THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 37th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Football State Championships will be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 15-16, at Camp Randall Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. Ticket prices for the event are $8 for adults per game, $15 for a day pass and $25 for a two-day pass. Admission for children 6-years old and under is $1 per game.
CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE:
Thursday, Nov. 15
10 a.m. Div. 7 Glenwood City (10-2) vs. Potosi (12-0)
1 p.m. Div. 6 Regis (12-0) vs. St. Mary’s Springs (12-0)
4 p.m. Div. 5 Amherst (12-0) vs. Lancaster (12-0)
7 p.m. Div. 4 Somerset (11-1) vs. Big Foot (12-0)
Friday, Nov. 16
10 a.m. Div. 3 Waupaca (12-0) vs. Catholic Memorial (10-2)
1 p.m. Div. 2 Homestead (11-1) vs. Waunakee (12-0)
4 p.m. Div. 1 Arrowhead (12-0) vs. Sun Prairie (12-0)
ON THE AIR: All the championship games will be televised live on Fox Sports Wisconsin. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area.
LAST YEAR: Kenosha Bradford defeated Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 7-0 in the Division 1 championship game. In Division 2, Waunakee won its third straight title by routing Waterford 45-0, and West De Pere won its second consecutive championship by downing Wisconsin Lutheran in the Division 3 title game, 39-24. Wrightstown was crowned the Division 4 champion with a 28-26 double overtime triumph over Somerset, and Colby outlasted Lancaster to win the Division 5 championship 44-43 in overtime. In Division 6, St. Mary’s Springs won the title with a 24-0 blanking of Shiocton, and Greenwood/Granton shutout Seneca 40-0 to win the Division 7 crown.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL HISTORY: The WIAA began sponsoring the playoff tournament series in 1976. The first two championships featured four divisions. In 1978, the field expanded to five divisions. The playoffs were again expanded to include six divisions in 1981. In 1996, the playoff field was further expanded to 192 teams qualifying for the post-season. In 2002, the tournament expanded to seven Divisions and 224 teams. The championships have all been at Camp Randall Stadium since 1982. Stratford has won the most championships with seven, and Lancaster and Edgar are next on the list with six. D.C. Everest, Menomonie, Monroe Osseo-Fairchild and Waunakee have each won five. Arrowhead and Edgar leads the membership in title game appearances with 10. Lancaster has nine, and Darlington, Monroe, Menomonie and Waunakee have eight appearances. In 2012, the WIAA reinstated a reduced-player option with 16 programs offering an eight player schedule.
DIVISION 1 NOTES: Arrowhead is back in the title game for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2008, which was the third of three straight appearances in the championship final. The Warhawks won State titles in its first three appearances in 1993, 1994 and 1996 and added a championship in 2007. The Warhawks have finished runner-up in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2008. They advance to the State final game for the 10th time overall after defeating Hudson 43-20 at Level 4. The Warhawks are the champions of the Classic Eight Conference this fall. They have outscored their opponents by an average of 46-8 per game this season. Sun Prairie will appear in the State final for the second time, winning the championship in the Cardinals’ only other appearance in 1995. They finished atop the Big Eight Conference standings this fall, and they advance to the final with a 21-13 victory over Badger at Level 4. During the regular season, the Cardinals only allowed 26 points in eight games, including shutouts in the final four conference games.
DIVISION 2 NOTES: Three-time defending champion Waunakee advances to the title game for the eighth time. The Warriors have captured the State championship five times. In addition to the last three seasons, they won Division 3 crowns in 1999 and in 2002. They recorded runner-up finishes in Division 3 in 2001 and in Division 2 in 2005. They are the champions in the North Division of the Badger Conference this year. The Warriors attempt to win their fourth straight crown following a 35-28 overtime win over Whitefish Bay at Level 4. They average 39 points a game this season. Homestead is playing in its fifth championship game, with all previous trips to the finals coming in Division 1. The Highlanders made three straight title game appearances from 2006-08, which resulted in titles in 2006 and 2008. The Highlanders were also crowned State champions in 1999 and finished runner-up in 2007. They are the champions of the North Shore Conference this season, and they defeated Marshfield 49-8 at Level 4 to advance to the final. Their only loss of the season was a 14-7 loss to Whitefish Bay, the team Waunakee defeated in overtime at Level 4.
DIVISION 3 NOTES: Waupaca is making its fifth title game appearance. The first two, in 1994 and 2002, resulted in runner-up finishes and the most recent two, in 2006 and 2008, produced State championships. The Comets earned a berth in this year’s championship game with a 16-14 triumph over two-time defending champion West De Pere at Level 4. They are the champions of the Eastern Valley Conference this fall. Catholic Memorial is making its third appearance in the State final. The first two experiences resulted in runner-up finishes in 2001 and 2010. The Crusaders, before joining the WIAA, won WISAA titles in 1979, 1989, 1993 and 1996. They were also runners-up six times. They tied with Mukwonago for second place in the Classic 8 Conference this season behind Division 1 finalist Arrowhead. They advance to the championship game following a 35-7 win over Mount Horeb/Barneveld at Level 4.
DIVISION 4 NOTES: Somerset returns to the championship final for a second straight season after finishing runner-up last year and for the fifth time overall. The Spartans won the State championship in their first-ever appearance in the final in 2002. Since then, they experienced back-to-back appearances in 2004-05, which produced a pair of runner-up finishes. They defeated Black River Falls 32-8 in the semifinal to earn another shot at the title. They average more than 33 points per game and are allowing less than eight points a game. Big Foot is back in the title game for the third time, and the first since the second of back-to-back experiences in 2008 and 2009. The Chiefs captured the crown in the second of those appearances after finishing runner-up the year before. Their return to the championship final game comes by virtue of its 45-22 win over Freedom in their Level 4 match-up. They are the champions of the South Division of the Rock Valley Conference this season. The Chiefs have yet to be in a close game this season and have defeated opponents by an average of 36 points per game.
DIVISION 5 NOTES: Lancaster, last year’s runner-up, is back in the title game for the ninth time, which ranks as third-most of any member school. The Flying Arrows are tied for the second-most number of State championships won with six. They won two straight championships in 2005 and 2006, and made four straight appearances in the Division 4 title game from 1999-2002. That run resulted in three consecutive titles from 2000-02 and a runner-up finish in 1999. The Flying Arrows also won the Division 4 title in their first title game experience in 1993. They are the champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference this season. They ousted Brillion 34-21 in the semifinal to advance to the title game for another shot at a seventh gold trophy. The Flying Arrows have amassed 524 points this season for an average of 44 points per game and have held opponents to 14 points or under in all but one game. Amherst will make its first-ever appearance in a title game. The Falcons turned back defending champion Colby 34-6 in their Level 4 match-up to reach the final game in their playoff journey. They are the champions of the Central Wisconsin 8 Conference this fall. The Falcons have outscored their opponents 491-102 in 12 games this season.
DIVISION 6 NOTES: Defending champion St. Mary’s Springs is making its fourth straight appearance in a State title game and its seventh overall. The Ledgers have won three State titles. They won the Division 5 championship in 2009 and Division 6 titles in 2002 and 2011. In addition, they have finished runner-up in Division 6 in 2003, 2005 and 2010. This year, they are the champions of the Wisconsin Flyway Conference. The Ledgers dispensed of Iowa-Grant 54-14 in their Level 4 match-up to earn the opportunity to defend their title. Prior to joining the WIAA, St. Mary’s Springs won eight WISAA crowns (1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999). The Ledgers have been dominating all season, outscoring opponents 597-59, with the smallest margin of victory over any opponent being 24 points. Regis returns to the State final for the fourth time and for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2009. The Ramblers won the Division 7 championship in 2003 on the heels of a runner-up finish in their first-ever title game endeavor in 2002. As a former member of WISAA, they won three Division 3 championships, coming in 1992, 1993 and 1999. This season, they finished first in the Cloverbelt Conference standings and advance to the title game following a 21-0 blanking of perennial power Edgar in their Level 4 game. Five of the Ramblers’ 12 wins have been by shutout, not including a forfeit victory.
DIVISION 7 NOTES: Glenwood City has its sights on a third State championship having won the title in both their previous two appearances. The Hilltoppers won the Division 6 championship in their first appearance in 1985 and won the Division 5 title in 1997. They placed in a three-way tie for second place in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference this season behind league champion Elk Mound, and they advance to the title game following a 28-8 win over Hilbert in their Level 4 playoff game. Potosi will experience the State final for the first time following a 30-20 win over Randolph in the semifinal. The Chieftains are the champions of the Six Rivers Conference this fall. They are averaging 42 points per game this season, including 38 points a game in the playoffs.
NEED RESULTS?: Results and statistics will be available on the WIAA website approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of each title game at: www.wiaawi.org/Sports/Football/TournamentInformation.aspx.