Black Hawk/Warren and quarterback Beau Podnar scored a huge Week 9 win over Potosi/Cassville to solidify a number one seed in the playoffs
DIVISION 7 | BRACKET
(Times, dates, & locations subject to change)
The Placements
We’ll get a new champion in Division 7, as two-time defending champ Edgar is elevated to D6. Cochrane-Fountain City is undefeated and the top seed in Group A, as many of the same players that were part of last winter’s boys basketball state championship are key players for the Pirates and head coach Jesse Cyrus, also the hoops coach. Boyceville is also unbeaten and the two-seed. Lourdes Academy won the Trailways Conference and grabs the top seed in Group B, taking on Shiocton, who went 2-7 but gets in largely on the back of a Week 9 upset of Northland Pines. Black Hawk/Warren knocked off Potosi/Cassville a Week 9 battle of unbeatens and it leads the Warriors to a top seed in Group C, while Potosi/Cassville is the three-seed. Johnson Creek is the two-seed. Kenosha St. Joseph has beaten a number of larger teams, including D3’s Greendale and South Milwaukee, and is the number one seed in Group D.
Six to Watch
Here are six of the most electric offensive players that will be lining it up beginning this weekend:
Brady Bauer, Lourdes Academy - Bauer is very good throwing the football, completing 68.5% of his passes for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns, but he’s also the team’s top rusher with 736 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground.
Justin Bergmann, Pepin/Alma - Bergmann is the top running back in Division 7, rushing for 1,643 yards and 28 touchdowns this season on 152 carries, averaging 10.8 yards per attempt.
Parker Kujak, Cochrane-Fountain City - The junior quarterback has thrown for 800 yards and eight touchdowns this season, also playing a key role in the rushing game with 209 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground for the unbeaten Pirates.
Zach Rizzo, Kenosha St. Joseph - Rizzo. completed 72.2% of his passes in the regular season with 1,468 passing yards and 17 touchdowns against just one interception. He also has five rushing touchdowns for the unbeaten Lancers.
Carson Roemhild, Boyceville - Roemhild leads the division in passing yards with 1,564, throwing 23 touchdowns with zero interceptions while completing 64.9% of his passes.
River Sahr, Potosi/Cassville - Sahr and fellow junior Hunter White have each rushed for more than 1100 yards this year, as Sahr leads the team with 21 touchdowns on the ground
Upset Alert
Randolph has played a very challenging schedule this year, with losses to teams that are seeded #2, #1, #6, #2, and #4 (D6) in the playoffs, with several competitive games in there. The sixth-seeded Rockets will take on third-seeded Coleman, who finished second in the Northwoods Conference. Don’t sleep on eighth-seeded River Ridge against top-seed Black Hawk/Warren either, as the teams went to overtime earlier this year with Black Hawk/Warren scoring a 30-22 win.
Best Level 1 Game
Blair-Taylor and Eleva-Strum finished with the same 6-3 record, but Blair-Taylor’s non-conference wins helped them finish percentage points ahead of the Cardinals for the final number four seed, leaving Eleva-Strum a five seed despite a 59-34 head-to-head win. Eleva-Strum racked up 532 yards of offense in that one, including 378 on the ground.
Potential intriguing match-ups the rest of the way
Please note the emphasis on potential.
Cochrane-Fountain City vs. Boyceville, Sectional Final - Both teams went undefeated this year, with Cochrane-Fountain City’s 15-14 win over Pepin/Alma the only close game either team played. Boyceville advanced to the state semi-final last year before falling to Edgar, returning 16 starters from that group.
Black Hawk/Warren vs. Potosi/Cassville, Sectional Final - This would mark the third consecutive season the teams would meet twice, including the playoffs. Last year, Potosi/Cassville defeated Black Hawk/Warren in Week 9 and Level 1 en route to a D7 runner-up finish. In Week 9 of this year, Black Hawk/Warren built a 22-7 halftime lead before holding on for a 28-21 victory.
My Picks
Cochrane-Fountain City over Assumption
Spring Valley over Glenwood City
Pepin/Alma over Turtle Lake
Boyceville over Webster
Lourdes Academy over Shiocton
Eleva-Strum over Blair-Taylor
Wauzeka-Steuben/Seneca over Ithaca
Hilbert over Pittsville
Black Hawk/Warren over River Ridge
Cashton over Brookwood
Potosi/Cassville over Cambria-Friesland
Johnson Creek over Clear Lake
Kenosha St. Joseph over Palmyra-Eagle
Reedsville over Crivitz
Coleman over Randolph
Roncalli over Royall
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].