GAME OF THE WEEK (Aug. 18–24)
PREP FOOTBALL: Six Rivers Jamboree, Saturday, Aug. 20 at UW–Platteville Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium
Prep football is back throughout the state beginning with week one games tonight. The Six Rivers Conference will wait a couple days before beginning the new year Saturday at the Six Rivers Jamboree at UW–Platteville, this week’s McDonald’s swnews4u.com Game of the Week.
Here is the rundown of Saturday’s games at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
Benton/Scales Mound (0–0) vs. North Crawford (0–0), 10 a.m. at UW–Platteville (KIYX 106.1 FM, WBGR 93.7 FM)
The Zephyrs will host the Trojans in the opener of this year’s Six Rivers Jamboree.
River Ridge (0–0) vs. Highland (0–0), 12:30 p.m. at UW–Platteville (WGLR 97.7)
The Timberwolves are coming off a winless 0–9 season, but hope to bounce back in 2016. The Cardinals blanked Ridge, 29–0, at UW–Platteville to open the 2015 season and went on to finish 5–6 overall.
Shullsburg (0–0) vs. Hillsboro (0–0), 3 p.m. at UW–Platteville (WPVL 107.1 FM, WBGR 93.7 FM)
After Cassville pulled the plug on its 2016 varsity schedule, Hillsboro stepped up to fill the Comets Week 1 game against the Miners, who went 3–6 a year ago. The Tigers went 8–3 and reached the second round of the D7 playoffs, but must replace seven starters on both sides of the ball.
Belmont (0–0) vs. Black Hawk (0–0), 5:30 p.m. at UW–Platteville (WGLR 97.7 FM, WBGR 93.7 FM)
The Warriors defeated Belmont 32–27 on a last-second TD pass in last year’s Six Rivers Jamboree at UW–Platteville to open the season. Black Hawk went on to finish 6–4 overall and 5–3 in the Six Rivers Conference. Belmont lost senior quarterback Jon Bahr in a Week 3 win at River Ridge and finished 2–7.
Potosi (0–0) vs. Pecatonica/Argyle (0–0), 8 p.m. at UW–Platteville (WGLR 97.7 FM, WBGR 93.7 FM)
The Vikings dominated every facet of the game en route to a 38–0 shutout of the Chieftains in last year’s season opener at the Six Rivers Jamboree at UW–Platteville. Pec/Argyle went on to dominate the rest of the conference as well, going a perfect 8–0 in league play to win the conference title. The Vikings’ 2015 season ended with a 21–17 loss to Melrose–Mindoro in the third round of the WIAA Division playoffs. Pec lost 13 players from last year’s 11–1 team, including all-conference running back Riley Ostby, but quarterback Logan Green returns.
Potosi opened last year 0–2 after a 13–6 loss to Cassville in the rain during Week 2, but bounced back to win its final seven regular season games to finish tied for second-place with the Comets at 6–2 in the SRC. The Chieftains then pounded Johnson Creek 46–7 in the opening round of the playoffs, before suffering a 24–22 season-ending loss to Camrbia–Friesland a week later. Potosi graduated 11 seniors, including 2015 SRC Defensive Player of the Year Nate Friederick and leading rusher and WFCA All-Star game participant Teagan Friederick. The Chieftains have some big shoes to fill this season if they hope to contend for the conference title after winning five straight from 2010–2014.
PREP FOOTBALL: Thursday, Aug. 18
Ithaca (0–0) at Cashton (0–0), 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs were hit hard by graduation losses after an 11–1, conference championship season a year ago. Cashton is an experienced team looking to build on last year’s 4–6 record.
PREP FOOTBALL: Friday, Aug. 19
Darlington (0–0) at Westby (0–0), 4 p.m. (WPVL 1590 AM, WBGR 93.7 FM)
Darlington was the last team in the southwestern part of the state to get lights. Friday they open with a familiar day game at Westby. The Redbirds return nine starters on both sides of the ball from last year’s WIAA Division 5 state runner-up team, including senior halfback Hunter Johnson, who recently committed to be a preferred walk-on at the University of Wisconsin next year. Westby went 8–3 a year ago.
Platteville (0–0) at Cuba City (0–0), 7 p.m. (WPVL 107.1 FM)
The neighboring Hillmen and Cubans renew and old rivalry with a non-conference game Friday night at O.A. Barth Field. Platteville and Cuba City were old conference mates in the old SWAL I from 1987–2002 and in the old Southern 8 for two decades before that. But Cuba City jumped shipped for the newly formed Southwestern Wisconsin Activities League in 2003, but the Cubans handed Platteville at 14–7 SWAL I defeated in the fall of 2002 before switching leagues. Cuba City went 8–2 a year ago and finished second in the SWAL behind WIAA Division 6 runner-up Darlington, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs by Cambridge, 14–7.
Platteville started 2015 1–4 under new head coach Kyle Craig, but won three of its final four games, including a 28–26 decision over Lancaster in the season finale, to qualify for the playoffs. The season ended wit a 45–13 loss at Lodi in the first round of the WIAA Division 4 playoffs, but the Hillmen hope to build on last year’s late-season momentum around senior running back Luke Fugate and junior wide receiver Donovan Blevins.
Lancaster (0–0) at Fennimore (0–0), 7 p.m. (WGLR 97.7 FM)
La Crosse Aquinas (0–0) at Prairie du Chien (0–0), 7 p.m.
Dodgeville (0–0) at Parkview (0–0), 7 p.m.
Iowa–Grant (0–0) at Richland Center (0–0), 7 p.m.
Wauzeka–Steuben (0–0) at Boscobel (0–0), 7 p.m.
Mineral Point (0–0) at Necedah (0–0), 7 p.m.
Rio (0–0) at Southwestern (0–0), 7 p.m.
Riverdale (0–0) at Royall (0–0), 7 p.m.
Kickapoo/La Farge (0–0) at New Lisbon (0–0), 7 p.m.
PREP VOLLEYBALL: Platteville (0–0) at Watertown Invitational, Tuesday, Aug. 23
The two-time defending SWC Champion Hillmen open the season at the six-team Watertown Invitational. Coach Lindsay Nihles’ veteran team struggled at last year’s Watertown event against mostly Division 1 schools, going 2–3, before putting together an outstanding 34–5 season that ending one match shy of the WIAA Division 2 state tournament. Platteville must replace all nine rotation players from last year’s team that set a school record with a 24-match winning streak. Tuesday will be the first step in the rebuilding process.
PREP SWIMMING: Platteville/Lancaste at Monroe, Tuesday, Aug. 23
The Hillmen open the season with a non-conference dual at Monroe.
