MONROE - Both the Darlington and Black Hawk football teams will begin their quest for a state championship and a Camp Randall run this week.
Six area football teams punched their tickets to the playoffs and the WIAA announced the playoff pairings and seeds for the first-round games Saturday, Oct. 19.
Four of the six playoff-bound teams received home games in the first round. Both Darlington (8-1) in Division 6 and Black Hawk (9-0) in Division 7 received No. 1 seeds.
"Obviously, it gives us a huge advantage of not having to travel," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "To me when you have to travel, I think the more you can get unfocused. The kids get tired, sleepy and a little road weary on the bus."
Darlington's path for a state tournament run will have to go through some of the top rivals in the SWAL including Cuba City and Iowa-Grant, which were placed in the same eight-team grouping as the Redbirds. The Redbirds will host Melrose-Mindoro (4-5) in a first-round playoff game Saturday in Darlington.
"When you get to this point and level anyone can beat anybody if there are turnovers and penalties," Zywicki said.
For Black Hawk, they won't need to study much of a scouting report to get familiar with their first round opponent - Belmont, a Six Rivers Conference rival, which finished 4-5, but lost to the Warriors 27-24 in week 8 and lost to Potosi 12-0 in the regular season finale last week. Black Hawk is one of three unbeaten teams in Division 7 including Pepin-Alma (9-0) and Fall River (9-0).
"I thought they (Belmont) would contend for a conference championship this year," Black Hawk coach Cory Milz said.
Belmont (71) is the smallest school and Black Hawk is the sixth-smallest (116) in the Division 7 field.
The first-round playoff matchups for Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26 are as followed:
Division 3 Group C
No. 6 Evansville-Albany (5-4) at La Crosse Logan (7-2), Saturday, Oct. 26, 4 p.m.
Division 4 Group C
No. 5 Clinton (5-4) at No. 4 New Glarus-Monticello (5-4), Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Saint Thomas More (6-3) at No. 2 Brodhead-Juda (7-2), Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
Division 6 Group C
No. 8 Melrose-Mindoro (4-5) at Darlington (8-1), Saturday, Oct. 26, 2 p.m.
Division 6 Group D
No. 7 Pecatonica-Argyle (7-2) at Lourdes Academy, TBA at UW-Oshkosh, Friday, Oct. 25, 5 p.m.
Division 7
No. 7 Belmont (4-5) at Black Hawk (9-0), Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
Six area football teams punched their tickets to the playoffs and the WIAA announced the playoff pairings and seeds for the first-round games Saturday, Oct. 19.
Four of the six playoff-bound teams received home games in the first round. Both Darlington (8-1) in Division 6 and Black Hawk (9-0) in Division 7 received No. 1 seeds.
"Obviously, it gives us a huge advantage of not having to travel," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "To me when you have to travel, I think the more you can get unfocused. The kids get tired, sleepy and a little road weary on the bus."
Darlington's path for a state tournament run will have to go through some of the top rivals in the SWAL including Cuba City and Iowa-Grant, which were placed in the same eight-team grouping as the Redbirds. The Redbirds will host Melrose-Mindoro (4-5) in a first-round playoff game Saturday in Darlington.
"When you get to this point and level anyone can beat anybody if there are turnovers and penalties," Zywicki said.
For Black Hawk, they won't need to study much of a scouting report to get familiar with their first round opponent - Belmont, a Six Rivers Conference rival, which finished 4-5, but lost to the Warriors 27-24 in week 8 and lost to Potosi 12-0 in the regular season finale last week. Black Hawk is one of three unbeaten teams in Division 7 including Pepin-Alma (9-0) and Fall River (9-0).
"I thought they (Belmont) would contend for a conference championship this year," Black Hawk coach Cory Milz said.
Belmont (71) is the smallest school and Black Hawk is the sixth-smallest (116) in the Division 7 field.
The first-round playoff matchups for Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26 are as followed:
Division 3 Group C
No. 6 Evansville-Albany (5-4) at La Crosse Logan (7-2), Saturday, Oct. 26, 4 p.m.
Division 4 Group C
No. 5 Clinton (5-4) at No. 4 New Glarus-Monticello (5-4), Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Saint Thomas More (6-3) at No. 2 Brodhead-Juda (7-2), Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
Division 6 Group C
No. 8 Melrose-Mindoro (4-5) at Darlington (8-1), Saturday, Oct. 26, 2 p.m.
Division 6 Group D
No. 7 Pecatonica-Argyle (7-2) at Lourdes Academy, TBA at UW-Oshkosh, Friday, Oct. 25, 5 p.m.
Division 7
No. 7 Belmont (4-5) at Black Hawk (9-0), Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
