OWEN-WITHEE – As No. 4 Owen-Withee enters the defense of its first WIAA 8-player football state championship, it’s been a different year compared to the perfect record they entered the tournament with a season ago.

In Week 1, the Blackhawks, led by long-time coach Terry Laube, struggled to find offensive momentum in a clash with Gilman, who was No. 1 in the state at the time. They fell to the Greyhounds 43-0.

Two weeks later, their youth was again put to the test in a matchup against the No. 2 ranked team in the state, McDonnell Central, and they were again held scoreless.

The Blackhawks responded by finishing out the 2024 season running the table.

“We faced two very formidable opponents, and we were very young at the time,” Laube said. “Fortunately for us, now we've stacked, another f

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