Underdogs Poised for a Playoff Run

Playoffs are here! Brackets are set, and it is time to begin our path to crowning seven new State Champions! No doubt we are due to see big wins, outstanding individual performances, and maybe most fun of all... upset victories. Every year we see a handful of teams do it. Come in as the lower seed, but string together a few victories to make a deep playoff run. Every year we try to predict who those teams will be here at Prep Redzone WI. There is only one qualification that we are looking for. Teams seeded #5- #8 that we think are in position to pull off a few victories. Today we are going to dive into the teams that we believe are going to pull off the upsets. We will look at the team's performance and stats to this point, their Level 1 and potential Level 2 opponents, plus we will identify the athletes that will be key to executing the upset victories. Let's get right into it!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#7 Appleton North 5-4 (4-3)</h2>   Appleton North enters the playoffs as a #7 seed following a 5-4 overall regular season. The saying is that you are only as good as your record, but I have a hard time believing that when it comes to this Appleton North team. This team is battle tested. They faced Mukwonago, Neenah, Kaukauna, and Kimberly. Appleton North hung tough vs all of them.   The very intriguing part is the matchup vs Kimberly. Appleton North just played Kimberly in Week 9 and battled them to a 10-9 defeat. Because of the way the seeding fell, the two teams will face off against each other again this week. The two are going to be very familiar between being conference rivals, and facing each other twice in 8 days. It will be far from easy, but if Appleton North can play their usual physical brand of football, control the game, and set the tone drive after drive I give them a very good chance at the upset. Another reason we could see a run for Appleton North is that if they do pull off the upset in Level 1 we could then potentially see them take on another familiar foe in Neenah if the Rockets win their Level 1 game. Appleton North could potentially have a path vs familiar foes that they have very recent tape on.    A key factor on the talented Appleton North defense is LB [player_tooltip player_id='937973' first='Ben' last='Wenzel']. The junior currently has 81 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 force fumbles, and 2 blocked kicks through 9 games this season. Ben is an excellent LB prospect. He has the instincts and the quick read/react ability to always be in position to make a stop. His athleticism gives him sideline to sideline range and he has the power to shed blocks and deliver big hits that prevent any forward momentum. I'm excited to see how Wenzel performs in Level 1.     A senior that is going to be a key contributor on both sides of the ball is Bobby Salm. The senior enters the postseason with 102 tackles, 3 TFLs, .5 Sack, 1 FR, 2 FF, 2 blocked kicks, and 2 PBUs as a safety. On offense Bobby has put up 73 carries, 399 yards, and 3 rushing TDs. All of which lead the team. The 5'11" 200 lbs LB/RB is a tone setter. Bobby brings the physicality that sets the tone right from his first tackle and carry. Appleton North will need that nasty, physical mentality to get where they want to be.     Charlie has done a great job of taking over the helm at QB this season and keeping the offense balanced. The senior has gone for 110/182, 1,143 Yards, and 8 TDs. Charlie has also put up 272 yards on the ground and 3 TDs while averaging almost 5 yds/att. Against Kimberly in Week 9 Charlie went for 160+ yards 1 TD/ 1 INT. If he can get close to that while also continuing to do work with his legs Appleton North should be in a great spot.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#6 Oconomowoc 8-1 (6-1)</h2>   This is one of the more difficult to understand seedings that I have seen in the WIAA playoffs. The Raccoons didn't lose a game until a week 7 battle with Mukwonago. Even with the loss, Oconomowoc earned a share of the conference championship. So you would think winning the championship in the top conference in Wisconsin and having a nearly perfect record would give you a pretty high seed. Unfortunately for the teams awarded the higher seeds, that didn't happen so they will now have to face a very talented Oconomowoc team.   First up will be Racine Case. Case has a loaded roster and a 8-1 record of their own. They are deep across the board and have an explosive offense that can keep up with pretty much any team in the state. Oconomowoc will be ready for the strong, early test. Playing teams like Arrowhead, Mukwonago, Muskego, and Pewaukee in the Classic 8 is as good of a warm up as you can hope for when trying to get your team battle tested. So I very much expect to see Oconomowoc come out swinging in Level 1, and then have a potential rematch vs Mukwonago in Level 2.    RB1 for the Raccoons, and a key piece to their offensive success is junior [player_tooltip player_id='700218' first='Alex' last='Seraphine']. On the year, Alex has put up 174 carries, 897 Yards, and 10 TDs. His ability to contribute 100 yds, 1 TD, and 5.2 yds/att on a weekly basis goes a long ways to keeping defenses honest. They can't focus on the talented passing game because Oconomowoc has a run game that can beat you too. The junior RB has a talented base of vision, elusiveness, and speed that make him hard to contain and a threat to break off the big play on any carry. I'm excited to see what he does in the playoffs.     Leading the way on defense is the senior LB, [player_tooltip player_id='1143979' first='Parker' last='Schreindl']. Parker has 69 tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 1 FR, and 2 PBUs on the year. The senior has been excellent vs the run this season. He triggers downhill quickly and aggressively. He can fly through gaps untouched and is very hard to stick a block on because of his lateral quickness, burst, and power to run through blockers. Parker does a great job of mirroring RBs and meeting them in the hole where he makes the tackle. Oconomowoc will need their leader in the middle of the defense to step up in Level 1.     OT [player_tooltip player_id='1276435' first='Patrick' last='Roeker'] has made himself one of the top names to know among OL in the Class of 2026. He has a massive frame at 6'4" 290 lbs that is loaded up with power. Power that can open up big holes in the run game as he drives his DL off the line and away from the designed gap. The big man sets himself apart with how impressive his feet are. Patrick is able to slide or get deep in a pass set to mirror pass rushers and can change direction vs counter moves too. The junior does a great job of getting his powerful hands on his opponent and controlling where they go. I'm very excited to see how he does in this match with Racine Case.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Oconomowoc Passing Game</h2>   I couldn't just include one athlete in this section because it wouldn't do it justice. The Raccoons are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1336925' first='Austin' last='Munzel'] who has played in 8 games and split work in 5 of those games with [player_tooltip player_id='205778' first='Andrew' last='Mirek']. Munzel leads the way in stats with 1,028 yards, and 12 TDs. On the receiving end is a slew of talent. [player_tooltip player_id='262070' first='Andrew' last='Kronenberg'] leads the way with 32 receptions, 323 yards, and 4 TDs. Joining him is Cole Schwefel and his 28/380/5 stat line. The big play threat is Kashton Allen and his 22/509/4. The top talent is Michigan State commit [player_tooltip player_id='685841' first='Emmett' last='Bork'] and his 7/198/2. This group will be huge if the Raccoons need to score quickly and in bunches. They will be a tough group to match up with.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#7 Germantown 7-2 (5-2)</h2>   Another team that has had a fantastic season, but got the short end of the stick when it comes to seeding is Germantown. Germantown was able to finish 3rd in their conference behind Marquette and Sussex, their only two losses on the year. Germantown's offense is one of the most balanced groups in the state. They have put up 1,402 passing yards, and 1,419 rushing yards along with 13 TDs each. That type of balance forces defenses to have to cover the entire field and fill every gap on every play because you don't know where the ball is going to go. Germantown also has a fantastic defense that only surrenders 14.78 points per game on average.   In Level 1 we will have Germantown facing off with Cedarburg. Cedarburg is very similar to Germantown in that they will be a very balanced attack and their defense only surrenders 20.89 points per game. So we are expecting a tough, close battle that is going to come down to who can control the game from start to finish. If Germantown can pull off the Level 1 upset then Level 2 could pit them against Homestead. That would be a very intriguing matchup as Germantown gave Homestead one of their two losses back in Week 1. So Germantown would be very confident coming into that game and know the gameplan on how to move on to Level 3. To pull off these victories the team will need their stars to shine.    Germantown has a major advantage on the defensive side of the ball with arguably the best defensive player in WI. The Badgers commit is the all-time tackle leader in the history of WI football and is Top 3 in tackles on the season. In 9 games the stud has collected 134 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF, and 2 INTs. Cooper can do it all. Roam sideline to sideline, tackle and get off blocks with violence, drop in coverage or fill against the run. His strength and athleticism are exactly what you would expect from a P4 commit, and his instincts for the position are exceptional. Look for him to be flying around the field Friday night making a huge impact.     The leader of the offense is the dual threat junior QB Vinny Inga. Inga is an explosive athlete. On the ground he has the speed to create the big runs, has the agility to work through traffic, and isn't shy of getting physical to create yards. Through the air, Inga has the arm strength to keep a defense honest and having to cover all three levels of the field and the accuracy is there to always give his man the best shot at the ball. To date, Vincent has put up 103/197, 1,402 yards, 13 TDs, 170 carries, 890 yards, and 7 TDs. Look for Vinny to have a big night in Level 1.     On the receiving end of those Vinny Inga passes will be a few options, but leading the way is the rising junior prospect [player_tooltip player_id='402809' first='Christian' last='Griffin']. Griffin has a fantastic frame for an outside WR at 6'3" 190 lbs. He has excellent body control that allows him to position himself so he can protect the ball, or adjust to the ball while it is in flight. Christian has very strong hands to make the catch in traffic and hang on through contact. The junior has 26 catches on the year for 366 yards, and 5 TDs. Germantown needs him to be that physical mismatch in Level 1.     One of the top OL in the state is sophomore OT [player_tooltip player_id='1335688' first='Cole' last='Reiter']. No doubt about it, the kid is going to be a P4 commit. He already holds an offer from Wisconsin along with Central Michigan, Michigan State, and North Dakota State. Cole has a massive frame that is loaded up with dominating power and heavy hands that can deliver pancake-creating punches. The sophomore already possesses outstanding balance and athleticism to get to the second level or provide excellent pass protection. Germantown will need him to dominate in the trenches so they can get the offense rolling like we know it can.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#6 Black Hawk/Warren 7-2 (6-1)</h2>   BH/W is another team that seems to be very under seeded. They finished 2023 as a State Runner Up and are sitting at 7-2 this season, yet they come in as a 6 seed. They were on the doorstep of a conference championship until they lost to Potosi/Cassville in Week 9. Similar to Appleton North at the top of this article, BH/W has a chance to turn around and avenge that just one week later as they will face #3 Potosi/Cassville in Level 1. BH/W entered the 4th quarter with the lead over P/C in Week 9, so they have to be confident that they can get the victory this time around. Their run heavy offense is built to control the game, set the tone, and if they can make a run it will thrive as the temperatures get colder through November.   Before we can get to November talk Black Hawk/Warren needs to take care of business this week. No doubt these two teams are going to be evenly matched and know what to expect. It will come down to who can execute better and who wants it more. If BH/W can pull off the upset they would continue their run with a potential showdown with #2 Cochrane- Fountain City. BH/W has the recent experience of these moments on their side as they prepare for these big time battles. They also have the talent on their roster to win these battles.    Owen is the engine that makes the Black Hawk/ Warren offense go. The explosive runner currently has a fantastic state line of 168 carries, 1,473 yards, and 28 TDs. That puts him at averages of 8.8 yds/att, 63.7 yds/game, and just over 3 TDs/game. The senior produces at a very high rate consistently. Owen has explosive athleticism, speed to break off the long runs, and is very slippery and agile in the hole. Definitely keep an eye on this kid if BH/W starts making a run.     The Black Hawk/ Warren defense has a strong group of DL, especially for such a small school. One of the seniors leading the way in that group is Brady Stietz. Brady is a force in the trenches, getting penetration and creating a ton of disruption in the backfield. The senior currently has 31 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 1 INT, and a. scoop and score on a fumble. The senior is an opportunistic and talented impact player.     Not many teams will enter the playoffs with a sophomore as one of their key pieces, but Black Hawk/ Warren has one of the top INT creators in the state. Beau currently has 7 INTs to his game to go along with his 22 tackles. The sophomore also was able to return one of those INTs for a TD. The ball hawk is going to be a risky athlete to test. The sophomore has also seen some action as an RB where he has scored 3 times in 5 games of usage.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Potential Underdogs to Watch</h2>   #5 Beaver Dam 8-1 (6-1)   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Conference Champion</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>1,200+ Passing Yds/ 2,000+ Rushing Yds</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>34 PPG on Offense/ 11.56 PPG on Defense</li> </ul>   #6 Evansville 7-2 (5-2)   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>1,100 Passing Yds/ 1,600+ Rushing Yards</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>25.9 PPG on Offense/ 9.44 PPG on Defense</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Held opponents to 7 points or less in 6/9 Games</li> </ul>

Playoffs are here! Brackets are set, and it is time to begin our path to crowning seven new State Champions! No doubt we are due to see big wins, outstanding individual performances, and maybe most fun of all... upset victories. Every year we see a handful of teams do it. Come in as the lower seed, but string together a few victories to make a deep playoff run. Every year we try to predict who those teams will be here at Prep Redzone WI. There is only one qualification that we are looking for. Teams seeded #5- #8 that we think are in position to pull off a few victories. Today we are going to dive into the teams that we believe are going to pull off the upsets. We will look at the team's performance and stats to this point, their Level 1 and potential Level 2 opponents, plus we will identify the athletes that will be key to executing the upset victories. Let's get right into it!