Legendary coach Jerry Sinz has Edgar in state title contention once again
DIVISION 6 | BRACKET
Toughest Road So Far
Kenosha St. Joseph won a state title last year, but it came in Division 7, as the Lancers were elevated to D6 this year by the WIAA’s Tournament Performance Factor. That alone creates challenges, and last week the team got a tough test from a game Cuba City squad that comes out of the always-competitive SWAL. With the help of a huge multi-faceted performance from Christopher Kenesie, St. Joe’s won 28-21 in a game that was tied heading into the fourth quarter.
Cinderella
Like D7, it has been a lot of chalk so far in Division 6, which features all four, one-seeds, plus a pair of two-seeds plus two, three-seeds. Cedar Grove-Belgium is the only team to have to go on the road thus far, as the Rockets knocked off second-seeded Kewaunee last week 17-14 despite being outgained 301-182.
Most Impressive
Top-seeded Mondovi has scored more than 50 points in both of its playoff games thus far, defeating Unity 53-0 in Level 1 before pulling away from fifth-seeded Potosi/Cassville for a 50-28 victory last week. Junior quarterback Bode Falkner continues to be a nightmare matchup for opponents, accounting for six touchdowns last week and four the week before.
The Match-Ups
This is a rematch of a game from early October when Mondovi dismantled Regis 38-0 in a Cloverbelt contest. Regis mustered just 184 yards of offense, while Mondovi rolled up more than 400. Bode Falkner had 332 yards of offense by himself and the Regis secondary had no answer for the Mondovi passing attack. Regis hasn’t lost since then, and has looked solid, but are they 39 points improved from that first meeting?
My Pick: Mondovi
#2 Kenosha St. Joseph (9-2) at #1 Manitowoc Lutheran (11-0)
Manitowoc Lutheran is undefeated and coming off a state semifinals run a year ago, but the Lancers are somehow still flying under the radar. No one in our Bound Wisconsin Staff and Media Partner Picks even picked them to get to the state championship game. They’ve looked good so far in the postseason, and now get last year’s Division 7 state champions, Kenosha St. Joseph. How much can Manty Lutheran contain Christopher Kenesie; how that plays out will go a long ways in determining the outcome of the game.
My Pick: Manitowoc Lutheran
#3 Cedar Grove-Belgium (9-2) at #1 Bonduel (11-0)
Bonduel keeps chugging along unbeaten, with no competitive scores since early in the season. The Bears have a pair of 1000-yard rushers in Carter Moesch and Malachi Gray, and have been close to breaking through a few times, but still chasing their first state title game appearance in school history. They’ll have to get through a surging Cedar Grove-Belgium team first, as the Rockets have won eight in a row since going down to Manitowoc Lutheran to open league play in early September. The 14 points the team allowed to Kewaunee last week ended a run of five straight shutouts.
My Pick: Bonduel
It’s too bad these teams ended up in the same grouping, as they are both among the elite teams in the Division. Edgar’s history is well-documented, with legendary coach Jerry Sinz going over 500 career wins earlier this season behind a roster stacked with some familiar Edgar names. The Wildcats’ only loss this year came against old rival Stratford in Week 2. Lomira was a somewhat surprising state champion two years ago, and the Lions are back in title contention once again. Sophomore Hunter Schaumberg is on the precipice of 2000 rushing yards this season.
My Pick: Edgar
My Picks:
(&-1 last week; 22-2, 91.67% overall in Division 6)
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].
