skip navigation

Week 4 Rapid Reaction

09/09/2023, 11:30am CDT
By Travis Wilson

Platteville took down second-ranked Brodhead/Juda last night

There is one game to be played later today, but otherwise all of the action from Week 4 in Wisconsin is in the books, which means we're nearly halfway through the regular season. Below we will take a look at some of the storylines and notes this week.

For the full Week 4 results, please click here

As a reminder, we'll have loads of additional content coming in the next few days to wrap up Week 4, including:

Later next week we'll also have the Kwik Trip & Wisconsin Dairy Game of the Week nominees on Sunday evening, 8-Player Spotlight on Wednesday, and the Week 5 Preview on Thursday.

Eye-Openers

Division 5 second-ranked Brodhead/Juda had been rolling, starting 3-0. However, the Cardinals' offense sputtered in Week 4, which led to a 14-6 loss to Platteville, who is off to an impressive 3-1 start, including 2-0 record in the SWC.

A top five matchup in the Middle Border Conference turned into a route, as fifth-ranked Baldwin-Woodville dominated third-ranked Ellsworth 49-0. The Blackhawks defense limited Ellsworth to just 74 yards of offense in the game.

After back-to-back losses, Sun Prairie East got back on track with a 34-19 win over Beaver Dam, handing the Golden Beavers their first loss of the year. 

Kaukauna scored a huge win in the FVA, taking down Neenah in a battle of unbeatens as the Galloping Ghosts are firmly in the top five of Division 2.

Reedsville looked very impressive once again by defeating Cedar Grove-Belgium 28-14 in the Big East Conference.

Rivalry Time

Many of the state's most-played rivalries were contested this week, including four of the top 15 and five of the top 25.

  • Sparta upset Tomah 21-20 in the 117th meeting between the teams, though Tomah still holds a 68-43-6 advantage all-time.
  • Menomonie remained unbeaten with a 28-20 victory against Chippewa Falls and takes a 59-47-2 advantage in a rivalry that dates back to 1895.
  • Stevens Point was all over Wisconsin Rapids in the Old River Jug Game, 41-9. The Panthers lead the series 60-36-9.
  • Hudson took down River Falls 48-26 in the 106th meeting, though River Falls leads the all-time series 56-50.
  • South Milwaukee dominated Cudahy 44-8 but Cudahy still leads 47-42-5.

In a few other notable rivalry games that don't have quite the history of the above, Verona scored a huge win over Middleton 28-21 as the Wildcats take control of the Big Eight Conference race.

Staying in the Big Eight, Janesville Parker was a 28-17 winner over Janesville Craig in the Kwik Trip and Wisconsin Dairy Game of the Week.

Crossover Results

There are three instances of conferences that play double crossovers against another league that count in the standings for playoff qualification purposes, and we've seen some differing results in Weeks 3 and 4, with those double crossovers now wrapped up.

Perhaps most notably, the Marawood teams went a perfect 12-0 in crossovers against the CWC-Small, which includes a couple forfeits over Wild Rose. That means all Marawood teams need just one more victory to get themselves on the proverbial playoff bubble, and two more victories the rest of the way to clinch postseason spots. All six Marawood teams could make the playoffs, and it is likely that at least four or maybe even five will qualify. Conversely, there might just be two or three qualifiers out of the CWC-Small.

Last year, the North Eastern Conference dominated the Bay in the double crossovers, sweeping those games. It resulted in just one Bay Conference team (Xavier) finishing above .500 in conference, while all six of the North Eastern teams made the playoffs. Things were a little more balanced this season, with the North Eastern still winning the series, but edging the Bay just 7-5 overall. Xavier was a big reason for the change, as the Hawks took down ranked teams Freedom and Wrightstown in back-to-back weeks.

The Six Rivers and SWAL split their matchups right down the middle, each going 6-6 in their Week 3 and 4 crossovers.

Uh-Oh Time

Some teams who had success last year and high expectations this season are continuing to struggle in 2023, and are in danger of things really going off the rails.

Fond du Lac was 5-5 overall last season but we had the Cardinals in our preseason top ten with a solid returning lineup. Fondy has played an incredibly challenging schedule and has not found the win column yet. They've dropped a pair of conference games by a combined three points, including a one-point loss to Kimberly last night when Fond du Lac led 21-7 in the fourth quarter only to see the Papermakers rally for a 22-21 victory. Things don't get any easier next week, the Cardinals welcome in unbeaten Kaukauna.

In the Greater Metro Conference, both Brookfield East and Germantown, a couple playoff teams from last year, are winless on the year and 0-2 to start the league schedule.

Saint Croix Falls has won a playoff game each of the past three seasons, but the Saints are currently 0-4 and still in search of their first victory.

Mayville has finished as the Division 5 runner-up the last two seasons, but the Cardinals are now 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the Flyway Conference after losing most of the core group from those last two squads.

Holmen was 0-4 to begin the 2022 season before rattling off five straight victories, and the Vikings find themselves in a similar situation in 2023, falling to 0-4 once again after a loss to Baraboo last night.

Burlington advanced to Level 3 last year and had some extremely talented offensive players returning this season, but the Demons are off to an incredibly rocky start this year. The team is 0-4 overall and has been outscored 80-22 in two conference losses.

Wisconsin Rapids was a co-champ in the Valley Football Association last year but the Raiders fell to 0-4 last night with a 41-9 defeat at the hands of Stevens Point.

River Falls was 2-0 in the non-conference season but a 48-26 loss to Hudson last night drops the Wildcats to 0-2 in league play, as last year's co-champs may be on the outside looking in at the Big Rivers title race.


About the Author

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board as the Website and Communications Director and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball) and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.

Football News

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Travis Wilson