Mondovi, Elk Mound (WQOW) -- Mondovi and Elk Mound each finished 3-3 in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference last season, and both the Buffaloes and Mounders hope for improvement in 2012.
Mondovi was a WIAA playoff team in 2011, and finished 4-6 overall. The Buffaloes return a total of fifteen starters.
"I think that's a big key," says fourth-year head coach Mike Sinz, "we have kids that came in this year that are not nervous, you know, they've already played in a number of big games last year, we made the playoffs starting that many young kids. A lot of our kids have played varsity football, varsity basketball, and baseball already, so they've played in a lot of big games, they shouldn't get too nervous and too worked up in close, tight games."
Sinz expects the DSC to be very competitive, and considers defending conference champion St. Croix Central to be the favorite to take the title.
"Our first goal every season is to win the league, and we know we have our hands full if we want to try to accomplish that goal," Sinz says, "St. Croix Central is going to be dang good again, and this year they return a couple of kids that were all-conference first-team, a couple of kids that have started for four years, so they're going to be tough, Elk Mound's always good, they're well-coached and their kids play hard, and we have to play at their place this year, so that'll be a tough game, and our league is always pretty physical."
Mondovi kicks off the season on Friday, August 24, when the Buffaloes will host Durand.
Elk Mound was also a playoff team in 2011, and finished 5-5 overall. Veteran head coach Dan Pedersen has a lot of experienced players back from that Mounders team, so there's plenty of optimism about what's ahead.
"We're real excited about this year because we return a number of players that have experience, a number that are lettermen," says Pedersen, "our senior leadership's outstanding, and we're pretty excited about the fact that we return all but two starters on offense and maybe four starters do not return on defense, so that's a pretty good nucleus of players coming back."
Elk Mound senior fullback/linebacker Will Miller says, "With a few of us playing our fourth year of varsity football, and a lot of us getting our third year, so it's a lot of experience out there on the field."
"We've got a lot of people back," says Mounders senior wide receiver/cornerback Dakota Tarnow, "so hopefully, we can go kind of under the radar, and we can be good competition."
Elk Mound kicks off the season at Eleva-Strum on Thursday, August 23.
Mondovi made the WIAA playoffs in 2011, and returns 15 starters
Elk Mound returns 9 offensive and 7 defensive starters
