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2023 Recap: Boyceville dominated the conference, going a perfect 11-0 before falling to Edgar in Level 3 of the playoffs. Spring Valley was second, scoring a playoff win as well. Elmwood/Plum City and Cadott tied for third, while Glenwood City and Clear Lake made it into the playoffs via tiebreakers.
Note: Cadott moves from the Dunn-St. Croix to the Lakeland Conference this year.
The Dunn-St. Croix is now a seven-team league and each team will play one crossover game against a member of the Lakeland that will count in the standings for playoff qualification.
2023 Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)
2024 Preview:
Predicted Order of Finish:
1) Boyceville
2) Spring Valley
3) Glenwood City
4) Clear Lake
5) Elmwood/Plum City
6) Turtle Lake
7) Colfax
Players to Watch:
Caleb Bartko, OL/DL, Spring Valley: Bartko was a First Team All-Conference pick as both an offensive and defensive lineman.
Jordan Blanchard, WR/DB, Clear Lake: Blanchard was First Team All-Conference as a receiver, leading the team in both receiving and rushing. He was also a First Team All-Conference defensive back.
Zach Hellendrung, RB/LB, Boyceville: Hellendrung was the co-Defensive Player of the Year last season and also ran for more than 700 yards.
Brody Olson, QB, Glenwood City: Olson only played the first half of the year, but averaged 220 yards per game with 10 touchdowns.
Carson Roemhild, QB/DB, Boyceville: Roemhild shared Offensive Player of the Year accolades, throwing for 1,407 yards and 24 touchdowns with a 121.4 passer rating.
Cade Stasiek, WR/DB, Spring Valley: Stasiek was First Team All-Conference as a defensive back and kicker, with Honorable Mention accolades as a receiver.
2024 Team Previews
1) Boyceville produced one of the best seasons in school history in 2023, going unbeaten during the regular season, including an outright Dunn-St. Croix title. The team advanced to Level 3 for just the third time, falling to eventual D7 champ Edgar. "We lost a senior class that changed the way people looked at Boyceville football," said head coach Michael Roemhild. "They leave after posting a 34-8 record of four years of varsity football. We graduate eight starters from offense and seven starters from defense, as well as some special teams players." Despite this, there are some really nice pieces coming back and coming up for the Bulldogs. Carson Roemhild returns after earning DSC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Fellow junior Zach Hellendrung was a Second Team all-league choice on offense and the league's Defensive Player of the Year. "We have guys that were competing for spots last year and are ready to fill in where we need them this year," added Coach Roemhild. "The team will have good size and speed, great knowledge of our system, with confidence from last year."
2) Spring Valley just couldn't find a way to beat Boyceville last year, losing to the Bulldogs in the regular season finale with a share of the Dunn-St. Croix title on the line, then going down again to Boyceville in Level 2 of the playoffs. "We have some really talented players returning but also many big question marks to figure out," said head coach Ryan Kapping. "We have some strong skill players and a couple very experienced linemen, but we have some areas that will need to be filled by newcomers and the work that they put in will decide how those spots get filled. I expect us to be a team that focuses on running the ball first and foremost and plays really sound defense." After being involved running and catching the ball the last couple years, Cade Stasiek will make the move to quarterback this season. Stasiek is also a standout on the defensive side of the ball, where he's joined by Caleb Bartko, Trevor Forster, and Connor Erickson as the top four tacklers from last year's squad. The Cardinals return five starters on offense this year along with five on defense.
3) Glenwood City went 5-4 last year during the regular season, but closed with a 36-0 shutout loss to Elmwood/Plum City before an identical 36-0 defeat against Edgar in the first playoff game. The Hilltoppers were a touch behind Boyceville and Spring Valley, but hope to push those teams this year. Brody Olson is back after splitting time at quarterback, and ready for a breakout after averaging 220 yards per game in limited action. Leading rusher Mitch McGee also returns.
4) Clear Lake was sitting at just 1-6 heading into the final two weeks of the season, but wins over Colfax and Turtle Lake got the Warriors to 3-4 in the league and into the playoffs. Clear Lake got a second game against league winner Boyceville, but it went similar to the first time in a 41-3 loss. The Warriors return one of the league’s top athletes in Jordan Blanchard, who led the team in rushing and receiving last season.
5) Elmwood/Plum City got into the playoffs for a third straight year, but once again exited in Level 1, falling 50-16 to Regis. The offense was predicated on running the football, but after combining for more than 2000 yards, Blake Allen and Aaden Birtzer have graduated. There are some nice returning pieces up front, including First Team All-Conference offensive lineman Jack Steinmeyer plus Second Team choice Brett Kopp.
6) Turtle Lake lost the last four games of the year, causing the Lakers to miss out on the playoffs. Trent Nyhus stepped down in the off-season to take the head job at Unity. Troy Wagner takes over this season. “We’ll be a young team, depending on many of our seniors and juniors to produce results on both sides of the ball,” Wagner said. “The strength of this year’s team will be the skill players on offense and defense. Our weakness will be overall team depth and lack of varsity experience at some positions.” There are six starters returning on offense, with nine starters back on defense.
7) Colfax opened the 2023 season with a 19-14 win over Whitehall, but that’s the only victory the Vikings were able to secure on the year. “The strength for our team on offense will come from the skill positions,” said third-year coach Joseph Beranek. “We return an all-conference player in Theo Hovde and have a good returning contingent at the other skill positions. Weakness on both offense and defense will come at the line positions as we will be quite inexperienced.” Overall the team welcomes back ten letterwinners, with five starters returning on offense and six on defense.
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 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), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.
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