Before we get to this week's game of the week, make sure to check out our recaps from last week:
Week 1 Recap 🏈 Middleton 36, Madison Memorial 7 Highlights 🏈 What I Think I Saw: Week 1
Additionally, make sure you get your free-to-download copy of the Madison-Area High School Football Preview, packed with 150 pages and 70,000 words previewing the action on Friday nights!
Here's a rundown of this week's content:
⚽ LISTEN: Oregon Boy's Soccer Coach Robert May previews the upcoming season
🏃 LISTEN: Madison West Cross Country Coach Tom Kaufman looks to defend a state title
🏈 LISTEN: Madison La Follette Football Coach Scott Swanson seeks a sweep of the Janesville schools to start the season
🏈 LISTEN: Lake Mills Football Coach Dan Ferkovich describes the bond between his outstanding quarterback-receiver duo of Ben Dunkleberger and Hayden Iverson
🏈 LISTEN: McFarland Football Coach Paul Ackley dropped a tough one in the opener, but saw big strides made by his young team
#7 (WSN)/#7 (AP) Middleton (1-0) at #3 (WSN) /#4 (AP) Sun Prairie (1-0) - 6:45pm Friday
Mike Stassi's Game of the Week Preview
Middleton Coach Tim Simon Preview
Sun Prairie Coach Brian Kaminski Preview
Last Year: Middleton outlasted Sun Prairie in four overtimes at Otto Breitenbach Stadium, as Dion Huff ran for 99 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-31 victory. Both of this year's starting quarterbacks, Jack Zander of Sun Prairie and Davis Roquet of Middleton, played in last year's epic, as did several others.
Last Week: Sun Prairie rolled to a 56-0 win over Madison East, leading by 40-0 after the first quarter. Middleton used four turnovers, a blocked punt, and a safety on a different punt play to the tune of 29 of their 36 total points in a 36-7 rout of Madison Memorial.
Coaches' Corner: Both teams are a mirror of one another, philosophically. Strong defense, clock-grinding running games, and an emphasis on special teams are what these two teams seek as identities. The edge here may be Sun Prairie's ability to get points from anywhere on the field, whether it's in the kicking game or by pinning their opponents deep on a punt with the outstanding Alex Oakley in the fold. Middleton is also dealing with several injuries, but held up well against Madison Memorial in the opener.
Three Keys: 1. Sun Prairie will need to take advantage of any field position opportunities they get. Middleton didn't make many mistakes, either turning the ball over or in penalties, in their opener. 2. Middleton's re-constructed lines will need to play like seasoned veterans against a relentless Sun Prairie front. Despite the injuries, Middleton held up reasonably well last week. 3. Avoiding mistakes on special teams will be critical. Both Middleton and Sun Prairie took advantage of dominating the special teams department en route to blowout week one victories.
Five Players To Watch: Sun Prairie K/P Alex Oakley: He will have chances to change the game with a swing of the leg, either for points or field position. While he didn't punt last week, he did go 8-8 on kicks, including a made field goal... Middleton QB Davis Roquet: Should the ground game get gobbled up by the Sun Prairie defense, Roquet will be called up on to spread the ball around again after completing passes to eight different receivers last week... Sun Prairie QB Jack Zander: After tossing four touchdowns last week, the task is a little more difficult facing the Middleton secondary, who picked off another outstanding quarterback, Michael Toman of Madison Memorial, twice in the first four plays from scrimmage last Friday. Zander will work without Draven Peeples at running back for the second straight game... Middleton CB Cole Ragsdale: You could put the entire secondary in this slot: Ragsdale is 5'9", the shortest member of the starting defensive backfield for Middleton, which has no player taller than 6'1". Sun Prairie starts three receivers that are 6'3" or taller. Ragsdale picked off the first pass of the game in the opener... Sun Prairie LB Marty Strey: The first-team all-state linebacker a season ago is off to a great start, scoring two tackles for a loss and a scoop-and-score fumble recovery against Madison East.
Tune in Friday night at 6:45pm!
Big 8 (Rankings are WSN Coaches Poll/AP Poll)
#7/#7 Middleton (1-0) at #3/#4 Sun Prairie (1-0) - Madison Taxi Game of the Week: See above
UR/#RV Madison Memorial (0-1) at Madison West (1-0) - The battle for Mansfield will feature a Regents team coming on strong down the stretch in week one thanks to clutch turnovers over the Beloit Memorial Purple Knights, while the Spartans of Memorial will look to rebound from a turnover-marred game to open the season at Middleton.
UR/#RV Verona (1-0) at Beloit Memorial (0-1) - Verona battered Janesville Parker's inexperienced offense last week and won 21-0, while Beloit Memorial saw their game against Madison West get away from them in the second half. It looks to be another low-scoring, grind-it-out affair for both teams.
Janesville Parker (0-1) at Madison La Follette (1-0) - The Lancers held off Janesville Craig last week, while also working in a pair of quarterbacks. They'll see the other Janesville school this week, one that has the opposite problem on offense--they have a starting quarterback, but ten new starters elsewhere--but also one that traditionally boasts a tough defense, led this year by a trio of returning players up the middle.
Madison East (0-1) at Janesville Craig (0-1) - One of the first-year coaches in the Big Eight (Jeremy Thornton of East or Adam Bunderson of Craig) will earn their first coaching victory this week. While Craig played tough against La Follette, East was blown out at home by the team picked to finish atop the Big Eight in Sun Prairie last Friday.
Badger North and Badger South (Rankings are WSN Coaches Poll/AP Poll)
-This is the second and final week of Badger Crossover games. The Badger South went 6-2 in week one.
#1/#3 Waunakee (1-0, 0-0) at UR/#RV Watertown (1-0, 0-0) - If Watertown needed an initiation into the Badger Conference, it doesn't get much better than Waunakee. An outstanding Goslings spread attack will need to find some room against the vaunted Warriors defense in order to score a big first Badger victory. Last week, Watertown downed longtime rival Beaver Dam in their 97th all-time meeting while Waunakee broke the seal on their new field and video board in a shutout of Fort Atkinson.
#9/#5 Mount Horeb/Barneveld (1-0, 0-0) at Oregon (1-0, 0-0) - A tougher match-up for the Vikings than maybe what it looks like on paper, Oregon took down DeForest to open the season and boast experience at several positions, especially defensively. Mount Horeb/Barneveld can't afford to look past the talented Panthers with Waunakee coming to town next week.
UR/#RV DeForest (0-1, 0-0) at UR/#10 Monroe (1-0, 0-0) - Monroe was able to pull away in their opener against Reedsburg after a weird penalty to start the second half, while DeForest dropped their week one contest to Oregon, 24-14. This match-up of 2016 playoff teams figures to be another physical battle for both teams. Monroe is still working their new starting backfield into their roles, while DeForest is looking to bounce back after a week one loss.
Portage (0-1, 0-0) at #8/#10 Monona Grove (1-0, 0-0) - Bob Hepp's Portage Warriors got 28 against the Stoughton Vikings to open the season, getting points in each quarter. The rebuild continues with another difficult game against a Badger South opponent. The Silver Eagles easily took care of Baraboo to open the season, behind Alec Ogden's combined four touchdowns rushing and passing.
UR/#RV Stoughton (1-0, 0-0) at Baraboo (0-1, 0-0) - Stoughton's week one contest against Portage was surprisingly frisky, with the Warriors hanging tough with the Vikings for much of the game. If that experience pays off, it could mean success down the road, but first up is a Baraboo squad that was flattened by Monona Grove to kick off their campaign.
UR/#RV Reedsburg (0-1, 0-0) at Milton (1-0, 0-0) - These two powerhouse programs each took a dip last season, but make no mistake: these are both going to be tough outs for anyone who plays them this season. Reedsburg's loss to Monroe, while not entirely unexpected, was probably closer than the score indicated. Meanwhile, the Red Hawks will look to keep up their winning ways after blasting Sauk Prairie in week one.
Beaver Dam (0-1, 0-0) at Fort Atkinson (0-1, 0-0) - Beaver Dam's first true foray into Badger Conference play takes them to Fort Atkinson, where the Blackhawks were shut out in a road game at Waunakee to start the year. Beaver Dam's defense is no slouch, holding up against Watertown's aerial assault early before giving way late, so Fort Atkinson's key here will be getting things established early up front, as each team seeks their first win of the year.
Sauk Prairie (0-1, 0-0) at Edgewood (0-1, 0-0) - Edgewood was down 49-0 in their first game before scoring 20 against Mount Horeb/Barneveld to make the final margin 49-20, while Sauk Prairie, set back a bit by the sudden resignation of their head coach the Monday before the opener, lost to Milton 31-14. Whichever team can score a win here will get a boost of momentum heading into their respective conference seasons.
Capitol North and Capitol South (Rankings are WSN Coaches Poll/AP Poll)
-Conference play has not yet started for the Capitol Conferences. In crossover games, the Capitol North leads 1-0, and in the remaining non-conference games, the Capitol North is 3-2 while the Capitol South is 4-0.
#3/#2 Lodi (1-0, 0-0) at Wisconsin Dells (1-0, 0-0) (Thursday) - Wisconsin Dells made the long trip north and defeated Thorp 32-26, while Lodi was all over Delavan-Darien/Williams Bay 34-6. The Blue Devils will get the spotlight in the area to themselves on Thursday, and a chance to show how much talent they brought back from last year.
UR/#RV New Glarus/Monticello (1-0, 0-0) at #4/#9 Lake Mills (1-0, 0-0) - A contrast of styles will be on display in this Capitol crossover. The Glarner Knights use a physical run game while the L-Cats rely on the passing of Ben Dunkleberger to get the job done. Both teams have intentions on competing for a conference title, so this should be one of the more intriguing area games. This also represents the lone crossover between the conferences this week.
UR/#RV Platteville (1-0, 0-0) at UR/#RV Columbus (0-1, 0-0) - Platteville earned a big 34-7 win over Cuba City to start the season, while Columbus--only a year after dominating Ripon--dropped their opening contest 28-17. Still, this figures to be one of the more interesting games on the early slate, given each team's recent success.
Deerfield (0-1, 0-0) at UR/#RV Cambridge (1-0, 0-0) - The Blue Jays beat up Brookfield Academy to start the year and now get Deerfield one week after they lost to Waterloo by 27.
Palmyra/Eagle (1-0, 0-0) at Waterloo (1-0, 0-0) - Palmyra/Eagle got a thrilling last-minute win over Poynette to start the season, but will now face off against Waterloo, who finished second in the Capitol South a season ago.
Elkhorn (0-1, 0-0) at Lakeside Lutheran 1-0, 0-0) - Elkhorn lost 26-10 to New Berlin West in week one, while Lakeside Lutheran scored a big 34-13 win over Adams-Friendship. This appears at a glance to be a relatively interesting area game.
Luther Prep (1-0, 0-0) at Kettle Moraine Lutheran (0-1, 0-0) - Luther Prep will get its second non-conference game against a southeastern Wisconsin opponent, one week after taking down University School. KML was shut out 39-0 in week one.
Boscobel (0-1, 0-0) at Belleville (1-0, 0-0) - A celebration of the 45th anniversary of the State Line League title game is on tap. Belleville got a dominating week one victory over Elcho/White Lake, while the Bulldogs failed to get on the scoreboard in their season opener.
Marshall (0-1, 0-0) at Parkview (0-1, 0-0) - Marshall gave up many of its points in the second half of their season-opening loss to Lake Mills, while Parkview was dropped by Dodgeville. This should be an interesting match-up considering Marshall's long history of success and Parkview's program-building progress in their second year in the Trailways.
Poynette (0-1, 0-0) at Adams/Friendship (0-1, 0-0) - The Pumas lost on a heartbreaker, and now look to rebound against Adams/Friendship, who went 9-1 last year but lost their opening game to fellow Capitol North conference member Lakeside Lutheran.
Rock Valley (Rankings are WSN Coaches Poll/AP Poll)
Brodhead/Juda (0-1) at #4/UR Clinton (1-0) - Much like last year, the Cardinals will have to overcome a difficult early schedule in order to extend their quarter-century-long playoff streak. Clinton, meanwhile, is coming off of a big win over Evansville/Albany, in which they scored all 14 points in the second half of a 28-16 comeback victory. Expect lots of running plays in this one.
#7/UR Big Foot (1-0) at East Troy (1-0) - East Troy survived an upset bid by McFarland, and made plenty of plays, to get to 1-0, but now their lines will be tested by the athleticism of the Big Foot Chiefs. Big Foot managed to put away Brodhead/Juda in the opening week. Can the Trojans' lines force a more physical match-up, or will Big Foot find ways around the edge to victory?
Evansville/Albany (0-1) at Jefferson (1-0) - If the Blue Devils thought opening up with last year's co-champ was difficult, it doesn't get any easier on the road versus one of the conference's top squads and defenses in the Jefferson Eagles. Jefferson easily put away Whitewater in week one.
Whitewater (0-1) at Turner (1-0) - Turner got it going late in their win over Edgerton in week one, and now welcome Whitewater to their home field. While the Whippets boast one of the conference's best players in Jimmy DuVal, Turner has a weapon of their own in Juan Reyes.
Edgerton (0-1) at McFarland (0-1) - Both teams were in good shape in their respective first halves of their games, but couldn't seal the deal as they each suffered week one losses. Both teams feature some very talented players across multiple classes, so some of the individual match-ups this Friday could be ones to see a year or two down the road as well.
Other Teams: Trailways
Marshall (0-1, 0-0) at Parkview (0-1, 0-0) - Marshall gave up many of its points in the second half of their season-opening loss to Lake Mills, while Parkview was dropped by Dodgeville. This should be an interesting match-up considering Marshall's long history of success and Parkview's program-building progress in their second year in the Trailways.
Johnson Creek (1-0, 0-0) at Living Word Lutheran (1-0, 0-0) - Both teams had dominating season-opening victories, and now meet for a non-conference battle in week two.
Wayland Academy (0-0, 0-0) - Season begins September 1
Other Teams: 8-Player
#8 Phillips (1-0) at #2 Oakfield (1-0) - In what could be a preview of a Jamboree game this year, two of the top 8-player football programs in the state meet up for an early-season clash this Saturday.
#4 Abundant Life/St. Ambrose (1-0) at Alden-Hebron (IL) (0-0) - The Challengers cross state lines to keep up their long winning streak. Mike Rhatican had 266 yards passing in their opening-week victory.
Wisconsin Heights (0-1) at Elgin Christian (IL) (0-0) - After suffering a 40-0 defeat to Oakfield to open the season, the Vanguards hope to find some success on the south side of the state line this Saturday.