The high school football season is officially heating up, and Week 3 brings plenty of intriguing matchups across the Chippewa Valley and surrounding area. The week got off to an incredible start Thursday night as Spring Valley erased a 20-point second-half deficit to defeat McDonell, 44-42, in one o f the wildest games of the young season. It was a tough loss for McDonell, but also a valuable lesson for a program looking to establish itself among the top teams in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference. McDonell head coach Luke Oliver admitted the loss was a gut punch, but he also pointed to Spring Valley as the level his team wants to reach. For Spring Valley, it was another reminder of why the Cardinals are consistently among the contenders in the DSC. The game featured plenty of back-and-forth action and provided an entertaining start to Week 3. Chi-Hi and Chippewa Falls Renew a Historic Rivalry Friday night brings one of the biggest games on the local schedule when Chippewa Falls travels to Eau Claire Memorial for a matchup featuring plenty of history. The rivalry between Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire Memorial is one of the longest-running rivalries in Wisconsin, with Friday night marking the 114th all-time meeting between the two programs. There is also an interesting storyline on the Chippewa Falls sideline. New Chi-Hi head coach Mitch Olson is a Chippewa Falls graduate and former Player of the Year who played for longtime Chippewa Falls coach Chuck Raykovich . Now, Olson returns home as a head coach for one of the area’s biggest rivalries. That alone makes this a game worth watching. Plenty of Other Big Games Friday The Big Rivers Conference has several other intriguing matchups on tap. Rice Lake hosts Hudson, while New Richmond takes on Superior. Eau Claire North travels to River Falls in a crossover matchup that isn’t technically a Big Rivers Conference game but does count toward the conference standings for both teams. In the Dunn-St. Croix Conference, one of the biggest games of the night features Boyceville against Glenwood City. Both teams are unbeaten and ranked among the top teams in the Wisconsin Division 7 state poll. Boyceville entered the week ranked No. 2, while Glenwood City was No. 6. With both teams viewed as legitimate Division 7 contenders, Friday night’s matchup could provide an early look at two teams that could be playing deep into November. Other games around the area include Regis at Abbotsford, Stanley-Boyd at Durand, Arcadia at Neillsville and Mondovi at Fall Creek. Memorial also hosts Marshfield as the Wisconsin Valley Conference season gets underway. Gilman vs. Owen-Withee Highlights Eight-Player Schedule If you’re looking for the biggest eight-player game in the state this week, look no further than Gilman at Owen-Withee. The matchup pits the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Wisconsin eight-player state poll against each other. Both programs have been impressive early in the season, and both have legitimate state championship aspirations. Gilman was the state runner-up last season, while Owen-Withee had the potential to make a deep playoff run of its own before running into Gilman in the second round. The two teams are physical, disciplined and experienced, making this one of the most anticipated games of the entire weekend — regardless of whether you’re talking eight-player or 11-player football. Volleyball Season Picking Up Steam While football takes center stage, the fall sports schedule is filling up quickly. Big Rivers Conference volleyball action got underway Thursday night, with New Richmond defeating Chi-Hi in five sets. River Falls also picked up a straight-set victory at Eau Claire North. The conference schedule will really begin to take shape after Labor Day. Last weekend, Chippewa Falls hosted its annual large volleyball invitational, featuring roughly 40 teams. Chippewa Falls won the tournament, defeating Hudson in the championship match. River Falls and McDonell finished tied for third. The event featured a loaded field, including teams such as Barron, St. Croix Falls, Grantsburg and Stanley-Boyd. It’s become one of the premier early-season volleyball events because it gives teams an opportunity to play several games over two days against opponents they might not normally see during the regular season. Cross Country, Girls Tennis and Golf Also Underway Fall sports aren’t limited to football and volleyball. Cross country is already underway, with some of the first major meets taking place last weekend. Following Labor Day, the schedule will begin to feature many of the traditional marquee events around the area. Girls tennis is also underway, with Big Rivers and Middle Border Conference competition already taking place. Girls golf has been going for several weeks as well, making it one of the earliest fall sports to get fully underway. And swimming is right around the corner. Big Rivers Conference girls swimming duals are scheduled to begin next week, including Chippewa Falls and McDonell traveling to Hudson. College Sports Season Gets Busy The Division III college sports schedule is also filling up this weekend. UW-Stout has teams competing across several sports, including men’s and women’s golf, cross country, women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer and football. Stout football travels to Iowa to take on the University of Dubuque. UW-Eau Claire is just as busy. The Blugolds have women’s volleyball, women’s and men’s soccer, men’s golf and tennis all in action. And Saturday marks the start of the UW-Eau Claire football season. The Blugolds will kick off their season at noon at Carson Park against Alma College. Meanwhile, UW-River Falls — the defending national champion — opened its season in impressive fashion, crushing Southern Virginia 73-7. River Falls scored 35 points in the first quarter and finished with 526 yards of total offense while holding Southern Virginia to just 172 yards. That’s about as dominant of a season-opening performance as you could ask for from a defending national champion. Cadott Named Superior Auto Body Team of the Week The fans have spoken, and this week’s Superior Auto Body Team of the Week is Cadott football. Cadott received the most votes from listeners following a big win over Stanley-Boyd. The victory was especially significant because it marked Cadott’s first win over Stanley-Boyd since 2003-04, snapping a long drought against the Orioles. It was also an important bounce-back victory after Cadott suffered a tough loss to Edgar. Now the Hornets turn their attention to Unity, traveling to Balsam Lake for another important matchup. There is some added motivation heading into that game as well. Unity defeated Cadott last season, and that loss ultimately played a major role in keeping Cadott out of the playoffs despite finishing with five wins. With the Lakeland Conference portion of the schedule getting underway, Cadott will look to carry the momentum from last week’s victory into Friday night. The Fall Sports Season Is Here From a 44-42 thriller to historic football rivalries, a battle between two of the state’s top eight-player teams and a busy weekend of college sports, there is no shortage of storylines across the Chippewa Valley. And with conference play beginning to ramp up after Labor Day, the stakes are only going to get higher. The fall sports season is officially in full swing. ...read more read less