Football playoffs start Oct. 25

The season will continue for six area football teams.

Two of them - Amherst and Iola-Scandinavia - will host a WIAA Level 1 game on Friday, Oct. 25, while the other four - Stevens Point, Waupaca, Weyauwega-Fremont and Almond-Bancroft - will open the postseason on the road.

Amherst, which started the season 7-0 before dropping its final two games to Stratford and Wittenberg-Birnamwood, is a No. 4 seed in Division 5. The Falcons will host fifth-seeded Oostburg (6-4) at 7 p.m. The Flying Dutchmen finished third in the Big East Conference but dropped three out of their last four games.

Iola-Scandinavia (6-3) received a No. 2 seed after finishing fourth in the Marawood/Central Wisconsin Conference behind Edgar, Auburndale and Abbotsford. The Thunderbirds will host another Big East team, seventh-seeded Hilbert (5-5), at 7 p.m. at Thunderbird Field in Scandinavia.

Stevens Point (6-3) is a No. 6 seed in Division 1 and will open the playoffs at third-seeded Madison Memorial (8-1) at 7 p.m. The Panthers finished second behind D.C. Everest in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, while the Spartans finished second behind Verona in the Big Eight Conference.

Waupaca (4-5) is a No. 6 seed in Division 3 and will head to La Crosse Logan to face the third-seeded Rangers at 7 p.m. The Comets finished third in the Bay Conference behind Winneconne and Seymour and wrapped up a spot in the playoffs with late-season road wins over Shawano and Xavier. The Rangers (7-2) tied with four other teams for first place in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Weyauwega-Fremont qualified for the playoffs with a 35-34 win over Colby in the final game of the regular season. The Warhawks are a No. 8 seed in Division 6 and will head to Coleman to face the top-seeded Cougars (9-0) at 7 p.m. Weyauwega-Fremont (5-4) finished fourth in the Central Wisconsin Conference-Large behind Stratford, Wittenberg-Birnamwood and Amherst. The Cougars won the Northwoods Conference championship.

Almond-Bancroft is back in the WIAA eight-player playoffs for the second straight year. The Eagles (8-1) won the Central Wisconsin-8 Conference with a 6-1 mark, received a No. 3 seed and will open the postseason at 7 p.m. at second-seeded North Crawford. North Crawford (8-1) placed second in the Ridge & Valley-8 Conference. The game will be played at North Crawford High School in Soldiers Grove.

Former Weyauwega-Fremont coach Tom Chase, now coaching in Randolph, will take the Rockets to the playoffs. Randolph (5-4) placed second behind Johnson Creek in the Trailways Conference, received a No. 6 seed in Division 7 and will open the playoffs at 7 p.m. at third-seeded Ithaca (9-0).