BONDUEL (WLUK) — Bonduel coach James Westrich believed when the season started he would have a good team, but how good?

He wasn’t sure, so he never thought about playing in a state semifinal, but that’s what his team is doing this week. No. 2 seed Bonduel (11-1) plays No. 1 Grantsburg (11-1) in a Division 6 state semifinal Friday at Stanley Boyd.

“Pretty surprised,” Westrich said. “Coming into the season we knew we had a lot of talent, but we had some holes to fill and we didn’t know how to do it.

“I would say after the Coleman game and after the Kewaunee game, I think the team finally started to find their identity, their resilience, and that’s when they believed they could be a pretty special team.”

Last week was special as Bonduel avenged a 22-20 regular season loss to Coleman by beating the Cougars 15-13. With the win, Bonduel will make his second appearance in a state semifinal (Level 4), with the only other trip coming in 2010.

“It means a lot to our town, they haven’t seen anything like this before in quite a while, so it means a lot to the fans of the parents of all the students that come to school,” junior Ryan Westrich said. “It means a lot to our teammates, our seniors, they’ve worked hard all season, all their careers, and now all that hard work is paying off for them.”

Indeed.

And last week, Bonduel received a little inspiration when soccer players watched the girls’ volleyball team play in the state tournament. Watching his teammates compete on the biggest stage has revved the football team’s engine.

“When we walked into that building on Friday morning, you could feel the city coming in with you,” senior Cade Johnson said of entering the Resch Center to watch a state semifinal volleyball match. “Just seeing all those people coming and going to the game on Friday night, we probably had more fans than them and it was a home game for them. “Just seeing the crowd that they bring and we bring is crazy for the city. “.

“He’s a huge inspiration,” Ryan Westrich said. “Those girls work hard all season long, too. It’s great to see both programs having success at the state level, so we hope to do the same.”

One more win and the football team can take its fans on another state trip.

BEARS IN NUMBERS

• 10 consecutive wins for Bonduel since losing in Week 2 to Coleman.

• 11 wins this season while keeping the opponent to 21 points or less.

• 26 touchdown passes for Cade Johnson in his first season as a quarterback.

• 135 Points Bonduel has surpassed his rival in the second quarter (171-36).

Follow Doug Ritchay on X @dougritchay