Five takeaways, top players from first round of the WIAA playoffs

Here are five takeaways from the first round of the WIAA football playoffs involving Appleton-area teams.Appleton North with surprise win of the first roundA power running game, good defense and an opportunistic passing offense has been the ingredients for most of Appleton North's victories this season. It was the same for the Lightning's 21-7 upset win over Stevens Point on Oct. 23.North held SPASH to 170 yards of total offense and got 123 yards rushing and a score from Calvin Hank. Sixth-seeded North (6-4) heads to Waunakee to play the second-seeded Warriors on Oct. 30.Waunakee is a traditionally strong program, but also plays in a league (Badger-Large) that isn't as strong as the Fox Valley Association. Waunakee, a No. 1 seed, advanced with a 36-22 victory over eighth-seeded D.C. Everest.More: Ground and pound Neenah turns back De Pere in WIAA playoff openerNeenah looks dangerous with VanBeekNeenah's upcoming playoff matchup at Bay Port could be one of the more entertaining games in the second round. The top-seeded Pirates were 32-7 winners over No. 8 seed Wausau West, with fourth-seeded Neenah holding off fifth-seed De Pere 36-21.The Rockets' Ashton VanBeek had five total touchdowns in the win against De Pere, including four rushing scores. He has 867 yards rushing on 136 attempts (6.4 average) with 17 touchdowns and also has 1,113 yards passing with 12 more scores. He's one of the top players in the state and makes Neenah a legit contender.Bay Port appeared in the D1 title game last season, falling to Arrowhead. Neenah is familiar with the Pirates, having scrimmaged them before the regular season and also holding a joint practice together, according to VanBeek."Yeah, we're building up. We're staying together," VanBeek said. "I think we're all pretty excited to go [to Bay Port] and play a team that we've seen multiple times this year already."Freedom, Little Chute on collision course to meet in D4 state semifinalsIt's a shame Freedom and Little Chute were not placed on opposite sides of the D4 bracket because they are the top two teams in that division.The Irish and Mustangs, who finished 1-2 in the North Eastern Conference, appear to be on a collision course for the state semifinals as both teams dominated in their first-round matchups.Freedom blew out Black River Falls 54-14, with Little Chute pummeling Denmark 51-10. Freedom (10-0) hosts fourth-seeded Lakeside Lutheran on Oct. 30 before a potential state quarterfinal game against either Osceola or Northwestern.Little Chute (9-1) hosts fourth-seeded Lodi this week before potentially battling Wrightstown or Stratford the following week.Kaukauna, Winneconne making strong runsKaukauna (8-2) blasted Oshkosh North 40-0 in a D2 opener, with Winneconne (10-0) staying undefeated with a 45-0 win over McFarland.The Ghosts are extremely balanced behind the passing of Ryan Carrel and the running of Muhammad Jobe. Kaukauna, a No. 2 seed, plays No. 3 seed Pulaski on Oct. 30 with a possible matchup with Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. Kaukauna has won five consecutive games, including the last four in FVA play that helped the Ghosts claim a share of the league title. Their defense has also played well, allowing 10 points over the last three games.Winneconne, the Bay Conference champion, rebounded nicely against McFarland after a close win over New London in the regular-season finale. The Wolves have had a banner season from sophomore quarterback Henry Chase (1,621 yards, 26 touchdowns) and his favorite targets Ryan Quigley (31 catches, 613 yards) and Drew Lenz (24 catches, 469 yards, 10 TDs). Both are averaging nearly 20 yards a reception. The second-seeded Wolves host Plymouth this week, with a potential matchup against Port Washington the following week.Foxes' Heiges makes case for POYThere's no doubt Fox Valley Lutheran quarterback Braden Heiges is an upcoming first-teamer on the Post-Crescent all-area football team. But could the talented senior also be in line for player of the year? You'd be hard-pressed to argue with his incredible season thus far.Heiges had five total touchdowns in the Foxes' 54-14 win over Rhinelander in their D3 playoff opener. He has thrown for 1,407 yards and 16 touchdowns and has 1,008 yards rushing on 102 carries (9.9 average) for 19 more scores. He's also a terror on defense at linebacker with 82 total tackles, including nine for loss.The Foxes (8-2) average 39 points a game on offense and will need another stellar performance from Heiges as they travel to face second-seeded Medford in the second round. Medford won the Great Northern Conference and is on an eight-game win streak after starting the season with losses to Holmen and Onalaska. The Raiders have allowed just 14 points over the last seven games.Area second-round playoff scheduleAll games Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.Division 1: Neenah (7-3) at Bay Port (9-1), Appleton North (6-4) at Waunakee (9-1).Division 2: Menasha (8-2) at Green Bay Notre Dame (10-0), Pulaski (8-2) at Kaukauna (8-2).Division 3: Plymouth (8-2) at Winneconne (10-0), Fox Valley Lutheran (8-2) at Medford (8-2).Division 4: Lakeside Lutheran (7-3) at Freedom (10-0), Lodi (7-3) at Little Chute (9-1), Wrightstown (5-5) at Stratford (9-1).Division 5: Chilton (6-4) at New Glarus (9-1), Brillion (8-2) at Durand-Arkansaw (9-1).Division 7:Hilbert (7-3) at Lourdes Academy (9-1).Top players from first-round gamesRyan Carrel, KaukaunaCarrel had 158 yards passing and three touchdown passes in the Ghosts' 40-0 victory over Oshkosh North in D2.Calvin Hank, Appleton NorthHank had 123 yards rushing on 27 carries and a touchdown in the Lightning's 21-7 victory over Stevens Point in D1.Owen Henkel, FreedomHenkel had 194 yards passing on 9-for-15 attempts and four touchdowns in Freedom's 54-14 victory over Black River Falls in D4.Braden Heiges, Fox Valley LutheranThe senior quarterback had another monster game with 442 total yards and five total touchdowns in the Foxes' 54-14 win over Rhinelander in D3. Heiges was 8-for-12 with 234 yards passing and a touchdown and had 208 yards rushing on 11 carries with four scores.Rylan Henning, MenashaHenning had a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown in Menasha's 43-22 victory over Menomonee Falls in D2.Maddux Hermus, Kimberly Hermus had three touchdowns in the Papermakers' 31-21 loss to West De Pere. He scored on a 71-yard rushing touchdown and also had punt returns of 79 and 44 yards for scores. He had 140 yards rushing on 25 carries.Muhammad Jobe, KaukaunaJobe had 141 yards on 19 carries and scored three touchdowns in the Ghosts' 40-0 victory over Oshkosh North in D2.Reece Joten, Little ChuteJoten had 153 yards and two touchdowns on seven rushes in the Mustangs' 51-10 victory over Denmark in D4.Brayden Nenahlo, Chilton Nenahlo had 12 rushes for 101 yards and a score in the Tigers' 34-27 overtime victory over Peshtigo.Braydyn Wampole, ChiltonWampole had three catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns in Chilton's 34-27 win over Peshtigo.Ashton VanBeek, NeenahVanBeek had five total touchdowns, including four rushing, in the Rockets' 36-21 victory over De Pere in D1. VanBeek had 213 yards rushing on 36 carries and also threw for 99 yards and a score.Livestream of the weekNeenah at Bay Port, WIAA D1 second-round playoff, 6:45 p.m.: One of the biggest matchups in the state and you can watch it live on postcrescent.com and greenbaypressgazette.com.This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Five takeaways, top players from first round of the WIAA playoffs