HS Football Week 8 Round Up includes thrills, big performances and teams moving closer to conference titles and playoff berths.

By Chad Holmes

Wausau, WI (WXCO)- Chad Holmes has the highlights of the penultimate week of the high school football season and a few tidbits to look forward to in week 9.

It was another fantastic weekend of high school football in central Wisconsin and it’s time to hand out a few game balls and set things up for a thrilling final week of the regular season:

D.C. Everest almost lets a conference title get away before showing the “special” in special teams. The Evergreens led SPASH 35-14 late in the 3rd quarter and appeared well on their way to securing at least a share of the WVC/BRC-East title before the Panthers rallied with 21 unanswered points to force OT. After the Evergreens scored a TD on the first possession of OT they missed on a two-point conversion. Immediately SPASH scored on a 25 yard TD strike from Grant Chandonais to Jonny Ananaidis. All the Panthers needed was a made extra point to pull off an amazing comeback and all but clinch the conference title. However, Everest was able to block the kick to force OT #2 and after the Evergreens defense got a stop, Logan George would win it with a one yard TD run. Everest is now 6-2 overall and 5-0 in the conference and needs a win at 1-7 Eau Claire Memorial this week to clinch an outright conference title.

In another battle of unbeatens it was Stratford pulling away in the 2nd half to beat Amherst 48-20. Jack Tubbs continues to play nearly flawlessly after hitting 14 or 16 passes for 216 yards and 3 TD’s. Stratford showed great balance with 252 yards rushing to go with the 216 yards through the air and outgained the 7-1 Falcons 468 to 185.

Wausau East clinches their first playoff spot since 2012 after winning at Lakeland 24-15. The Lumberjacks improved to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Great Northern Conference.

Also in the GNC, a week 9 showdown was set up for the league title between Mosinee and Medford. Mosinee kept their hopes of a share of the GNC title alive with a 34-0 win over Antigo. Mosinee is 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the league heading into a home match-up this week vs. Medford. The Raiders lead the GNC at 6-0 and are 7-1 overall after rolling past Rhinelander 43-13 on Thursday. Mosinee will host the Raiders and need to slow down Paxton Rothmeier, who ran for 311 yards on just 19 carries vs. the Hodags.

In the CWC-Small there will be a week 9 title showdown as well after Edgar, Abbotsford and Auburndale all took care of business on Friday. Edgar shutdown Pacelli 47-0 to stay unbeaten in the league. Abbotsford stays one game back at 5-1 in the conference and 7-1 overall following 43-28 win at Rosholt. The Falcons can win a share of the league championship with a home win vs. Edgar this Friday night. Auburndale can also get a share of the title after they beat Assumption 49-0. An Auburndale win vs. Iola-Scandinavia this week combined with a Abbotsford win over Edgar would leave all three teams with a share of the league crown.

In 8-Player football Newman Catholic continues to find ways to win despite fighting injuries all season long. Newman improved to 6-1 and celebrated Homecoming with a 56-24 win over now 5-2 Tri County. The Cardinals ran, ran and ran over the Penguins with 400 yards on the ground. Newman is in position to continue their streak of making the 16 team 8-Player postseason every season since it’s been implimented with a win at Wild Rose Friday night in a game that will be hear live on Sports 3 Stream of the Civic Media app and bullfallsradio.com.

Week 8 Game Balls for outstanding performances:

Blake Bangston (DC Everest): The Evergreens’ senior running back carried the ball an amazing 45 times for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns in the DCE 47-41 double OT win over SPASH.

Miles Waldvogel (Wausau West): The Warriors’ sophomore did it all in West’s 56-24 win at Eau Claire Memorial. Waldvogel ran for 193 yards on 23 carries with 4 touchdowns and added an interception on defense to put West in position to earn a playoff spot.

Treve Stoffel (Mosinee): Stoffel also filled up the stat sheet in the win over Antigo. Stoffel hit 13 or 16 passes for 147 yards and 2 TD’s plus ran 8 times for 89 yards and a score. As if that wasn’t enough, he added 11 tackles on defense.

Elmer Heard (Wausau East): The senior defensive lineman helped East clinch a playoff spot at Lakeland with 12 tackles, 4 for loss, and a sack in the 24-15 win. That came a week after totaling 17 tackles, 7 for loss, and 3 1/2 sacks in a win over Merrill.