Green Bay Southwest football team's two-year losing streak ends after loss is changed to a win

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Southwest football team’s two-year losing streak has come to an end without even playing a game.

Southwest was informed Monday that its 44-34 loss to Appleton West in Week 6 has been changed to a win after the Terrors forfeited the game for using an ineligible player.

The Trojans played that contest without several student-athletes because of code violations but still were competitive after quarterback Joe Anderson threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns.

Any moral victory from that night is now a real one.

Southwest’s losing streak hit 21 after a loss to Green Bay Preble on Friday, and it had not won a game in the regular season since beating the Hornets on Sept. 9, 2022.

Instead, the streak ended up being halted at 18 consecutive defeats and 742 days.

“I guess a win is a win,” Southwest co-coach Aaron Van Eperen said. “It feels a little bit different than what it would feel like on the field and all of that. But, yeah, I’m not going to complain either way about it. It’s unfortunate for whatever happened at Appleton West that caused this, I’m sure it’s difficult for them as well.

“Not the way I thought it would end.”

The Terrors beat Preble the week after defeating Southwest, but that result will stand.

Appleton West athletic director John Miller said in an email the issue was only for the Southwest contest.

The forfeit has at least some minor playoff implications for both the Trojans and Terrors.

Southwest (1-6 overall, 1-4 Fox River Classic-North) has a chance to sneak into the postseason if it wins its last two games against Ashwaubenon (3-4) and De Pere (4-3).

Appleton West (2-5, 1-4) must now beat De Pere and West De Pere (6-1) to have the same opportunity.

Squads with winning conference records are guaranteed a spot in the 224-team playoff field, but there will be some throughout the seven divisions that get in despite finishing under .500.

Ashwaubenon made the D3 postseason in 2023 after going 3-4 in FRCC-North play.

The Trojans’ odds are slim, but at least there now is a chance when there wasn’t just a few days ago.

As the coaching staff watched film of Ashwaubenon on Monday, Southwest athletic director Chris Williams spoke with the team’s athletic trainer to let her know the situation. She then informed everyone else.

“We told the players, and it did seem to breathe some life kind of back into them,” Van Eperen said. “It’s tough once you are eliminated where you are going to go from there and what you are going to do for the last couple of weeks. To have another week of hope, if that’s the right word, is definitely nice.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a challenge. We play two really good opponents. It’s going to come down to we have to play better than what we have been recently. But hope is nice.”

Southwest lost 49-14 to Ashwaubenon and 35-7 to De Pere last season.

It has not beaten De Pere since 2019 and Ashwaubenon since 2017.

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Southwest has not qualified for the postseason since 2019 and has not won a game in the playoffs since reaching the D2 semifinal round in 2017.

“We kind of preached to them as we were still in our meetings and our install stuff for the week, second chances don’t happen very often in life,” Van Eperen said. “When they do happen, you have got to take advantage of that. The way you would do that is by now going out and playing really good football for the last two weeks of the season.

“Just because you are playing good football doesn’t necessarily mean a win is going to happen when you are playing quality opponents like Ashwaubenon and De Pere. But take advantage of the opportunity to get to go play at least somewhat meaningful football for another week here.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Southwest football team's two-year losing streak ends after loss is changed to a win