Twenty-seven unbeaten teams remain as high school football teams across the state end the regular season this week. Although most will stay that way and head into the postseason with unblemished marks, only one is guaranteed of that—Wisconsin Valley Conference champion D.C. Everest sits at 8-0 with a bye.
And while league titles and perfect regular-season records are no doubt important, action Wednesday and Thursday are vital because the final 50 playoff berths are up for grabs with teams hovering around the .500 mark in conference competition.
Those with winning loop records control their own destiny, but some of them face tougher foes and therefore bigger odds and will need help in order to be playing next week as the WIAA’s second season begins.
Among the many games with playoff implications are Delavan-Darien facing Lake Geneva Badger, Marion hooking up with Tri-County, Marshfield taking on Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, Monona Grove squaring off against Monroe, Altoona tangling with Fall Creek, Madison Edgewood battling Stoughton and Cambria-Friesland meeting Green Lake.
Wednesday, Oct. 22
Badger North
DeForest at Oregon (NC)
Portage at Mount Horeb/Barneveld
Waunakee at Sauk Prairie
Baraboo at Reedsburg
Badger South
DeForest at Oregon (NC)
Fort Atkinson at Milton
Monroe at Monona Grove
Madison Edgewood at Stoughton
Big Eight
Madison La Follette at Madison West
Madison Memorial at Madison East
Sun Prairie at Beloit
Janesville Craig at Verona
Middleton at Janesville Parker
Classic 8
Waukesha West at Waukesha South
Waukesha North at Catholic Memorial
Kettle Moraine at Mukwonago
Arrowhead at Pius XI
Fox Valley Association
Fond du Lac at Menasha
Oshkosh West at Kaukauna
Appleton East at Appleton North
Kimberly at Oshkosh North
Neenah at Appleton West
Greater Metro
Sussex Hamilton at Wauwatosa East
Marquette at Menomonee Falls
West Allis Central at Brookfield East
Brookfield Central at West Allis Hale
Midwest Classic
Hope School at Heritage Christian
Shoreland Lutheran at St. John’s NWMA
Martin Luther at Racine St. Catherine’s
Dominican at Brookfield Academy
Kenosha St. Joseph at University School
Racine Lutheran at Catholic Central
Milwaukee City-Blackbourn
Hamilton at Marshall (NC)
South at Madison
Milwaukee City-Richardson
Hamilton at Marshall (NC)
Vincent at Bay View
Pulaski at Bradley Tech
North Shore
Whitefish Bay at Nicolet
Milwaukee Lutheran at Port Washington
Cedarburg at Homestead
Germantown at Grafton
Olympian-Packerland Small
St. Mary Central at Roncalli
Southeast
Oak Creek at Racine Park
South Milwaukee at Kenosha Bradford
Muskego at Franklin
Racine Case at Kenosha Tremper
Burlington at Racine Horlick
Southern Lakes
Waterford at Union Grove
Wilmot at Elkhorn
Wisconsin Flyway
North Fond du Lac at Lomira
St. Mary’s Springs at Horicon
Winnebago Lutheran at Mayville
Woodland
New Berlin Eisenhower at Brown Deer
Greendale at Whitnall
St. Francis at Pewaukee
New Berlin West at Cudahy
Wauwatosa West at St. Thomas More
Greenfield (Bye)
Independents
Oneida Nation at Bark River/Harris, Mich.
Thursday, Oct. 23
Bay
Luxemburg-Casco at Marinette
New London at Denmark
Hortonville at Oconto Falls
Shawano at West De Pere
Medford at Seymour (NC)
Big Rivers
Eau Claire North at Rice Lake
Chippewa Falls at Eau Claire Memorial
Superior at Hudson
River Falls at Menomonie
Capitol North
Lakeside Lutheran at Lodi
Luther Prep at Lake Mills
Columbus at Poynette
Capitol South
Wisconsin Heights at Marshall
Belleville/Albany at New Glarus/Monticello
Waterloo at Cambridge
Central Lakeshore
Random Lake at Cedar Grove-Belgium
Oostburg at Howards Grove
Sheboygan Luth./Kohler at Elkhart Lake-Glen.
Ozaukee at Stockbridge
Central Wisconsin Large
Wittenberg-Birnamwood at Pacelli
Iola-Scandinavia at Shiocton
Bonduel at Amherst
Weyauwega-Fremont at Manawa
Central Wisconsin Small
Rosholt at Tigerton
Tri-County at Marion
Port Edwards at Wild Rose
Almond-Bancroft (Bye)
Cloverbelt
Spencer/Columbus Catholic at Colby
Cadott at Stanley-Boyd
Neillsville at Osseo-Fairchild
Altoona at Fall Creek
Regis at McDonell Central (NC)
Cloverwood
Loyal at Greenwood
Assumption at Newman Catholic
Owen-Withee at Thorp
Abbotsford at Athens
Augusta at Gilman
Dairyland
Alma at Whitehall
Independence/Gilmanton at Eleva-Strum
Lincoln at Blair-Taylor
Melrose-Mindoro at Cochrane-Fountain City
Dunn-St. Croix
Boyceville at Glenwood City
Elk Mound at St. Croix Central
Spring Valley at Colfax
Mondovi at Unity (NC)
Eastern Valley
Clintonville at Ripon
Xavier at Omro
Waupaca at Freedom
Berlin at Little Chute
Fox Valley Lutheran at Winneconne
Eastern Wisconsin
Kiel at Kewaskum
Campbellsport at Sheboygan Falls
New Holstein at Plymouth
Two Rivers at Waupun
Fox River Classic
De Pere at Sheboygan South
Green Bay Preble at Manitowoc
Green Bay East at Sheboygan North
Green Bay Southwest at Green Bay West
Bay Port at Pulaski
Notre Dame at Ashwaubenon
Great Northern
Lakeland at Antigo
Northland Pines at Merrill
Tomahawk at Mosinee
Medford at Seymour (NC)
Great Western (Michigan)
Ewen-Trout Creek, Mich., at Hurley
Ontonagon, Mich. at Washburn
Heart O’North
Ladysmith at Bloomer
Chetek at Spooner
Cumberland at Barron
Hayward at Northwestern
Indian Trails
Maranatha Baptist at Rockford Christian, Ill.
Wayland Academy at Mooseheart, Ill.
Lakeland Large
Webster at St. Croix Falls
Clear Lake at Luck
Grantsburg at Cameron
Mondovi at Unity (NC)
Lakeland Small
Shell Lake at Frederic
Northwood at Birchwood-Weyerhaeuser
Bruce at Flambeau
Siren at Winter
Turtle Lake (Bye)
Lakeland South
Clayton at Cornell
New Auburn at Lake Holcombe
Elmwood at Pepin
Prairie Farm at Plum City
Marawood
Auburndale at Pittsville
Edgar at Marathon
Park Falls at Phillips
Prentice/Rib Lake at Stratford
Regis at McDonell Central (NC)
Marinette & Oconto
Gillett at Peshtigo
Wausaukee at Florence
Suring at Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas
Crivitz at Coleman
Middle Border
Baldwin-Woodville at Somerset
Durand at Prescott
New Richmond at Amery
Ellsworth at Osceola
Midwest Classic
Living Word Luth. at Lake Country Luth.
Milwaukee City-Blackbourn
King at North
Custer at Messmer/Shorewood (NC)
Milwaukee City-Richardson
Riverside at Washington
Mississippi Valley
Aquinas at Holmen
Onalaska at La Crosse Central
Sparta at La Crosse Logan
Tomah at Greenfield (NC)
Northern Lakes
Crandon at Laona/Wabeno
White Lake/Elcho at Niagara/Goodman/Pembine
Wausaukee at Florence
Three Lakes at Menominee Indian
Olympian-Packerland Large
Sturgeon Bay at Kewaunee
Oconto at Southern Door
Wrightstown at Chilton
Mishicot at Valders
Olympian-Packerland Small
Sevastopol at Brillion
Algoma at Hilbert
Manitowoc Lutheran at Reedsville
Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah at Gibraltar (NC)
Ridge & Valley
Ithaca at Weston
Highland at Wauzeka-Steuben (NC)
DeSoto at Seneca
Kickapoo/LaFarge at North Crawford
Rock Valley
McFarland at Edgerton
Jefferson at Whitewater
East Troy at Evansville
Turner at Clinton
Palmyra-Eagle at Big Foot
Parkview at Brodhead-Juda
Scenic Bluffs
New Lisbon at Bangor
Wonewoc-Center at Cashton
Brookwood at Hillsboro
Royall at Necedah
Sea Range (Minnesota)
Ashland vs. Rock Island, Ill. at Winona (NC)
Six Rivers
Cassville at Pecatonica/Argyle
Belmont at Shullsburg
Black Hawk at Potosi
Benton/Scales Mound at River Ridge
Highland at Wauzeka-Steuben (NC)
South Central
Wisconsin Dells at Mauston
Adams-Friendship at Nekoosa
Wautoma at Pioneer Westfield
Southern Lakes
Westosha Central at Andrew, Ill. (NC)
Delavan-Darien at Badger
Southwest Wis. Activities League
Mineral Point at Darlington
Riverdale at Fennimore
Southwestern at Iowa-Grant
Cuba City at Boscobel
Trailways Large
Markesan at Oakfield
Pardeeville at Deerfield
Oshkosh Lourdes at Johnson Creek
Dodgeland at Montello-Princeton
Trailways Small
Cambria-Friesland at Green Lake
Rio at Fall River
Hustisford at Williams Bay
Abundant Life at Randolph
Western Wisconsin-Coulee
Arcadia at Viroqua
Black River Falls at West Salem
Westby at Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau
Western Wisconsin-Southwest
Platteville at Prairie du Chien
Lancaster at Richland Center
Dodgeville at River Valley
Wisconsin Flyway
Kettle Moraine Lutheran at Laconia
Wisconsin Little Ten
West Bend West at Hartford
Slinger at West Bend East
Oconomowoc at Wisconsin Lutheran
Beaver Dam at Watertown
Wisconsin Valley
Rhinelander at Wausau West
Wausau East at Stevens Point
Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln at Marshfield
D.C. Everest (Bye)
Woodland
Tomah at Greenfield (NC)
Independents
Luther at Almond-Bancroft
Milwaukee Custer at Messmer/Shorewood