OPINION: Arcadia teams the best of the decade

 When it comes to high school football, there is little doubt that the Arcadia and Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau programs had the most success in the last decade.

 The 2019 season officially closed the 2010s, a decade in which several area teams made deep playoff runs, although none were able to advance to Camp Randall Stadium for the state championship game.

 To determine team had the best season of the last decade, the Times used a combination of a mathematical formula, coach input and analysis. The formula weighed most heavily in the evaluation as it calculated each team’s record with bonus points for playoff wins, the margin of victory and strength of schedule.

 Since the story of a football team can never be told strictly by numbers, there were a few instances in which coach input and other analysis outweighed the formula — those will be explained in the story.

 It’s important to note that this is a listing of the best seasons, not necessarily the best teams. Because of the size difference of the schools in the Times area, it isn’t necessarily fair to compare how an Independence/Gilmanton team might fare against a Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau squad. That’s the reason the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has seven division in football.

 Here is a listing of the best football teams of the decade (record, playoff finish, Times point total): 

 Honorable mention: 2011 Whitehall (8-2, Level One, 633 points); 2011 Blair-Taylor (10-1, Level Two, 631 points); 2012 Arcadia (7-3, Level Two, 676 points); 2012 Whitehall (7-2, Level One, 600 points); 2019 Blair-Taylor (8-3, Level Two, 608 points.) 

10. 2017 I/G

(9-2, Level Two, 740 points)

  The 2017 Indees got off to a fast start winning their first eight games before being thumped by Melrose-Mindoro 39-13 in the final week of the regular season.

 All nine of I/G’s wins that season were by at least 30 points, but their losses were lopsided too. After losing to M-M, the Indees pulled off an impressive 35-0 Level One win over Hillsboro before being thumbed by eventual state champion Bangor 60-6 in Level Two.

 Had the Indees defeated Mel-Min, they might have been able to make a longer playoff run by avoiding Bangor in Level Two, but they came in 10th on this list because they only had one win against a team with a winning record.

 Still, the wins were impressive as the Indees claimed a share of the Dairyland Conference title. 

9. 2014 I/G

 (8-4, Level Three, 649 points)

 The Indees lost Week One to one of the best teams in Division Five then Week Two to the state runner-up in Division Seven. Then they went on a run until the final week of the regular season where they lost to Eleva-Strum — a game in which I/G played cautiously, resting several players, preparing for a playoff run.

 The season almost ended early, but I/G escaped with a 14-13 win over Mel-Min in Level One before defeating Rosholt 22-14 in Level Two. The season came to an end in Level Three, however, as state powerhouse Edgar thumped the Indees 52-14. In all, the four teams I/G lost to had a combined six losses that year.  

 The Indees had balance as Austen Whitwam ran for 1,518 yards and 18 touchdowns while Weston Gumbert threw for 11 touchdowns.

 While the 2017 I/G team scored more points in the Times’ formula, the 2014 team advanced a level further in the playoffs despite playing in Division Six, while the 2017 team was in Division Seven.

8. 2013 Arcadia

(10-1, Level Two, 751 points)

 The team that came from nowhere to go undefeated in the regular season and win a playoff game.

 The expectations were low for the 2013 team as they had graduated a large 2012 senior class and had just a handful of seniors. 

 This team really set the table for two teams that are further up on this list. With a roster made up mostly of sophomores, the Raiders burst onto the scene with a 28-25 win over Coulee Conference favorite Black River Falls and never looked back.

 The Raiders had a 14-6 lead at halftime of their Level Two game against Stratford, but the Tigers dominated the second half and handed Arcadia it’s first loss, 28-14.

 But most of the players on this team were also on other teams that are higher on the list.

7. 2017 G-E-T

(9-1, Level One, 792 points)

 The Red Hawks had little competition in the regular season, which is part of the reason they’re further down on this list than other teams.

 The point differential put G-E-T high on the list, but their opponents had a winning percentage of just .414. An early-season win over West Salem was the most impressive for the Red Hawks team as they went undefeated during the regular season with none of the other games being close. 

 It’s impossible to ignore this team’s dominance. The team scored 60 or more points four times and had three shutouts. 

 The playoffs were another story for G-E-T, however, as they Northwestern took control of the game in the second half for a 29-17 win. Northwestern was then shutout 28-0 in Level Two. 

6. 2010 B-T

(11-2, Level Three, 769 points)

 This B-T team was among the most unique as they ran a true spread system with quarterback Hank Kujak doing much of the heavy lifting.

 Kujak threw for 1,960 yards and 24 touchdowns and was also the team’s second-leading rusher with 391 yards and nine more touchdowns. In addition to having a strong football season, many of the B-T players also played on a state-qualifying basketball team with athletic pass catchers such as Isaiah Paulson, Mike Haarsma and Reggie Kujak — who went on to play with his brother at UW-Stout.

 The Wildcats went undefeated in a Dairyland Conference that had four playoff teams, including a Whitehall team that advanced to Level Two. B-T’s only two losses that year came to a team that is in the top four on this list and the Division Six state champions, Edgar. 

5. 2019 G-E-T

(10-2, Level Three, 766 points)

 The most recent version of the Red Hawks dominated nearly every team they played, but only had two wins against teams with winning records and their .424 opponent winning percentage was among the lowest of the teams on this list.

 One of those teams – Mauston – probably wouldn’t have had a winning record in a tougher conference, but nobody can ignore G-E-T’s 38-0 win over La Crosse Aquinas in Level Two of the playoffs.

 While the schedule was easier than some other teams, G-E-T did what would be expected of a good team. The Red Hawks scored 451 points last season and allowed just 122, giving this team one of the highest point differentials of the top 10. Their two losses came to an 8-3 Baldwin-Woodville team and an 11-2 Prairie du Chien team. G-E-T scored 60 or more points three times and likely would’ve had an even more lopsided point differential had Westfield not forfeited after the season already began. 

 The story of this G-E-T team compared to others can’t be told without mentioning that this team was in Division Five, whereas every other G-E-T team has competed in Division Four. Its Level One playoff win was against a team that was 2-8 on the season.

 Still, its regular season dominance and playoff run were enough to get into the top five of this list.

4. 2010 Arcadia

(9-3, Level Three, 795 points)

 Perhaps the biggest surprise on this list, but it probably shouldn’t be.

 This Arcadia team was boosted by a brutally tough schedule in which opponents had a winning percentage of .560. Among its wins was a fairly convincing 20-12 game against B-T, which Arcadia controlled for most of the final three quarters.

 Among its losses was to the 2010 G-E-T team, but it must be noted that Arcadia’s star player, Reid Christ, missed that game with an ankle sprain. Had Christ not been injured again in the Level Three playoff game against Darlington, the Raiders could’ve had a second-straight appearance in the WIAA State Championship game. The only other loss Arcadia had on the season was a 29-20 loss to Nekoosa, which advanced to Level Four in Division Four that season.

 In addition to Christ, this Arcadia team had Andrew Robinson, who went on to become the WIAC Defensive Player of the Year at Platteville and had a brief sting in the Canadian Football League.

 The team was balanced as Alonzo Genelin threw for 16 touchdowns and Christ ran for 21 scores. 

3. 2016 G-E-T

(10-2, Level Three, 758 points)

 This is the team the mathematical formula failed.

 While the Coulee Conference was down, this G-E-T team’s only losses were a one-point loss to Mississippi Valley Conference runner-up West Salem — a team G-E-T handled rather easily in the playoffs — and to Division Four State Champion Saint Croix Central in Level Three of the playoffs. The team SCC defeated to win the championship is one G-E-T beat in Week Four of the regular season, so it really isn’t a stretch to say G-E-T was the second-best team in D4 in 2016.

 The Red Hawks had two 1,000 yard rushers in Butch Haines and Ben Behan and won it’s first two playoff games by a combined score of 84-27.

 This G-E-T team didn’t have the same point differential as the 2017 or 2019 teams, but it also played a much more difficult schedule (opponent winning percentage 49.6) and had more quality wins – the 2016 Arcadia team that G-E-T beat 40-3 nearly made this list.

2. 2014 Arcadia

(11-1, Level Three, 998)

 There were two teams that stood out when the numbers were crunched and neither should be a surprise. 

 The first was the 2014 Arcadia team, which had the second-highest point differential of any of the teams on this list, despite also having the second most difficult schedule.

 This Arcadia team opened the season with a lopsided win over what proved to be a strong I/G team, but the best win came in Week Three when they defeated a Lancaster team that went on to win the Division Five title. The Raiders held a 21-0 lead at one point in that game and were ahead 31-12 before a couple of late touchdowns made the final score closer.

 The two teams met again in Level Three of the playoffs and the Raiders held a 21-16 lead in the second quarter of that game, but a couple of in-game injuries proved crucial. Arcadia’s defense lost it’s leader – linebacker Aaron Benson – and the Flying Arrows took advantage, pulling away for a 43-29 win.

 Lancaster went on to beat Racine St. Catherine’s 46-7 in Level Four and Amherst 41-21 in the state championship game.

1. 2015 Arcadia

(12-1, Level Four, 1,023)

 In many ways this team was a carbon copy of the 2014 version, but this one advanced one round further in the playoffs.

 Like the 2014 version, this team also scored a win against an eventual state champion. This time it came in Week 1 as the Raiders defeated eventual Division Four champion Osceola.

 The strength of schedule wasn’t quite as difficult in 2015, but it was very close and this team had the highest point differential, despite playing two state champions during the season. There were three other playoff teams in the Coulee Conference that year, including a Westby team that advanced to Level Two. 

 The 2015 Raiders scored 535 points and allowed just 91 on the season. The only other team to score 500 or more points was the 2014 Raiders and none of the other teams allowed fewer than 100.

  Arcadia notched three fairly easy playoff wins before running into Amherst, a team that had two future Wisconsin Badgers starters in Garret Groshek and Tyler Biadasz — the latter was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys last April.

 The Raiders took a 14-0 lead in their Level Four game and held a 21-14 advantage at halftime. Injuries to Rob Hoesley and Jim Hoesley slowed Arcadia’s attack and Amherst took advantage, shutting the Raiders out 28-0 in the second half.

 Amherst had no trouble in the state championship game, beating Spencer/Columbus Catholic 42-0.

 While neither the 2014 nor 2015 Arcadia teams advanced to the state championship game, it isn’t a stretch to say they were the second best teams in Division Five that year. It also isn’t a suggest that on any given day, they could’ve been the best teams, even though the 2014 Lancaster and 2015 Amherst teams were among the best the state has seen at that level.