Wisconsin Spotlight: Hudson Defeats Wisconsin Rapids, 52-7 in Opener (PHOTO GALLERY)

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News

Sykotyk | August 21, 2026

In Florida, the football season starts with a plethora of “Kickoff Classic” games. These Kickoff Classic games don’t count toward playoff points ranking to determine playoff participation and seeding. Though they’re not scrimmages, they aren’t always played with full emphasis on winning. Some teams schedule these games as warm-ups, while others see them as another game. Not much different than PA non-conference/league/region games as they have zero bearing on the playoffs.

In this one, two central Florida schools about 30 minutes apart were set to square off to open their respective seasons. Wildwood sits on I-75 at the northern terminus of the Florida Turnpike. While Citrus hails from the town of Inverness, along route 44 to the west. Slated for a 7pm kickoff, the finicky Florida weather had a say in the matter, and the game couldn’t kickoff until almost 8pm.

But once it did, the threat of rain and lightning subsided. Staying just to the north as the game took place on Rocker Field on the sprawHudson opened their season at home on Thursday night at windswept Raiders Stadium on the  western edge of Wisconsin. Hosting the Red Raiders of Wisconsin Rapids’ Lincoln High School.  The game started under the threat of light rain, that held off throughout the night.

Aided by Hudson’s commanding offensive output starting the running clock during the third period. The game started closer than that, however. After Hudson turned the opening possession of the season into a touchdown on the field play from scrimmage–a 38 yard run by Grant Bjerke, the Red Raiders marched on a slow methodical drive aided with 4th down conversions to tie the game on a  leaping 24 yard TD catch by Caden Schalinske to tie the game.

That was as close as it would get for Wisconsin Rapids, as the Raiders of Hudson effectively pulled away from the Red Raiders . Starting with a 32 yard field goal by Keagan Holdon before the first of Delani Oreso’s two touchdowns, the first catch from 32 yards that sandwiched Grant Bjerke’s second score. Oreso found the endzone again with a 62 yard catch and run. Bjerke added the final points of the first half on a 3 yard run with 9.6 seconds left to go up 38-7 and dangerously close to the running clock rules.

In the second half, after an injury to a Wisconsin Rapids lineman, Jake Kowles found the endzone from 19 yards out. Giving Hudson a 45-7 lead and started the running clock late in the third quarter.  Hudson added one more touchdown in the fourth quarter after a Hunter Reger interception and return inside the redzone to go up 52-7 and would hang on to win by the same score.

For more, and larger, photos from this game and others this week, click HERE.

For photos from previous weeks and seasons, visit: http://www.flickr.com/sykotyk/sets/