Week four of the high school football season arrives Friday night, and there is no shortage of big games across the Chippewa Valley and Western Wisconsin. With conference races beginning to take shape, several teams are looking to make a statement, while others are simply trying to get some momentum going before the season gets away from them. Eau Claire North and Memorial Meet in Crosstown Showdown One of the biggest games in the area is the latest chapter of the Eau Claire North–Eau Claire Memorial rivalry. The two teams meet Friday night with both still searching for their first win of the season. That means someone will leave the game with its first victory, and both programs have plenty of incentive to use the rivalry game as a springboard for the rest of the season. Memorial controlled the series for a stretch, but North has taken control in recent years. The game also continues the recent tradition of playing the rivalry matchup on the schools’ campuses rather than at Carson Park. Both schools have newer facilities, and the atmosphere should be electric with the game taking place on campus. Chippewa Falls, New Richmond Headline Big Rivers Matchup Another highly anticipated matchup comes in the Big Rivers Conference, where undefeated Chippewa Falls takes on undefeated New Richmond. Both teams have been putting up big numbers offensively, averaging more than 45 points per game to start the season. With two prolific offenses going head-to-head, this could come down to which defense can make the biggest play. A turnover or a couple of key defensive stops could ultimately determine the winner. Other Big Rivers games include Menomonie hosting Hudson, Stevens Point traveling to Rice Lake and River Falls visiting Superior. Menomonie will be looking to build off a strong first half against Chippewa Falls last week. Menomonie trailed just 14-7 at halftime before Chippewa Falls pulled away for a 44-7 victory. Interesting Matchups Across the Area The CloverBelt Conference also features some intriguing games. Osseo-Fairchild has been impressive to start the season and will take on Regis. The team has already picked up three sizable victories and will look to continue that momentum. Mondovi and Edgar meet in a particularly interesting crossover matchup. Both are Division 6 teams expected to be factors later in the season, and because of the way the crossover is structured, the game counts as a conference game for both teams. Other games include Neillsville-Granton hosting Durand-Arkansaw and Stanley-Boyd hosting Fall Creek. In the Dunn-St. Croix Conference, Glenwood City enters the week with some momentum after picking up a big win over Boyceville last week. Glenwood City travels to Colfax, while Boyceville hosts Osseo-Fairchild. Elmwood-Plum City also travels to McDonell. The Lakeland Conference features another important matchup as undefeated Webster visits Cadott. Webster is 3-0 and has been impressive after a difficult opening game against Edgar, while Cadott has bounced back with convincing wins over Stanley-Boyd and Unity. A Critical Stretch for Teams in the Central-Eastern Conference The Central-Eastern Conference has several teams making noise early in the season. Gilman picked up a big win over Owen-Withee last week and remains unbeaten. Gilman is currently ranked sixth in the Wisconsin state poll, while Wisconsin Rapids Assumption is ranked third. That means three of the top six teams in the state are currently competing in the conference. This week’s games include Gilman hosting Wausau Newman, Owen-Withee traveling to Cornell and Wisconsin Rapids Assumption hosting Athens. Thorp also hosts Rib Lake after picking up an important victory over Wausau Newman last week. For Thorp, stacking wins is especially important. The team was just on the outside of the playoff picture last season, and every victory becomes valuable when the postseason picture is ultimately determined. With eight regular-season games in 8-player football, week four represents the halfway point. For 11-player football, the nine-game regular season means next week will mark the halfway point. The playoff race is already beginning to take shape. Volleyball Conference Play Picking Up High school volleyball is also starting to heat up. Chippewa Falls already has two matches under its belt in Big Rivers Conference play and picked up a straight-set victory over Eau Claire Memorial Thursday night. The match was competitive and spirited despite the straight-set result. Memorial also picked up a big win over Regis earlier in the week in an Eau Claire matchup. Stanley-Boyd also earned a straight-set win over Colfax in nonconference action. The various conferences will really begin to get rolling with conference play over the next week, which should provide a clearer picture of the teams that will be competing at the top of their respective standings. Girls Golf Already Approaching the Postseason Girls golf is another sport that moves quickly during the fall season. The Western Wisconsin Classic at Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax featured many teams from throughout the area, including programs from both the Big Rivers and CloverBelt conferences. One interesting storyline early in the season has been the lack of one dominant team consistently running away from the competition. At the Northwest Wisconsin Classic, River Falls took the top spot, with Eau Claire Memorial finishing just five shots behind. Chippewa Falls finished fifth and Bloomer sixth. Colfax-Elk Mound had a familiar face near the top of the individual leaderboard, with Clara Kongshaug earning medalist honors with a 74 — six shots ahead of the next closest player. With golf and tennis beginning earlier than football, both sports are already getting close to the postseason. That also means their seasons can wrap up before some of the colder fall weather arrives. Soccer Season Starting to Take Shape Boys soccer is also moving into the heart of its conference schedule. Several of the area’s familiar programs are near the top of the Big Rivers picture, including Hudson, New Richmond and Chippewa Falls. Eau Claire Memorial has also picked up a win over Chi-Hi, while Superior is off to an impressive 5-0 start. There are still only a handful of conference games on the schedule, but as teams begin playing multiple conference games each week, the standings should start to separate. Cross Country Features Big Meets Cross country has a couple of major events coming up. Menomonie hosts its annual invitational, which will feature several of the area’s top programs. On the girls’ side, Bloomer will be one of the teams to watch after winning the sectional championship last season and finishing third at the state meet. Chippewa Falls and several Division 1 programs will also be competing. The Menomonie course is particularly valuable for teams because it is expected to host the sectional meet again this season. Getting an opportunity to race on the course ahead of the postseason gives athletes a chance to learn how to attack it before there is much more on the line. That’s one of the unique challenges of cross country: every course is different, and teams have to adjust their strategy depending on the terrain. Regis Girls Basketball Announces New Head Coach Even though basketball season is still a couple of months away, Eau Claire Regis has already made a significant move. Lionel Jones is taking over as the Regis girls basketball head coach after most recently coaching at Holmen. Jones brings plenty of coaching experience at both the high school and college levels, as well as experience working with athletes in the area. With talent already in place at Regis and the season still a couple of months away, the hire gives the program plenty of time to prepare. UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout Back in Action College football is also on the local radar. UW-Eau Claire is coming off an impressive 23-15 victory over Alma College. Alma was receiving votes in the Division III Top 25 entering the matchup, making the win an important one for the Blugolds. UW-Eau Claire will hit the road Saturday to take on Carroll University in Waukesha. UW-Stout Polytechnic will be at home, taking on Augustana. Elk Mound Football Named Superior Auto Body Team of the Week This week’s Superior Auto Body Team of the Week, as voted on by listeners, goes to Elk Mound football. The Mounders have been impressive to start the season and earned the most votes from listeners. The win continues a strong showing from teams in Dunn County, following Colfax’s Team of the Week selection earlier in the season. Elk Mound now has another big test ahead with a matchup against Regis. A new group of three Team of the Week nominees will be announced Monday, and teams can earn consideration by getting their fans involved and putting together strong performances on the field. It’s another busy week across Western Wisconsin, with football taking center stage and several other fall sports beginning to move toward the most important part of their seasons. ...read more read less