Football Game Preview: Phillips Loggers vs. Athens Bluejays

The Phillips Loggers will take on the Athens Bluejays at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Phillips has given up an average of 35.5 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Phillips is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Wisconsin's top teams: Flambeau, who was ranked second at the time (Phillips was ranked 20th). The Loggers were outmatched by the Falcons and fell 58-8. Having soared to a lofty 48 points in the game before, the Loggers couldn't push the score so high this time.

Meanwhile, Athens had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer, posting a 50-20 victory. Considering the Bluejays have won four games by more than 29 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Phillips' defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Athens, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.

Phillips strolled past Athens in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a score of 38-24. Will the Loggers repeat their success, or do the Bluejays have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.