October 22, 2021 – Cedarburg, WI – The Cedarburg Bulldogs (6-3, 4-3) get a return match to start the WIAA Division 2 Region 3 football playoffs with a Slinger team (4-4, 3-4) that it defeated at home 28-13 on September 24 (week 6).
Cedarburg also won the last playoff match against Slinger in 2015, winning 8-0. The next matchup in this North Shore Conference rivalry will take place on Friday October 22, 2021 with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
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WIAA Friday football matchups
A Common Upset
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Both teams have one unique feat that they achieved this season, they were the only teams to beat Homestead (both as the road team against the Highlanders) in the regular season, Slinger in week 4, 20-14 and Cedarburg in week 9, 14-9.
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Homestead as a No. 1 seed in region 4 would not play either team until after the sectionals, in the playoff semifinals.
Could two quarters decide the game? A battle of scoring polar opposites
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The Cedarburg Bulldogs scored the most points, 107, in the North Shore Conference in the second quarter this season. Conversely, Slinger while the second quarter was also the most offensively productive this season for the Owls, they produced 69 total points in the second quarter.
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The Owls have been notoriously bad to start second halves offensively, managing only a single touchdown in the third quarter this season. The Bulldogs have been a bit better, scoring 28 points in the third quarter.
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The team that dominates the second and third quarters will most likely have the greatest chance to win
Defense Wins Championships
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Both teams have incredible defenses, but each with completely different strengths.
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Slinger has been great at tackling (most total in the North Shore Conference) and coming up with big stops that keep points off the board, allowing just 133 total points this season. The Owls also have 8 interceptions this season, tied for second in the conference.
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Cedarburg has been efficient in reducing the damage their opponents can do offensively by producing the third most total tackles in the conference, including 41 tackles for lost yardage and 11.5 sacks. Turnover wise, the Bulldogs have forced 5 fumbles and 1 interception.
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The better defense from either team could be good enough to make serious noise in this season’s playoffs.
Three Key Players to Watch
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Slinger senior running back Avery Kurth: 137 carries, 1,061 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns (tied for second most in the conference), 17 receptions, 286 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns (both sets of statistics are team bests, only one of 5 running backs to have over 1,000 rushing yards in the North Shore Conference); Defensively, Kurth also has 36 total tackles and 2 interceptions, the latter stat tied for the team lead.
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Cedarburg senior running back Connor Roloff: 167 carries, 1,188 rushing yards (second best in the conference), 169.7 rushing yards per game (most in the conference), 11 rushing touchdowns; Bulldogs are one the North Shore’s best rushing team in no small part because of Roloff, with 2,406 team rushing yards and 25 team rushing touchdowns
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Cedarburg defensive end Jonathan Weir: Is tied for the second most sacks in the North Shore Conference with 4.5 sacks, more than the entire Owls’ roster (4.0 sacks). Even when not generating pressure on passing plays, having a defensive anchor like Weir could force the Owls offensive line to pay him extra attention, and thus open up holes for the rest of the Bulldogs
