There have been several great high school football teams from this area over the decades, but years ago there was no way to determine how they stacked up against teams from other areas of the state… not until 1976. That was the year the WIAA created a playoff program for football, and it initially included four divisions based on enrollment. Spring Valley High School made the playoffs that first year but lost in the semi-finals. In 1978 the field was expanded to five divisions, with each division advancing only four teams to the playoffs. That year Spring Valley became the first Pierce County school to reach the state championship game.

The Cardinals completed an undefeated season (11-0) by defeating Randolph 15-3 in the Division 5 championship game, which was played at Tomah. Coach Bob Thomas led his team to a Dunn-St. Croix Conference championship, and the Cards’ 26-6 semi-final win over Cashton propelled them into the state final.

When asked what stood out in his mind about their playoff experience Coach Thomas said, “I was injured the night before the championship game, and I got 64 stitches in my chin! I said, ‘let’s run that play one more time’ and the running back collided with me.” He added, “Dave Brandvold was our team leader from the linebacker position, which is where you need your strongest player. That was a good team. The only team that may have been better was the 1973 team. I’d have gone up against any team in the state with that team, no matter their size, but there were no playoffs then.”

Bob’s daughter was a cheerleader that year too, so the family memories run deep.

In 1981 the WIAA again expanded the playoff field, this time to six divisions and eight teams in each division. The field doubled to 16 teams per division in 1987, and in 1996 the field doubled again, to 32 teams per division, which is where the playoff structure still stands today.

Spring Valley returned to the state finals in 2000, again posting an undefeated regular season at 9-0, then rolled through the first four levels of the playoffs, outscoring opponents 163-23. In the championship game the Cards edged Highland for a second state title by a score of 8-0, even though Spring Valley’s balanced attack dominated the game statistically, outgaining Highland 299 yards to 35 (a record for fewest yards allowed in a state final that remained for many years)! I asked Head Coach Duane Jourdeans what was special about that season.

“It was the families, the players, and how supportive everyone was of each other… on and off the field,” Jourdeans said. “Over the summer we built retaining walls together as fundraisers and their leadership, work ethic and teamwork were amazing.”

He also said that his coaching staff was very engaged and creative. Many of his assistant coaches went on to be head coaches elsewhere, and many of them are still coaching today.

In 2001 the Cardinals expanded upon their creativity, employing a no-huddle offense to win their second consecutive Dunn-St. Croix - Small Conference title.

Coach Jourdeans said, “The players really took ownership. They were allowed to call some of their own plays, give input on which defense to run, and even decide who would blitz on a given play. We would finish each practice running ‘perfect plays’ to learn to deal with pressure situations and increased the number of perfect plays required to end practice each week.”

The Cards steamrolled their way through the four playoff games leading up to the championship, where they were to face highly ranked Hilbert, a juggernaut that had played against very tough competition all year and had an all-state running back who went on to play for the Badgers. The coaches sensed that the players felt intimidated by the task in front of them, so they took a walk around Camp Randall the night before the game, then watched one of Hilbert’s game films. The Cardinals’ confidence returned after the defense thwarted Hilbert on their very first possession and coasted to a 34-3 win for their third state championship. They outscored their playoff opponents 195-30 en-route to another spotless 14-0 season. In back-to-back seasons under Jourdeans, Spring Valley went 28-0 and remains undefeated in state championship games. Overall, the Cards’ playoff record is an impressive 33-18 in 22 appearances.

Prescott High School also reached the state championship game in 2000. The Dave Hopkins-led Cardinals won the Dunn-St. Croix - Large Conference, and had an exciting playoff run to reach the final at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. After defeating Cumberland 33-20 in the first playoff game, the Cards squeaked by Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 38-35 in overtime, then edged Northwestern 15-13 before taking down Kewaunee in level four by a 37-12 score. Prescott entered the Division 4 championship game with a 13-0 record and faced a Lancaster team that overcame 142 yards in penalties to defeat the Cards by a 14-7 score. Prescott dominated in time of possession and first downs, and equaled Lancaster in yardage gained. Each team completed only one pass. Prescott’s completion was a 43-yard touchdown pass at the end of the third quarter to narrow the margin, but neither team was able to cross the goal line in the fourth quarter.

Cornerback and wide receiver Jeremiah Brunner was one of 14 seniors on that team, most of whom played multiple sports. He said, “We were a team that always looked out for each other. We knew we had something special, and no one worried about individual accomplishments. We really played well as a unit, and most of us stayed healthy. Our coaches kept us in check… humble and well prepared. One of our coaches was fighting cancer that season and KARE11 did a special on us while playing Somerset. It really gave us a mid-season spark, knowing that any moment, on or off the field, could be it (for him).”

Brunner said the playoffs were tough, and he felt that the Northwestern game was a much harder fought battle than the state championship game. He added, “State was a game basically played in a blizzard, playing a team that had been there before. We beat them in every category but the final score! Unfortunately, there were some questionable calls that kept us from taking the lead. Regardless, it was a cool experience running out of that tunnel, seeing your community filling up the stands. It was a great way to go out. A feeling and memory to never forget.”

Ellsworth brought home the gold hardware in 1990 under the direction of Head Coach Craig Olson. The mighty Panthers took the top spot in Division 3 with smothering defense under assistant coach Conrad Bekkum’s “bend but don’t break” philosophy. Their playoff wins over Spooner (15-6), Tomahawk (16-0) and Nekoosa (12-7) led them to a showdown with Richland Center, where the Panthers took the crown with a 6-0 victory in the state championship game, capping off a 12-1 season. The only score of the game came with 1:03 left in the first half on a 1-yard plunge by Nate Gruber, who ran for 166 yards on 30 carries. Both he and John Groh went on to successful football careers at Winona State University. Coach Olson credits the team’s success to his assistant coaches, Bekkum and Larry Noll along with the toughness of the players, some good bounces of the ball and the great Ellsworth fans who were told before leaving for Madison, “Last one out of town, turn the lights off!”

Ellsworth High School was also the most recent Pierce County team to play in a state championship game, returning to Madison in 2021. The Panthers plowed through the Middle Border Conference season unscathed, then won playoff games over St. Croix Central, Osceola, Northwestern and Freedom to reach the title game. Head coach Rob Heller’s team finished the season with a 12-1 record with their only loss coming at the hands of Catholic Memorial (of Waukesha) in the Division 4 state final by a 21-12 score. Catholic Memorial reeled off all 21 of their points in the first quarter before Ellsworth scored two touchdowns in the second quarter.

Coach Heller shared some fond memories of that season saying, “A couple things that were special to me about the Fall of 2021 was being just a small part of a great experience. We had great athletes, a wonderful coaching staff that loved working together, and a great school administration who fully supported the program and the experience. And to do it all the season after COVID where we finished 8-0 and ranked #1 in the state by the coaches’ association really made it all worthwhile, like we had something to prove, unfinished business. To see a community and school rally around a group of high school kids who worked very hard to get where they had gotten was something I will never forget. Every Friday night, seeing the joy on the players’ faces, the excitement in the hallways at school, the buzz around town, it was all very surreal. We are not much for silver linings in our program, but I believe that may have been one of the best teams to come up short in the state finals that the state has ever seen. That team was truly an exceptional group of young men. In the end, 2021 was one hell of a ride.”

Overall, the Panthers have made the playoffs 15 times and amassed a record of 18-13.

The other three high schools in Pierce County have not yet made an appearance in a state championship game. Their playoff records are as follows: The Elmwood Raiders made 15 playoff appearances, compiling a 7-15 record, the Plum City Blue Devils were 11-8 in eight playoff appearances, and the Elmwood/Plum City Wolves co-op program is 0-9 in nine playoff games. The Wildcats of River Falls High School have been in the playoffs 14 times, winning 10 games and losing 14.

The first round of this year’s football playoffs will be held on Oct. 25 and 26 with the state championship games being played at Camp Randall Stadium on Nov. 21 and 22. Will another local team of gridiron greats be hoisting a gold football above the frosty turf in Madtown this year? The next several weeks will reveal the answer to that question.