Friday Football: East Mills takes on Griswold in playoff fight

It's a crowded field in Class A District 8, but we might get a better idea of the playoff situation after Friday night's games.

There are two key games to watch for Friday night. The first will take place in Griswold when the Tigers take on the East Mills Wolverines.

Both Griswold and East Mills are two of the four teams tied at 3-2 in the district standings. Both also have to contend with Logan-Magnolia and Riverside.

Griswold and East Mills are coming off tough losses from last week. East Mills lost to first place A-H-S-T, while Griswold fell to Riverside.

A loss for either team doesn't necessarily mean elimination. A win in the final week of the season could either one a spot in the playoffs.

Both teams met under at the same time last season, under similar playoff circumstances. Griswold won that game and eventually clinched second place in the district. The loss to East Mills made them the odd team out as Underwood and A-H-S-T took the other two playoff spots.

The other big game will be A-H-S-T versus Logan-Magnolia. The Vikings have a chance to clinch the district title Friday night with a win over Logan-Magnolia. 

The Panthers need a win to claim their spot in the playoffs. They have one tiebreaker win, which is over East Mills. A loss to A-H-S-T means they would face a must-win scenario against Griswold next week.

Riverside has an opportunity to possibly clinch a playoff spot Friday night when they host West Monona. With wins over Griswold and Logan-Magnolia, a win Friday night and next week against Westwood could give the Bulldogs second place in the district.

Meanwhile, Westwood is not out of the playoff picture by any stretch of the imagination. At 2-3 in the district, they could try to win out and possibly steal a playoff spot from one of the other contenders.

First, they'll need to defeat an Underwood team that has lost three straight and five of their last six. The Eagles have struggled this season, with multiple touchdown losses to Riverside, Griswold, East Mills and Logan-Magnolia. Underwood's last win was Sept. 20 versus West Monona.