Stateline Preps: Football Power Rankings (Week 7)
After seven weeks, there is only one undefeated football team left in the Stateline.
That honor goes to the Big Foot Chiefs after their 30-0 throttling of Brodhead-Juda last weekend. In a game that was supposed to be one of the best in Wisconsin, it turned into a dud with Big Foot imposing its will on a shell-shocked Cardinals’ squad.
While there is one unbeaten team left, there is also two winless teams (Beloit Turner and Clinton) and two teams with one win (Beloit Memorial and South Beloit). In other words, it hasn’t been the best football season when four of your eight teams are 2-26. Ouch!
On the other hand, three teams are definitely going to the playoffs with Big Foot, Brodhead-Juda and Hononegah. Parkview has a good shot, but has two tough games left with Whitewater and the Cardinals.
But, that question will answer itself in the coming weeks. For now, on to the rankings!
(Disclaimer: This is my opinion only, so if you don’t agree with it, feel free to send me a comment on the bottom of the page. Otherwise, it’s not a life-and-death situation.)
1. BIG FOOT (7-0): There was a lot of people wondering who the best team in the Rock Valley South Conference (me!) was going into the season. Well, in short, that question has been answered by a 30-0 stomping by the Chiefs. After last year’s 7-6 Big Foot win, it figured this year’s game with Brodhead-Juda would be just as competitive. Not so much. Credit Big Foot’s defense for holding the Cardinals to 84 total yards, including only 74 on the ground. Mike Walker proved he’s the best back in the RV South, rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns. A trip to Madison could be in the cards for the Chiefs. NEXT: Friday at Edgerton, 7 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 1.
2. HONONEGAH (6-1): It’s hard to tell if Hononegah has truly bounced back from its loss to Harlem two week ago. Mainly because the NIC-10 is so weak. But the Indians seem to have got their power running game back on track. Hononegah rushed for 441 yards in last week’s 56-14 romp over Freeport. Even linebacker Cody Eaton got in on the fun, running for 45 yards on 3 rushes. Hononegah doesn’t figure to be tested until Week 9 (vs. Boylan) where the Indians will have a chance at their first NIC-10 crown since 1996. NEXT: Friday vs. Rockford East, 7:15 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 3.
3. BRODHEAD-JUDA (6-1): Even though the Cardinals suffered an embarrassing 30-0 loss to Big Foot, the Cardinals are still in the top three because they were shut out by one of the best teams in Wisconsin. The Cardinals had a tough time recovering from last year’s 7-6 loss to Big Foot. Brodhead needs to stay focused on making a deep postseason run since conference-title hopes are out the window. NEXT: Friday vs. McFarland, 7 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 2.
4. PARKVIEW (5-2): Parkview continued Clinton’s misery with 540 yards of total offense in the Vikings’ 51-6 whooping. Three players rushed for 69 yards or more including a big night by Ethan Andre. He finished with 129 yards on 16 carries (1 TD) to lead the Vikings. Nick Melton was his usual spectacular self, passing for 140 yards and running for 69 more. NEXT: Friday at Whitewater, 7 p.m. Last week’s ranking: No. 4.
5. NORTH BOONE (4-3): North Boone may have seen its playoff aspirations go up in smoke following a 26-7 loss to 2-5 Hampshire. Alex Albrecht had a good night, but the Vikings’ defense couldn’t stop Ron Laramie, who ran for 194 yards and 4 TDs. It doesn’t get any easier for North Boone, who must beat Harvard or state-ranked Richmond-Burton to have a shot at postseason play. NEXT: Friday at Harvard, 7:15 pm. Last week’s ranking: No. 5
STAR SYSTEM
(I award stars to the top five players in the past week, checking out who had star performances in Week 7).
1. BIG FOOT DEFENSE — Nobody has stopped Brodhead-Juda’s ground game all season. That was until the Chiefs did just that last week. Ethan Douglas was held to 70 yards on 19 carries and the Cardinals averaged a meager 2.3 yards per carry.
2. MIKE WALKER (BIG FOOT) — There was a lot of people wondering who the best back was in the RV South. Was it Walker or Douglas? It’s Walker. Perhaps, the best all-around player in the Stateline, Walker rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
3. ETHAN ANDRE (PARKVIEW) — Andre is the newbie to Star System after he churned out 129 yards on 16 carries. Nick Melton and Caleb Fakes are game-breakers. Imagine if Andre could be the third guy for the Vikings. Dangerous would be the word that comes to mind.
4. FORREST WILTFANG/BRYAN ROTHMALER (HONONEGAH) — Wiltfang and Rothmaler get co-stars due to their rushing in Friday’s win over the Pretzels. Wiltfang had been quiet in the past few weeks, but came to life on Friday with 72 yards on 6 carries that included the games’ first two touchdowns. Rothmaler picked up where Wiltfang left off, rushing for 58 yards on 9 carries and three more TDs. These are the two guys who need to carry the Indians’ power running game.
5. STEVE GRAY (SOUTH BELOIT) — Gray is one of the best tackling linebackers I’ve seen all year. In South Beloit’s 35-6 loss to No. 1 Dakota, Gray filled every hole and hounded Evan Dornink. He finished with 13 tackles and did something few linebackers do in the Stateline: he wrapped up and tackled the legs.
Big Foot running back Mike Walker has been the driving force behind the Chiefs' success.
