WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) — It was the end of an era for high school football in Central Wisconsin on Friday when Wausau East and Wausau West met in the log game.
The winning team is rewarded with the Wausau Log trophy, which is a slice of a large tree log, and gets a plaque added to the log along with the final score of the game, it’s an experience that sits fondly in many players’ minds.
“It’s just the one game that brings east and west together it’s the one game you get to see them play against each other, and it’s overall a great night,” Pacey Weber, Wausau East QB and captain, told WAOW TV.
As the two teams split off into different conferences next year, Wausau West heading to Big Rivers/VFA East Conference, while East joins the Great Northern Conference. It’s a departure fans and officials alike say is bittersweet.
“It’s a game I loved, it’s a game I loved watching as a kid and then growing up playing and coaching in it,” said Wausau East Head Coach Tyler Kramer.
Since the game’s conception, the Wausau West Warriors have led the series 35-17-1, with one tied game in 1971.
Of the 54 games played, 3 have gone into overtime, in 1989, 1994, and 2011.
The last time the Lumberjacks have taken home the traveling hardware was in 2018, a night that certainly stands out in Coach Kramer’s memory.
“I don’t think anyone was expecting it to happen, we caught an interception pretty early in the game and just because of that the kids were all fired up, and we came out and won it. Having that for my first year of coaching was an awesome feeling and one I’ll never forget,” said Coach Kramer.
Wausau East was finally able to play a varsity schedule, and this iconic game, after being unable to field a team over the past two seasons.
“The vision from day one was to get back to this moment, this was the struggle and I would say for our seniors this is the victory for them to be here tonight and to be playing in this game,” said Kurt Vanden Huevel, Athletic Director for Wausau East.
Now, as they wrap up this crosstown contest, they’re just grateful for all the community support over the years.
Despite the two teams going their separate ways come next year, there’s still some hope for continued community support as they look ahead to the merging of the two schools in the coming years.
