Power 25: May 19

May 20, 2019
By Steve Nielsen & Andy Sroka
Wisconsin Staff

We have one more week of regular season action before the WIAA playoffs begin and things are coming to a head on the Power 25. Three teams leapt onto the Power 25 this week, too, two of which are making their debuts to the rankings this season. Let’s dive in.

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CREAM OF THE CROP

After back-to-back updates with a new No. 1, Janesville Craig (18-1) retains the top title this week. The Cougars played only once last week and defeated Madison West, 9-0, to extend their win streak to nine games. Craig has not lost since April 20 and wraps up their regular season with a two-game set against Madison Memorial this week.
West De Pere (21-2) is on an absolute roll, and they’re bumped up to No. 2 in the state as a result. They’ve won 12 in a row and they picked up four more wins last week against Menasha, Shawano Community (twice), and Oshkosh North to get there. Two games left on the calendar, today and tomorrow, against Green Bay Southwest and Seymour.
Burlington (17-4) went 2-1 last week, including a pair of wins over Muskego and Tremper, sandwiched around a midweek loss to Wilmot. Unfortunately for the Demons, it doesn’t take much to slip this close to the top of the board. They drop a single spot to No. 3 in the state after the Wilmot loss, making way for the streaking Phantoms. They’ll have the chance to get their revenge on the Panthers on Tuesday, and also have games today, Thursday, and Saturday, before beginning regional play next week.
It’s becoming a theme to see Kimberly (16-2) getting hot right before the start of the postseason. It’s the same story this spring, as the Papermakers put together another undefeated week, going 3-0 with two wins over Appleton North and another over Oshkosh North. They’ll be busy in their final week of the regular season; they have six games on the docket this week, including a big bout on Tuesday against No. 19 Hortonville. Kimberly moved up to No. 4 in the state in today’s update.
Green Bay Preble (18-2) is up to No. 5 on the Power 25 and has won 14 straight games. Last week, Preble earned four wins over Oshkosh West, Sheboygan North, Ashwaubenon, and Notre Dame and they allowed just five runs combined. They have a one game lead on Bay Port and a 1.5 game lead on De Pere in the Fox River Classic, and they’ll actually meet the Redbirds on Tuesday in a game that could have huge conference consequences.

TRENDING UP

Whitefish Bay (20-2) is proving that they know what it takes to win, and have been all spring long. Many of their biggest contributors are sophomores and even freshmen, but you wouldn’t know that watching them. Last week, the Blue Dukes went 4-0 with two wins over Grafton, another against Waukesha South, and capped the week on Saturday with a win over a talented West Bend East squad. The young hungry Bay team have won 11 of their 22 games by three runs or fewer, providing evidence that they know how to perform in crunch time, when it matters most. This is critical experience that could make them that much more dangerous when the Division-2 playoffs roll around. WFB is up to No. 6 in the state this week.
Waunakee (17-5), the team that occupied the No. 1 spot on the Power 25 for the longest time this spring, seems like they’ve begun to shape themselves back into that top squad we forecasted them to be at the start of the season. They won all three of their games last week, including a pair of lopsided wins over Medford and Beaver Dam. They have a healthy lead in the Badger North and could solidify a first-place finish this week against DeForest – they also have a pair of non-conference games with Milton and Watertown on the calendar, too. Waunakee’s solid week has them trending up, ranked No. 10 in the state now.
It’s been pedal to the metal for the Union Grove Broncos (20-3) this spring and they’re up five spots on the rankings because of the form they’re in. Now the No. 11 team in the state, Union Grove won their three games last week against Racine Case and two over Waterford. They have a half-game lead on Burlington in the Southern Lakes, and if the Demons drop their final conference game against Wilmot this week, the Broncos will finish the spring as conference champs.
Up six spots, Franklin’s (17-5) 5-0 week helped them get to No. 12 on the Power 25 and they also defeated a couple of ranked opponents along the way. The Sabers are riding an eight-game win streak and defeated Bradford and Greendale to bolster their resume. They also swept Racine Horlick in three games, too. The Southeast Conference is one of the tighter races in the state, and Franklin is a half-game behind Bradford and Oak Creek is right behind them. They have three games on the schedule this week against Tremper, the fourth-place team in the conference, and will end their regular season with a visit to Oak Creek, which could be for the Southeast crown.
Since returning to the Power 25, Bay Port (16-6) has been scolding hot. The Pirates won their three games last week against Notre Dame, Sheboygan North, and Southwest. A 1-0 loss to Preble on May 10 has been their only blemish this month. They’re up to No. 16 on the rankings in this week’s update.
Catholic Memorial (16-6) is up seven spots on the Power 25, making them the biggest climbers on the board, up to No. 14. The Crusaders went 5-0 last week with wins over former Power 25 program Oconomowoc and also handed ranked Beloit Turner their first loss of the spring. They have one more conference game on the calendar, a make-up with Waukesha West on Tuesday. They have two more wins than Muskego in the Classic Eight, so this race seems like it’ll come down to the wire, though Catholic Memorial certainly has the edge.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

Beloit Turner (19-1) has been making a habit of shutting out their opposition this spring, but they were shut out themselves on Saturday, 2-0, against a good Catholic Memorial team. It was their first loss of the spring, and it came against a red-hot Crusaders squad, so they won’t get knocked much on the Power 25, and they’re down just a couple of spots to No. 15 to accommodate for the team that jumped them on the board. Still, Turner coasted to a Rock Valley Conference title and looks primed to challenge for the D-2 title – and they might get the chance to avenge their loss to Catholic Memorial down the road

NEWCOMERS

Sussex Hamilton (14-6) spent last week outside the Power 25 but they’re right back where they belong in this update. After winning all three of their games last week – against three quality opponents, Brookfield East, Wauwatosa East, and Menomonee Falls – the Chargers are now the No. 23 program on our Power 25. They have a rigorous end-of-season schedule to look forward to, too. This week, they’ll play Burlington, South Milwaukee, Homestead, Stevens Point, and Middleton. All strong squads, all should really test Hamilton in the final stretch of the regular season. We’ll see how they handle it.
Pewaukee (21-5) was on the edge of debuting on the Power 25 last week and finally break through in this update, at No. 24. The Pirates have won 20-plus games in six straight springs now, after winning all five of their games last week. Two wins over West Allis Central, and ones over Arrowhead, Whitnall, and Shorewood put a bow on an excellent week. They’ve lost just once since mid-April and will open regional action on Thursday, actually, against Saint John’s Northwestern Military Academy. Add them to the list of talented D-2 teams to watch for this postseason.
Eau Claire North (16-4) joins Pewaukee as Power 25 debutants in this update. And even though they lost to Eau Claire Memorial on Thursday, 6-5, the Huskies have been among the hottest teams in the state for a month now. Prior to Thursday’s defeat, North hadn’t lost since April 9 and they’ve won many of those games handily. Last week, they opened things up with a win over the Old Abes before dropping their next contest, but remedied things quickly with consecutive wins over La Crosse Central. They’ll meet Chippewa Falls twice this week to close the spring regular season.

OUT

Oconomowoc entered last week ranked at No. 19 but are back on the outside of the Power 25 in today’s update. The Raccoons had a tough week, going 1-2 with lopsided losses to No. 21 Catholic Memorial and Kettle Moraine. Still, they’re squarely in the hunt for the Classic Eight title, trailing leaders Catholic Memorial by a single game with three conference ties left, against Kettle Moraine and two against last-place Waukesha North. Just when it appeared Oconomowoc was getting in a rhythm though, they dropped three of their last four.
Wauwatosa East’s winless week drops them out of the top-25. The Red Raiders dropped games to Sussex Hamilton and Brookfield Central, which simultaneously severely harmed their chances at a conference title. They have two more games this week, against Southeast Wisconsin Christian Homeschool and end the regular season with a trip to Greenfield.
River Falls was only able to spend just one week on the Power 25 after losing two last week, to New Richmond and Chippewa Falls. Like Oconomowoc, River Falls also has a chance to claim a conference title. They’re finished with conference play and lead the Big Rivers over Chippewa Falls by a game, owning two more wins though having played two more games than them. Chippewa has two games against Eau Claire North, and a single loss to the Huskies would conversely hand River Falls the conference title.

OTHER NOTES

Waupun (19-2) lost their second game of the spring, this time to Plymouth, and it bounced them three spots down the Power 25 to No. 7.
Webster (23-0) is now one of two undefeated teams on the rankings. They won five times last week and have just one more game on the schedule before the Division-4 playoffs start, where they’re surely the hefty favorites to win back-to-back state titles, after being crowned the D-3 champs a season ago.
Despite sweeping a reeling Indian Trail team, Bradford (16-6) dropped to No. 13 in the state after opening last week with a loss to Franklin. They still lead the Southeast, but Franklin is right on their tail and has played one fewer game than the Red Devils.
Stevens Point (16-4) saw their 12-game win streak snapped on Saturday with a 4-2 loss to Watertown. SPASH slips a single spot to No. 10 in the state because of the loss, and they’ll be busy to close out the regular season as favorites to win the Wisconsin Valley Conference.
Hortonville (13-6) was dealt a big 14-4 loss to Appletown West to put them 3.5 games back of Kimberly in the Fox Valley Association. The loss also sent them down to No. 19 on the Power 25, but they, too, have big week ahead, including an opportunity to take down FVA rivals Kimberly on Tuesday.
Oak Creek (13-6) was on a brief three-game skid before winning two straight to take their series against Kenosha Tremper last week. The Knights are now the No. 17 program in the state.
De Pere (15-6) had their week spoiled with a 1-0 loss to Manitowoc Lincoln, but won their three other games. They have a must-see game on Tuesday against Green Bay Preble to close out their regular season.
Sun Prairie (16-7) is down to No. 20 in the state after ending their week with a 2-1 loss to Middleton. The Cardinals won their two other games earlier in the week against Madison East and that same Middleton squad. They have Madison West on the calendar twice this week and close the season with a visit to Eau Claire Memorial.
Greendale (19-3) gets bumped a few spots on the rankings with their 4-1 week. An end-of-the-week loss to Franklin was a tough way to close things out, but they had overwhelming wins against Milwaukee Lutheran, New Berlin Eisenhower, and Shorewood earlier. Two big games are on the schedule this week, a showdown with South Milwaukee today and a visit to ranked Oak Creek on Saturday.