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2023 Recap:  The Northwoods-West 8-Player Football Conference is made up of four teams that previously competed in the Lakeland-East (Mellen, Northwoods/Solon Springs, Washburn, Winter/Birchwood) as well as Bruce out of the CWC-West, Shell Lake out of the Lakeland-West, and former independent squad South Shore.

2023 Lakeland-East Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)
2023 Lakeland-West Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)
2023 CWC-West Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)
2023 Independent Season Information (Standings, Stats, All-Conference)

2024 Preview:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Shell Lake
2) Northwoods/Solon Springs
3) Bruce
4) Washburn
5) Winter/Birchwood
6) South Shore
7) Mellen

Players to Watch:

Andrew Frederick, RB, Bruce: Frederick rambled for 1,231 yards and 17 touchdowns on 215 carries last year as a workhorse in the Red Raiders’ offense. 

Brock Naessen, RB/LB, Shell Lake: Naessen was the Lakeland-West Offensive Player of the Year last season when he carried the ball 118 times for 1,559 yards and 30 touchdowns, with 11, two-point conversions as well. He was also a First Team All-Conference linebacker after leading the team in tackles.

Jared Schultz, QB, Northwood/Solon Springs: Schultz was one of the top offensive players in the state last year, throwing for more than 1300 yards with 16 touchdowns and also rushing for 1,695 yards and 23 touchdowns, adding 13, two-point conversion runs.

Peter Steines, DB/RB, Shell Lake: Steines was a First Team All-Conference defender in the Lakeland-West last year and also a contributor on the offensive side of the ball.

Brent Watson, OL/DL, Mellen: Watson was First Team All-Conference on both sides of the ball for the Granite Diggers last year.

2024 Team Previews

1) Shell Lake finished a couple games off the pace in the Lakeland-8 West a year ago, going down against Clayton and Siren, before another loss to Clayton in the first playoff game. The Lakers make a move this fall to a new alignment in the Northwood-West, where they should be the favorite. It's a strong, experienced group that is back this season, led by two-way standout Brock Naessen, who was the Lakeland-8 West Offensive Player of the Year last season and also a disruptive defender. 

2) Northwoods/Solon Springs put up some big offensive numbers last year, finishing 53 overall, though the team would miss out on the postseason. They should be in the mix towards the top of the Northwoods-West, but did lose to Shell Lake 72-40 last season. The return of prolific quarterback jared Schultz gives the co-op squad a big leg up. Last season, he threw for 1,323 yards with 16 touchdowns, also finishing among state leaders with 1,695 rushing yards and 23 scores on the ground. 

3) Bruce went 5-4 last year after an extra game win over Frederic is included, but the Red Raiders finished well off the pace in the CWC-West. They’ll make the move to the Northwoods-West this year, facing all new competition. The team did not play anyone last year who will be in their conference this season. Bruce returns workhorse running back Andrew Frederick, who carried the ball 215 times in nine games for 1,231 yards and 17 touchdowns, with 17 two-point conversions as well.

4) Washburn finished 2-6 last year, as the Castle Guards will move from the Lakeland-East to the Northwoods-West this season. Head coach Adam Coykendall brings back 13 letterwinners, with five starters back on offense and four on defense. The guard position will be a strength offensively, and the Castle Guards also bring back Honorable Mention All-Conference quarterback Max Phillips.

5) Winter/Birchwood managed just one on-field victory last year, an 18-8 decision over the Chequamegon co-op. They got got a forfeit victory against Mellen, otherwise struggled in general. Charlie Repman is back as a Second Team All-Conference defender, while Jayden Campbell was an Honorable Mention choice.

6) South Shore opened the year with a 46-6 running clock victory over Mid-Peninsula (MI), but that would be the only win for the club last season. Their only game against a team they’ll face in conference this season was a 56-12 loss to Northwood/Solon Springs. 

7) Mellen did not win a game last season, as six of seven on-field losses ended in a running clock, and the team had to forfeit the final game against Winter/Birchwood. “As a tiny enrollment school, we are always going to struggle wit numbers, so our weaknesses will most likely continue to be size and depth at the line of scrimmage, and depth overall,” said head coach Russ Odovero. “We have a number of young players who have potential to be good skill position players, so that will be an area of potential strength in the future. In 2023 we were ridiculously young, and small in size and numbers, and we were not competitive in competition. We did not reach the overall team goals I set going into 2023, in the areas of effort, focus, and commitment which falls on me. In 2024 our goals will be to improve substantially in those areas, and to be more competitive in competition.” Six starters return on both sides of the ball for Mellen.

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.