The Eastern Wisconsin Conference was once dominated by the tri-fold of KLC. However, there is a new odds-on favorite in the conference this season. KLC will be losing their star QB, Robby Michael, along with his dynamic receiving threat, Casey Verhagen. Not to say that Kohler/Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian won’t be competitive this year… It is just hard to match what Two Rivers is bringing to the table this season.
Two Rivers is coming off a 6-4 season. The Raiders were less than pleased with their 18-6 playoff loss to #2 Denmark, who would ultimately defeat KLC 46-40 the following week. After a rough stretch from 2018-20, Two Rivers now has back-to-back winning seasons. Now they are undoubtedly looking to do the same this year.
Returning Talent
One of the struggles in high school football is to remain competitive for a long period of time. Two Rivers is a Division 4 school. This means enrollment isn’t the highest, so it’s a challenge to remain at the top of the conference. Last year, Chase Matthias proved he might be one of the best players in the state. The Raiders running back had a total of 2040 rushing yards with over 20 touchdowns. No, that is not a typo. Matthias finished the year with over 2000 rushing yards. The highlight of his season came on September 24th against Valders where he finished with 407 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. The defense knows exactly who the ball is going to, but he still can’t be stopped.
What makes Chase even scarier? He’s a two-way player who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line. Matthias led Two Rivers with 116 total tackles (27 being tackles for a loss) and 4 forced fumbles. This kid seemingly never gets tired, and he’s only a junior. Two Rivers is one of the youngest teams you’ll find competing at such a high level. They participated in a 7 on 7 invite only tournament this past summer where they lost by just 2 points in the championship game. Keep in mind, the Raiders, a division four school, were competing against mostly Division 1 and 2 programs. The sky is the limit for the Raiders.
Chase Matthias might get a good majority of the attention, but there are so many other pieces that make this team as good as they are. Justin Klinkner has been a force to be reckoned with during the offseason, bulking up and becoming the best leader he possibly can be. This is also Klinkner’s junior season, and mostly all of his main weapons are returning. There were six different Raiders to record more than 100 receiving yards last season, only one of those six are lost.
Jerry Bonino Field
It’ll be a special night this coming Friday, August 19th, as Random Lake comes to town for a non-conference affair to begin the season. At halftime, a ceremony will be held to spotlight Jerry Bonino, who the field in Two Rivers will now be named after. This is a long time coming for not only the school, but the city of Two Rivers as well. Jerry Bonino is a well-known name in the area for all of his work in the past forty or so years. Most notably, Bonino led the Raiders to a three-peat as State Champions from 1980-82.
Random Lake, TR’s opponent, hasn’t won a game since August 23rd, 2019. They’re looking to defeat Two Rivers and look past back-to-back winless seasons. After Random Lake, Two Rivers will head to Brown Deer on Friday, August 26th to round out non-conference action. Brown Deer is also coming off of a winless season.
Eastern Wisconsin Conference
For those who are unaware, the Eastern Wisconsin Conference is made up of: Brillion, Chilton, Kiel, KLC, New Holstein, Roncalli, Two Rivers, and Valders. Brillion went a perfect 7-0 last season to win the conference before they later lost to Wittenberg-Birnamwood in Level 2 of the playoffs.
