WIAA Level 1 football playoffs preview: Appleton North faces Kimberly again, FVL and Xavier host first-round matchups Friday

By Paul Lecker
AppletonSportsPage.com

The 2023 WIAA football playoffs kick off Friday night with Level 1 matchups across seven divisions.

Winners will move on to Level 2 contests next Friday, Oct. 27, and the playoffs will conclude with the 2023 WIAA State Football Championships at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Nov. 16-17.

Three local teams qualified for the postseason and two of them will host Level 1 games this week. Here is a look at the matchups:

Division 1
No. 7 Appleton North (6-3) at No. 2 Kimberly (7-1)
When and where: Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., at Papermaker Stadium, Kimberly High School.
About Appleton North: The Lightning started the season 5-0 before losing three of their final four games, including a 14-0 loss to Kimberly in the final regular season game last week…North has scored just six points in their three losses to the Fox Valley Association tri-champions Neenah, Kaukauna and Kimberly, but allowed just 28 points in those games…In its six wins, Appleton North has averaged 37.7 points per game…Quarterback Luke Kritzer has thrown for 1,210 yards and nine touchdowns, and run for seven scores…Jack Robinson leads the Lightning running attack with 643 yards and eight TDs…Six North players have double digits in catches, with Abraham Tomori leading the way with 23 for 309 yards and four touchdowns.
About Kimberly: The defending Division 1 state champions suffered its only loss of the year in Week 8, falling to Kaukauna 14-13…The Papermakers are led by senior running back Gavin Tyson, who has 770 yards and seven touchdowns…Quarterback Carson Pendleton has thrown for 961 yards and 15 touchdowns, while throwing six interceptions…Bryson Vieth has 31 catches for 401 yards and six TDs, and Brennen Grams caught 28 passes for 393 yards and five scores.
Next up: The winner moves on to a Level 2 game against the winner of No. 6 Wausau West (7-2) and No. 3 Stevens Point (8-1) on Oct. 27.

Division 3
No. 6 Antigo (4-5) at No. 3 Fox Valley Lutheran (6-3)
When and where: Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., at Fox Valley Lutheran High School.
About Antigo: The Red Robins have lost three of their final four games heading into the postseason, including a 58-14 loss to Medford in Week 9…Three of Antigo’s four wins were by shutout, as it blanked Merrill, Rhinelander and Ashland…Quarterbacks Colton Thomae and Jake Verhasselt split time, combining for 942 yards, but only four touchdowns…Alec Knapkavage leads the Red Robins’ rushing attack with 614 yards and six touchdowns.
About Fox Valley Lutheran: FVL snapped a two-game losing streak with a 20-7 win over Freedom in its regular-season finale last Friday…The Foxes have scored 21 points or more in seven of their nine games…Quarterback Liam Heiges has accumulated more than 2,000 yards of total offense (665 rushing, 1,440 passing) and 25 total touchdowns (15 passing, 10 rushing)…Jack Egan lead the rushing attack with 710 yards and eight touchdowns…David Schumacher has emerged as the Foxes’ top passing target, hauling in 30 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns.
Next up: The winner will play a Level 2 game on Oct. 27 against the winner of No. 7 Ashwaubenon (3-6) and No. 2 Green Bay Notre Dame (8-1).

Division 4
No. 7 Wisconsin Dells (6-3) at No. 2 Xavier (8-1)
When and where: Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., at Rocky Bleier Field, Xavier High School, Appleton.
About Wisconsin Dells: The Chiefs won three of their final four games, including a tight 25-21 victory over Poynette in their South Central Conference finale last week to finish in a tie for second place in the conference standings…Wisconsin Dells averages 27 points per game and has eclipsed 35 points four times this season…Quarterback Lex Reittinger has thrown for 1,274 yards and 17 touchdowns, and running back Sam Ersland has been a workhorse, running 223 times for 1,510 yards and 16 scores. He is ranked 11th in the state in rushing yards this season…Senior receiver Degan Jensen is Reittinger’s primary target, accumulating 53 catches for 651 yards and 10 touchdowns as he had five catches or more in seven games this season.
About Xavier: The Hawks rolled through the Bay Conference with a perfect 7-0 record and have won eight games in a row since a season-opening loss to Luxemburg-Casco back on Aug. 18…All eight of Xavier’s wins have been by 17 points or more as it has allowed just 11.4 points per game since Week 1…Matthew Potter leads a balanced rushing attack as the Hawks have six ball carriers with more than 100 yards this season. Potter has a team-high 930 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Isaiah Des Jardins ran for 622 on just 43 carries and scored 14 times…Quarterback Reid Hietpas has 615 passing yards and eight touchdowns, without throwing an interception, and has another 350 rushing yards and seven TDs.
Next up: The winner will take on the winner of No. 6 Winneconne (6-3) and No. 3 Berlin (7-2) on Oct. 27 in Level 2. Xavier beat Winneconne in a Bay Conference game 45-19 on Oct. 6.

Click here to view the entire WIAA football playoff matchups