This story is sponsored by: The Marshfield Tiger Booster Club
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
The 2023 WIAA football playoffs kick off Friday night with Level 1 matchups across seven divisions.
Winners will move on to Level 2 contests next Friday, Oct. 27, and the playoffs will conclude with the 2023 WIAA State Football Championships at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Nov. 16-17.
Three local teams qualified for the postseason and two of them will host Level 1 games this week. Here is a look at the matchups:
Division 2
No. 8 Marshfield (4-5) at No. 2 New Richmond (8-1)
When and where: Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., at New Richmond High School.
About Marshfield: Marshfield turned the ball over twice late in the game and New Richmond ripped off three-straight touchdown drives to pull away for a 31-10 victory in a nonconference matchup in Week 2…Marshfield qualified for the postseason with a 17-7 win over Hortonville last week, a game in which it forced seven turnovers, including five interceptions…Senior fullback Braden Anderson has served as the main ball carrier in recent weeks and finished the regular season with a team-high 420 rushing yards…Senior quarterback Adam Gilbertson has 679 passing yards, and junior receiver Brooks Hinson tops the team in receptions with 32 for 395 yards and four touchdowns.
About New Richmond: New Richmond suffered its only loss of the season in Week 9, falling to Hudson 35-13 in a game that decided the Big Rivers Conference title…New Richmond is powered by a running game that has three players topping the 400-yard mark this season. Miles Burke has a team-high 662 yards rushing and five touchdowns, while quarterback Reis Hidde has run for 551 yards and 12 touchdowns, and thrown for another 774 yards and 10 scores…New Richmond scored at least 28 points in all eight of its victories, and didn’t allow more than one touchdown in five-straight games prior to the loss to Hudson.
Next up: The winner moves on to Level 2 on Oct. 27 to play the winner of No. 6 River Falls (6-3) and No. 3 Menomonie (7-2), which will take place Friday at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie.
Division 6
No. 8 Marathon (4-5) at No. 1 Auburndale (8-1)
When and where: Friday, Oct., 20, 7 p.m., at Auburndale High School.
About Marathon: After a 3-1 start, Marathon won just one of its final five games but were able to secure a playoff berth…In a Marawood Conference matchup on Sept. 22, Auburndale defeated Marathon 44-29…True Thurs leads the Marathon rushing attack with 526 yards and 10 touchdowns, and quarterback Cooper Hoeksema has thrown for 955 yards and seven scores…Tyler Underwood has emerged as the Raiders’ top receiving threat with 37 catches for 566 yards and six TDs.
About Auburndale: Auburndale finished off its second-straight 8-1 campaign with an impressive 27-13 win over Colby in Week 9, earning second place in the Marawood Conference…Quarterback Kaden Anderson has accumulated more than 1,400 yards of total offense (590 rushing, 822 passing) and 25 total touchdowns (13 passing, 12 rushing)…Running back Evan Scholl is on the verge of surpassing the 1,000-yard mark rushing this season as he comes into the playoff matchup with 948 yards and eight touchdowns…The Auburndale defense has forced 16 turnovers this season, including four interceptions by Blake Raab.
Next up: The winner will move on to Level 2 against the winner of No. 5 Coleman (7-2) and No. 4 Onalaska Luther (6-3).
Division 6
No. 7 Weyauwega-Fremont (6-3) at No. 2 Stratford (8-1)
When and where: Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., at Tiger Stadium, Stratford
About Weyauwega-Fremont: The Warhawks limp into the postseason on a three-game losing streak. After starting 6-0, W-F lost to the top three teams in the Central Wisconsin Conference Large Division and were outscored 106-6 against Stratford and Wittenberg-Birnamwood in its final two games, while playing without starting quarterback Kameron Zielke…Stratford scored two defensive touchdowns and held the Warhawks to just 111 total yards in the Week 8 win…Dawson Lind is W-F’s top running back with 416 yards rushing.
About Stratford: The Tigers, the defending WIAA Division 6 state champions, have won seven games in a row following a Week 2 loss to Edgar. Stratford has outscored its opponents 307-56 during that stretch as it went undefeated in the CWC Large…Koehler Kilty powers the Stratford running game as he has already surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season, racking up 1,110 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 7.4 yards per carry…Junior quarterback Jack Tubbs has throw for 986 yards and 17 touchdowns without throwing an interception, and also has five rushing touchdowns…Gavin Leonhardt is the Tigers’ big-play threat, with 17 catches for 338 yards and seven touchdowns, and another 325 rushing yards as he averages 14.7 yards each time he has the ball in his hands.
Next up: The winner moves on to a Level 2 matchup on Oct. 27 against the winner of No. 6 seed Bonduel (5-4) and Cloverbelt Conference co-champion No. 3 Mondovi (8-1). Stratford defeated Mondovi in the Division 6 state championship game last year, 32-14.