Rud isn’t getting the ball the offense has proven to be explosive. Every player who has 10+ carries on the season averages 6.9 yards or more per carry this season. Dual threat QB Jarod Falkner Jarod Falkner 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Mondovi | 2023 WI has been a major factor in the success of this offense as well. He and his receivers have connected at a rate of 7 yards per attempt, and the top four receivers on the team all average over 10 yards per reception. The defense is stacked up with pass rushers making it hard for teams to catch up when Mondovi gets that early lead. There are four defenders with 3 or more sacks, and five of them with 4+ TFLs.
Key Players to Watch
Dawson Rud Dawson Rud 5'7" | 170 lbs | RB Mondovi | 2023 State WI , ’23 RB
- 5’8″ 165 lbs
- 175 Carries, 1,408 Yards, 19 TDs, 20 Receptions, 240 Yards, 2 TDs, 47 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF, 3 INTs, 2 PBUs
- Dawson’s Highlight Page
Jarod Falkner Jarod Falkner 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Mondovi | 2023 WI , ’23 QB
- 6’3″ 195 lbs
- 76/139, 967 Yards, 12 TDs, 110 Carries, 847 Yards, 7 TDs, 27 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF, 1 INT, 2 PBUs
- Jarod’s Highlight Page
Peyton Snyder Peyton Snyder 5'10" | 200 lbs | ATH Mondovi | 2024 State WI , ’24 RB/LB
- 5’10” 200 lbs
- 27 Carries, 185 Yards, 4 TDs, 3 Receptions, 30 Yards, 26 Tackles, 1 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 PBU
- Peyton’s Highlight Page
Dustin Mohler, ’22 WR/DB
- 6’3″ 170 lbs
- 19 Receptions, 341 Yards, 5 TDs, 9 Tackles, 1 PBU
Mitchell Fedie, ’22 DL
- 6’2″ 210 lbs
- 48 Tackles, 5 TFLs, 1 PBU
- Mitchell’s Highlight Page
Mason Fedie, ’22 LB
- 6’2″ 200 lbs
- 33 Tackles, 4 TFLs, 3.5 Sacks, 2 FR, 1 FF
Alan George, ’23 LB
- 5’10” 180 lbs
- 41 Tackles, 4 TFLs, 3 Sacks
- Alan’s Highlight Page
Tristen Teigen, ’23 DL
- 5’11” 180 lbs
- 20 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 3 Sacks, 1 PBU
- Tristen’s Highlight Page
Division 7: #5 Randolph
Another interesting seeding that I had to jump on for this article is the 5 seed to Randolph. Randolph finished the year 7-2, plus a forfeit victory, and 6-1 in conference play. They are currently on a 6 game winning streak and have shutout their opponents in three of the last four games while also breaking 40 points in each of those three games. However you want to look at it, this team has been dominant for weeks.
They average over 31 points per game in their nine games and are only allowing 12 point per game. Randolph knows how to set the tone and handle their business when they take the field. They don’t go to the air much, but when they do it’s at almost a 9 yards per attempt clip. Meanwhile, opponents average less than 6 yards per attempt through the air. The Randolph rushing attack has been key to their success posting 180+ yards per game while averaging over 5.5 yards per carry. The defense also wins in the trenches as they only allow 3.5 yards per carry. The defense also lives in the opponent’s backfield bringing 72 TFLs as a team into their week one playoff matchup.
This team is led by a strong senior presence too. Their QB, leading rusher, top two leading receivers, and best defensive player are all members of the Class of 2022. QB Nate Kok leads the way for Randolph with his dual threat ability. That dual threat is part of a dangerous three headed rushing attack. The two leading rusher, Traiton Lininger and Bryce Rataczak, combine for nearly 1,100 rushing yards and 13 TDs. The top two receivers are also big plays waiting to happen that average over 17 yards per reception each. On defense, they are led by Travis Alvin Travis Alvin 6'5" | 230 lbs | LB Randolph | 2022 State WI . Alvin is a top defensive player in the state, not just on this team. His two- way play is going to be key in a deep run starting tonight.
Key Players to Watch
Nate Kok, ’22 QB
- 5’11” 205 lbs
- 42/80, 689 Yards, 8 TDs, 83 Carries, 228 Yards, 7 TDs
Traiton Lininger, ’22 RB
- 6′ 185 lbs
- 97 Carries, 760 Yards, 7 TDs, 4 Receptions, 33 Yards, 47 Tackles, 8 TFLs, 1 Sack
- Traiton’s Highlight Page
Bryce Rataczak, ’23 RB
- 6’1″ 175 lbs
- 68 Carries, 338 Yards, 6 TDs, 41 Tackles, 5 TFLs, 3 Sacks
- Bryce’s Highlight Page
Sam Grieger, ’22 WR
- 6’4″ 175 lbs
- 21 Receptions, 371 Yards, 5 TDs, 24 Tackles, 1 TFL, 3 INTs, 1 Pick Six
Travis Alvin Travis Alvin 6'5" | 230 lbs | LB Randolph | 2022 State WI , ’22 WR/LB
- 6’5″ 225 lbs
- 15 Receptions, 260 Yards, 2 TDs, 124 Tackles, 22 TFLs, 1 Sack, 1 INT, 1 Pick Six, 2 PBUs
- Travis’ Highlight Page
Ben Nieman, ’22 DL
- 6’2″ 205 lbs
- 62 Tackles, 8 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 1 FF
Jacob Kyle, ’24 DL
- 5’10” 175 lbs
- 46 Tackles, 11 TFLs