High School Football Recap: Week 6
By Jimmie Kaska
Game Audio: Stoughton 30, Oregon 27
By Jimmie Kaska
The Road To Madison
Each week, we will take a look at the area games and check out the playoff scenarios at play for each team. Projected divisions are based on the cutoff lines from last year based on enrollment.
Projected playoff teams are based largely based on current record and quality of opponents faced.
Current area teams (Big 8, Badger North/South, Capitol North/South, Rock Valley) teams that have clinched a playoff spot and their projected divisions: Sun Prairie (1), Madison West (1), Middleton (1), Waunakee (2), Stoughton (2), Monona Grove (2), Jefferson (3), Turner (4), Clinton (5), Belleville* (6).
*Playoff-Eligible
Moving Up (Teams that haven't already clinched): Janesville Craig (On The Bubble), Beaver Dam (Projected Playoff Team), Lake Mills (Projected Playoff Team), Big Foot (On The Bubble).
Moving Down: Madison East (Eliminated), Sauk Prairie (Eliminated), Baraboo (Eliminated), Reedsburg (In The Hunt), Edgewood (Eliminated), Milton (In The Hunt), Monroe (In The Hunt), Fort Atkinson (In The Hunt), Columbus (In The Hunt), Poynette (In The Hunt), Waterloo (In The Hunt).
Big 8: 5 wins needed to clinch
*4-5 record sometimes is enough for a playoff spot if not enough .500 teams qualify for the playoffs
Clinched: Sun Prairie (5-0), D1; Middleton (5-1), D1; Madison West (5-1), D1
Eliminated: Madison East (0-6); Beloit Memorial (1-5)*; Janesville Parker (1-5)*
Clinched With a Win: Verona (4-2)
Eliminated With a Loss: Madison Memorial (2-4)*
Clinching Scenarios: Verona will take on winless Madison East, already eliminated from playoff contention, this week. With a win, the Wildcats would clinch a playoff spot one game ahead of their big Week 8 showdown with Sun Prairie.
Elimination Scenarios: Beloit Memorial and Janesville Parker play each other this week. The losing team will be completely eliminated from playoff contention, while the winner will need to finish up with a pair of victories in order to have even a slim chance of advancing... Madison Memorial and Janesville Craig square off in what is essentially a playoff game, as Memorial would pick up its fifth loss (and lose control of its playoff destiny) while Craig still has West and Verona on the schedule to finish up the season, both tough opponents... La Follette needs to beat either Middleton (this week) or Sun Prairie in Week 9, along with a win next week against East, to clinch a playoff spot, exactly how it played out last year (they upset Middleton).
Projected Playoff Teams: Sun Prairie, Middleton, Madison West, Verona, (plus 0-3 more from below)
Bubble Playoff Teams: Madison Memorial, Madison La Follette, Janesville Craig
Still in the Hunt: Janesville Parker, Beloit Memorial (winner of this week's game)
Badger North: 4 wins needed to clinch
Clinched: Waunakee (6-0, 4-0), D2
Eliminated: Baraboo (0-6, 0-4), Sauk Prairie (1-5, 0-4)
Clinched With a Win: Mount Horeb/Barneveld (5-1, 3-1); DeForest (4-2, 3-1); Beaver Dam (3-3, 3-1)
Eliminated With a Loss: Reedsburg (1-5, 1-3)
Clinching Scenarios: The winner of Beaver Dam at DeForest is in the playoffs, it's that simple... Mount Horeb/Barneveld will need to take down an improved Portage squad on the road to punch their playoff ticket.
Elimination Scenarios: If Reedsburg can't pull the massive upset of Waunakee, their postseason hopes are extinguished... If Portage falls against Mount Horeb/Barneveld this week, they will need to beat Reedsburg and DeForest in the final two weeks to make the playoffs.
Projected Playoff Teams: Waunakee, Mount Horeb/Barneveld, DeForest, Beaver Dam (plus 0-1 more from below)
Bubble Playoff Teams: Portage
Still in the Hunt: Reedsburg
Badger South: 4 wins needed to clinch
Clinched: Monona Grove (6-0, 4-0), D2; Stoughton (6-0, 4-0), D2
Eliminated: Edgewood (0-6, 0-4)
Clinched With a Win: Watertown (4-2, 3-1)
Eliminated With a Loss: Fort Atkinson (2-4, 1-3), Monroe (2-4, 1-3), Milton (3-3, 1-3)
Clinching Scenarios: Watertown will need to topple undefeated Stoughton this week to clinch a playoff spot. Stoughton held off Oregon late in a 30-27 win last week, as Oregon's 40-yard field goal fell inches short.
Elimination Scenarios: The losing team of Fort Atkinson and Monroe is eliminated from playoff contention. Each team still has a tough road to hoe even with a win... Milton needs to upset Monona Grove to keep their bid for a postseason berth alive, or be eliminated with their fourth straight loss.
NOTE: While Oregon and Watertown are still "bubble" teams, it's because they will each have to play each other still, while Watertown plays Monona Grove and Stoughton in addition to their game against Oregon next week, while Oregon will face Monroe in Week 9. So, while they are technically in range for a playoff spot, they each have a little work to do to get there, and next week's game might be for a playoff spot. Any Watertown win in the final three weeks is their playoff ticket. Oregon also faces winless Edgewood this week in a rivalry game, so the Week 8 game between the schools could very well be a play-in game of sorts.
Projected Playoff Teams: Monona Grove, Stoughton (and 1-2 more from below)
Bubble Playoff Teams: Watertown, Oregon (see above)
Still in the Hunt: Milton, Fort Atkinson or Monroe (losing team this week eliminated),
Capitol North: 3 wins needed to clinch
Clinched: None
Eliminated: None
Clinched With a Win: Lodi (6-0, 2-0)
Eliminated With a Loss: Poynette (2-4, 0-2)
Clinching Scenarios: Lodi needs to take down Columbus and avenge last year's loss in the heated series as of late to get into the postseason field.
Elimination Scenarios: Poynette will need to take down Luther Prep to stave off elimination.
Projected Playoff Teams: Lodi, Lake Mills (and 1-2 more from below)
Bubble Playoff Teams: Lakeside Lutheran, Luther Prep
Still in the Hunt: Columbus, Poynette
Capitol South: 2 wins needed for playoff eligibility, 3 wins needed to clinch
Clinched: None
Eligible: Belleville (5-1, 2-0)
Eliminated: None
Clinched With a Win: Belleville (5-1, 2-0)
Eligible With a Win: Cambridge (4-1, 1-0), New Glarus/Monticello (3-3, 1-1)
Eliminated With a Loss: Waterloo (2-4, 0-2)
Clinching Scenarios: Belleville has made the playoffs once as a non- co-op program, all the way back in 1982. They have clinched eligibility, but can punch their ticket and also claim at least a share of the conference title with a victory against Cambridge on Friday night in one of our Madison Taxi Game of the Week broadcasts.
Eligible Scenarios: Conversely, Cambridge becomes playoff-eligible with a win this week over Belleville, and also takes control of first place in the conference.
Elimination Scenarios: Waterloo is eliminated with a loss to Marshall. Marshall would have to win out to become playoff-eligible if they lost the contest.
NOTE: New Glarus/Monticello plays in a non-conference game this week
Projected Playoff Teams: Belleville, Cambridge
Bubble Playoff Teams: New Glarus/Monticello, Marshall
Still in the Hunt: Waterloo
Rock Valley: 5 wins needed to clinch
*4-5 record sometimes is enough for a playoff spot if not enough .500 or above teams qualify for the playoffs
Clinched: Clinton (6-0), D5; Turner (5-1), D4; Jefferson (5-1), D3
Eliminated: Whitewater (0-6), Edgerton (1-5)*
Clinched With a Win: East Troy (4-2)
Eliminated With a Loss: Brodhead/Juda (2-4)*, Big Foot (2-4)*, McFarland (2-4)*
Clinching Scenarios: East Troy and Evansville/Albany square off in a battle of two teams headed in opposite directions at the moment. East Troy started 4-0, but ran into Clinton and Jefferson the past two weeks; Evansville/Albany lost their first three, including those two teams and Turner, but now has won three straight. East Troy clinches a playoff spot with a win.
Elimination Scenarios: McFarland will have to upset first-place Clinton to control their own playoff destiny. They get that fifth loss otherwise... Big Foot and Brodhead/Juda will look to avoid a fifth loss by taking down the two teams already there: Edgerton and Whitewater, respectively... While a fifth loss doesn't necessarily keep a team out of the playoffs, it requires help from literally every other team in the rest of the state, and at the moment, several Rock Valley teams fit the bill of falling in that 4-5 range depending on the late-season results.
Projected Playoff Teams: Clinton, Jefferson, Turner, East Troy (and 0-2 more from below)
Bubble Playoff Teams: Evansville/Albany, Brodhead/Juda, Big Foot
Still in the Hunt: McFarland, Edgerton
8-Player Football
Teams are drawn from a pool of "North" and "South" schools for the Jamboree (in its final year). Only two area teams can qualify for the Jamboree due to enrollment size: Oakfield and Abundant Life/St. Ambrose, both of whom are expected to be selected for the Jamboree (for the South). Wisconsin Heights has too large of an enrollment for Jamboree participation, but will be eligible for participation in the 8-player football playoffs next year.
What about other southern Wisconsin schools?