WIAA State Finals: What to Watch For in D7-D4 Games

The State Championship Games are almost here! We have our 14 teams set, and the matchups are sure to give us an outstanding two days of action. From team vs team down to individual matchups, the 7 games are looking so evenly matched. It is going to come down to a few key players on every team and which of those athletes are able to make the most game changing plays throughout the 48 minutes of their battles. As a preview for these exciting matchups, we are going to go through each game and identify tendencies or players to watch for on every team. Let's dive in!   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">Division 7: Edgar vs Potosi/Cassville</h1>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Edgar's Ability to Spread the Ball Around</h3>   Edgar's offense focuses on the run game. A run game that utilizes the by-committee mentality, just a year after having the majority of the offense run through one man. This year, and in the Championship game, we will see Edgar feed Will Hackel and [player_tooltip player_id='948146' first='Maverick' last='Butt'] in the backfield. Both have eclipsed 900 rushing yards this season while Hackel has scored 11 TDs and Butt has scored 20 TDs on the ground. Also getting significant carries is Gavin Mauer who has 283 yards and 3 TDs, adding a big play threat to the offense when he gets touches. Also seeing his fair share of touches and yards is WR [player_tooltip player_id='685898' first='Leyton' last='Schuett']. The senior WR is an explosive athlete who has produced the majority of the Edgar passing game. He has a 31/414/8 stat line on the year. Leyton is the only athlete with over 200 yards receiving on the team, so when you see QB [player_tooltip player_id='706155' first='Tucker' last='Streit'] drop back you can expect to see him looking for #9.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Potosi/Cassville's Three Headed Monster in the Backfield</h3>   P/C is going to want to run the ball early and often on Thursday morning and they are going to do it with a trio of athletes who have all put together dominant seasons. Leading the way is senior Joe Haas who has 115/1107/11 on the season. Right behind him in yards is Isaiah Groom. The physically impressive athlete has put up 159/834/17 on the year while also being the leading tackler in the entire state with 190 tackles. Rounding out the electric trio is River Sahr. Sahr has produced 102/817/10 on the season while also collecting 100 tackles of his own. These three athletes are going to see plenty of action on Thursday, so keep your eyes on that P/C backfield.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Both Teams' Abilities to Create Fast Starts</h3>   Each team has shown that they start the game off hot on a weekly basis. They usually jump out to leads and are able to control the game the rest of the way. P/C has scored 293 points in the first half this season while scoring 183 points in the second half of games this season. Edgar has scored 291 first half points and 160 second half points on the season. It will be interesting to watch if one team gets that early, hot start or if they need to find ways to consistently score from start to finish. Every second is going to matter in this close matchup.   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">Division 6: Grantsburg vs Lomira</h1>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Grantsburg's Balanced Offense Keeping Lomira Defense Honest</h3>   Junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1220684' first='Brock' last='Matheny'] and senior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1209384' first='Ian' last='Burkman'] have played together fantastically this year. They both have produced impressive stat lines that have led to the Grantsburg offense being very well balanced. That balance is going to put stress on the opposing defense because they will have to guard more of the field and you can't just crowd the box every snap. Matheny has passed his way to 120/190, 1,752 yards, and 18 TDs. Plus he has almost rushed for 200 yards himself while scoring an additional 8 TDs with his legs. Burkman has put up 237/1897/31 TDs. An insane stat line that will have him in the running for PRZ WI Player of the Year. If these two are able to play off each other on Thursday, they will have great odds of putting up big points and bringing home the championship.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Lomira's Rush Offense & Defense</h3>   Lomira has shown that if you become great at doing something you also know how to stop it from happening. For Lomira that is running the football and stopping the run. On offense, the catalyst behind the run game success is RB [player_tooltip player_id='1529590' first='Taylor' last='Schaumberg']. The senior has put up an outrageous 233 carries, 1933 yards, and 27 TDs. That is good enough for an excellent average of 8.3 yards/att. Taylor is the workhorse of the offense. On defense, a loaded front seven has held opposing teams to only 76.6 rushing yards per game. That is due in big part to the abilities of three key defenders that have been living in offensive backfields this season. [player_tooltip player_id='383714' first='Sam' last='Schraufnagel'] leads the way with his 24 TFLs, and 9.5 sacks. Joining him is Nathan Steinman and his 15 TFLs, and 7.5 sacks. Also joining them is RB [player_tooltip player_id='1529590' first='Taylor' last='Schaumberg'] who has 15 TFLs, and 5 sacks. Other double digit TFL guys are Caden Yorke with 14 and Kolton Wagoner with 13. If Lomira can get into the backfield all afternoon then they will be able to control this game thanks to the run offense and defense.   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">Division 5: Stratford vs Wrightstown</h1>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Stratford's Ability to Get Anyone and Everyone Involved</h3>   It is so impressive looking at the numbers of Stratford. They are so balanced with 2,465 passing yards and 2,753 rushing yards on the season. The Tigers have done a fantastic job of figuring out how they need to play to win. Does QB Jack Tubbs need to throw for 400 yards? He has shown he can do that. Do they need to lean on Brooks Vanderhoof in the run game? No problem. Is it [player_tooltip player_id='691749' first='Reid' last='Miller']'s turn to be the workhorse? They have won games that way too. It is so impressive to see how fluid this team is and willing to do whatever it needs to win. They have weapons across the board and because they are unselfish they are able to attack weak points of defenses on a week to week basis and win consistently. I can't wait to see how they attack this Wrightstown defense.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Rushing Attack Still the Focal for Wrightstown</h3>   Looking back to last season when Wrightstown made it to State, they did it while rushing for 4,000+ yards and 40+ TDs and only producing 400 passing yards all season. This season QB Trevor Vande Hey has helped provide a little more balance. Vande Hey has 1,400+ passing yards on the year with 14 TDs. However, the focus of this team and the driver of its success is still the run game. Noteworthy, it is mainly the run game that got them here last year. QB Trevor Vande Hey shows his dual threat talents with his 725 rush yards and 8 TDs. And you have workhorse RB Aiden Humphreys who has been on a tear this season, piling up 194/1378/24 TDs. Both Vande Hey and Humphreys are averaging over 7 yards/carry. So expect to see a healthy dose of downhill running from Wrightstown.   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">Division 4: Baldwin-Woodville vs Racine St. Catherine's</h1>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Baldwin-Woodville's Overpowering Run Game</h3>   B-W is spearheaded by an ultra-productive backfield duo. That duo is made up of senior QB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1209368' first='Gavin' last='Sell'] and RB Taden Holldorf. Holldorf is the workhorse RB in the offense. He has 241 carries on the season that has added up to 2,102 rushing yards and 29 TDs. Holldorf brings a downhill, powerful, unforgiving running style that wears defenses down. When Holldorf isn't getting the ball it is because QB [player_tooltip player_id='1209368' first='Gavin' last='Sell'] has kept it or is throwing it. Sell has piled up 1,258 yards through the air, but his real damage is done when he keeps it himself on the ground. Sell has 174 carries, 1,559 yards, and 24 rushing TDs. The duo combines for 53 rushing TDs and 3,650+ rushing yards. The opposing defense better strapped up and ready for a physical battle.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Racine St. Catherine's Big Play Offense & Ball Protection</h3>   RSC fields some impressive athletes across the board that has given then the ability to spread the field out and create big, explosive, game changing plays. Starting QB Eddie Vinson averages almost 9.5 yds/att. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1599773' first='Imarion' last='Holder'] averages almost 9 yards/carry. WR [player_tooltip player_id='700021' first='Lamont' last='Hamilton'] averages 22.9 yards/rec. This team has a knack for consistently creating big plays, and they do it while also doing an elite job of protecting the ball. QB Eddie Vinson has 1 INT on the year in his 134 pass attempts and he has 1 fumble while running the ball. That is the entire list of turnovers for the offense. 2 turnovers in 13 games. On the flip side, the defense has been able to get the ball back quickly. They have 10 fumble recoveries and 11 INTs reeled in. That gives them a 10.5:1 turnover ratio on the season. If they can have even a small percentage of that success on Thursday they will be in position to bring home the championship.

The State Championship Games are almost here! We have our 14 teams set, and the matchups are sure to give us an outstanding two days of action. From team vs team down to individual matchups, the 7 games are looking so evenly matched. It is going to come down to a few key players on every team and which of those athletes are able to make the most game changing plays throughout the 48 minutes of their battles. As a preview for these exciting matchups, we are going to go through each game and identify tendencies or players to watch for on every team. Let's dive in!