MADISON, Wis. – Seven champions were crowned at the 48th State Football Championships at Camp Randall Stadium this week.
Bay Port (12-2) wasted no time taking control of the Division 1 championship game by possessing a 19-0 lead at halftime en route to a 25-18 win over Muskego (9-5). The Warriors came to life in the second half with a pair of touchdowns and a field goal, but could not produce points in their final two drives.
The Pirates outgained the Warriors 259-20 in total offense in the first half and 397-203 in the game. They also held a commanding lead in time of possession with a 10:33 advantage.
Brady Moon amassed 241 yards rushing, which ranks fifth-most in Division 1 State finals history. He scored on runs of 80, 4 and 67 yards. Moon also led the Pirates in receiving with three catches for 29 yards. Matt Stevens ran for 70 yards and completed 7-of-9 passes for 82 yards. Defensively, the Bay Port was led by Nick Hawker with eight tackles, including two quarterback sacks.
Joey Shaw completed 5-of-15 for 86 yards and a touchdown for the Warriors. Jackson Niemiec was the leading ground gainer for Muskego with 53 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in receiving yards with 48 and a touchdown. Liam Shaw paced the Warriors’ defense with eight tackles.
Bay Port won its first State championship in its second State final. The Pirates only other experience in the final in 2019 resulted in a runner-up finish to Muskego. This time around, the Warriors finish runner-up in their fourth State finals appearance.
The Division 2 championship game was closely contested throughout, and Slinger (14-0) completed an undefeated by edging Rice Lake (11-3) 31-30. The statistics also revealed a competitive contest. The Owls possessed a slight 316-303 advantage in total offense yardage.
The Owls fought back from a 24-14 second quarter deficit to tie the game at 24-24 midway through the third quarter. After the Warriors scored on a 75-yard drive with 9:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, a failed two-point attempt would prove to be the difference. Slinger scored the game-winning touchdown and extra-point with 3:29 remaining in the game after recovering a Rice Lake fumble on the Warriors’ 34-yard line.
Michael Thiede led the Owls offensively. He completed 12-of-15 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown, and he led the team in rushing with 48 yards and two scores. Brayden Schnorenberg was on the receiving end of four passes for 78 yards, and Lucas Sonn caught four tosses for 58 yards and a touchdown. Kaiden Walworth led the Owls’ defense with 11 tackles and the game-changing forced fumble.
The Warriors’ offensive production came almost exclusively from the ground game. Connor Durand led all rushers with 123 yards, and Lucas Peters contributed with 82 yards and two touchdowns. Grant Pacholke attempted only four passes, completing two for 17 yards. Pacholke was the team leader on defense with 11 tackles and a forced fumble.
In its third appearance in the title game, Slinger won its second championship. Rice Lake, the Division 3 champion last season, finishes runner-up in its ninth experience in the final.
Notre Dame (14-0) secured a perfect season with a 49-28 win over Catholic Memorial (11-3) in a record-ladened Division 3 championship game.
The two teams combined to score a Division 3 record of 77 points and compiled 805 yards of total offense with the Tritons outgaining the Crusaders 459-346.
Catholic Memorial couldn’t contain the running of Christian Collins behind a stalwart offensive line. Collins shattered the State record for all divisions with 408 rushing yards on 39 carries, which broke the Division 3 mark. His five touchdowns also eclipsed the Division 3 record and tied the all-division mark. In addition, Collins’ 431 all-purpose yards set a Division 3 mark. The Tritons were led on defense by James Flanigan with nine tackles, including four for loss.
MJ Mitchell’s record-breaking performance was tarnished by the defeat, but he threw for a Division 3 record 307 yards for the Crusaders. Mitchell completed 15-of 26 passes and threw a Division 3 record four touchdowns. He also led the team with 23 rushing yards. Marvanous Butler-Brown was Mitchell’s favorite target, catching eight passes for a Division 3 record 160 yards and two touchdowns, which tied the division record.
Notre Dame won its third State championship in its fifth appearance in the title game, and Catholic Memorial finished runner-up in its 10th final experience.
Racine St. Catherine’s (14-0) finished the season undefeated to win the Division 4 State championship following a 26-22 triumph over Baldwin-Woodville (12-2) in the final.
The Angels led 20-0 on scoring tosses from Eddie Vinson to Lamont Hamilton of 59, 23 and 49 yards.
The Blackhawks scored midway through the third quarter to narrow their deficit to 20-8, but Hamilton’s lightning struck again on the ensuing kickoff racing 83 yards down the sideline to expand the Angels’ lead to 26-8 with 6:33 remaining in the third quarter. The return is the longest in Division 4 State final history. Baldwin-Woodville scored a touchdown on two consecutive drives, but a valiant comeback attempt fell short deep in Angel’s territory with an intercepted pass by Isaac Cantu with 28 seconds remaining.
Hamilton’s 155 yards receiving and three touchdowns also set new standards in Division 4. He also led the team in rushing with 33 yards and completed one pass attempt for 28 yards. Vinson completed 7-of-14 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Isaiah Taylor led the Angels’ defense with 12 tackles.
Baldwin-Woodville had a pair of runners eclipse the 100-yard plateau and outgained the Angels in total offense 369 to 290 but committed four turnovers. Gavin Sell led all rushers with 145 yards and a touchdown, and Taden Holldorf added 137 yards on the ground and a score. Sell completed 5-of-10 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Racine St. Catherine’s wins it second title in two finals appearances, and Baldwin-Woodville finishes runner-up in its fifth experience in the championship game.
In the duel of two teams nicknamed the Tigers, Stratford (14-0) capped an undefeated season by winning its third State championship in a row, downing Wrightstown (12-2) 21-6 in the Division 5 title game.
Stratford moved up a division this season after winning Division 6 championships the past two seasons. The title is the program’s 10th, which leads all member schools.
After a scoreless first quarter, Stratford got on the board first with a 91-yard drive in the second quarter. Wrightstown cut the deficit to 7-6 on the ensuing drive on a 61-yard dash by Trevor Vande Hey. Stratford scored late in the first quarter to take a 14-6 lead into halftime and added insurance with a touchdown midway through the third quarter.
Brooks Vanderhoof ran for 137 yards and a touchdown, and Jack Tubbs added 94 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Tubbs also completed all five of his pass attempts for 31 yards and a touchdown. Xander Curtice led the team defensively with seven tackles, including three for loss and two sacks.
Vande Hey ran for 83 yards and threw for 80 yards, completing 5-of-11 passes to lead Wrightstown offensively. Kaden Colwell made a game-high 11 tackles, including two for loss to head the defense.
Stratford wins the title in its 12th State finals appearance, and Wrightstown finishes runner-up for the second year in a row, making the program’s fifth trip to the finals.
In a battle of two programs advancing to the championship game for the first time, Lomira (12-2) won the Division 6 title with a 26-19 victory over Grantsburg (12-2) in final.
After Grantsburg scored on its opening drive, the Lions responded with 20 straight points to take control of the game. Taylor Schaumberg rushed for a game-high 216 yards, which ranks fourth most in Division 6 State finals history, and scored three touchdowns. Jackson Goebel completed 7-of-10 passes for 73 yards and a score. Kolton Wagoner led all tacklers with 12 stops on defense for the Lions.
The Pirates outgained the Lions with a 360-318 advantage in total yardage thanks to a record-breaking passing attack. Brock Matheny paced the offensive with 283 yards throwing, completing 24-of-37 attempts, which are all Division 6 records. Daxter Schultz, Caden Matheny and Dane Lozier all made five receptions in the game, which ties for fourth-most in a Division 6 final. Ian Burkman rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Brady Burton led the Pirates defense with 10 tackles.
Edgar (13-1) won its second consecutive Division 7 title with a 19-0 shutout over Potosi/Cassville (13-1) in the championship final. The game featured a pair of stout defenses. The combined 277 yards yielded by the two defenses set a Division 7 mark for the fewest yards of total offense in a game.
Edgar scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to take a 12-0 lead. The Wildcats added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to account for the final score.
The Edgar offense was limited to 119 yards. Maverick Butt ran for 45 yards and a touchdown, and he caught one pass for eight yards and a score to lead the Wildcats. Defensively, Edgar yielded 158 yards of total offense to Potosi/Cassville. Ty Schnelle made a team-high eight stops, including one for loss, and Gavin Mauer recorded an interception and three tackles.
Isaiah Groom led Potosi/Cassville with 77 yards rushing, and Joe Haas added 56 on the ground. Dawson Weber completed 2-of-7 passes for 14 yards. Groom also led the defense with nine tackles.
Edgar wins its ninth State championship, which ties for second-most won among member schools. It was the Wildcats’ 15th appearance in the final, which also leads the membership. Potosi/Cassville finishes runner-up in its first State final experience.
Complete Championship Finals Results & Statistics