Suburban talent helps Wisconsin-Platteville win ‘SEC of D3’ and earn playoff berth
Platteville, Wisconsin, played an important role in Chicago sports history by hosting Bears training camp from 1984-2001. The first half of that run could be considered the team's glory days.
Now the city is enjoying homegrown football success. Wisconsin-Platteville won a conference championship for the first time since 1980 and is in the Division III playoffs for just the third time in school history.
Mike Ditka would be proud.
“I didn't know (about the school's history with the Bears) before I came to Platteville,” senior quarterback Michael Priami said. “There's some old pictures and stuff around campus. One of our study rooms is called the Bears Den. It's pretty cool that they played on the same field we're playing on.”
The Pioneers (9-1) have gotten to this point with major contributions from former suburban high school stars. Priami graduated from St. Charles North, as did all-conference receiver Ryan Doherty.
The two other top receivers in Platteville's high-powered offense are brothers Brandt and Garrett Stare from Neuqua Valley. A third Stare brother, freshman Carter, is redshirting. Brandt Stare was named WIAC offensive player of the year. Priami and the three Stares share a house together.
“It's definitely cool having all three of them here together,” Doherty said. “Brandt and Garrett are great players, very fast, constantly getting open. Them being fast and taking defenders with them definitely helps me get open as well. They're taking the top off the defense.”
Platteville has two all-conference defensive players from the area, defensive lineman Aidan Sproule (Jacobs) and defensive back Harrison Meyer (Sandburg). Other contributors include running back Alex Marre (Montini) and linebacker Andrew Bowles (Antioch).
One reason Platteville's performance is such an eye-opener is the WIAC is generally considered the toughest conference in Division III with its eight public schools, all part of the University of Wisconsin system. The Pioneers faced four top-20 teams in the month of October, beating No. 3 LaCrosse and No. 4 River Falls in consecutive weeks.
“When I got here, they were saying it was like the SEC of Division III, and that holds true,” Priami said.
Platteville hired Ryan Munz, a former QB at the school, as head coach in 2022. Priami was named the starter that year as a sophomore but missed most of the season with a shoulder injury. Priami started every game as a junior and this fall has thrown for 2,649 yards with 36 touchdowns.
“I don't think anybody really expected this,” Doherty said. “Coach Munz, he brought in this whole new culture. Each year our record has gotten better, our team has gotten closer. More of a brotherhood now, I would say. Getting to be a part of that has been awesome.”
Priami and Doherty are both from St. Charles North, but their history together is relatively brief. Priami spent his first three years of high school at Bartlett, transferred for his senior year, but then barely stepped into a classroom at St. Charles North because that was the pandemic year, with a spring football season.
“It was a weird experience for sure,” he said. “Not the experience I wanted, but it was the experience I got.”
Priami played for Midwest BOOM with the Stare brothers, clicked with Doherty at St. Charles North and helped convince the receivers to join him at Platteville. In the final four games of the regular season, Doherty has averaged more than 6 receptions per game.
“I can just look over and just give him a little head nod or a look and he'll know what to do,” Priami said. “It's a very good connection we have and I'm looking to build on it.”
In Platteville's biggest win of the season at LaCrosse, the winning TD in overtime came on a flea-flicker where Priami ran a sweep to the right, threw a cross-field lateral to Brandt Stare, who then fired a strike to Doherty in the end zone.
The Division III playoff bracket contains many mysteries and one of them is why a Platteville team ranked No. 9 after winning the “SEC of D3” is playing a road game in the round of 32. But at least it's a relatively short trip to Wartburg (Iowa) on Saturday. The winner of that game gets the survivor of Bethel (Minn.) at Lake Forest.
· Two other Division III playoff games Saturday feature local teams. North Central (10-0) hosts Whitworth (Washington) at noon in Naperville, trying to reach its fifth straight Division III title game. The Cardinals have won their last four first-round games by an average of 51 points.
Aurora (9-1) has won eight straight games since a nonconference loss to North Central and will travel to Hope (Michigan) at 11 a.m. Aurora's Matt Kickel (Benet) was named NACC offensive lineman of the year.