THE CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS: The 39th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Football State Championship Finals will be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 20-21, at Camp Randall Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. 

PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE:  Avoid the lines the day of the game by buying State Football Finals tickets now online at www.wiaawi.org/Tickets.aspx or find the link in the right column of the football page on the WIAA website. Ticket prices for the event are $8 for adults per game, $20 for a Thursday all-day pass, $15 for a Friday all-day pass and $30 for a two-day pass. Admission for children 6-years old and under is $1 per game. 

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS SCHEDULE:

Thursday, Nov. 20
10 a.m. Div. 7 Owen-Withee (12-1) vs. Pepin/Alma (13-0)
1 p.m. Div. 6 St. Mary’s Springs (13-0) vs. Darlington (12-1) 
4 p.m. Div. 5 Amherst (13-0) vs. Lancaster (12-1)
7 p.m. Div. 4 Somerset (13-0) vs. Little Chute (11-2) 

Friday, Nov. 21
10 a.m. Div. 3 Rice Lake (10-3) vs. Wisconsin Lutheran (13-0) 
1 p.m. Div. 2 Menasha (13-0) vs. Waukesha West (11-2)
4 p.m. Div. 1 Arrowhead (10-3) vs. Kimberly (13-0)

ON THE AIR:  All of the championship games will be televised live on Fox Sports Wisconsin. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area. The finals of all seven divisions will not be streamed live on the Internet because of contractual restrictions and obligations.

LAST YEAR:   Arrowhead defeated Franklin 45-24 in the Division 1 championship game. In Division 2, Kimberly rolled to a 51-10 win over Oshkosh North, and Monona Grove won the Division 3 title game by a 21-17 tally over Greendale. Winneconne was crowned the Division 4 champion with a 28-14 victory over Platteville, and Stanley-Boyd topped Lancaster to win the Division 5 championship 21-16. In Division 6, Shiocton won the title with a 35-0 blanking of Darlington, and Black Hawk doubled up Glenwood City to win the Division 7 final by a score of 44-22.

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS 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. Arrowhead, Lancaster and Edgar are next on the list with six. D.C. Everest, Menomonie, Monroe, Osseo-Fairchild and Waunakee have each won five. Arrowhead now leads the membership in title game appearances with 12. Lancaster is next with 11, and Edgar and  Darlington have 10. Monroe, Menomonie, St. Mary’s Springs and Waunakee each have eight appearances. 

DIVISION 1 NOTES:  Two-time defending champion Arrowhead returns to the championship final in pursuit of its third straight championship. The Warhawks have won six titles, which ties for the second most of any school. They won State titles in their first three State final appearances in 1993, 1994 and 1996. Their other three titles came in 2007, 2012 and 2013. In addition, the Warhawks have finished runner-up in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2008.  They advance to the State final game this season and for the membership-leading 12th time overall by beating Bay Port at Level 4, 42-28. The Warhawks are the champions of the Classic Eight Conference this fall. Defending Division 2 champion Kimberly moves up a division to challenge for its fourth State championship in five State appearances. The Papermakers won back-to-back Division 2 titles in 2007 and 2008 and added their third in 2013. Their attempt at a third consecutive title in 2009 resulted in a runner-up finish. The Papermakers finished atop the Northern Division of the Valley Football Association standings this fall. They defeated Marquette 48-16 at Level 4 to earn the opportunity to play for the State title. 

DIVISION 2 NOTES: Waukesha West will appear in the State final for the third time, and for the second time in Division 2. The Wolverines’ won the Division 1 championship in 2010 and won the Division 2 crown in 2004 to account for their two prior appearances. They finished in a four-way tie atop the Classic Eight Conference this fall with Catholic Memorial, Muskego and Division 1 finalist Arrowhead. A 21-20 victory over Waunakee at Level 4 advanced the Wolverines into the final. Menasha, the champion of the Bay Conference, is making its first-ever appearance in a State championship final. The Bluejays edged Homestead 8-7 in the semifinals to earn the berth in the title game.

DIVISION 3 NOTES:  Rice Lake is making its fifth trip to the State final and its first since 2004 when they finished runner-up. The Warriors also finished runner-up in 1982 and 1980, a year after winning the State championship in 1979. They finished third in the Big Rivers Conference. The Warriors gained a berth in the title game by downing West De Pere in the semifinal, 34-31. Wisconsin Lutheran is making its sixth appearance in the title game and its first since a runner-up finish in 2011. The Vikings won consecutive titles in 2004 and 2005 and another in 2007. They also finished runner-up in their first experience in the championship game in 2003. The Vikings return to the title game with a 42-21 win over Reedsburg in the semifinal. They are the champions of the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference this season. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Vikings won the Division 1 WISAA championship in 1998 and finished runner-up in 1993.

DIVISION 4 NOTES:  Somerset returns to the championship final for a third time in the last four seasons and for the sixth time overall. The Spartans won the Division 4 State championship in their most recent appearance in 2012 and the Division 5 crown in their first-ever appearance in the final in 2002. In between those titles were two runner-up finishes in Division 5 in 2004, 2005 and a second-place result in Division 4 in 2011. They defeated Wrightstown 36-20 at Level 4 to earn another shot at the title. The Spartans are the champions of the Middle Border Conference this season. Little Chute is making its first-ever appearance in the title game. The Mustangs earned their berth with a 29-26 win over Lodi at Level 4. They placed third in the Eastern Valley Conference during the regular season. 

DIVISION 5 NOTES: The game features a rematch of the 2012 championship game participants, a game won by Amherst 19-7. Perennial power Lancaster is back in the title game for the fourth straight year and for the 11th time overall, which ranks tied for second-most of any member school. The Flying Arrows have finished as the Division 5 runner-up the past three seasons. They are tied for the second-most number of State championships won with six. They won two straight Division 5 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 won their Division 4 title in their first appearance in the final in 1993. The Flying Arrows are the champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference this season. They rolled past Racine St. Catherine’s 46-7 in the semifinal to advance to the title game for another shot at a seventh gold trophy. Amherst will make its second appearance in the title game with the only other being that win over Lancaster in 2012. The Falcons turned back last year’s champion Stanley-Boyd 30-14 in their Level 4 match-up to return to the final for the second time in three seasons. They are the champions of the Central Wisconsin 8 Conference this fall.

DIVISION 6 NOTES:  Last year’s runner-up Darlington returns to the State championship final for the 10th time. The Redbirds won the Division 5 championship in 1987, 1990, 1991 and 1995. In addition, they have placed runner-up in Division 5 in 1993, 1994, 1996; in Division 4 in 1997; and in Division 6 in 2013. The Redbirds made eight trips to the final during an 11-year span from 1987-97. To be in position to have another opportunity at winning their fifth title, the Redbirds edged Edgar at Level 4, 21-20. They are the champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League again this year. St. Mary’s Springs is making its fifth State final appearance in the last six seasons and its eighth overall. The Ledgers have won four State titles. They won the Division 5 championship in 2009 and Division 6 titles in 2002, 2011 and 2012. 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 eliminated Athens 31-7 in their Level 4 match-up to earn the opportunity to play for their fifth State title. Prior to joining the WIAA, St. Mary’s Springs won WISAA crowns  in 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999.  In addition, the Ledgers were WISAA runners-up  in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1989 and 1992.
 
DIVISION 7 NOTES:  Owen-Withee returns for the first time since 1999 and for the third time overall. The Blackhawks won the Division 6 championship in both its previous appearances. This season, they finished runner-up in the Cloverwood Conference, and they advance to the title game following a 55-21 win over Almond-Bancroft in their Level 4 playoff game. Pepin/Alma advances to the championship final for the first time in program history. The Eagles ticket to Camp Randall was punched following its 36-6 triumph over Potosi at Level 4. They are the champions in the South Division of the Lakeland Conference this season.

FOLLOW STATE FINALS ON SOCIAL MESSAGING: Receive updates of the State Football Finals on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaafb. Also follow daily recaps on Facebook.

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.aspx.

WILSON IS THE OFFICIAL BALL:  Wilson is the official game ball of the WIAA State Football Finals. Wilson footballs are also the official ball at Levels 3 and 4 of the playoffs. The agreement with Wilson is effective through 2018.