Every Wednesday during the regular season we will highlight the 8-Player Football game with a spotlight article on boundwisconsin.com. We'll look back at the action and big stories from the previous week, look ahead at the coming week's big match-ups, and select a Star of the Week.
8-Player coaches, please enter player stats on Bound Wisconsin so that we can continue having the necessary information to produce this weekly spotlight of your game, and feel free to send any news or information to us as well.
Looking Back
Defending champion Owen-Withee suffered significant graduation losses from last year, and the Blackhawks aren’t quite at the same level as 2024. On Thursday, the team lost a 39-0 decision to second-ranked McDonell Central, who got a big passing day from Cael Holm, who completed 12-of-16 for 213 yards and three scores.
Tenth-ranked Flambeau took down seventh-ranked Hurley 42-8 in a top ten showdown. Both Chanse Ludescher and Cole Schley had more than 100 rushing yards in the win.
In another top ten matchup, fifth-ranked Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas jumped out early on eighth-ranked Sevastopol, leading 38-14 at halftime, and closed out a 44-20 victory. Max Peterson led a balanced rushing attack with 101 yards and three touchdowns, also returning an interception for a touchdown.
Oakfield received a forfeit against Princeton/Green Lake, and the third-ranked Oaks scheduled a replacement game against Algoma. It was Algoma that scored the 34-22 victory. Lane Cockart had a big game throwing the ball, completing nine-of-10 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns.
Wayland Academy has been through a lot of tough times in football, but last Saturday the Big Red scored a 44-8 win at Montello, ending a 34-game conference losing streak that had dated back to 2013. Regan Richardson ran for 198 yards and five touchdowns in the victory.
Looking Ahead
Perhaps the Game of the Year, at least in the regular season, takes place this week, as second-ranked McDonell Central will travel to top-ranked Gilman. Last year, McDonell Central won a hard-fought 22-14 victory as Grant Smiskey had a nice game with three touchdown passes. Both teams have dominated to this point, winning every game via running clock.
Hurley suffered its first loss of the season last week against Flambeau, and the Northstars will try to get back on track in Week 5 as they welcome in Athens, who is also 3-1 on the year.
Star of the Week: Parker Liscka, Algoma
Parker Liscka had a big game as the Wolves defeated third-ranked Oakfield 34-22. The senior hauled in five passes for 153 yards and two scores, adding a kick return touchdown as well plus two interceptions.
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. 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 @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].