Area rankings, players and teams of the week.
AREA RANKINGS
LW
1. Franklin (7-0) 1
2. Waukesha West (7-0) 2
3. Brookfield Central (7-0) 3
4. Whitefish Bay (7-0) 4
5. N.B. Eisenhower (7-0) 6
6. Brookfield East (6-1) 5
7. Muskego (5-2) 7
8. Catholic Memorial (6-1) 8
9. Homestead (6-1) 9
10. Racine Horlick (7-0) 10
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE
Nate Artenian, New Berlin West: Due to an injury, the senior moved from receiver to quarterback, a position he never played before, and led the Vikings to a 20-14 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran. Artenian, who is 5 foot 11 and 160 pounds, completed 4 of 6 passes for 33 yards, including two third-down conversions in the fourth quarter to keep drives alive. He also ran for 180 yards on 24 carries and scored on runs of 35 and 5 yards.
Honorable mention Peter MacCudden, Waukesha West: The Wolverines’ senior running back ran for 189 yards on 20 carries in the team’s 35-17 victory over Arrowhead. He finished with 205 yards of total offense. He also averaged 15 yards in three returns while playing safety most of the game.
Masen Beatty, Pewaukee: The junior running back carried 19 times for 244 yards and a school-record five touchdowns in a 42-19 victory over Brown Deer.
DEFENSE
Kerrion Taylor, Milwaukee Marshall: The Eagles harassed Milwaukee Washington for eight sacks in a 53-24 victory. The 6-3, 210-pound senior accounted for three of those and finished with five tackles. He also blocked a punt that went for a safety during the first quarter when the Eagles jumped out to an 18-0 lead. Taylor has five sacks this season.
Honorable mention Will Kennedy, University School: The senior linebacker recorded 19 tackles, 11 solo, in the Wildcats’ 23-0 victory over Brookfield Academy. Matt Clope, Racine St. Catherine’s: The senior linebacker registered 13 tackles and an interception in the Angels’ 41-35 overtime victory over Greendale Martin Luther.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Nick Lesczynski, Brookfield Central: Special teams provided a huge lift for the Lancers in their 22-14 victory over Brookfield East thanks in part to Lesczynski. Central broke a 7-7 tie when the senior linebacker blocked a punt that senior Reggie Jennings returned for a 25-yard touchdown with 5 minutes, 56 seconds left in the first half. The Lancers never trailed again.
Honorable mention A.J. Slusar, South Milwaukee: The Rockets needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive and the 6-0, 165-pound sophomore running back set the tone for a 47-6 victory over Cudahy with a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game. TQ Washington, Kenosha Bradford: The senior defensive back opened the Red Devils’ 54-0 victory over Racine Park with an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He also made two tackles and broke up pass.
TEAMS OF THE WEEK
West Bend East: The Suns (3-4) snapped a four-game losing streak and put themselves in position to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2011 with a 35-22 victory over Port Washington at home. Fourth-quarter touchdowns by seniors Kyle Yochem and Joey Michels were the difference for East after Port rallied from a 21-8 deficit to lead by one point in the fourth quarter. Yochem finished with 16 carries for 74 yards and three touchdowns. East now needs victories over Nicolet (0-7) on Friday and West Bend West (1-6) next week to qualify for the postseason. Lake Geneva Badger: The Badgers cleared a significant hurdle on the way to another Southern Lakes title with a 31-24 overtime victory over Wilmot. The game pitted Badger against its last regular-season opponent with a record over .500. It can clinch a share of its third straight title by beating Elkhorn, which is 0-5 in the league, on Friday and go undefeated for the second straight year by beating Union Grove (2-3) in Week 9. To win last week, the Badgers rallied from a 21-6 deficit at the half. The big play in the comeback was a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior Will Keller. Junior Brandon Bernardo scored the gamewinner from 7 yards out in overtime and then the defense ended the game with a goal-line stand.