Tri-County Area prep football teams try to make playoff runs this month
Talk about reversal of fortune. Last season Eleva-Strum won its first four Dairyland Conference games and clinched a WIAA playoff berth early. But a loss at Blair-Taylor giving up over 50 points sent the Cardinals' season into a tailspin and they lost their remaining games.
This time around could be different. This time around it was the Cardinals winning a wild, entertaining high school football game 59-34 on Homecoming and again nailing down a playoff berth for the season in a row after four conference wins.
E-S head coach Nick Stowell said the team's senior leadership has been the big reason this season at least feels different than a year ago as they continued their march not just to the playoffs after beating the Wildcats for the first time in a decade but perhaps a conference title as well.
"We have 10 seniors among a talented group of juniors and sophomores who do a tremendous job taking the season one day at a time and try to go '1-0' everyday," Stowell said. "They communicate really well on the field, finding adjustments often times before our staff does, and we are a brotherhood. These players truly care about each other."
One of those seniors is quarterback Reede Brown and for the second time this season he was named WHTL 102.3 FM Player of the Week scoring three touchdowns of his own on the ground and throwing for two TDs as well. He was a super-efficient 3-for-7 overall in the air for 145 yards. He also rushed for 80 yards as well. Senior running Luis Kinser led the Cardinal on the ground with 141 yards rushing on 14 carries and a TD and junior wide out Bo Windjue caught two passes for 105 yards and a score. Senior lineman Dan Segerstrom led the Cards in tackles with eight.
The win over the Wildcats was like a door opening up to a wider world to Central as they have back-to-back contests upcoming at Cochrane-Fountain City and at Alma/Pepin, ranked No. 5 and No. 6 respectively in Division 7. C-FC edged out the Eagles in an exciting contest in Alma last week Friday, 15-14. Win those two and the DC title will be won for the Redbirds although both games will be on the road. However, the Cardinals wish to approach things one game at a time.
"We talked about these opportunities in practice this week," Stowell said. "They have worked really hard, and therefore have earned the right to play in these big games. Our approach is going to stay the same because our players believe that focusing on today and trying to go 1-0 each day will give us the best chance to be successful down the stretch."
To do this the Cards will first have to figures out a way to penetrate what's been a stout Pirate defense for the 2025 season. Until last week's game vs. Alma/Pepin, C-FC hadn't so much as given up single point through five games. C-FC is primarily a ground team led by senior with 449 yards gained this season so far with four other backs over 100, including junior Aidan Lisowski's 420 yards rushing. C-FC can also throw the ball competently as junior QB Parker Kujak has a 148.5 quarterback rating with 546 yards passing and four TDs. He can also run the ball fairly well too as he took from 50-yards from scrimmage to score the game-winning TD vs. A/P along with the two-point conversion pass. The drive was 99 yards in length as C-FC's defense held on a goaline stand. Senior Steve Meyer leads the team in tackles with 33 and four other players have over 20 tackles. Senior Tucker Bambenek leads the Pirates with seven tackles-for-loss.
Fall Creek is the only other Tri-County Area prep football team with playoff potential but they haven't made it yet and need to win two out of their next three games to do so. That was the end result after another tough loss this season to a ranked opponent, No. 2 Eau Claire Regis last week Friday, 39-22 and spoiling the Crickets' Homecoming.
FC sophomore quarterback Bryson Elkins connected with senior wide receiver on two big pass plays for touchdowns, one of which gave Fall Creek an early 6-0 lead in front of a packed crowd at Schultz Field and the other which brought the Crickets within 11 points at 25-14 just before the fourth quarter. The problem was FC couldn't make the big defensive plays to stop the unbeaten Rambler offense or when they did, as Elkins snagged an interception late in the first quarter or Ben Raap made a fumble recovery in the second half, they couldn't take advantage the same way Regis took advantages of their turnovers. Indeed, Regis not only collected a safety off a bad snap to start the second half but scored quickly on its next possession to take a 25-6 lead early in the third quarter.
And for a team which so far this season hadn't thrown the ball a lot, Regis was very effective in doing so against the Crickets. Junior QB Joey Brahmer either connected with his top receiver, sophomore Griffin Boda, for a TD as he was wide open on a perfectly executed flea-flicker reverse to put ECR ahead 24-6, or he threw to his running backs seniors Austin Rideout or Brody Tarbox to move the ball in that manner. Tarbox also had a 65-yard score from scrimmage immediately after Elkins' second TD toss to Prorok.
Fall Creek's senior running back Cullen Kramer led his team on the ground with a 130 yards late rushing TD in the ballgame while junior Tyler Biegel led the team in tackles with seven.
As tough as Fall Creek's loss was for them both Augusta and Osseo-Fairchild took absolute gut punches in defeats last week.
Osseo-Fairchild led Stanley-Boyd 27-26 late in the fourth quarter after trailing 26-14 at halftime. But the Orioles' Gunnar Goettel scored a two-yard rushing touchdown with :59 seconds left and S-B made a defensive stand to get their first win of 2025 by a 32-27 score. S-B's senior back Caleb Westrom help build his team's halftime lead thanks to a 75-yard touchdown runs and TD pass receptions of 44 and 29 yards. O-F was led by senior quarterback Drew Paulus, who rallied his team by going 14-for-27 in the air for 187 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide out Brooks Koxlien caught seven of those passes for 89 yards and a score and senior running back Noah Filla rushed for 89 yards and a TD.
The difference in Augusta's game at Independence/Gilmanton was two-point conversion as the Indee Panthers made theirs on a TD and AHS did not on their TD in ballgame thus an 8-6 win for I/G that keeps the Beavers winless. Owen Lee scored the Beavers' lone TD in the third quarter but Indy/Gilmanton was able to get its winning touchdown in the fourth by sophomore back Blake Slaby on the ground despite the fact the Beavers held I/G to just 61 yards rushing on 34 carries and got an interception as well. Augusta was hurt by three turnovers.
