High school football teams are racing toward the finish line of the regular season.
Conference titles and playoff spots are still up for grabs with just two weeks remaining before the playoffs begin.
Week 8 features two undefeated foes squaring off in the North Eastern Conference, the Bay Conference leader looking to remain undefeated, a Fox Valley Association team hoping to clinch at least a share of the conference title, and a showdown between two of the best teams in the Big East Conference.
Here’s a look at five must-see games, with comments from the coaches, our predicted winners and the rest of the schedule. All games are at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, unless noted.
Last week’s prediction record: 4-1.
Season prediction record: 24-11.
MUST-SEE GAMES
Little Chute (6-1) at Luxemburg-Casco (7-0), 7 p.m. Oct. 9
The teams: The Mustangs and Spartans are both 5-0 and tied for first place in the North Eastern Conference. Little Chute is coming off a 49-0 victory over Sheboygan Falls. Reece Joten rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the Mustangs on defense with 4.5 tackles. Luxemburg-Casco has not allowed more than eight points in a game this season, including a 35-7 win over Two Rivers last week. Cameron Dorner ran for 107 yards and a touchdown and Brayden Loritz added 93 yards and two TDs on the ground. The all-time series is tied 8-8. Little Chute won last season 7-0.
Little Chute coach Mark Krommenacker: “I’m proud of our guys for putting themselves in this position, based on their discipline, toughness and brotherhood. We don’t do goals on how many games we want to win or conference championships or anything like that, we just want to win each moment, practice, day. On all teams, leaders create the culture and our leaders have instilled a level of physicality that wins. Luxemburg-Casco has a very good defense and an explosive offense that will require us to play our best game of the season to have a shot.”
Luxemburg-Casco coach Neil Seering: “Little Chute is one of the best teams in our area and in the state. They are very solid on offense and defense and have excellent players on both sides of the ball, which makes their team as great as it is. No matter the outcome, our team will be better by playing Little Chute. We will find out more about ourselves, both strengths and weaknesses, and those are good to continue to teach, improve and learn from as this season progresses.”
Prediction: Luxemburg-Casco 22, Little Chute 20.
Fox Valley Lutheran (5-2) at Winneconne (7-0), 7 p.m. Oct. 9
The teams: The Foxes are 3-2 in the Bay Conference, two games behind an undefeated Winneconne team that is tied for first with Seymour at 5-0. FVL snapped a two-game losing streak last week with a weather-shortened 21-0 win over New London. Gabe Heiges passed for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Braden Heiges caught both TD passes and he also led the Foxes defense with 11 tackles. Winneconne has allowed only 24 points in seven games and has three consecutive shutouts, including a 56-0 win over Waupaca last week. Mason Mathe rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown for the Wolves. Jovan Zeller led the defense with six tackles. Winneconne leads the all-time series 7-5, including a 35-19 win last season.
Fox Valley Lutheran coach Seth Jaeger: “We are looking forward to facing a very good Winneconne team. It is our next opportunity to improve as a team and get some of our players back in action after some injuries. The leadership of our seniors has certainly kept the team positive and excited about the remaining games of our regular season. Winneconne poses some great matchups for us both on offense and defense.”
Winneconne coach Nate Ryf: “The coaching staff and players have done a great job preparing for a tough FVL team. Excited to see how our team performs this Thursday.”
Prediction: Winneconne 34, Fox Valley Lutheran 21.
Kimberly (5-2) at Kaukauna (3-4)
The teams: The Papermakers (4-1) and Ghosts (3-2) trail first-place Neenah in the Fox Valley Association. Kimberly lost to Neenah 7-0 last week, the first time it was shut out since 2003. Logan Clavijo had 9.5 tackles and Reid Lindenberg had nine tackles to lead the Papermakers defense. Kaukauna lost to Appleton North 20-18 when the Lightning scored a touchdown on the final play of the game. Brayden Jenkins passed for 239 yards and Aiden Reardon rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns for Kaukauna. Will Clark led the Ghosts defense with 9.5 tackles. Kimberly leads the all-time series 38-35-1, including a 38-20 victory last season.
Kimberly coach Chad Michalkiewicz: “Kaukauna has established themselves in the top half of the FVA over the last several years. Their staff does a great job getting their team prepared and they always play tough for four quarters. Our team is looking to build off of our defensive successes from last week and refocus back in on our offensive identity that we will need for the remainder of the season. After a disappointing performance, our guys are eager to get back to work this week and see what we can put on display at Kaukauna.”
Kaukauna coach Matt Binsfeld: “We are looking forward to a big homecoming game against our neighbors. We are both coming off tough games last Friday, which should provide plenty of motivation for everyone. I am looking forward to a great game in an awesome atmosphere.”
Prediction: Kimberly 17, Kaukauna 14.
Hilbert (6-1) at Manitowoc Lutheran (7-0)
The teams: Hilbert is 4-1 in the Big East Conference, one game behind undefeated Manitowoc Lutheran (5-0). The Wolves beat Reedsville 26-7 last week. Jack Pakala rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Brody Hein added 91 yards and a touchdown. Leo Pulido and Nate Huettl both had five tackles on defense. The Lancers beat Oostburg 56-0 last week. Jaymen Ott passed for 174 yards and four touchdowns. Isaac Wagner added 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Brody Wieting led the defense with 5.5 tackles. Hilbert leads the all-time series 19-8, but the Lancers have won the past two seasons.
Manitowoc Lutheran coach Ryan Hulse: “Hilbert is a tough, well-coached, well-disciplined team. They play a brand of football that always gives them a chance. They are playing good football and will have a lot of confidence coming into the game. We are playing some good football right now and are looking forward to the challenge. We have multiple options for kids who can beat you, so that makes us tough to defend I believe. Our defense is playing well and are looking forward to preparing for Hilbert.”
Prediction: Manitowoc Lutheran 27, Hilbert 20.
Fond du Lac (4-3) at Neenah (6-1)
The teams: The Cardinals are 2-3 in the FVA, while the Rockets are 5-0. Fond du Lac has won two in a row, including a 35-13 victory over Hortonville last week. Eli Michalkiewicz rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Mason Henschel added 100 yards rushing. The Rockets won their fifth game in a row last week, beating Kimberly 7-0. Ashton VanBeek ran for 166 yards and a touchdown. Connor Stuckel led the defense with 10.5 tackles. Fond du Lac leads the all-time series 25-20 but Neenah has won four in a row, including 25-7 last season.
Fond du Lac coach Sam Plucker: “We are very excited about the opportunity to play against Neenah, who is clearly one of the best teams in the state. They have great players, are coached extremely well and have a strong culture of excellence in everything they do.”
Neenah coach Steve Jung: “This is another big game for our team. Fond du Lac is a very good senior-led team. They could easily be 4-1 in conference, but narrowly lost to Appleton North and Kaukauna. They play a physical style and have an excellent running attack. Their defense is disciplined and tough against the run.”
Prediction: Neenah 24, Fond du Lac 14.
Week 8 high school football schedule in the Appleton area
Thursday, Oct. 9
Seymour (6-1) at New London (1-6), Freedom (6-1) at Sheboygan Falls (0-7), Shawano (1-6) at Waupaca (1-6), Denmark (2-5) at Wrightstown (4-3), Two Rivers (1-6) at Xavier (2-5).
Friday, Oct. 10
Appleton North (5-2) at Appleton East (2-5), De Pere (3-4) at Appleton West (3-4), Kohler/Lutheran/Christian (1-6) at Chilton (2-5), Crivitz (5-2) at Clintonville (0-7), Manawa (2-5) at Coleman (5-2), Shiocton (1-6) at Crandon (3-4), Oshkosh West (1-6) at Hortonville (0-7), Brillion (5-2) at St. Mary Catholic (4-3), Menasha (4-3) at Sheboygan South (1-6), Loyal/Greenwood (4-3) at Weyauwega-Fremont (3-4).
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton-area high school football Week 8 top matchups, what the coaches say and predictions
Reporting by Mike Sherry, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
