View from the cheap seats

A weekly perspective on sports

There are some huge varsity boy’s basketball matchups on the horizon, which would give teams an upper hand in the race to win the Marawood Conference championships.

It didn’t matter that Vaughn Breit wasn’t in the Stratford boys basketball team’s starting lineup against Prentice on Friday, while he still recovers from an injury he sustained at the end of the football season.

The Tigers dominated the Buccaneers, 78-32, at home. Stratford began its regular-season schedule late because its football team played in the state title game for the second year in a row.

I’m certain Stratford head coach Curt Schmidt wishes Breit was in his team’s starting lineup, but I’ve heard coaches tell me in the past injuries aren’t necessarily such a bad thing in the beginning of the regular season because it gives bench players an opportunity to show what they can do in game action. For example, Tigers senior forward Dawson Danen scored 22 points in the victory against Prentice. Once Breit is healthy, then Danen and a few of Stratrord’s other players will have the game experience to do a better job substituting for the starting players this season.

Straford plays Marawood Conference basketball arch-rival Marathon on Tuesday in the Stratford High School gym, in the first of the teams’ two matchups during this conference season. This week’s initial wissports. net coaches poll has the Tigers ranked third and the Red Raiders eighth in Division 4. Athens, 3-0, is ranked eighth in Division 5.

Marathon lost its first game this season to Medford, in a double overtime thriller on Tuesday in Marathon. Before the Red Raiders can think ahead to its pivotal conference road game against Stratford, the team needs to play another tough road game against Auburndale this Friday.

Auburndale is unbeaten with a 4-0 record thus far this season. Auburndale easily defeated Marshfield Columbus, 72-48, on Tuesday in Marshfi eld. Apaches junior Hunter Wright poured in a game-high 32 points in the team’s victory against the Dons.

Marathon star players Clarke Mouw and Jaden Koeller, along with their teammates, are faced with the tough task of halting Auburndale’s winning streak in the Tim Anderson gym.

Edgar’s talented basketball players including Kyle Brewster, Austin Dahlke and Kaleb Hafferman, led the Wildcats to a huge one-point home win against Neillsville on Monday. Edgar’s defense mostly held Warriors star player Alex King in check. Edgar has another tough home matchup against Auburndale on Tuesday. Either the Wildcats will get a shot to break the Apaches’ winning streak, or Auburndale will be mad it lost to Marathon.