The high school postseason has officially arrived across western Wisconsin, and the brackets are loaded with local contenders ready to make deep runs in softball, baseball, track and field, golf, and more. From powerhouse softball sections to conference title races on the baseball diamond, there is no shortage of storylines heading into Memorial Day weekend. Local Sports Roundup is brought to you by Carpet City Flooring Center. Softball Postseason Brackets Are Set The WIAA softball postseason is officially underway, with Divisions 2 through 5 already beginning regional quarterfinal action. Division 1 teams will open play next week with regional semifinals. Division 1 Headlines Chippewa Falls High School earned a No. 2 seed and a direct bye into the regional finals. The Cardinals will face the winner of New Richmond High School and Eau Claire North High School. Other notable Division 1 matchups include: Eau Claire Memorial High School traveling to La Crosse as the No. 11 seed Hudson High School hosting Superior as a No. 4 seed Menomonie High School taking on River Falls in a competitive 8-9 matchup Sectional finals are scheduled for June 4 at Casper Park. Division 2 Features Familiar Powerhouses Baldwin-Woodville High School grabbed a No. 1 seed, while Altoona High School secured a No. 4 seed and will host La Crosse Logan. Meanwhile, Medford Area Senior High School continues its outstanding season as a No. 1 seed after recent wins over strong competition, including Fall Creek. Loaded Division 3 Section Could Be Must-See Softball One of the most competitive sections in the state may be in Division 3. Stanley-Boyd High School earned a No. 1 seed and will face Neillsville/Granton after a dramatic walk-off win over Elk Mound. The lower half of the section is stacked with state-ranked teams: Arcadia High School (No. 2 seed) Prescott High School (No. 3 seed) Bloomer High School, which has picked up several impressive wins this season With multiple ranked teams on the same side of the bracket, the road to sectionals will be anything but easy. Division 4 and 5 Loaded With Local Talent McDonell Central Catholic High School enters Division 4 as a No. 1 seed and will host Regis after the Ramblers earned their first win of the season in regional play. Augusta High School has also turned heads this season after playing one of the toughest schedules in the area, while Colfax High School enters postseason play as a No. 3 seed. In Division 5, Blair-Taylor High School leads the way as a No. 1 seed, while defending sectional champion Thorp High School returns as a dangerous No. 4 seed. Gilman High School also enters postseason play with momentum under longtime head coach Brad Phelps, who has led the Pirates to multiple state appearances over the years. Baseball Conference Races Heating Up As the baseball regular season winds down, conference championships and playoff positioning remain up for grabs. Big Rivers Conference Battle Hudson High School currently sits atop the Big Rivers Conference standings, but Chippewa Falls High School remains close behind with makeup games still remaining. Chippewa Falls recently picked up its 20th win of the season with a victory over Menomonie and has built a strong postseason résumé with key wins over Stevens Point. Both Hudson and Chippewa Falls are state-ranked and appear likely to secure the top two seeds in their Division 1 sectional. Fall Creek Clinches At Least Share of Conference Title Fall Creek High School clinched at least a share of the Western Cloverbelt Conference championship after defeating Bloomer. If Elk Mound loses its rematch with Regis, the Crickets will win the conference outright. It would mark at least the third straight season Fall Creek has secured a conference title share. The success is especially notable for a program that once had to co-op due to low numbers. Baseball Playoff Brackets Released Several local baseball teams learned their postseason paths this week. Division 3 The southern half of the sectional is loaded with local schools, including: Fall Creek High School (No. 1 seed) Elk Mound High School (No. 2 seed) McDonell Central Catholic High School hosting a playoff game Mondovi High School opening postseason play at home Division 2 and 4 Altoona High School secured a No. 2 seed in Division 2 and earned a bye into the regional semifinals. In Division 4, Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran High School grabbed a No. 1 seed, while Gilman High School will host Bruce in a 4-5 matchup. Track and Field, Golf, and Tennis Enter Postseason Mode The postseason calendar is also filling up quickly in several spring sports. Track and Field Menomonie High School captured the Big Rivers Conference girls team championship, while New Richmond High School won the boys title. In the Western Cloverbelt, Bloomer High School swept both the boys and girls conference championships. Regional and sectional competition begins next week, with many local athletes aiming for trips to state. Boys Golf Bloomer High School wrapped up its third straight Cloverbelt Conference championship this week and now shifts focus toward postseason competition. Regional tournaments begin Tuesday, with sectionals following shortly after before the state tournament in Madison. Boys Tennis Conference tournaments have wrapped up, and subsectional and sectional action is scheduled for next week as spring postseason season continues to ramp up across the area. Postseason Energy Building Across the Area With conference championships decided, playoff brackets finalized, and regionals beginning across nearly every spring sport, the Chippewa Valley is officially in championship season. Over the next two weeks, several local teams will have legitimate opportunities to make runs to sectionals, state tournaments, and potentially championship games. From powerhouse softball sections to tight baseball races and loaded track fields, it is shaping up to be one of the most exciting stretches of the high school sports calendar. ...read more read less