If you live in southwest Wisconsin then you’re used to everyone asking you what there is to do or complaining about how it’s full of corn fields and nothing else, you might suspect that they’ve never been outdoors. Not only is this a beautiful place for fall sports, but there are also plenty of local teams to enjoy for a fraction of the price you’d spend in larger cities.
Although I enjoy going to numerous sporting events, the ones I enjoy the most are the UW-Platteville Pioneer Football Games. Like many Wisconsin natives, I grew up from the time I was a little girl with sports on the TV at home: mainly Packers or Brewers games, and I was lucky enough to attend a number of those growing up. It always made me sad that I wasn’t athletic enough to partake in most sports when I grew up but being able to go to these events helped fill that void. There are many great things about going to Pioneer football games, hopefully by the end of this post you’ll want to go, even if sports isn’t really your cup of tea.
The University of Wisconsin- Platteville Pioneers are a part of NCAA Division III and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference which also includes, Whitewater, Stout, Stevens Point, River Falls, Oshkosh, La Crosse, and Eau Claire. The official season starts in the beginning of September and ends mid-November. Platteville started off the season strong with a 38-30 win against East Texas Baptist, and continued as undefeated for several games. They dominated Thomas More 41-10, then moving forward they crushed Lakeland College during their first away game, 55-28.
The team is averaged 37 points per game and this season went undefeated at home. Currently the team is led by head coach Mike Emendorfer. He is assisted by Ryan Munz, Jason Wagner, Dan Bauder, Patrick Sheehan, Donavon Nathaniel, Brody Dell, Ryley Bailey, and Justin Blackburn.
There are many players making great stats this season, but football games aren’t just enjoyable because of the football. One the sideline we can find some pretty great folks cheering on our Pioneers all while they’re doing some amazing stunts. Then we look to the stands and have our fantastic marching band playing whenever they can: whether it’s during a time-out or a kick-off you can hear them doing what they do best. Then those two are joined on the field during the halftime show by the talented dance team. These halftime shows are a real treat to watch.
This year’s season is over, but hope we can see you next year!