14 October 2023
Winner of seven straight and fresh off a Big Rivers Conference crown, Hudson (8-1) earned a No. 1 seed in the Wisconsin Division I playoff bracket unveiled Saturday.
The Raiders will meet conference foe Chippewa Falls — which eeked into the playoffs with a 3-4 conference mark — in the first round Friday. Teams need to record a conference mark over .500 in Wisconsin to be guaranteed a playoff spot, but teams coming in under that mark can sneak in to fill out the bracket if needed.
Hudson beat Chippewa Falls 13-8 on Sept. 1.
The top seed means Hudson would host at least its first three playoff rounds. Four wins are needed to reach the state title game at Camp Randall in Madison.
In Division 2, New Richmond (8-1) was given a No. 2 seed and will host Marshfield (4-5) in Round 1. That’s a rematch of a Week 2 game won 31-10 by New Richmond.
The winner of that contest will square off in the second round with the winner of another Big Rivers inter-conference showdown between third-seeded Menomonie and sixth-seeded River Falls. The Mustangs (7-2) topped River Falls (6-3) by a 39-15 final last week.
Middle Border Conference champion Rice Lake (8-1) is a No. 1 seed in Division 3 after the Warriors won their final eight games of the regular season. They’ll host La Crosse Logan (3-6) in their playoff opener.
The Division 4 bracket is flush with other Middle Border teams. Conference runner-up St. Croix Central (8-1) received a No. 1 seed and will host Altoona (4-5) in Round 1. If St. Croix Central can advance, it is guaranteed to meet a conference rival in the second round because the No. 4-5 matchup pits fourth-seeded Baldwin-Woodville (7-2) against Ellsworth (5-4). Baldwin-Woodville beat Ellsworth 49-0 in their regular-season game.
Somerset (4-5) received the No. 6 seed and will travel to play third-seeded Oconto Falls (9-2). Both Ellsworth and Somerset got into the playoffs with 3-4 conference marks.
St. Croix Falls is a No. 5 seed in Division 5 after closing the regular season with five straight victories following an 0-4 start. It will play at Neillsville/Granton (5-4) in Round 1.
In Division 6, Cumberland (4-5) is a No. 8 seed and will travel to play top-seeded and unbeaten Grantsburg (11-0). The winner of that game will face the winner of the first-round battle between No. 4 Ladysmith (7-3) and No. 5 Unity (6-4). Ladysmith topped Unity 28-6 last week.
Cameron (7-2) is the No. 3 seed after winning the Heart O’North Conference, and will play Crandon (7-4) in the first round.
Top-seeded Boyceville (9-0) — the Dunn/St. Croix Conference champ — will face eighth-seeded Clear Lake in the opening round. Clear Lake (4-5) got into the playoffs with a 3-4 conference mark. Boyceville won the regular season matchup 50-7.
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Spring Valley (7-2) received the No. 4 seed, and will face Hurley (8-3) in Round 1.
Glenwood City (5-4) also got into the playoffs with a 3-4 conference record as a No. 7 seed, and will meet second-seeded Edgar (8-1) in the first round.