Random thoughts regarding the playoffs

Because of the Packers' game on Sunday and the fact that our Tuesday space for sports is relatively small, we won't have much more in terms of football playoff coverage.

But the good news for readers of this blog is I have unlimted space on the Internet, and will try to exhaust everything I have to say about... well, everything.

So here is a quick guide to our area teams, players and coaches as they head into the playoffs.

Team best suited to make a deep run: If you had asked me this question before the playoffs came out, I would have said Waupun. But with a possible matchup against Wisconsin Lutheran looming in the second round — not to mention a difficult draw against Sheboygan Falls in the opener — has me second-quessing myself. I'm going to say Mayville. Provided the seeds hold, Mayville will have home games against New Holstein and Winnebago Lutheran, then a possible road game at Lodi. There's not one team in that grouping that can shut down both Mayville's running game and its Matt Haass-led passing attack. Provided Haass is healthy, I like Mayville to still be alive at least after Saturday and possible into November.

Player that can take his team the farthest: I'm real interested to see what Ripon does with its offense. Ripon coach Rick Kelm hinted after his team's 49-28 loss to Waupun that it might rely on the pass a little bit more. After all, quarterback Scott Gillespie threw for 273 yards — albeit against a Waupun defense that wasn't putting much of a rush on. Still, if Lodi decides to put a lot of pressure on Gillespie, he's quick enough to evade a rush and make a play out of the pocket. He has a speedy running back in Justin Baker to throw swing passes to, and has some nice tall receivers in Ryan Hill and Brendan O'Brien that could pose matchup problems against smaller opponents. If Gillespie is able to make a bunch of plays for Ripon, I think they can pull off the upset of Lodi.

Team poised to pull off an upset: Of the nine area playoff teams, four have first-round games on the road — Ripon, New Holstein, Oakfield and Laconia. Of that group, I think Ripon has the best chance to pull off the upset, but it will be tough. Lodi took Ripon to the wire last year in a state semifinal and returns powerful running back Brad McBride. But, as I mentioned before, the passing game has the chance to propel Ripon to an upset provided Gillespie can make plays.

Team most likely to lose at home: I'm tempted to say Waupun because of Sheboygan Falls' talent on offense and the fact that the Falcons really haven't played a solid game yet this season. But instead, I'm going to go with WLA. I think the Vikings are still searching for some confidence after a 41-0 loss to Waupun. The offense isn't playing all that well — save for a big run by Mitchell Koepke in last week's win over Berlin. And while the defense is solid, if it gives up two or three big plays early against Valders, WLA might not have the firepower to come back. Now, I don't think that will happen, but of the five teams in the area that have home games, WLA is the one I'd say has the toughest test on its hands.

How far can Fondy go?: The one interesting part of the playoffs is seeing how teams from conferences with 9 or 10 teams fare. Because nobody in the FVA has played anyone outside the FVA, it's kind of hard to gauge the talent level of teams in the league. Fondy will probably match up with two teams from the Big Eight — Madison LaFollette and Janesville Parker. LaFollette, in my opinion, is one of the worst teams that made the Division 1 field. It has yet to beat a team with a winning record. And Janesville Parker's lone non-conference game was a win over Duluth East, a team from Minnesota that also lost to Division 3 Medford. Parker is ranked No. 2 in the latest AP Division 1 poll, but a lot of that is because other teams have lost ahead of it. It's still going to be a difficult game, but considering the alternatives (Arrowhead, Homestead, Hartford), Fondy may have lucked out with its draw.

Will the area have a team at state?: As much as I'd like to see it, my answer is no. If it gets past Parker, Fondy will have to meet up with Arrowhead; Wisconsin Lutheran stands in Waupun's and Kewaskum's way; and there are some pretty good teams on the other half of Mayville's bracket. But, as I'm sure many of you know, I'm no genious, and I'd love it for some of our area teams to prove me wrong.