Week-By-Week Best Matchups WIAA 8-Man Football

Stiehm Stadium: Site of 2013 8-Man Football Jamboree

My best matchups of the WIAA 8-Man Football season week-by-week:

Week 1: Valley Christian at Sevastopol (August 23) - The home Pioneers play their first 8-man game ever against a Warrior team that is eager to improve on last season's one win record.

Week 2: Luck vs. Gibraltar (at D.C. Everest, August 29) - This game is being played at a central location due to the distance between the schools; Gibraltar is a sleeper in the Great 8 this year in their first season of 8-man football. Luck won the matchup of the 2-seeds in the jamboree last season, which was also held at D.C. Everest.

Week 3: Luck at New Auburn (September 6) - An interesting matchup between the runner-up in the North division and the third-seed team in the North from last season.

Week 4: Oakfield at Abundant Life (September 14) - A rookie team to 8-man ball in Oakfield takes on the defending South champs from last season in Abundant Life.

Week 5: Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran at Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah (September 20) - The defensive combination of Nathan Toenjes and Luke Lana leads the Blazers into Elkhart Lake for a midseason contest.

Week 6: Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran at Abundant Life (September 28) - This is a rematch of a game last season at Abundant Life in which the road Blazers lost 56-54. The home Challengers ended up winning the South because of that win, as the Blazers finished with one conference loss, and the Challengers went undefeated in conference play.

Week 7: Prairie Farm at Luck (October 4) - A game between the top two teams in the North last year; the defending 8-man champion Panthers visit the host Cardinals.

Week 8: Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran at Bowler/Gresham (October 11) - One of the most underrated games of the 8-man season, N.E.W. visits a very up-and-coming Panther team looking for a signature win in their inaugural season of 8-man football.

Week 9: Oakfield at Three Lakes (October 19) - A critical season finale for both teams. A win could clinch a spot in the jamboree for one of these teams, as both could be on the bubble. A loss could possibly put that team out of the jamboree.

Packers at Rams Preseason Game Preview

Tonight at 7pm on NBC, the Green Bay Packers (0-1) visit the Edward Jones Dome to take on the St. Louis Rams (0-1) in a preseason contest. Green Bay enters their first road game of the preseason after being defeated by the Arizona Cardinals 17-0 last Friday at Lambeau Field. The Packers had a total of 223 yards of total offense, while the Cardinals racked up 355 yards of total offense. Backup quarterback Graham Harrell was 12-19 for 76 yards and an interception, while starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers was 3-5 for 62 yards. Running back James Starks rushed for 68 yards on 12 carries, while rookie running back and third round draft pick Jonathan Franklin had 6 carries for 14 yards. Receiver Ty Walker had 5 catches for 41 yards, and defensive back Chris Banjo had 5 total tackles. Green Bay is in the middle of a competition. Incumbent Mason Crosby is battling Giorgio Tavecchio for the full-time kicking duties on the team. St. Louis was edged in Cleveland last Friday by a score of 27-19. Although the Rams had 396 yards of total offense and the Browns only had 320 yards of total offense, St. Louis was unable to pull out a victory in their preseason opener. Backup QB Austin Davis was 9-16 for 96 yards, while starter Sam Bradford was 6-13 for 112 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Zac Stacy ran for 23 yards on 7 carries. Receiver Chris Givens caught 3 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Defensive back T.J. McDonald had 6 total tackles in the game last week. This should be a high scoring affair, and look for the Packers to come out with a win because of their running game and defense. (Note: All stats are preseason totals for each player.)

Week-by-Week Best Matchups WIAA Football

My best matchups of the WIAA Football season week-by-week:

Week 1: Kenosha Bradford at Arrowhead (August 23)- The season opens with the last two Division 1 champs facing off in Arrowhead, the defending champs.

Week 2: Arrowhead at Homestead (August 30)- These former D1 powerhouses met annually in the state championship from 2006-2008. They now face off as defending state champions, as Homestead has moved to D2.

Week 3: Pulaski at Bay Port (September 6)- Gary Westerman, second year head coach of Bay Port, faces off against his former team for the second time. He was the head coach of Pulaski before he took the coaching position at Bay Port. Westerman got the better of his former team with a 56-35 trouncing last year on the road.

Week 4: Kewaunee at Wrightstown (September 13)- Two former Division 4 state champions meet in a critical Olympian-Packerland contest, with Kewaunee now in Division 5.  The Tigers trounced the Storm 30-7 last year in Week 1; Wrightstown hosts this game for the second year in a row.

Week 5: Brookfield East at Brookfield Central (September 20)- Bragging rights in Brookfield will be on the line as these teams always produce an entertaining contest. East beat Central 37-14 on the road last year and will try to do it again this season.

Week 6: Sun Prairie at Madison Memorial (September 27)- Athletes will be all over the field in this Big 8 matchup. Sun Prairie shut out the Spartans 35-0 in the regular season last year, then the Cardinals bounced Memorial in Level 1 of the playoffs 45-20. Memorial looking for the upset this season.

Week 7: West De Pere at Seymour (October 4)- One of the favorites to dethrone WDP from the top of the Bay Conference, offensive lineman and Wisconsin recruit Jon Dietzen leads a powerful Thunder offense looking for a signature win.

Week 8: Regis at Fall Creek (October 11)- A critical matchup in the race for a Cloverbelt championship, Regis advanced to the Division 6 State Championship Game last season before falling to two-time champ Saint Mary's Springs.

Week 9: Owen-Withee at Athens (October 18)- Almost a guarantee this game will decide the Cloverwood champion. The Blackhawks handed the Bluejays their only regular season loss in the finale last year; Owen-Withee came out with a 22-7 win. Athens advanced to Level 2 last year, while Owen-Withee quietly had a terrific season. They were eliminated in Level 3.

Brewers at Mariners Game Preview

Tonight at 8:10 CST on Fox Sports Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Brewers (50-66) visit Safeco Field to take on the Seattle Mariners (53-62). This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Milwaukee came away with a 10-5 win last night. Yuniesky Betancourt hit a grand slam in the 5th inning to run the Brewers' lead to 10-2 and blow the lead open. Kyle Lohse picked up the win after going 7 innings of 6 hit ball with 3 earned runs. Tom Gorzelanny is the starting pitcher for Milwaukee tonight. He will be starting for the first time since being hit on the forearm by a line drive last Friday. He left the game after being injured. Shortstop Jean Segura leads the team in batting average with a .313 average. Outfielder Carlos Gomez has 18 home runs to lead the team, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy has 60 RBI, tops on the club. Seattle had their one game winning streak snapped last night with the loss. First baseman Justin Smoak hit a two run home run in the 8th inning last night, the only long ball of the night for Seattle. Smoak also led the team in total bases with four.  He also is riding a 9 game hitting streak. Hisashi Iwakuma is the starter for the Mariners tonight. He has a record of 10-5 with an ERA of 2.75. Iwakuma is 5-2 on the season at home. Outfielder Carlos Peguero leads the team with a .333 batting average, but he only has 6 at bats. Catcher Humberto Quintero has a batting average of .320, but he has just 25 plate appearances. Infielder Kendrys Morales has a batting average of .297, and he has 431 at bats, second on the team. Outfielder Raul Ibanez has 24 home runs to lead the team, and Morales has 64 RBI to pace Seattle. This should be an entertaining pitching matchup, but look for the offense to provide just enough run support for Gorzelanny in a series-clinching win.

Dodgers at Cubs Game Preview

Tonight at 7:10 CST on Prime Ticket, the Los Angeles Dodgers (57-49) visit Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs (49-58). The Dodgers come into this game after splitting a two game series at home against the Yankees. Los Angeles was were shutout yesterday night by a score of 3-0. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw started the game for the Dodgers, and went 8 scoreless innings. New York scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th, and career save leader Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for the Yankees to earn a split. Ronald Belisario took the loss for Los Angeles to drop his record to 4-6. Ricky Nolasco will be on the hill for the Dodgers tonight. He has a record of 6-9, with an ERA of 3.72. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is the team leader in batting average for position players at .374. Pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Zack Greinke have averages of .667 and .400, respectively, but Nolasco has only 3 at bats, and Greinke only has 35 at bats. Chicago enters this four game series with the Dodgers after losing three of four at home against the Brewers this past week. Starting pitcher Edwin Jackson, who has been traded three times at the trade deadline, including twice in one day, overcame a 66 minute rain delay yesterday to pick up the win for the Cubs. He pitched 8 innings of one run ball. First baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Starlin Castro homered for Chicago. Chris Rusin will be the starting pitcher for the Cubs tonight. He has a record of 2-1, with a decent ERA of 2.93. Outfielder Junior Lake leads the team in batting average at .310. Rizzo leads the team in home runs at 15, and RBI with 60. Outfielder Alfonso Soriano was the team leader in home runs with 17, but he was traded to the Yankees last week. This is an interesting matchup. Look for the experienced hitters of Los Angeles to force Rusin into an early exit. I think Nolasco will be dominant, and the Dodgers will collect a road win.