MONROE — In the final week of the season, the Cheesemakers found themselves on the losing end of an 80-point slobberknocker, with Badger Small champion and No. 7-ranked Beaver Dam (8-1) coming away with the 50-30 victory.
The Beavers gained 405 rushing yards on just 23 carries, including seven touchdown runs. Ashtyn Seifert had 135 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries, while Brock Hiley added 124 yards and two scores on just five attempts. Asante Selken also gained 75 yards and a TD on three rushes for Beaver Dam.
Monroe was led offensively by junior RB Dilon Sweeney, who had 101 yards rushing on 20 carries. Jace Riese added 80 yards on 22 attempts, and QB Ryan Roelli had 43 yards on seven carries. Riese and Roelli each had rushing touchdowns, and Roelli was 5-for-9 passing for 125 yards, two TDs and an INT. Senior Lucas Bartels had two catches for 55 yards — both TDs. Overall, Monroe had 391 yards of offense — 266 rushing and 125 passing.
The Cheesemakers played without leading rusher Tristen Anderson for the second straight week due to injury. Anderson averaged 6.8 yards per carry this season. He finished with 818 yards and 13 TDs. He also led the team in catches (12) and receiving yards (189). Roelli was second with 365 yards and five TDs. Sweeney and Riese each had 338 yards rushing, with Riese adding four total TDs. As a team, Monroe ran for 2,375 yards this season, eighth best in Division 3.
Beaver Dam jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and led 29-10 at halftime. By the end of the third quarter, the Beavers were ahead 43-17.
Pardeeville 26, Belleville 20
PARDEEVILLE — The Wildcats had a chance to secure the Eastern Suburban Conference title all to itself, but a Week 9 loss to the Bulldogs made it a three-way tie atop the league table. Belleville (7-2, 6-1 Eastern Suburban), Pardeeville (8-1, 6-1) and Cambridge (7-2, 6-1) will all share this year’s conference championship.
In Week 9, the Wildcats gained 243 yards of offense while giving up 315 — including 296 through the air. Pardeeville QB Julian Wells was 18 of 29 passing for all 296 yards and two TDs. The Wildcats did hold the Bulldogs to just 19 yards on 20 rushing attempts, however.
QB Rayden Taylor was 9 of 19 passing for 88 yards, a TD and two INTs. He added a team-high 84 yards rushing and a TD on 26 rushing attempts. Jackson Fahey collected 71 yards rushing and a TD on 14 carries, and added a fumble recovery on defense. Charley Spiegel had two catches for 30 yards and a TD, while Brody Funseth caught four passes for 40 yards.
Pardeeville opened the game with a two-touchdown first quarter to go up 12-0, but Belleville scored twice in the second quarter to lead 14-12 at halftime. Pardeeville added a third score in the third — plus a two-point conversion — and both teams scored once in the fourth quarter.
The No. 6-ranked Wildcats drew a No. 4 seed in Division 6 and will host Saint Mary’s Springs (5-4) in Level 1. The winner will get either No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Bonduel (8-0) or Lancaster (4-5), which Belleville defeated 36-22 in Week 1.
River Ridge 26, Black Hawk/Warren 12
SOUTH WAYNE — Week 9 pitted the Warriors at home against fifth-ranked River Ridge. Unfortunately for the hosts, the visiting Timberwolves came away with the Oct. 16 victory.
The entire game was a battle, with both teams scoring in the opening quarter but failing to convert on their point-after conversion. River Ridge went ahead 13-0 with 9:27 left in the second quarter, and the score remained the same at halftime.
In the third quarter, BHW brought it back to within a point on a Beau Podnar 7-yard touchdown run, though the conversion attempt failed yet again. The Wolves scored less than four minutes later and added one more TD in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
Podnar had 93 yards passing on catches of 46 and 47 yards by Joe Ketchpaw and Trent Bidlingmaier. Podnar added 67 yards rushing on nine attempts. Dax Paquin finished the day with 61 yards rushing on 18 carries. In all, the Warriors gained 248 yards of offense.
QB Blake Reynolds was 8-for-12 passing for 136 yards and two TDs to Kameren Reynolds. Presten Gage added 87 yards rushing and a score. The Timberwolves finished the night with 331 yards of offense.
The following day, the WIAA released the playoff brackets. Black Hawk/Warren (5-4) received a five-seed and in Level 1 of Division 7 will travel to No. 6-ranked and fourth-seeded Cashton (8-1) on Oct. 23. The winner will then move on to Level 2 and either travel to top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Ithaca/Weston (8-0) or host eight-seed Waterloo (3-6). River Ridge (8-1) found itself on the opposite side of the bracket as a two-seed and will host Elmwood/Plum City (3-6).
Pecatonica/Argyle 41, Boscobel 7
BLANCHARDVILLE — A Week 9 victory put Pecatonica/Argyle at 4-5 overall on the year, which helped clinch a postseason berth despite a 2-5 record in the Six Rivers.
In the win over Boscobel (0-9) on Oct. 16, the Vikings defense allowed just 118 yards of offense to the Bulldogs. Jonah Hanson had two sacks for Pec/Argyle, while Caden Pisczor recovered a fumble and four other Vikings had an interception: Brock Erickson, Reid Schlimgen, Braydon Slater and Luke Leonard. Schlimgen and Erickson each returned an INT for a score. The Vikings also blocked a punt.
Meanwhile, Pec/Argyle had 251 yards of offense, including 200 on the ground in a steady attack that ate away at the clock. Erickson led the Vikings with 135 rushing yards and three TDs on 17 carries. QB Martin Anderson added another 56 yards and a score on seven rushing attempts. Passing the ball, Anderson was 5-for-8 for 51 yards and an interception.
In Level 1 of the Division 7 playoffs, the Vikings earned a 7-seed and will travel to 4th-ranked and No. 2 seeded Lourdes Academy (8-1). The winner will then get either three-seed Hilbert (6-3) or six-seed Abbotsford (4-5).
Brodhead/Juda 58, River Valley 42
BRODHEAD — The Week 9 SWC contest between the Cardinals and Blackhawks featured 100 total points from two winless teams that each had scored just 82 points each in over the previous eight games.
The star of the game was Brodhead/Juda senior RB Grayson Arn, who rushed for a school record 423 yards and six TDs on 29 carries — including a long of 74 yards. The rest of the Cardinals had 66 rushing yards, plus 44 passing yards — a total of 533 yards of offense. Senior QB Kraig Walter was 5-for-7 passing and added 12 rushing yards and a score, and sophomore Steven Carlson had 49 yards on nine attempts with a TD.
River Valley gained 417 yards of offense. QB Daniel Zaemisch had 202 yards passing with four TDs. Ty Larson had 198 yards on the ground with a score. Travel Henkel caught five passes for 114 yards and four touchdowns.
Parkview/Albany 32, Deerfield 16
ORFORDVILLE — In Week 9, the Vikings improved their season record to 3-6 overall, and 3-4 in the Trailways Conference. However, that wasn’t enough to crack the Division 5 playoff field. The Vikings haven’t made the postseason in more than 25 years.
Against the Demons on Oct. 16, Parkview/Albany’s defense allowed just 180 yards of offense.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings had 370 yards, including 302 on the ground. Elijah Gunn led the team with 96 yards rushing. Casey Cole finished with 63 yards and a TD, while John Grenawalt had 61 yards on just two carries — both for touchdowns. QB Connor Knutson had 34 yards rushing and 68 passing with two TDs, both to Louis Nath, who had 75 yards of total offense himself.
