It’s the third round of playoffs in High School Football. Level 3 of the postseason starts on Friday.
DIVISION 1
#6 Appleton North (9-2) at #1 Bay Port (11-0)
The Lightning have a great history of success and have shutout both Chippewa Falls and Hudson in the playoffs. The defense continues to be a key factor. They will need the defense against Bay Port. The Pirates have several playmakers of their own to counter, including versatile dual-threat quarterback Cole Bensen.
#3 Kimberly (9-1) at #1 Waunakee (11-0)
Kimberly had to play the only team to defeat them to open the playoffs, but the Papermakers got revenge against Fond du Lac in a 42-14 win. Up next was league co-champ Neenah, and it came right down to the end against the Rockets. Neenah led 21-7 at halftime and 28-22 into the third quarter, but Kimberly would score the game-winning touchdown and extra point with just 1:18 remaining to secure a 29-28 win. Now it’s the defending State Champions of Division 2 Waunakee. These teams have been the most dominant in the state over the last decade-and-a-half, as at least one of them has won a state title in every season but two since 2007, and at least one of them has been in a state championship game EVERY YEAR since 2007. Waunakee beat Kimberly 34-21 in the 2009 Division 2 state title game.
DIVISION 2
#3 West De Pere (10-1) at #1 River Falls (10-1)
The Phantoms only loss of the season was to top ranked Bay Port. West De Pere has been strong in the pass and the run this year as they have one of the conference leaders on both sides with Duke Shovald and Najah Mitchell both having strong seasons. Najeh Mitchell was named Back of the Year in the Conference. River Falls trailed Marshfield 21-12 in the third quarter last week before reeling off 24 unanswered points for a 36-21 win.
#6 Kaukauna (7-4) at #5 Homestead (7-4)
Homestead, has had to play a pair of road games to get to this point, though the Highlanders will finally play at home this week against Kaukauna. In Level 1, Homestead had no problem getting past Milwaukee Vincent, setting the stage for a big rematch against old rival Hartford. After losing to Hartford in a close game the first time around, Homestead found a way to get a tight victory in Level 2 as Sean West booted a 25-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining to lift the team to a 10-7 win. Kaukauna’s Noah Hofmann had a huge game last week in a victory over Slinger, rushing for 307 yards and five touchdowns on 27 carries.
DIVISION 3
#7 Notre Dame (8-3) at #1 West Salem (10-1)
Tritons went on the road and defeated second-seeded Reedsburg 24-7. Reedsburg jumped out to a 7-0 lead after its first drive, but it was all Notre Dame from there. Ian Blom went over 100 yards on the ground, Christian Collins added 78 yards and a score, and Joe Otradovec threw for 121 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Then they took down third-seeded Menasha 26-21 in a regular season rematch. West Salem’s only loss was a close one against Onalaska to open the season, as the Panthers have rolled since then.
DIVISION 4
#2 Freedom (10-1) at #1 Little Chute (11-0)
Top-seeded Little Chute remains undefeated, but it hasn’t been easy so far in the playoffs for the Mustangs. They knocked off Winneconne 35-14 in Level 1 but did not crack 250 yards of total offense. The offensive struggles continued in a big way last week, but thankfully the defense was outstanding in a 7-3 victory over Xavier. The Mustangs had just 186 total yards in the game, but held Xavier to less than 100.
The Mustangs are the real deal as they ran the table in a conference where every team made the playoffs. Charlie Vander Burght leads the conference in passing and Drew Joten is one of the leading rushers in the Conference with over 1000 rushing yards. Freedom’s only loss this year is a 22-16 decision against Little Chute late last month as the Mustangs shut down the Irish’s running game. The teams also met twice last season with Freedom win both games.
DIVISION 5
#2 Kewaunee (10-1) at #1 Southern Door (11-0)
This is a rematch of a Week 8 game won by Southern Door 19-14, as the Eagles handed Kewaunee its only loss of the year. That one ended Kewaunee’s 27-game conference winning streak and secured a league title for Southern Door.
DIVISION 6
#2 Saint Mary Springs (10-1) at #1 Coleman (11-0)
Coleman took down a favored private school before state last year when the Cougars defeated Regis in Division 7, and a similar opportunity awaits this season. Moving up to D6, Coleman gets a shot at division favorite Saint Mary’s Springs. The Ledgers got a battle last week from sixth-seeded Bonduel but managed to win 21-0. This is a rematch from more than a decade ago when the Ledgers beat Coleman in a Level 3 playoff game during Coach Jeff Bronson’s first year in Coleman.
DIVISION 7
#2 Shiocton (8-2) at #1 Cambria-Friesland (11-0)
Shiocton had the leading passer, receiver and rusher in the CWC-East this year, and kind of flew under the radar in a competitive conference. Dawson Schmidt has over 1400 yards passing on the season. Cambria-Friesland is the top seed in Group D, but the Hilltoppers have played a pair of one-score games so far in the playoffs. They got a tough Hilbert squad as the eight-seed in Level 1, winning 20-14, before a rematch with Trailways Conference rival Johnson Creek in Level 2. Cambria-Friesland rushed for more than 300 yards in that one and held on for a 26-23 victory. Cambria-Friesland is looking for its first state semi-finals trip since winning it all in 2022, while Shiocton is looking to get back to the semi-finals for the first time since a 2013 state title.
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As the High School Football Playoffs kick off Friday, TCHdailynews.com Sports Director Brad Williams has provided his end of the post season picks to WISSPORTS.net. They can be seen here.
TCHDailynews.com has selected Newman Catholic to win the 8-Man Football State Championship, West De Pere to win the Division 2 State Championship, and Coleman to qualify for the Division 6 State Championship.
Round 1 Area Playoff Picks
DIVISION 1
#1 Bay Port over #6 Appleton North
#1 Waunakee over #3 Kimberly
DIVISION 2
#3 West De Pere over #1 River Falls
#6 Kaukauna over #5 Homestead
DIVISION 3
#7 Notre Dame over #1 West Salem
DIVISION 4
#2 Freedom over #1 Little Chute
DIVISION 5
#2 Kewaunee over #1 Southern Door
DIVISION 6
#1 Coleman over #2 St Mary’s Springs
DIVISION 7
#2 Shiocton over #1 Cambria-Friesland
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