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2023 Recap:  Aquinas won the Coulee Conference again last season, and for a third consecutive season, the Blugolds went on to win the Division 5 state title. Westby was second, dropping a tough opening home playoff game against Watertown Luther Prep. West Salem was third, while G-E-T and Altoona also made the postseason.

Note: Altoona moves out of the Coulee and into the Middle Border Conference this year. Luther enters the Coulee from the Scenic Bluffs. 

2023 Coulee Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)
2023 Scenic Bluffs Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)

2024 Preview:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Aquinas
2) West Salem
3) Westby
4) G-E-T
5) Black River Falls
6) Arcadia
7) Viroqua
8) Luther

Players to Watch:

Trevor Arentz, RB/LB, West Salem: Arentz was a First Team All-Conference performer on defense last year and a Second Team choice on offense when he finished second on the team in rushing.

Luke Baginski, QB, West Salem: Baginski is a returning starter at quarterback, throwing for more than 1000 yards with 12 touchdowns while also leading the team with 758 rushing yards and 10 more scores on the ground.

Logan Becker, WR, Aquinas: Becker caught 28 passes for 680 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead state champion Aquinas in all three categories.

Ryon Berklund, OL/DL, Westby: Berklund was First Team All-Conference as a defensive lineman last season and a Second Team choice as an offensive lineman.

Landon Bryant, RB, Luther: Bryant led the Knights in rushing last year and garnered First Team All-Conference recognition.

Max Maliszewski, OL, Aquinas: Maliszewski is the top returning offensive lineman in the Coulee, earning First Team All-Conference recognition last year.

Kyle Seiling, RB/DB, G-E-T: Seiling ran for 1,082 yards and 10 touchdowns last season as a First Team All-Conference selection.

Anders Stakston, WR, Westby: Stakston is a talented receiver that earned First Team All-Conference recognition in the Coulee last year when he caught 29 passes for 674 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging more than 23 yards per catch.

Logan Thornton, QB, Aquinas: Thornton threw for 1,488 yards and 18 touchdowns last year, guiding the Blugolds to a state title in his first season as the starter.

Kyle White, RB, Aquinas: White ran for 1,313 yards and 14 touchdowns, including a 240-yard performance in the state title game, to help Aquinas to a third consecutive championship.

2024 Team Previews

1) Aquinas became just the ninth program in state history to win three consecutive titles, defeating Wrightstown 32-13 in the Division 5 championship game. The Blugolds rattled off 32 unanswered points and rolled up nearly 400 rushing yards in the title tilt, as Kyle White ran for 240 yards on 32 carries. Aquinas opened the year with a tough loss to Prairie du Chien, but won 13 consecutive games, including a 20-13 victory over defending Division 4 champion Columbus. The Blugolds will try to become just the third team in state history to win four straight titles, though they'll do so in a higher division in 2024 after being elevated due to Tournament Performance Factor points. "Our skill position players is where we probably have the most athletes," said head coach Thomas Lee. "Kids are going to have to fight for jobs at wide receiver, running back & defensive back. We are committed to starting 22 players. This is a big deal in a school of 309 kids. Committing to this has helped increase our participation numbers and has really gotten kids to commit to the weight room. It has also forced our staff to become better coaches." Starting quarterback Jacob Thornton, 1300-yard rusher Kyle White, and talented receivers Logan Becker and Waylon Hargrove are among the talented skill players for the Blugolds, who also boast a couple outstanding offensive linemen in Max Maliszewski and Jon Kearney. A total of seven starters return on offense, with five back on defense.

2) West Salem advanced to the Division 3 state title game in 2022, and while 2023 was a solid season, it was a bit off the pace from the previous year, with the Panthers settling for a 7-1 overall record and third place finish in the Coulee Conference. Head coach Justin Jehn stepped down in the off-season, with former Royall coach and current West Salem Athletic Director Ryan Olson taking over the program. He'll inherit a roster with plenty of experience, as eight starters are back on offense and six on defense. Luke Baginski is a dual-threat quarterback who produced more than 1800 yards of offense and accounted for 22 touchdowns last season. He'll be joined by talented skill players Trevor Arentz, Carter Pontius, and Drew McConkey. Olson can rely on longtime assistant Bob Gorniak, who is in his 40th season as the defensive coordinator for the Panthers.

3) Westby posted a very strong 2023, going 8-1 during the regular season, the only loss coming against eventual Division 5 state champion Aquinas. In a very tough regional grouping, the Norse got to host a Level 1 playoff game but would fall in a close battle to Watertown Luther Prep. "We will be a very young team as we will be replacing most of our outgoing senior starters on both sides of the ball," said head coach Andy Hulst. "We do return some good skill players at receiver on offense and do return three of our offensive and defensive linemen." Westby brings back four starters on offense, including explosive wide receiver Anders Stakston. Four starters also return on defense.

4) G-E-T opened the 2023 season with three straight losses. The Red Hawks rebounded to make the playoffs, taking down Arcadia in Week 9 to secure their spot. A second straight postseason appearance ended in a Level 1 exit, as G-E-T went out against Stanley-Boyd. The Red Hawks could be a bit of a surprise squad to push the top group in the Coulee, bringing back 1000-yard rusher Kyle Seiling, second-leading rusher Max Knapmiller, plus quarterback Ben Hanson. 

5) Black River Falls finished 2-7 for a second straight season, scoring close league wins over Arcadia and Viroqua. We return almost all starters from a year ago,” said head coach Adam Yirkovsky. “We have massive experience on both our lines. Those linemen that were still growing as sophomores last year have now entered their junior year stronger and faster, and as smarter football players. We have a great mix of experience, and energy, and we expect to finally see our record improve after a rebuild that started two years ago.” There are ten starters returning on offense this season, with seven starters back on defense. “The hard work will finally start to pay off for Tiger football this year, and we expect to surprise people who have overlooked us in the past,” added Yirkovsky.

6) Arcadia was one of the top teams in the Coulee Conference a decade ago, but things haven’t quite gone their way recently. Last year, the Raiders won the opening non-conference games against Osseo-Fairchild and Whitehall, but did not taste victory in the conference schedule, finishing 2-7 overall and last in the league standings. Veteran head coach Derek Updike brings back seven starters on both sides of the ball, with 25 returning letterwinners. 

7) Viroqua won two of its first three games last year, including the opening conference against Arcadia. The Blackhawks would drop the final six games of 2023, however, as the team hasn’t qualified for the regular playoffs since 2004. The team does return quarterback Benson McDowell this season, though leading rusher Oliver Pelock and top receiver Andrew Fassbinder have graduated.

8) Luther moved out of the Coulee Conference a few years back, but the Knights re-enter the league this season. They’re coming off a third-place finish in the Scenic Bluffs, when they made the playoffs but lost the Level 1 matchup with Coleman. Luther played just one game against their new Coulee foes last year, a 42-7 loss to Aquinas in a non-conference game. As Luther moves to the larger Coulee Conference, they’ll do so with last year’s quarterback Jackson Kendall as well as top rushers Landon Bryant and Jack Schmelling.

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.

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.