LODI — The Cheesemakers hung neck-and-neck with Lodi in Week 1, but fell 34-31. The two schools went into halftime tied at 19, and remained even at 26-26 through three quarters.

Offensively, Monroe controlled the game on the ground, gaining 324 yards rushing. Tristen Anderson led the way with 206 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Lucas Bartels (53 yards), Caleb Mazahreh (52), and QB Ryan Roelli (13) shared the bulk of the load rushing. Roelli and Bartels also had rushing touchdowns. Roelli was 4-for-6 passing for 61 yards, with Anderson catching two passes for 27 yards. Bartels had one grab for 18 yards, and Joah Wellman caught one pass for 16 yards. Jace Riese connected on a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, and was 2-for-4 on PATs.

Lodi had just 207 yards of offense, with 186 coming through the air on 10 of 15 passing by QB Kale Schneider, who threw for two TDs and had three rushing TDs as well.

Up next for Monroe is the opening game at its new home, Badger State Ethanol Stadium on the city’s far east side. Badger Large school Oregon will come down for a non-conference bout on Friday, Aug. 28. Monroe will be honoring its six state championship teams at the game as well, as this season marks the 40th anniversary of Monroe’s first title in 1986. The Cheesemakers also won state championships in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 2022.

Darlington 35, St. Mary’s Springs 0

FOND DU LAC — The defending WIAA Division 6 state champion Redbirds opened the season with one of their more stringent playoff rivals from the past dozen years. And this year, the Redbirds thumped St. Mary’s Springs via the mercy-rule running clock.

Zeke Zuberbuhler threw for 71 yards on 4 of 6 passing, and Darlington had 209 yards rushing on 37 carries. Dante Glendenning (8/104) led the way on the ground, with Zuberbuhler (13/42), Calum Crist (9/34) and Ryder Fitzsimons (4/25) also making strong contributions. Glendenning had two TD carries, while Fitzsimons added another. Glendenning also had two catches for 40 yards, and Levi Lancaster had one catch for 27 yards.

Darlington’s defense had seven tackles for a loss and three sacks. Glendenning had a 21-yard fumble returned for a touchdown — one of two fumble recoveries by Darlington, which forced three as a team. Tag Goebel added a 20-yard INT returned for a TD.

St. Mary’s Springs was held to just 95 yards of total offense.

New Glarus 28, Cambridge 24

CAMBRIDGE — The Glarner Knights used a fourth quarter touchdown to snag a comeback win over Cambridge in Week 1. New Glarus led 20-18 at halftime, but the host Blue Jays took a 24-20 lead in the third quarter.

The Knights didn’t pass the ball with much efficiency — QB Quinn Marty was just 4-for-10 for 51 yards with one TD and one INT. Instead, New Glarus went to work on the ground, grinding out 250 yards rushing. Carson Prechel had 139 yards and three scores on 27 carries to lead the way, with Marty (39), Brock Roth (38), and Brady Baer (34) also sharing the load. Brayden Schmitt had an 8-yard TD catch. Defensively, Gavin O’Bel and Ethan Colstad each had an interception.

New Glarus tallied 301 yards of offense, while playing bend-don’t-break defense, with Cambridge collecting 341 yards (293 passing, 48 rushing).

Pecatonica-Argyle 44, Deerfield 0

DEERFIELD — Martin Anderson was 9-for-11 passing for 140 yards and three TDs, and added another 75 yards and two TDs on the ground, while Brock Erickson had 136 rushing yards and a TD for the Vikings. Raymond Gonzales Murphy also had a TD rush for Pec-Argyle. Braydon Slater, Bo Stateler and Luke Leonard all had receiving TDs, with Leonard leading the team with five catches for 89 yards. Defensively, Charlie Krebs had three interceptions, and Grant Jorenby added another.

Overall, Pec-Argyle out-gained Deerfield in offensive yardage 383-132.

Edgerton 42, Brodhead-Juda 12

BRODHEAD — The Cardinals opened the season with a tough nonconference loss to the Crimson Tide in Week 1. Edgerton scored the first four TDs of the game to stake out a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter. The Tide led by as much as 42-6 in the third quarter, with Brodhead-Juda’s second touchdown coming in the fourth.

Grayson Arn had a 16-yard TD run in the second quarter for the Cardinals, with Braylon Strehlow scoring from two yards out in the fourth.

The Cardinals gained 252 yards on the ground and another 71 through the air courtesy of QB Kraig Walter. Arn gained a team-high 163 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Edgerton dominated the air, with QB Brayden Doerr connecting on 10 of 14 passes for a blistering 322 yards and six TDs.

Big Foot 19, Parkview-Albany 12

WALWORTH — Junior Elijah Gunn tried his best to keep the Vikings in contention for a chance at a Week 1 win over Big Foot, but the hometown Chiefs fended off Parkview-Albany on Aug. 21. Gunn finished with 103 rushing yards on 14 carries, completed 10 of 18 passes (55.6%) passing for 273 yards, and two total TDs. Senior wideout Louis Nath had seven catches for 208 yards and a score. Defensively, Kase Hazeltine had 16 tackles (10 solo) and Owen Moffitt had 13 tackles (11 solo) with a sack. Overall, the Vikings had 403 yards of offense.