Sports

Whitnall Has Not Clinched Football Title ... Yet

But the Falcons can determine their own fate: win, and conference title drought ends at 12 years.

The Whitnall football team is on the verge of its first Woodland Conference title in 12 years, and the Falcons could see that it happens with a win over New Berlin West on the road Friday.

The Falcons have not, however, already clinched a share of the title, as Greenfield Patch erroneously reported last week.

Due to incorrect information provided to Patch, this publication said the Falcons clinched a share of the Woodland Conference East Division title with their win over Cudahy on Friday.

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The win pushed Whitnall to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in division games, the same record as East Division co-leader Brown Deer.

Patch called Whitnall and Brown Deer co-champs because each team’s final regular season game is against a West Division foe (Brown Deer plays Greendale), and Patch believed only division games counted toward the conference championship.

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Brown Deer athletic director Mike Novak, the league athletic director in charge of football, says that’s not the case.

“Every game counts,” Novak said Wednesday. “That was determined years ago. The fact that it is a cross-division game has no bearing on in at all.”

With that in mind, three teams can clinch be crowned tri-champions Friday. Here are the possible scenarios:

  • Whitnall can win the title outright with a win over New Berlin West and a loss by Brown Deer to Greendale;
  • Brown Deer can win the title outright with a win and a Whitnall loss;
  • Brown Deer and Whitnall can share the league title if both teams win or both teams lose;
  • South Milwaukee can earn a share of the title if the Rockets beat New Berlin Eisenhower and both Whitnall and Brown Deer lose.

“Anything can happen right there,” Novak said.

Novak said the concept of every game counting is not unique, even though some teams might have a tougher schedule than others. For example, Greenfield played its cross-over games against the West’s top three teams: champion Pewaukee, Wauwatosa West and Greendale.

“You see it happen in the Big Ten. You play a schedule outside your division, but every game counts,” Novak said. “You see it in the NFL. If only the games the Packers played against Detroit, Chicago and Minnesota counted (in the division standings), no problem the Packers are the best every time.”

The Falcons finale regular season game is at New Berlin West at 7 p.m. Friday.


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