The fall sports season is officially hitting the stretch run, and there is no shortage of big games, postseason storylines and local teams making noise across the Chippewa Valley and beyond. From the girls golf state tournament to high school football conference championships and UW-Eau Claire’s p ush through the WIAC season, there is plenty to keep an eye on. Elk Mound-Colfax Girls Golf Back at State The Elk Mound-Colfax girls golf team is back at the WIAA state tournament, and this year’s trip is especially impressive considering what the program lost from last year’s team. The team graduated three seniors, including Bell Kongchong, a three-time state champion. Replacing that kind of production is no easy task. The season didn’t exactly start smoothly, either. The team struggled during the first half of the season while trying to figure out what it had. Claire continued to play well, but the rest of the lineup was still finding its footing. Then things started to click. The team entered the state tournament riding a seven-match winning streak, giving Elk Mound-Colfax plenty of momentum heading into the biggest stage of the season. University Ridge can be an intimidating course, but this group isn’t walking in completely unfamiliar with the surroundings. Several players have been there before, and Claire finished in the individual top 10 at state last year. Now the goal is to finish the job and bring some hardware home. State Tennis Is Next The fall postseason continues later this week with the WIAA state tennis tournament. Eau Claire Memorial’s program is once again sending athletes to state, continuing what has become a consistent run of success under coach Jim Letcher. The sectional tournament was held at Lakeland Union this year, but the change in venue didn’t change the results. Memorial will have athletes competing in the individual tournament this weekend, with the team portion coming up in a couple of weeks. Altoona and McDonell Regis will also be represented, giving the area plenty of local interest heading into the tournament. And before long, we’ll be talking about cross country and volleyball postseason brackets as well. McDonell has already secured another Cloverbelt Conference title, winning the conference outright for the fifth consecutive year. Eight-Player Football Playoffs Are Here The WIAA eight-player football playoff brackets have been released, and one team immediately stands out. Gilman. Gilman enters the postseason as a No. 1 seed and, based on what we’ve seen throughout the season, looks like the team to beat. The Pirates have put together an impressive résumé, including wins over multiple teams ranked No. 2 in the state. They also defeated Shell Lake, one of the state’s top teams that isn’t eligible for the playoffs this season. The other major favorite is Belmont, which sits on the opposite side of the bracket. That’s potentially good news for fans hoping to see the two best teams meet for a state championship. If both teams take care of business, a Gilman-Belmont championship matchup is certainly possible. But that’s why they play the games. There are plenty of teams capable of making things interesting, and playoff football has a way of producing surprises. North Finishes the Regular Season Strong North Eau Claire picked up an important victory over Wisconsin Rapids, and the Cardinals did it with a strong running attack. The offense appeared to use some new formations and leaned heavily on the ground game. It’s another sign of the growth of the program under its first-year head coach. With one regular-season game remaining, North will look to finish strong against Wausau West before turning its attention toward the playoffs. Chippewa Falls and Hudson Could Meet Again In the Big Rivers Conference, Chippewa Falls sits at 6-2 and is in strong position heading toward the postseason. One of the interesting storylines continues to be the matchup with Hudson. Chippewa Falls has had Hudson’s number recently, making it a fascinating possibility that these two teams could see each other again once the playoffs begin. For Hudson, finishing the regular season strong will be important. For Chippewa Falls, the focus is on continuing to build momentum heading into the postseason. Mondovi and Elk Mound Put on a Wild One If you missed the 62-57 Mondovi victory over Elk Mound, you missed one of the wildest high school football games of the season. Sixty-two to 57. That’s a basketball score. Mondovi’s victory sets up an enormous game against Durand-Arkansaw this Friday night. Durand-Arkansaw has already clinched at least a share of the Cloverbelt Conference championship. Mondovi can earn a share of the title with a victory. That makes Friday night’s game essentially a conference championship game before the playoffs have even started. And Mondovi is coming into it with plenty of confidence. The team recently shut out Regis before turning around and playing a 119-point thriller against Elk Mound. Now comes another major test against one of the top teams in its division. That’s quite a stretch of football. Baldwin-Woodville and Osceola Meet With Plenty on the Line Another big conference matchup will take place in the Middle Border Conference, where undefeated Baldwin-Woodville and undefeated Osceola meet with the conference championship on the line. Baldwin-Woodville has been one of the area’s most consistent programs over the past several seasons, and this year’s team has continued that tradition. Now the Blackhawks have an opportunity to finish the regular season with another statement victory. New Richmond Gets a Big Playoff Tune-Up New Richmond and Marshfield will meet in another intriguing final-week matchup. Both teams have the potential to make deep postseason runs, making this more than just another regular-season game. New Richmond has received outstanding production from Austin Wittig, while Marshfield has been a tough, physical team throughout the season. For New Richmond, the game also carries significance when it comes to playoff positioning. It’s exactly the kind of game you want to see on the final weekend of the regular season: two quality teams, meaningful stakes and a chance to build momentum before the postseason begins. UW-Eau Claire Blugolds Win a WIAC Championship There was plenty to celebrate at UW-Eau Claire as the Blugolds captured the WIAC women’s golf championship. It’s the program’s first conference title since 2013. The Blugolds finished with four players in the top six, an impressive level of consistency that helped carry the team to the championship. The team was sitting in third or fourth place after the opening round before moving into second after Round 2 and finishing strong. The championship is another sign of how far the program has come. The Blugolds have seen improvements in talent, facilities and overall program development, and this championship serves as a pretty significant exclamation point on that progress. A big-time Tip of the Cap to the UW-Eau Claire women’s golf team. Blugold Volleyball Has a Big Matchup Ahead The UW-Eau Claire volleyball team also had a strong weekend, earning a pair of home victories during alumni weekend. Now attention will eventually turn toward a matchup with UW-Oshkosh. That one has some extra intrigue. Oshkosh recently lost to Hope, while the Blugolds defeated Hope. Of course, comparing individual results isn’t always that simple in volleyball, especially when teams are playing multiple matches over a weekend. Still, the matchup with Oshkosh should be a good one. Eau Claire and Oshkosh battled in the WIAC tournament last season, with Oshkosh coming away with the victory. The Blugolds were right there, though, and they’ll certainly remember that matchup. If the atmosphere matches the importance of the game, it should be a fun one. Blugold Football Takes Its First Loss The UW-Eau Claire football team suffered its first loss of the season, falling 38-0 to fourth-ranked UW-Platteville. The score doesn’t look pretty, but there is more to take from the game than the final number. Platteville is an excellent football team, and the Blugolds struggled to get the offense going. The defense continued to battle, and there were stretches where Eau Claire showed flashes of what it can do. The biggest takeaway may be that Platteville provided a measuring stick. Now UW-Eau Claire knows what the top of the conference looks like. The Blugolds have an opportunity to learn from the loss and move forward, beginning with a home game against UW-Oshkosh. And the schedule ahead could work in Eau Claire’s favor. Three of the team’s final five games are at home, including matchups against La Crosse and Whitewater. Those home games could provide an important boost, both on the field and in the stands. The crowds at Carson Park have been strong, and keeping that home-field energy going will be important as the season moves along. UW-Stout’s Wild Play Gets National Attention And finally, we have to talk about the play that made its way far beyond Wisconsin. UW-Stout produced an incredible 98-yard pick-six that included multiple laterals. It wasn’t simply a long interception return. The play featured a series of perfectly timed pitches as Stout players worked their way down the field and eventually into the end zone. It was the kind of play that immediately gets people talking. SportsCenter picked it up. Barstool shared it. Suddenly, a Division III football play from Wisconsin was getting national attention. And that’s great for the game. Division III football has plenty of exciting football, and plays like this are a reminder that you don’t have to be watching a major college football program to see something spectacular. For UW-Stout, hopefully it’s just another highlight in what continues to be a strong season. The Postseason Is Almost Here That’s the biggest theme heading into this week: we’re almost there. High school football is wrapping up the regular season. Eight-player playoffs are already underway. Girls golf is competing for a state championship. Tennis is heading to state. Volleyball postseason brackets are coming soon. And at the college level, conference races are beginning to take shape. The best part? A lot of these games actually matter. Conference championships are on the line. Playoff positioning is at stake. Teams are fighting for momentum. That’s exactly what you want as the calendar moves toward the postseason. The fall sports season is getting serious, and around the Chippewa Valley, there is no shortage of reasons to keep watching. ...read more read less