Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Many high school football standouts in Wisconsin go on to big things at the college level and in the pros, and this is our spot to recognize those athletes each week and help you keep up with what is going down on some of your favorite players from the past. If you have alumni news, please send it to Colton Wilson by 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Game 7 of the World Series is tonight, the NBA season has started, and college basketball is just around the corner. Despite all that and the snowy forecast, Halloween , and dropping temperatures, football season is just hitting it’s stride around the country.

In talks of hitting your stride, it appears T.J. Watt is doing just that for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In a 27-14 win over the down trodden Miami Dolphins, Watt recorded a pair of sacks. The Pewaukee native has now recorded a sack in each of the last four weeks. On the other sideline, Vince Biegel, who formed quite the duo with Watt for the Wisconsin Badgers has started carving out a role of his own for the Fins. Vince, a Wisconsin Rapids alum, tied the team lead with nine tackles on the night.

Michigan seems to be a team hitting their stride in the past six quarters against the likes of top ten ranked Penn State and Notre Dame . This past weeekend in a game where the rain came down like a monsoon, Michigan rushed for 303 yards in their 45-14 walloping of eighth ranked Notre Dame. Ben Bredeson was making 38th start for Michigan. Bredeson, an Arrowhead graduate and 2015 WSN Joe Thomas recipient was an anchor and pivotal piece in the dominant run game of the Wolverines.

In speaking of dominant offensive lines, another Michigan football team, Western Michigan put up some gaudy rushing numbers in their 49-10 win over Bowling Green. Brookfield East’s Mike Caliendo and Luxemburg-Casco’s Spencer Kanz moved the line of scrimmage continuously up front as the Broncos accumulated 399 yards on the ground in their rout..

In keeping with the dominant offensive line theme, Tyson Welsch of Monroe and Jacob Beasley of Edgerton were part of an offensive that gained 740 total yards in Dubuque College’s 69-14 win over Luther College. Kordell Stillmunkes of Cuba City rushed for 102 yards and two scores while Kody Riemer of De Pere had 147 receiving yards and two scores.

WIAC conference play is now in full throttle as teams played their fourth conference game last weekend. UW-La Crosse did its best to show its staying power towards the top of the standings with a 31-3 beatdown of UW-Oshkosh. Cameron Sorenson had a whale of a task, attempting to top his eight catch, 297 yard performance last week. The Oshkosh North grad did his best, hauling in nine catches for 121 yards and a score. Defensively Nathan Clark of Kettle Moraine was a big piece of the stifling Eagle defense. Nathan had six tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception to garner WIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

UW-Stout faced off with UW-Stevens Point in a thrilling double overtime game that saw the Blue Devils win 38-31. Sean Borgerding, older brother of the PlayInTheDells.com Athlete of the Week nominee this week, Aaron Borgerding, had quite the day at quarterback. Sean, a Spring Valley alum, threw for 287 yards and three scores while adding another 149 yards rushing and a score. Sean was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Week. For the Pointers, Donovan Lucas of Brown Deer High School, returned a kickoff 78 yards for his first return touchdown. Donovan was named the WIAC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Speaking of brothers, the Matye brothers of Shullsburg High School were pivotal in Loras College’s 40-39 overtime win. Hunter had a 38 yard touchdown reception on offense, while brother Brett had six tackles, one and a half for loss, on the defensive side of things. Teammate Jerry McDaniel of Brown Deer rushed the ball 25 times for 136 yards and three scores.

The Iowa Hawkeyes shut out Northwestern over the weekend 20-0 despite missing top tackler Kristian Welch of Iola-Scandinavia High School. Sophomore defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon of Kenosha Indian Trail picked up the slack. Nixon had five tackles and two sacks to help lead the swarming Hawkeye defense.

In Midwest Conference play, St. Norbert College was more than Lawrence University could handle, downing them 41-0. Despite only playing the first half, Plymouth’s Samuel Staehling put up video game numbers at the receiver position. Samuel had seven catches for 215 yards and two scores as he was named the Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Defensively, Blake Olejniczak of Notre Dame High School was the leader of a stifling unit that held Lawrence to 67 total yards and only two first downs (one coming via penalty). Blake had a team high five tackles, two and a half for loss, and half a sack as he was named the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

In Northern Sun play, Concordia-St. Paul snuck by Bemidji State with a 24-23 overtime win. Martin Luther High School grad Darios Crawley-Reid rushed the ball 15 times for 106 yards and two scores. Defensively, Chris Garrett of Wisconsin Lutheran did Chris Garrett things. He had 11 tackles (three for loss), two sacks, forced two fumbles, and recovered one.

In other Northern Sun play, Spencer Hermus of Kimberly had an interception as part of a suffocating Minnesota State-Mankato defense that shut out Minnesota-Crookston 81-0. Nic Dahlke of Green Bay Preble and Michael Buetow of Saint Mary’s Springs each recorded a sack, while Cullen Gahagan of Oregon High School hauled in his first ever receiving touchdown.

Brett Samson has found the end zone in years past for South Dakota, but has been shut out thus far this year. The Oconomowoc grad changed that, hauling in his first touchdown catch of the season despite a 48-28 loss to Southern Illinois.

Charlie Rotherham hasn’t seen much time as the backup quarterback for the Angelo State football team. However, in a 65-7 stomping of UT Permian Basin, the former Notre Dame High School grad got to see some extended action. Charlie completed four of six passes through the air, including two touchdowns.

Lastly, Kenosha Bradford’s Melvin Gordon hasn’t had the season he wanted thus far for the Los Angeles Chargers. Gordon sat out the first few weeks with a holdout but returned to the team in time for week 5. It has been a rough year for the Charger offense and took until this past week for Gordon to find the end zone on the ground in a 17-16 win over the Chicago Bears. Hopefully that will the jump start to the Charger offense and Gordon to get back into form as one of the top running backs in the league.