A look at Friday’s football games for all teams in the couleesports.com area …
Aquinas (5-0, 3-0 Coulee) at Black River Falls (1-4, 1-2 Coulee)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Black River Falls High School
LAST YEAR: The Blugolds on 37-8 and scored all of their points in the first half.
COULEE SERIES: Aquinas leads 4-0, winning games by a combined score of 195-17.
NOTEWORTHY: Aquinas–Senior QB Ryan Johnson (52-for-72-858 yards, 12 TDs-0 INTs) has completed at least 1 pass to 13 receivers with senior WR Logan Becker (18 catches-294 yards, 4 TDs) leading the way. … The Blugolds are also averaging 215 rushing yards per game. … Senior LB Waylon Hargrove has 2.5 of the team’s 15 sacks and 5 of its 41 tackles for loss; BRF–Junior QB Braylon Backaus (45-91-794, 8-5) will be the top target for the Aquinas defense, and he looks for junior Mason Meimann (8-270, 5) when the Tigers near the end zone.
West Salem (4-1, 3-0 Coulee) at Onalaska Luther (2-3, 2-1 Coulee)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Luther High School
LAST YEAR: The Panthers on 34-6 and received 1 passing TD and 1 rushing TD from Drew McConkey.
COULEE SERIES: West Salem leads 9-2 after both teams have jumped around to different conferences. The Knights last beat the Panthers in 1998.
NOTEWORTHY: West Salem–The Panthers only played a couple of possessions last week in a 13-0 shutout of Arcadia due to lightning and rain. … Junior RB Rory O’Neill (44 carries-308 yards, 5 TDs) was injured in that game. Junior QB Drew McConkey has passed for 581 yards and 9 TDs and rushed for 178 yards and 3 TDs… West Salem has allowed 20 points during its current 4-game win streak. … Junior RB Isaiah Laack leads the team with 24 tackles, and senior DL Landon Michlig tops it with 7 TFLs; Luther–Junior QB Jonny Holub (36-77-512, 6-9) and junior RB Logan Pierce (57-271, 2) are the top offensive threats, and junior LB Sam Schmeling tops it with 3 tackles, while Pierce has added 34.5. … The Knights are 2-0 vs. teams with a losing record and 0-3 vs. teams with a winning record, so a victory here would mean a lot.
Arcadia (3-2, 1-2 Coulee) at Westby (2-3, 2-1 Coulee)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Westby High School
LAST YEAR: The Norsemen won 32-18 by scoring 16 fourth-quarter points.
COULEE SERIES: Westby leads 29-17 and has won 3 straight meetings.
NOTEWORTHY: Arcadia–The Raiders conceded last week’s 13-0 loss at West Salem after lighting and rain would have pushed the Friday night game to Saturday. … Senior RB Max Blaschko (89-664, 7) still leads the area in rushing despite only getting a couple of carries in that game. … Junior QB Carter Wegman (28-62-430, 6-3) and sophomore WR Khyle Updike (11-190, 3) have picked up steam as a tough passing threat for defenses; Westby–Junior QB Maddox Torkelson (23-54-421, 1-1) and junior WR Griffin Nelson (13-240, 1) lead the Norsemen offensively, and Westby allows 27 points per game with 3 opponents scoring at least 30.
Monticello (0-5, 0-4 Ridge and Valley) at De Soto (3-1, 3-1 Ridge and Valley)
WHEN: 3 p.m. Friday
WHERE: De Soto High School
LAST YEAR: The Pirates won 50-6, and QB Finn Wrobel passed for 5 TDs and rushed for another.
NOTEWORTHY: Monticello–Junior QB Tanner Hillard (30-65-419, 6-5) and senior RB Levi Truttman (89-409, 1) lead the Ponies, who are allowing 57.2 points per game and have allowed every opponent at least 52; De Soto–The Pirates have scored at leat 42points in 3 of 4 games and beat Wisconsin Heights 62-12 last week. … Senior QB Finn Wrobel (19-36-463, 8-0) has a hand in 11 TD (3 rushing) this season. … Senior RB Austin DeFlorian (35-407,8) averages 11.6 yards per rushing attempt, and senior Bryce Schultz (11-348, 6) leads the area is receiving yards per game with 87. … Schultz has also rushed for 194 yards and a TD and has 31.5 tackles and 2 sacks. … Senior Griffin Hanson leads the team with 39.5 tackles and 4 TFLs.
Rochester Lourdes (3-1, 2-1 Southeast Central-Yellow) at Caledonia (2-2, 2-2 Southeast Central-Yellow)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Caledonia High School
LAST YEAR: The Warriors won 28-0 to open their season with a shutout.
NOTEWORTHY: Lourdes–The Eagles have won 3 straight games since a loss to Chatfield. … Lourdes is averaging 16.3 points per game and allowing 9.8 with 1 shutout; Caledonia–The Warriors have allowed a total of 29 points in their last 3 games and 50 for the season after last week’s 18-0 win over Dover-Eyota. … Senior QB Will Allen (40-55-473, 4-3) threw 3 TD passes against D-E, and the ground gam centers on senior RB Jack Schmitz (40-321, 5). … Junior WR Jacoby Hammell (9-176, 1) is the leading receiver in yards, and sophomore Grant King has 3 TD catches. … Sophomore Cooper Allen has a team-high 34 tackles.
Logan (4-1, 2-1 MVC) at Onalaska (3-2, 1-2 MVC)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Onalaska High School
LAST YEAR: The Rangers won 36-35 with a two-point conversion in OT.
MVC SERIES: Logan leads 20-15 and snapped a 6-game losing streak to the Hilltoppers last season.
NOTEWORTHY: Logan–The Rangers are looking to bounce back from a 13-12 loss to Central after winning the first 4 games. … Senior RB Maxim Roberts (99-613, 8) and sophomore QB Tommy Check (108-603, 9) rank second and third in the area in rushing yards after combining for nearly 200 yards last week. … Logan is allowing 15.2 points per game, and no opponent has scored more than 21. … Senior LBs Jackson Bosch and Preston Elston lead that defense. … Check has also passed for 214 yards and a TD after throwing his first INT of the season last week; Onalaska–The Hilltoppers ended a 2-game losing streak with a 51-13 win at Baraboo last week…. Senior QB Ian Kowal (83-128-1,013, 11-2) is the first 1,000-yard passer in the area after recording 256 yards and 3 TDs in the win over the Thunderbirds. … Senior WRs Luke Siegel (21-377, 5) and Tanner Siebert (22-222, 1) will present challenges to the Logan defense.
Holmen (5-0, 3-0 MVC) at Tomah (1-4, 1-2 MVC)
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Tomah High School
LAST YEAR: The Vikings won 62-0 behind 4 TDs from Jack Barth, who had 221 rushing and receiving yards.
MVC SERIES: Holmen leads 22-13 and has beaten Tomah 12 times in a row since the Timberwolves posted a 41-28 win in 2011.
NOTEWORTHY: Holmen–The Vikings are the only conference team with five wins and was last 5-0 in 2014. … Senior QB Colin Williams had a hand in all 3 touchdowns in last week’s 22-21 win over Reedsburg, and he has passed for 347 yards and rushed for 211. … Senior RBs (Eli Kane (58-472, 9) and Jack Barth (29-427, 5) key the rushing attack that averages 258 yards per game…. Barth also has 11 catches for 202 yards and 3 TDs. … Junior LB Mason Flury’s 41 tackles lead the team, and senior DL Ayden Smith has a team-best 6.5 TFLs.; Tomah–The Timberwolves allow 33.6 points per game and are led offensively by senior RB Shon Abbas (79-389, 2) and senior QB Timothy Budde, who has 302 passing yards and 267 rushing yards.
Sparta (3-2, 1-2 MVC) at Central (3-2, 3-0 MVC)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex, UW-La Crosse
LAST YEAR: The RiverHawks won 48-28 with 2 TD runs from Christian Rudrud and a TD pass from Gabe Servais.
MVC SERIES: Central leads 28-7 and has beaten Sparta four straight times.
NOTEWORTHY: Sparta–The Spartans have beaten three opponents — Black River Falls, Mauston and Tomah — who have a combined record of 2-13 and lost to two teams — Holmen and Logan — with a combined record of 9-1…. Senior RB Camden McTaggart (102-561, 5) and senior WR Kayden Kaat (25-379, 5) are big-play pieces for the offense; Central–The RiverHawks are riding high after knocking off Logan 13-12 and winning the Ark of Victory on Saturday. … Senior Christian Rudrud (99-660, 8) ranks second in the area in rushing yards and has completed 75.6 percent of his passes for 510 yards and 5 TDs as the area’s most dangerous dual offensive threat. … Senior WR Connor Groth (21-353, 5) is coming off a 135-yard, 2-touchdown game against the Rangers, and junior Gabe Servais has rushed for 251 yards and 3 TDs and passed for 145 yards and 1 TD. … Rudrud also leads the defense with 31.5 tackles — 6 of those stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Whitehall (2-3, 1-2 Dairyland) at Melrose-Mindoro (3-2, 1-2 Dairyland)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Melrose-Mindoro High School
LAST YEAR: The Norse won 26-7
NOTEWORTHY: Whitehall–The Norse have won twice by shutout and lost once by shutout. … Junior Bo Killian (75-421, 5) leads a rushing offense that averages 211 yards per game; Melrose-Mindoro–Junior Brady Blaken (48-86-542, 5-4) will be key as the Mustangs try to bounce back from a 41-0 loss to Pepin/Alma. … Junior RB Isaiah Kleinsmith (36-312, 4) has 19 catches for 206 yards and 2 TDs. … Senior WR Brett Peterson (14-207, 1) is just ahead of Kleinsmith and leading the team in receiving yards.
