Area grid teams optimistic for upcoming season
It may have been a loss but it was also a peek into a potential future for the Fall Creek High School Football Team.
FC came within a missed field goal with no time left on the clock at Carson Park in Eau Claire late last October to pulling off the biggest upset in the WIAA Playoffs, topping No. 1 seed and top-ranked Eau Claire Regis, 29-28.
From such a close loss and the fact the Crickets return All-Cloverbelt Conference running backs senior Cullen Kramer and junior Ethan Westrate, senior all-conference lineman Lincoln Burr and Ian Hopper and backs sophomore Bryson Elkins and senior Ben Pilgrim plus nine other returning lettermen from a team which finished 6-5 in head coach Marcus Wahleithner's first season in '24.
FC opens this season of great potential with a good test of it at Altoona on Thursday, 7 p.m. at Fuzzy Thurston Field.
"We plan to be competitive," Wahleithner said. "We're returning many players from last year's team. Our goal is to get better each time we step on the field."
The Crickets certainly got better in the middle of last season. 2-4 at one point, Fall Creek rattled off four straight wins, including three shutouts in a row and a big season-finale win at home over Mondovi which put them in the playoffs.
Mondovi will be one of the teams competing with FC for the league title this fall, along with Regis and Elk Mound in what should be another competitive Cloverbelt season in a league loaded with strong teams and programs.
FCHS lost a good deal of talent and senior leadership in players like Nathan Kurtz, Gus Pranckus, Quinn Kinderman, Parker Nelson, Peyton Seidling, Caleb Steinke.
Other returning lettermen include Braylen Prorok, Brennan Steinke, Brody Harriman, Caleb Colle, Tyler Biegel, Evan Seidling, Bryson Elkins, Ben Raap, Trevor Whittlinger and junior receiver Koen Tumm.
Also making the prep football playoffs from the Tri-County Area last season was Eleva-Strum. However 2024 was an uneven campaign for Central. The Cardinal went 5-1 and locked up that playoff berth early but proceded to lose their last four games to finish 5-5, including a 37-0 loss to Dairyland Conference champions Alma/Pepin in the first round of the playoffs. A/P, along with Cochrane-Fountain City are considered the top two not just DC but among small schools in the state. They tied for first in the league along with Blair-Taylor.
"They were at the top last year and return most of their players." E-S head coach Nick Stowell said.
But last season's finish shouldn't diminish the fact Eleva-Strum made the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and their winning streak included thrilling triumphs over evenly matched Whitehall and Melrose-Mindoro to do so. While the Cards graduated All-Dairyland lineman Landen Nordeen along with Tylor Iverson, Caden Rosman, Ty Fjestad, Alex Garduno Tavira, Brennan Hanner, Brady Zimpel from that team, they return lettermen Luis Kinser, Logan Riesenweber
Micah Ludwigson, Roman More Bates, Brayden Olson, Landyn Windjue, Dan Segerstrom
Jaxon Rindal, Logan Bahr, Owen Emerson, Braedyn Szalecki, Bo Windjue, Brock Stendahl, Bryce Knutson and Elliot Walsh.
Walsh was one of the top kickers in the DC last season and made the all-conference team while also making All-DC were senior linebacker Segerstrom, junior lineman Olson, and junior running back Stendahl. Other players coming up from the JV or who will now play a starting role on varsity will also help.
"(Sophomore) Bryce Knutson will have a much bigger role at Corner and WR," Stowell said. "Logan Riesenweber is a senior who had a great offseason and looks to have a much bigger impact on Varsity. Braedyn Szalecki is Junior who played JV last year and will most likely be playing both ways on varsity."
Stowell thinks if the team can jell quickly and hold its confidence it can compete for a league title.
"We want to compete every day, to learn and grow from every day and to be competing for a conference championship at the end of the year," Stowell said.
The Cardinals also begin their season this Thursday, Aug. 21 at Glenwood City. The traditional kick-off day for prep football is this Friday, Aug. 22 with Augusta hosting Cadott and Osseo-Fairchild at Necedah, both 7 p.m. kick-offs.
Augusta is looking to get its first win since 2023 and return lettermen Bryce Buttke, Colton Wincse, Isac Mooney, Bennett Sandberg, Owen Lee, Nathan Atchison, Ethan Martell, James Shong, Josh Hoff, Rylee Mickelson, Leo Bement to do so. AHS is looking to newcomers such as Isac Mooney at WR/DB and Dylan Dircks at RB/LB to help out as well.
But the Beavers lost All-DC lineman Matt Hoff and pretty much their entire offense from last season in Noah Schroeder. Also graduated were Beau Harmer, Noah Travis Gerike, Dimitri Schroeder and James Green.
Head coach Derek Boldt sees Alma/Pepin and C-FC as the top two in the DC once again but hopes his team can find a place near the top of the league standings once again.
"I am hopeful that we can find a way to bond together as a team in a strong way," Boldt said. "To find out what we are made of and to be able to take away strong qualities from the experience we will have. Tough times don't last, tough people do."
Osseo-Fairchild is back on the varsity level since 2023 after playing a JV schedule last season designed to build their numbers back up and install a winning attitude once again for traditional prep power which fell on hard times since 2020.
From that standpoint last season was a big success as the Thunder went 8-0 last fall and return Drew Paulus QB, Noah Filla RB/LB, Mason Schmidt WR/DB, Brooks Koxlien TE/DE and Noah Krueger OL/DL as a foundation for new head coach Time Serum to build from.
However, O-F plays in the same hypercompetitive Cloverbelt Conference against bigger schools and programs they struggled in this decade so far with strong squads such as Eau Claire Regis, Fall Creek, Elk Mound and Mondovi all contending for the league title.
"I expect for us to improve everyday and be a team that can be a dangerous playoff team by the end of the season," Serum said.
