Wausau East beat Merrill 21-14 on Friday night in the regular-season finale, in a game that turned into a defensive contest despite both teams bringing two of the stronger offenses in the Great Northern Conference into the night.
East was held scoreless for most of the first half before finding the end zone with about a minute left before halftime. Merrill's first drive after the break ended in a missed field goal, and East pushed its lead to 13-0 late in the third quarter on a quarterback keeper by Camdyn Rye.
A punt return set Merrill up at the East 27-yard line, and the Bluejays cut the margin to one possession with about a minute and a half remaining. East recovered after a failed onside kick attempt and held on for the win. Head coach Tyler Kramer praised his players' resilience and said the team was consistent on both sides of the ball for the first time this season.
The result continues a turnaround for the program. Five years ago East played 8-player football because of low numbers. The Lumberjacks have now reached the postseason three seasons in a row and are in line for their second home playoff game in three seasons, and Kramer noted the team has reached a 7-2 mark that the program had achieved only once in the previous 30 years.
Elsewhere in Central Wisconsin in Week 9, Nekoosa beat Wisconsin Dells 48-6, Pepin/Alma beat Auburndale 42-7 and Loyal/Greenwood beat Pittsville 41-0. Other finals included D.C. Everest 51, Wisconsin Rapids 35; Eau Claire North 14, Wausau West 3; New Richmond 49, Marshfield 28; Marathon 35, Spencer/Columbus 7; Stratford 45, Northland Pines 6; Edgar 35, Abbotsford 0; and SPASH 35, Eau Claire Memorial 0.
