Week 8 of high school football action brings us a matchup of a pair of Mississippi Valley Conference undefeateds squaring off for the outright conference lead and at least a share of a conference crown with two games remaining in the regular season. The Holmen Vikings (5-0 conference, 7-0 overall) and the LaCrosse Central Riverhawks (5-0 conference, 5-2 overall) are both two games up on second place La Crosse Logan and Onalaska in the standings with two games remaining in the regular standing so the winner of this matchup will come away with at least a share of the conference title pending week 9 results.
The Vikings, now ranked 4th in division 2 by gobound.com, continued their dominance over conference foes last week gaining 376 rushing yards in a game that saw lots of fireworks in the first quarter of action in a 48-7 victory over Baraboo. Holmen’s defense proved to be stout once again, holding Baraboo to just 27 yards of total offense and produced 2 turnovers (fumble recovery by Ayden Smith and interception by Jakai Ayed). Holmen also proved to be a force to be reckoned with on special teams as well, with an 87 yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a pair of 25 yard field goals by Lucas Degner.
The Riverhawks come into this game hoping to play spoiler, hand Holmen their first loss of the season, and walk away with at least a share of the conference title. After a rough, 0-2 start to the season against non-conference competition, Central has course corrected and stormed back with five straight conference wins, most notably, their 13-12 victory over rival La Crosse Logan for the Arc in week 5. The Riverhawks are led by Senior Christian Rudrud (661 yds passing, 1,126 yds rushing & 35.5 total tackles), Junior Gabe Servais (228 yds passing, 382 yds rushing, 3 Interceptions & 35 total tackles) and Senior Connor Groth (461 yds receiving).
Playoff spots are locked but the conference crown is still up in the air for these two teams that split their two matchups last season, both winning at home. This is penultimate game to the regular season should not disappoint as both teams look to ramp up momentum going into post-season play and clinch at least a tie for conference superiority in the process.
Streams starts at 6:55 pm and kick-off is at 7 pm.
Go Vikings!
Watch all of Holmen’s games online at https://www.wiscosportszone.com/watch-la-crosse/ or on the new Holmen Vikings app on ROKU streaming devices.
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