WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – The high school football postseason officially kicked off Friday night with tier one of the WIAA playoffs.

Starting in D3, Medford backed up its top seed by defeating GNC foe Lakeland Union 28-7. The Raiders had a big night on the ground from Evan Wilkins as they moved to the second level. They will return home next week to face five-seed Fox Valley Lutheran. The Foxes defeated Wausau East 44-41 to advance. The Lumberjacks were down early but managed to get back into the game, capitalizing on some FVL turnovers to make it 30-27 at the half. However, FVL won the late kicks to advance. Also in D3, Merrill lost on the road in a defensive slugfest to Onalaska 13-8.

In our game of the week, Edgar showed the heft of a single seed, blanking Marawood opponent Pittsville 36-0. The Wildcats used that commendable defense to stifle the Panthers. Tucker Streit was smooth through the air, finding Lucas Stahnke multiple times for scores. The Wildcats will continue through the postseason after a night of their defense doing what they do best.

“Our goal is just downs and as many as we can get, we’ll take,” junior Gavin Mauer said. “The closures, there are stickers for headphones, so the more closures the better.”

Beating a conference opponent is a big deal because the two sides know each other well. Edgar head coach Jerry Sinz was pleased with how the game plan came together.

“We were not fooled. We thought we might be tricked or we thought they might have a few tricks up their sleeve,” Sinz said. “Actually, they tried a few, but we managed to pick them off.”

Edgar will move on to face five-seed Shiocton next week. Also in D7, Iola-Scandinavia’s season ended, losing to seventh seed Hilbert, 28-14.

In D6, Abbotsford won an offensive game with Nekoosa 42-28. The Falcons were successful through the air and on the ground, managing to pull away for the tier one victory. They will visit a Coleman seed next week. Also in this category, Auburndale impressed in the tier one opener. The Eagles blanked Westfield 35-0. They will travel to two-seed Bonduel next week.

In D4, Mosinee lost an affair with Ellsworth 28-21. Early scoring for the Indians couldn’t do the trick as Ellsworth came back to end Mosinee’s season. In D1, SPASH also saw their season end, losing on the road to Madison Memorial. In eight games, Newman suffered a similar fate, falling on the road to McDonell Catholic 52-8.

In Division 5 Stratford got off to a third peat on the right foot with a decisive 48-14 win over Horicon/Hustisford. Jack Tubbs had a big night for the Tigers at the QB position as Stratford roared to victory. They will host Amherst next week for a conference rematch as the Falcons cruised to a 35-12 win over Oostburg.

Also in D5, Wittenberg-Birnamwood advanced with a blowout win over Barron. Bryson Schmid ran wild for the Chargers as they won 48-0. Next up for them is a date with one-seed Saint Croix Falls. Elsewhere, Stanley-Boyd were equally impressive in their opener, cruising past Spooner 42-6. The Orioles will play Northwestern next week.

In other scoring, DC Everest advanced with a 50-21 win over Hudson. They will face Madison Memorial next week. Wausau West lost to top-seeded Waunakee 28-14, while Marshfield fell to New Richmond 30-10. Colby was eliminated after a 40-6 loss to Northwestern. Crandon fell in their opener to Bonduel 35-14. In eight games, Loana/Wabeno fell to Elkhart Lake/Glenbeulah 30-22. Owen-Withee advanced to the postseason opener, beating Port Edwards 60-6, while Almond-Bancroft fell to North Crawford 56-22.

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