It's been quite a while since a Stevens Point Area Senior High-D.C. Everest football game hasn't been a battle for the Wisconsin Valley Conference championship or to advance in the WIAA playoffs.

That doesn't, however, keep Friday's matchup between SPASH (6-0, 3-0 Wisconsin Valley Conference) and Everest (2-4, 1-2 Wisconsin Valley Conference) at Stiehm Stadium in Weston from being this week's Stevens Point Journal Game of the Week, mainly because the rivalry continues to evoke strong feelings.

No better evidence of this was provided than when D.C. Everest's 35-0 losing score was announced last Friday at Community Stadium as the Panthers still were in action against Wausau West. The announcement brought one of the night's biggest roars from the stands.

That historic loss for Everest -- its largest in years -- eliminated any chance the Evergreens had of catching SPASH from behind in the Valley conference race, leaving this week as a do-or-die situation.

Lose to the Panthers this week, and the Evergreens will finish with a losing record. They also will miss the playoffs, an unheard-of proposition for the storied Everest program, which has six state championships to its credit.

With Everest stuck on the shoulder of this year's road to state, SPASH has a chance to put itself completely out of view of a team that's typically one of its top competitors. Indirectly, the Panthers could do again what they've done the past three years in the playoffs against Everest -- eliminate them.

That possibility alone should garner another spirited effort from the Panthers, who rested Austin Sikorski for the entire second half against West.

Also not playing in the second half last Friday was the team's other big playmaker, Dan Desorcy, who suffered an injury to his left leg and was on crutches while on the sideline. After the game, Desorcy said he was not too worried about the injury.

Travis Schertz and Nate Piel did a good job moving the ball on the Stevens Point Area Senior High football team last Friday and most observers would agree that the Wausau West quarterback-reciever duo didn't need much help.

The mistakes didn't stand in the way of a SPASH win, which came by a 32-13 score, but the issue of unforced mistakes has been a season-long issue for the Panthers and it may remain as the final hurdle between the team and a championship season.

The 98 yards allowed to West comes just a week after allowing 100 yards on 12 penalties to Antigo and four weeks after allowing nine penalties on 85 yards to Hortonville during Week 2.

Back then that unfavorable stat was attributed to early-season jitters, a reasonable excuse, but what's to say about the performances in the last couple weeks?

Against Antigo, West and surprisingly maybe even D.C. Everest this week, SPASH's talent alone can overcome these penalty numbers, but come playoff time they won't.

It took one measly pass interference call to allow West into last week's game -- two plays after the 15-yard call, which put the Warriors on SPASH's 18-yard line, West scored and tied the game at 7-7. Starting this week those mistakes have to disappear if SPASH really wants to get to the next level.

The rushing defense was most important in the first half, allowing only 19 total rushing yards compared to 177 made by SPASH in that time. Those numbers kept West off-balance, which was key given that its passing was consistent and produced 83 yards and a touchdown before the break.

It took a steady diet of Austin Sikorski, a dazzling special teams play and some punishing defense to keep SPASH (6-0, 3-0 Wisconsin Valley Conference) in the ranks of the unbeaten.

Sikorski got the Panthers started after an 18-yard touchdown catch by West's Ty Fischer tied the game. SPASH went to the star running back five times in a row -- the final two plays went for 35 and 19 yards, putting SPASH up 14-7. Sikorski wound up with 156 yards rushing on 16 carries, all in the first half.