The fall high school sports season is officially starting to pick up steam across the Chippewa Valley, with football leading the way while soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf and cross country are all getting underway.

Chippewa Falls Off to a Strong Start

Chippewa Falls continued its impressive start to the football season Thursday night, rolling past Eau Claire Memorial 42-6.

The Cardinals jumped out to a big early lead and once again showed that their running game and defense could be major strengths this season. After opening the season with a win over D.C. Everest, Chippewa Falls is now 2-0 and enters Big Rivers Conference play with plenty of momentum.

Just as importantly, the Cardinals came out of the game relatively healthy.

Chippewa Falls will open conference play at home next week against Menomonie. The game will also serve as the program’s annual Veterans Appreciation Night, an event that has become one of the biggest nights of the season for Chi-Hi football.

Veterans will receive free admission and be honored before the game. The event also supports veterans in need through donations and the collection of warm-weather clothing.

The Veterans Appreciation Night tradition has been going for more than a decade, and organizers continue to find ways to make the event bigger and better each year.

McDonell Picks Up First 11-Player Win

McDonell also picked up an important victory Thursday night, defeating Spooner 40-22.

The win was especially encouraging after the Macks faced a loaded Regis team in their season opener. Regis came away with a 59-12 victory, but McDonell showed flashes of what it could do offensively.

Quarterback Nathan Boggess has quickly developed a connection with wide receiver Luke Anderson, creating a dangerous downfield combination for opposing defenses.

The victory over Spooner could also become valuable later in the season. With the second year of the WIAA playoff matrix in place, victories over larger schools can carry additional value when teams are being evaluated for the postseason.

More Football Scores From Around the Area

There was plenty of action across western Wisconsin Thursday night.

• Glenwood City 21, Turner 14
• Hudson 48, Eau Claire North 10
• New Richmond 48, Stevens Point 14
• Elmwood-Plum City 26, Augusta 22
• Prairie Farm-Clayton 40, Lake Holcombe 12

New Richmond’s victory over Stevens Point was particularly noteworthy, with both programs expected to be in the mix near the top of their respective conferences.

And tonight brings another busy slate of games.

Regis and Altoona will renew their rivalry, marking the first meeting between the two programs in several years. Fall Creek travels to Barron, Stanley-Boyd hosts Cadott, and Menomonie heads to D.C. Everest.

Bloomer and Elk Mound will also meet in a Western Cloverbelt matchup. Despite being conference neighbors, the two teams haven’t met during the regular season in the 21st century.

One of the more intriguing games of the night could be Mondovi against Osceola. Mondovi entered the season ranked No. 1 in the Division 6 preseason state poll, while Osceola is a strong Division 4 program.

Soccer, Volleyball and Tennis Are Underway

Football may get most of the attention, but the rest of the fall sports calendar is quickly filling up.

In boys soccer, River Falls picked up a 6-0 victory over Central after opening the season with a loss to Superior.

Girls tennis is also underway, with Big Rivers Conference competition beginning. Chippewa Falls picked up a 5-2 victory over River Falls.

Cross country teams are getting their first meets of the season under their belts as well.

And volleyball is now taking center stage.

The annual UW-Stout Sprawl in Menomonie is set to bring together a large collection of teams for two days of early-season competition. With numerous matches taking place at the same time, it’s one of the best opportunities early in the season to see a wide variety of teams from across the region.

The tournament features teams from the Big Rivers and Cloverbelt conferences, along with programs from the Dunn-St. Croix and other areas.

For fans looking to get an early look at some of the region’s volleyball teams, it’s a great event to have on the calendar.

Girls Golf Already Deep Into the Season

Girls golf and girls tennis are among the fall sports that already have several events under their belts.

Conference golf competition is underway, including action in the Cloverbelt and Dunn-St. Croix areas.

In Big Rivers competition Thursday, Hudson captured the team victory at New Richmond, with Memorial finishing third, River Falls fifth and Eau Claire North seventh.

And, of course, there’s something unique about fall golf in Wisconsin: the weather.

While tennis and golf athletes generally finish their competitions before the coldest part of the season arrives, football players can experience just about everything Wisconsin weather has to offer.

You can start the season in shorts and end it wearing three layers.

That’s fall sports in Wisconsin.

The Fall Sports Season Is Just Getting Started

The next few weeks should bring even more activity across the Chippewa Valley.

High school football is moving into conference play, volleyball is getting rolling, soccer and tennis schedules are filling up, and golf and cross country are already well underway.

For local sports fans, it’s the time of year when there’s seemingly always another game, match or meet to check out.

And that’s what makes the start of the Wisconsin fall sports season so much fun.