Wisconsin high school football: Top 10 Week 9 matchups

Week 9 of the Wisconsin high school football season is here and we are putting the spotlight on the biggest games.

The final week of the regular season features plenty of conference title matchups across the state.
Week 9 games to watch

No. 2 Muskego (7-1, 5-0) at No. 6 Mukwonago (6-2, 4-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.

The Classic Eight Conference title is on the line in the premier matchup of Week 9. Muskego can win the outright league title with a win, while a Mukwonago victory means a share. Arrowhead also enters the week with a 4-1 record in league play. Muskego is led by senior running back Jackson Niemiec, who has 707 yards with eight touchdowns. Defensively, the Warriors are paced by senior lineman Nathan Makinen (56 tackles, 8 TFL, 1.5 sacks) and junior linebacker Jayden Adams (52 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 sacks). For Mukwonago, senior running back Colton Lynch headlines the backfield with 893 yards on 135 carries with nine touchdowns. Senior linebackers Noah Dodds (100 tackles, 14 TFL, 1.5 sacks) and Evan Ginsch (69 tackles, 12 TFL, 4.5 sacks) lead the Indians' defense. They split their meetings last season. Mukwonago won in the regular season 34-24, and Muskego earned a 16-14 postseason victory.

No. 7 Homestead (Mequon) (8-0, 6-0) at West Bend West (7-1, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch Live NFHS Network | Tickets via GoFan

Homestead can wrap up the outright North Shore Conference championship with a win. Senior running backs Connor Pangallo (981 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Brady Hunt (713 yards, 11 touchdowns) headline the Highlanders' offense. Their defense is led by senior linebackers Brady Stammer (59 tackles, 10 TFL, 1 sack) and Blake Wichman (52 tackles, 13 TFL, 2 sacks). West Bend West will look to play spoiler, which could set up a three-way tie with Slinger. The Spartans' offense is paced by Noah Reinhart, who has 1216 yards and 12 touchdowns. Defensively, senior linebacker Sean McElroy has a team-best 60 tackles, including eight for a loss. Last season, Homestead shut out West Bend West 42-0.

No. 13 Badger (Lake Geneva) (8-0, 6-0) at Union Grove (8-0, 6-1)
Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch Live NFHS Network | Tickets via GoFan

Unbeaten Southern Lakes squads meet with the winner taking home the league championship. Badger's offense is headlined by senior running back Matthew O'Grady Jr, who has 95 carries for 1,186 yards and 18 touchdowns. Fellow senior Brock Walser is second with 345 yards rushing with four scores and leads the defense with 59 tackles, 12 for a loss, including three sacks. Union Grove's top offensive player is senior running back Quintyn Martinez, who has compiled 1,221 yards on 173 carries with 20 touchdowns and two receiving scores. Senior defensive lineman Quinn Koepnick has a team-high 52 tackles, including nine for a loss, for the Broncos. Badger defeated Union Grove twice last season: 41-6 in the regular season and 51-22 in the playoffs.

No. 8 Waunakee (8-0, 6-0) at Milton (7-1, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m. - Tickets via GoFan

Waunakee looks to secure the outright Badger Large title and finish the regular season with a perfect record. Senior quarterback Cole Krause has completed 74.7 percent of his passes for 908 yards and 13 touchdowns. His favorite target is senior wide receiver Devonte Bacon, who has 26 catches for 296 yards and four touchdowns. Fellow senior Cooper Johnanns has 243 yards receiving on 10 receptions with four scores. The Warriors' balanced running game is led by senior Colin Murphy, who has 64 carries for 539 yards and 11 touchdowns. Milton will try to pull the upset and a potential three-way tie atop the Badger Large standings. Senior quarterback Jake Cummins has thrown for 1,168 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Red Hawks, with senior wide receiver Carson Biddick catching 21 passes for 440 yards and six scores. Last season, Waunakee defeated Milton 38-10.

No. 10 Kimberly (6-2, 5-1) at Appleton North (5-3, 4-2)
Friday, 7 p.m.

Kimberly enters the game one game behind FVA leader Neenah. The Papermakers will need Hortonville to pull a huge upset against Neenah to have a chance at a share of the league title. Senior quarterback Cam Wong has passed for 731 yards and 11 touchdowns for Kimberly, with senior wide receiver Alex Lom catching 22 passes for 293 yards (both team highs) and one score. The Papermakers' backfield is paced by senior Kegan Pleau (499 yards, 6 touchdowns) and junior Maddux Hermus (478 yards, 5 touchdowns). Defensively, senior linebacker Logan Clavijo has a team-best 69 tackles (51 solo), including three for a loss. Appleton North senior quarterback Grant Hardy is completing 62.3 percent of his passes for 928 yards and seven touchdowns. His top targets are senior Keegan Muchow (363 yards, 3 touchdowns) and sophomore Alijah Valeri (223 yards, 1 touchdown). Kimberly beat Appleton North twice last season: 10-9 to end the regular season and 35-16 the following week in the postseason.

Kenosha Bradford (7-1, 5-1) at Racine Case (6-2, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.

The teams enter Week 9 one game back of Southeast Conference leader Franklin. Kenosha Bradford has a balanced offense with sophomore quarterback Nolberto Rosales passing for 627 yards and seven touchdowns over the last four games. Junior Larenzz Pratt (469 yards, 3 touchdowns) and senior Brandon Walton (239 yards, 5 touchdowns) lead the receiving core. The Red Devils' defense is led by junior Addison Burrell-Warfield (47 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack) and senior Danny Minor (46 tackles, 6 TFL, 6 sacks). For Racine Case, senior quarterback Brayden Lipari has thrown for 903 yards and 11 touchdowns, with senior wide receiver Michael Farr accounting for 528 yards on 28 catches for six scores. The Eagles' backfield is paced by senior Malachi Echols, who has 75 carries for 669 yards and six touchdowns. Their defensive standouts are junior Erik Ynnocencio (70 tackles, 8 TFL, and 3 sacks) and senior Daylon Ward Jr (49 tackles, 13 TFL, 11 sacks). Last season, Racine Case cruised to a 35-0 win over Kenosha Bradford.

No. 25 Rice Lake (7-1, 5-1) at No. 24 Hudson (7-1, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m. - Tickets via GoFan

The winner of this one grabs a share of the Big Rivers Conference with River Falls, which secured a share of the league title last Friday. Rice Lake is led by two-way standout Grant Pacholke, who plays quarterback and linebacker. The senior has compiled 801 yards passing with 10 touchdowns and 382 yards rushing with eight scores, and is the team leader in tackles with 69 (33 solo), including 11 for a loss. Other key players for the Warriors are senior running back Jack Larson (989 yards, 11 touchdowns) and senior wide receiver Will Svendsen (530 yards, 7 touchdowns). Hudson's offense is headlined by senior quarterback Cooper Adair, who has 912 yards passing with six touchdowns and is second on the team in rushing with 782 yards and seven scores. Senior running back Payton Pingel leads the team's rushing attack with 860 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Raiders' defense is paced by seniors Liam Mayer (LB) and Benjamin Englund (DB), who have 91 and 88 tackles, respectively. Last season, Hudson defeated Rice Lake 35-14.

No. 17 Notre Dame Academy (Green Bay) (8-0, 6-0) at Oshkosh North (8-0, 6-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.

The FRCC South title is on the line when these unbeaten squads meet on the final night of the regular season. Notre Dame, last year's D3 WIAA state champion, has scored at least 40 points in each of its last seven games and held opponents to 14 or fewer points in six of those seven. Junior running back Kingston Allen headlines the Tritons' offense with 142 carries for 1,431 yards and 26 touchdowns. Notre Dame's defense is highlighted by junior lineman Richie Flanigan, a Notre Dame recruit, who has 21 tackles, five for a loss, including a team-high four sacks. Junior linebacker Jackson Whitehouse has a team-best 36 tackles (21 solo), five for a loss, including a sack. He also has three carries, two of which resulted in touchdowns. Oshkosh North, like Notre Dame, has been dominating its opposition. The Spartans have scored 40-plus points four times and allowed just one opponent to score more than 14 points. Senior quarterback Bryce Ott has thrown for 1,459 yards and 20 touchdowns, with senior Dalton Clark leading the group of receivers with 32 passes for 649 yards and eight scores. Oshkosh North's defense is led by senior linebacker Andrew Oehler, who has 55 tackles (28 solo), nine for a loss, including 4.5 sacks. Last season, Notre Dame rolled to a 41-7 victory over Oshkosh North.

Sauk Prairie (Prairie du Sac) (6-2, 5-1) at Edgewood (Madison) (8-0, 6-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.

Edgewood can capture the outright Badger Small Conference title with a victory. The Crusaders are coming off a 27-20 win over Mount Horeb/Barneveld, which entered the game unbeaten in league play. Senior quarterback Gannon Bagstad has thrown for 1,217 yards and 18 touchdowns and has a team-high 513 rushing yards with eight scores. Highlighting the receiving core is junior Ben Morey, who has 28 catches for 748 yards and 12 touchdowns. Defensively, seniors Michael Hackworthy (56 tackles, 8 TFL, 2.5 sacks) and Ashton Fickell (53 tackles, 15 TFL, 5 sacks) lead the way. Sauk Prairie's squad is highlighted by senior quarterback Cayden Hermsdorf, who has 992 yards passing with nine touchdowns and a team-best 545 yards rushing with six scores. The Eagles' defense is led by senior linebacker Bryan Breunig, who has 88 tackles (48 solo), 11 for a loss, including four sacks. Last season, Sauk Prairie beat Edgewood 21-9.

Winneconne (Winneconne) (8-0, 6-0) at Seymour (7-1, 6-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.

The winner takes home the Bay Conference championship. Senior quarterback Brody Schaffer, a University of Iowa commit, has thrown for 1,242 yards and 11 touchdowns and leads the team with 651 yards rushing and 15 scores. Schaffer's top target is junior wide receiver Ryan Quigley, who has 22 grabs for 465 yards and five touchdowns. For Seymour, senior quarterback Cayden Staffeldt has completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns, and 188 yards rushing with three scores. Senior running back Xavier Salzman has a team-high 793 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns, and has 51 tackles on defense with 26 for a loss, including 10.5 sacks. Another notable performer for the Thunder is senior wide receiver Carson Staffeldt, who leads the receivers with 18 receptions for 427 yards and five touchdowns. Last season, Winneconne defeated Seymour 35-21.

Potosi/Cassville (Potosi) (8-0) at Black Hawk/Warren IL (South Wayne) (8-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.

Unbeaten Six Rivers Conference teams meet, with the league title on the line. Potosi/Cassville is led by junior running backs River Sahr (1,033 yards, 20 touchdowns) and Hunter White (1,020 yards, 11 touchdowns). Defensively, senior linebacker Logan Rausch has a team-high 77 tackles, 11 for a loss, including 5.5 sacks. Black Hawk/Warren also does most of its damage on the ground. Senior running back Jacob Woodruff leads the team with 913 yards and 12 touchdowns, while sophomore Dax Paquin (684 yards, 5 touchdowns) and junior Beau Podnar (521 yards, 12 touchdowns) also play key roles. Potosi/Cassville topped Black Hawk/Warren twice last season: 27-18 in the final game of the regular season and 7-6 in the first round of the playoffs.