After a year away, it is finally time for state semifinal football again in the state of Wisconsin. As usual, Level 4 is loaded with talented players and teams, and I'm extremely excited to see how Friday night plays out and find out who will advance to Camp Randall Stadium for the state football championships. We'll go game-by-game and preview each Level 4 matchup, with an additional preview of the 8-man state championship on Saturday afternoon.
Division 1
#3 Appleton North vs. #1 Franklin (Location TBD)
For the first time since 2012, the Division 1 state championship will not feature Kimberly or Muskego, and Appleton North is partly to thank for that. After nine years and numerous regular season and playoff battles, the Lightning finally took down Kimberly on Friday night, holding the Papermakers to 10 points, including none in the second half. Franklin, one of the top teams in Division 1 the entire season, blasted defending state runner-up Bay Port in Level 3 on Friday night behind a 21 point first quarter and 353 passing yards from Myles Burkett, arguably the top quarterback in the state and a Wisconsin Badger commit. Back on August 20, week 1 of the Wisconsin high school football season, these two teams played an instant classic -- and
#1 Sun Prairie vs. #1 Mukwonago (at Oconomowoc)
Division 2
#1 Waunakee vs. #4 Hartford (at Waukesha West)
contest against the fourth-seeded Orioles? Quentin Keene, one of the five finalists for the Dave Krieg Award as the best senior quarterback in the state, looks to end his career by making it to Madison for the second time as a starter. He was a sophomore in 2019 and took over as starter halfway through the year due to an injury. Hartford was battle-tested in the regular season against North Shore competition, and all three playoff games have been one-score games: a 14-13 win against Kaukauna in level 1, a 43-42 road win at top-seeded De Pere in level 2, and a 35-28 level 3 road win at Pulaski, in which the Orioles were up 35-7 in the fourth but had to hold on for the win. The double tight offense of Hartford will look to have another big game on the ground, led by AJ Pepin and his efforts which have netted over 1500 rushing yards this season. Hartford will need to stop the big play attack of Waunakee, and look for another close game that both schools have grown accustomed to all postseason.
Coincidentally, both teams have already played games at Arrowhead this season: Kettle Moraine dropped a one-score game at Arrowhead in a Classic 8 contest, while Homestead visited Arrowhead for a road non-conference game in August and scored a 23-22 victory. I've been picking Wisconsin high school playoffs of many sports for over a decade, and never had picked a 6 seed to make the state semifinals until this year with Kettle Moraine, and the Lasers did not let me down. Playing a grueling Classic 8 schedule, KM scored three road playoff wins, including two by a single possession. This team is battle-tested
and has a proven quarterback in Chase Spellman who has thrown for nearly 2000 yards on the year. Additionally, the defense has given up an average of just 9 points per game in the postseason. Homestead was the winner of the ultra-competitive North Shore, losing two games on the year by a total of 11 points. The Highlanders also earned one of the more impressive level 3 victories, blowing out upstart Wauwatosa West and holding the potent Trojan offense to just 6 points. This is a team has has a 1500 yard rusher in Joseph Ollman while Sal Balistrieri has nearly thrown for 1000 as well. This is a clash of two of the best teams in two of the most elite conferences in the state, and it will be fascinating to see how this one plays out.
When you have two teams, nowhere close to each other, that made it to the neutral site game, you end up with a beautiful stadium for a neutral site game but a location where each team has to travel two and a half hours. Rice Lake was given a gift when the top seed Mosinee lost and when 2 seed Mount Horeb was defeated, which meant Rice Lake didn't have to leave home for the duration of the playoffs. Playing as the smallest school in the Big Rivers, Dan Hill has once again led the Warriors to the
state semifinal. Rice Lake won the state championship in 2018 and made it to level 4 in 2015, a game against Notre Dame that I attended at DC Everest. A balanced attack will lead the Warriors, and this environment will not be too big for them having played Hudson, Chippewa Falls, and Menomonie on a yearly basis. Menasha is once again in the final four of Division 3 with a proven, state championship coach themselves in Jeramie Korth. He led the Bluejays to a runner-up finish in 2019, and a Division 2 state championship in 2014 led by quarterback Tyler Johnson, who went on to play linebacker at Wisconsin. Menasha scored arguably the top upset of level 3, going on the road to defeat Luxemberg-Casco. Given that Menasha was rolled by West De Pere in September, this team is peaking at the right time and is capable of hoisting the gold ball again. This is of the more under-the-radar games of the week, but given the playoff history of these two schools, it will be one to watch for this week and beyond.
If you had two 5 seeds playing in a state semifinal, come collect your winnings! Do not be fooled, these are not your average 5 seeds. Both blasted top seeds on the road in level 2, with Monroe dominating Greendale and Pewaukee shutting out Plymouth -- an outcome I correctly picked. Monroe is going to run, run, and run some more, having rushed for an astounding 4415 yards this season while throwing for less than 300. The Cheesemakers played in a tough conference that consisted of Edgewood, and the two losses on the year for Monroe came by a combined four points. The Pewaukee Pirates played in the Parkland which saw
four teams win a playoff game, and three make it to the state quarterfinals. The defense has been the story all year, as Pewaukee has pitched six shutouts in 12 games, and hasn't given up a point since October 8, which includes three postseason shutouts. Monroe's ability to move the ball may determine this one. Defense wins championships, and the Pirates will rely on their run defense to send them to Madison.
These two teams will meet at Marshfield after going on the road and taking down top seeds in impressive fashions. Ellsworth had a strong case to be a 1 seed and showed their strength last Friday by defeating top seed Northwestern by 41. The Middle Border Conference champions boast one of the top running back in the state, regardless of division, in Max Grand, who has paced the Panthers with 1431 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, including 208 yards and 2 touchdowns in the state quarterfinal. The Freedom Irish are no stranger to the state semifinals, falling just short of a trip to Madison in 2017. The Irish shut out Wisconsin Dells on the road last Friday. This is a consistently strong program that knows what it takes to win in the postseason. 
Freedom deploys a balanced attack, having rushed for over 1000 yards and nearly throwing for 1000 as well. Two evenly matched teams who expected to be here will play for a trip to state in yet another installment of the Middle Border vs. North Eastern in the state semifinals.
It was a whirlwind week in Division 4, with top seed Edgewood being removed from the playoffs due to an ineligible player. Columbus' opponent was up in the air all week, but the Cardinals ended dismantling Kewaskum on Saturday night in a running clock affair. While Catholic Memorial will be a heavy favorite, don't count out Columbus, who is 11-1 and boasts a 2000 yard rusher in Colten Brunell. Catholic Memorial, the two-time defending state champions, once again enter the state semifinals with a roster chock full of experience and talent, led by Rory Fox at quarterback, a Notre Dame baseball recruit. Head Coach Bill Young, a 2002 WFCA Hall of Fame honoree, will look to keep his Crusader team focused after a week of unknowns. While it may seem like a
mismatch on paper, it is still a state semifinal and a game to keep your eye on.
The Aquinas Blugolds have been the top-ranked team in Division 5 all season, and will have a chance to prove everyone right on Friday night by making it to the state tournament. One of the most balanced teams in the state as well, Aquinas has thrown for over 2400 yards and nearly rushed for 2000 yards as well. This is a 12-0 team that has only been remotely challenged once, beating Prescott on the road by 17 during the regular season in its closest game. In a shocking turn of events, Amherst will not be playing in a level 4 game. If there was a year for someone to knock them off, this was the year. It just came from someone nobody would have expected. The Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers of the CWC-Large found a way to win on Amherst's home field in level 3,
scoring a signature 29-28 win. Wittenberg blew a two-touchdown lead in the regular-season contest, but led by quarterback Ben Wesolowski, the Chargers found a way to advance. Wesolowski is one of the five finalists for the Davie Krieg Award, given to the top senior quarterback in the state. I had a chance to coach against Wittenberg in 2020, and have seen this team from afar for years. Bernard Holsey's group is extremely talented, physical, and boasts a lot of size on the offensive line and on the defensive front seven. Each team has only made it to Camp Randall once, with Aquinas making the trip in 2007 and the Chargers finishing as runner-up in 1997. This is one of my most anticipated level 4 games, and I'm expecting it to be one of the state semifinals with the most scoring as well.
I would venture that not a single person in the state had these two teams playing for the right to go to Camp Randall. Both have impressive records and play in competitive conferences. Both earned their way to the state semifinals. Belleville, playing in the same conference as Darlington and Cuba City, had a 15 point win at top seed Marshall in level 2 and earned another impressive road win at Brodhead-Juda in level 3. The Wildcats are going to sling the ball all over the field, with quarterback and outstanding basketball player Trevor Syse throwing for over 2000 yards on the season. Mayville scored the signature win of the postseason, defeating state champion favorite Lake Country Lutheran in a shootout in level 2, 55-47. The Cardinals followed that up with a win over co-champion in the Flyway, Campbellsport, avenging an
early-season loss. Mayville also took down Saint Mary's Springs earlier this year. While this may not be the most flashy or anticipated state semifinal around Wisconsin on Friday, it has shaped up to be an ultra-competitive game with the Wildcats looking for their first ever trip to Madison.
One of just two state semifinals featuring two top seeds, this matchup is going to be a doozy. Both are 11-1 playing in difficult leagues, with Durand competing in the same conference as Regis, a D7 semifinalist, and Colby going head-to-head with Edgar and Auburndale every year. Durand has run for over 4100 yards this fall, including Simon Bauer accounting for 2678 of them. One of the highest-scoring teams remaining, the Panthers average nearly 40 points per game. The
Colby Hornets look like the Colby Hornets of the early 2010s, rolling through their schedule to the tune of 30 points per game. Signature wins for Colby this year include Spencer/Columbus Catholic, Edgar and Auburndale twice. This is not a flashy team, but one that will move down the field with a mix of chunk runs and efficient throws. The run games will determine this one. Durand is looking for its first-ever trip to Madison, while Colby is looking for its first trip in a decade.
What would a final four in Division 6 be without the Redbirds and the Ledgers? These two historic programs will face off at DeFo's beautiful new stadium with another trip to Madison on the line. Springs has won three state championships in a row, while Darlington is a perennial power in their own right. The Redbirds won the competitive SWAL with an 11-1 record and a balanced attack. Springs may have had a down year by their standards, but I know better than to pick against Bob Hyland's crew in November. Darlington will need to put points on the board, while Springs will run the ball behind
five-star lineman Billy Schrauth. This should be a classic, with the winner expected to be the favorite in the state championship in a couple weeks.
The beat rolls on for the Regis Ramblers, who are back in the state semifinals as the top team in D7 after a runner-up finish in Division 6 in 2019. Bryant Brenner's club runs the triple option with incredible execution, and the defense has held up its end this season as well, allowing just 81 points all year, including only 10 against Division 1 Kenosha Bradford in a week 1 win. The Coleman Cougars, one of the strongest all-sports schools in the Northwoods, throttled Hurley in a level 3 contest, proving that they are not your normal 2 seed though playing in a weak conference. The Cougars have run for nearly 4500 yards this season and an incredible 56 touchdowns. This may be the shortest semifinal, as both teams are going to run the ball until they can't
anymore. These are the two best teams in Division 7, and could be the de facto state championship, although the other two semifinalists may have something to say about that.
One of the best feel-good stories of the playoffs belongs to the Cashton Eagles, a program that was 0-9 in 2018 -- a season these seniors experienced firsthand. That is long in the rearview mirror as the Eagles are now on the brink of their first-ever state championship berth. This is a school that hadn't even won a playoff game since 1999 until three weeks ago. The Eagles didn't even win the Scenic Bluffs, but avenged a regular-season loss to Bangor in level 2. As a team, Cashton has rushed for 3000 yards and 47 touchdowns, and will lean on Colin O'Neil to spearhead that attack on Friday night. The Reedsville Panthers have been a top-5 team in D7 all year, with the whole state being put on notice after a September thrashing of conference foe Hilbert. This is
another squad that runs the ball just as well as Cashton, as Reedsville has rushed for 3300 yards and 47 touchdowns. Brennan Dvorachek has both passed and rushed for over 1000 yards this season. A matchup between two teams that love to run the ball will be on tap Friday night. Don't expect either one of these schools to go away any time soon.
Two teams have domineered the 8-man football landscape since the first official state tournament in 2018, and those two teams will be playing for a title on Saturday afternoon. Luck started 8-man play in 2012 and has perfected the single wing, rushing for 4067 yards and 49 touchdowns this season. Wyatt Jensen, arguably the best 8-man player in the state, has accounted for almost 2500 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns with just one fumble. The Cardinals held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by Laona/Wabeno on Friday night, leading by 20 with seven minutes left before holding on for a four-point win. Newman Catholic held on for a one-point win at Gilman on Friday night after rolling through the regular season unscathed. Conner Krach has thrown
for 2265 yards on the season and leads one of the most explosive offenses in the state. These two teams met in the 2019 state championship, with Luck earning a 42-27 win. This will be another high-scoring, competitive game, just the way a state championship should be.
The Waunakee Warriors refuse to go away. The 2019 runner-ups have endured two heart-stopping playoff wins that have come down to the final drive. In level 2 at home against River Falls, the Warriors won by 3 in overtime. In level 3 at home against Menomonie, Waunakee raced out to a 21-0 lead but had to hold on for a 28-27 win. What will transpire in a level 4 neutral-site
#6 Kettle Moraine vs. #1 Homestead (at Arrowhead)
Coincidentally, both teams have already played games at Arrowhead this season: Kettle Moraine dropped a one-score game at Arrowhead in a Classic 8 contest, while Homestead visited Arrowhead for a road non-conference game in August and scored a 23-22 victory. I've been picking Wisconsin high school playoffs of many sports for over a decade, and never had picked a 6 seed to make the state semifinals until this year with Kettle Moraine, and the Lasers did not let me down. Playing a grueling Classic 8 schedule, KM scored three road playoff wins, including two by a single possession. This team is battle-tested
Division 3
#3 Rice Lake vs. #2 Menasha (at Rhinelander)
When you have two teams, nowhere close to each other, that made it to the neutral site game, you end up with a beautiful stadium for a neutral site game but a location where each team has to travel two and a half hours. Rice Lake was given a gift when the top seed Mosinee lost and when 2 seed Mount Horeb was defeated, which meant Rice Lake didn't have to leave home for the duration of the playoffs. Playing as the smallest school in the Big Rivers, Dan Hill has once again led the Warriors to the
#5 Monroe vs. #5 Pewaukee (at Muskego)
If you had two 5 seeds playing in a state semifinal, come collect your winnings! Do not be fooled, these are not your average 5 seeds. Both blasted top seeds on the road in level 2, with Monroe dominating Greendale and Pewaukee shutting out Plymouth -- an outcome I correctly picked. Monroe is going to run, run, and run some more, having rushed for an astounding 4415 yards this season while throwing for less than 300. The Cheesemakers played in a tough conference that consisted of Edgewood, and the two losses on the year for Monroe came by a combined four points. The Pewaukee Pirates played in the Parkland which saw
Division 4
#2 Ellsworth vs. #2 Freedom (at Marshfield)
#2 Columbus vs. #1 Catholic Memorial (at Big Foot)
It was a whirlwind week in Division 4, with top seed Edgewood being removed from the playoffs due to an ineligible player. Columbus' opponent was up in the air all week, but the Cardinals ended dismantling Kewaskum on Saturday night in a running clock affair. While Catholic Memorial will be a heavy favorite, don't count out Columbus, who is 11-1 and boasts a 2000 yard rusher in Colten Brunell. Catholic Memorial, the two-time defending state champions, once again enter the state semifinals with a roster chock full of experience and talent, led by Rory Fox at quarterback, a Notre Dame baseball recruit. Head Coach Bill Young, a 2002 WFCA Hall of Fame honoree, will look to keep his Crusader team focused after a week of unknowns. While it may seem like a
mismatch on paper, it is still a state semifinal and a game to keep your eye on.
Division 5
#1 Aquinas vs. #2 Wittenberg-Birnamwood (at Wisconsin Rapids)
The Aquinas Blugolds have been the top-ranked team in Division 5 all season, and will have a chance to prove everyone right on Friday night by making it to the state tournament. One of the most balanced teams in the state as well, Aquinas has thrown for over 2400 yards and nearly rushed for 2000 yards as well. This is a 12-0 team that has only been remotely challenged once, beating Prescott on the road by 17 during the regular season in its closest game. In a shocking turn of events, Amherst will not be playing in a level 4 game. If there was a year for someone to knock them off, this was the year. It just came from someone nobody would have expected. The Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers of the CWC-Large found a way to win on Amherst's home field in level 3,
scoring a signature 29-28 win. Wittenberg blew a two-touchdown lead in the regular-season contest, but led by quarterback Ben Wesolowski, the Chargers found a way to advance. Wesolowski is one of the five finalists for the Davie Krieg Award, given to the top senior quarterback in the state. I had a chance to coach against Wittenberg in 2020, and have seen this team from afar for years. Bernard Holsey's group is extremely talented, physical, and boasts a lot of size on the offensive line and on the defensive front seven. Each team has only made it to Camp Randall once, with Aquinas making the trip in 2007 and the Chargers finishing as runner-up in 1997. This is one of my most anticipated level 4 games, and I'm expecting it to be one of the state semifinals with the most scoring as well.
#4 Belleville vs. #5 Mayville (at McFarland)
I would venture that not a single person in the state had these two teams playing for the right to go to Camp Randall. Both have impressive records and play in competitive conferences. Both earned their way to the state semifinals. Belleville, playing in the same conference as Darlington and Cuba City, had a 15 point win at top seed Marshall in level 2 and earned another impressive road win at Brodhead-Juda in level 3. The Wildcats are going to sling the ball all over the field, with quarterback and outstanding basketball player Trevor Syse throwing for over 2000 yards on the season. Mayville scored the signature win of the postseason, defeating state champion favorite Lake Country Lutheran in a shootout in level 2, 55-47. The Cardinals followed that up with a win over co-champion in the Flyway, Campbellsport, avenging an
early-season loss. Mayville also took down Saint Mary's Springs earlier this year. While this may not be the most flashy or anticipated state semifinal around Wisconsin on Friday, it has shaped up to be an ultra-competitive game with the Wildcats looking for their first ever trip to Madison.
Division 6
#1 Durand vs. #1 Colby (at Chippewa Falls)
One of just two state semifinals featuring two top seeds, this matchup is going to be a doozy. Both are 11-1 playing in difficult leagues, with Durand competing in the same conference as Regis, a D7 semifinalist, and Colby going head-to-head with Edgar and Auburndale every year. Durand has run for over 4100 yards this fall, including Simon Bauer accounting for 2678 of them. One of the highest-scoring teams remaining, the Panthers average nearly 40 points per game. The
Colby Hornets look like the Colby Hornets of the early 2010s, rolling through their schedule to the tune of 30 points per game. Signature wins for Colby this year include Spencer/Columbus Catholic, Edgar and Auburndale twice. This is not a flashy team, but one that will move down the field with a mix of chunk runs and efficient throws. The run games will determine this one. Durand is looking for its first-ever trip to Madison, while Colby is looking for its first trip in a decade.
#1 Darlington vs. #3 Saint Mary's Springs (at DeForest)
What would a final four in Division 6 be without the Redbirds and the Ledgers? These two historic programs will face off at DeFo's beautiful new stadium with another trip to Madison on the line. Springs has won three state championships in a row, while Darlington is a perennial power in their own right. The Redbirds won the competitive SWAL with an 11-1 record and a balanced attack. Springs may have had a down year by their standards, but I know better than to pick against Bob Hyland's crew in November. Darlington will need to put points on the board, while Springs will run the ball behind
five-star lineman Billy Schrauth. This should be a classic, with the winner expected to be the favorite in the state championship in a couple weeks.
Division 7
#1 Regis vs. #2 Coleman (at DC Everest)
The beat rolls on for the Regis Ramblers, who are back in the state semifinals as the top team in D7 after a runner-up finish in Division 6 in 2019. Bryant Brenner's club runs the triple option with incredible execution, and the defense has held up its end this season as well, allowing just 81 points all year, including only 10 against Division 1 Kenosha Bradford in a week 1 win. The Coleman Cougars, one of the strongest all-sports schools in the Northwoods, throttled Hurley in a level 3 contest, proving that they are not your normal 2 seed though playing in a weak conference. The Cougars have run for nearly 4500 yards this season and an incredible 56 touchdowns. This may be the shortest semifinal, as both teams are going to run the ball until they can't
anymore. These are the two best teams in Division 7, and could be the de facto state championship, although the other two semifinalists may have something to say about that.
#2 Cashton vs. #2 Reedsville (at Ripon)
One of the best feel-good stories of the playoffs belongs to the Cashton Eagles, a program that was 0-9 in 2018 -- a season these seniors experienced firsthand. That is long in the rearview mirror as the Eagles are now on the brink of their first-ever state championship berth. This is a school that hadn't even won a playoff game since 1999 until three weeks ago. The Eagles didn't even win the Scenic Bluffs, but avenged a regular-season loss to Bangor in level 2. As a team, Cashton has rushed for 3000 yards and 47 touchdowns, and will lean on Colin O'Neil to spearhead that attack on Friday night. The Reedsville Panthers have been a top-5 team in D7 all year, with the whole state being put on notice after a September thrashing of conference foe Hilbert. This is
another squad that runs the ball just as well as Cashton, as Reedsville has rushed for 3300 yards and 47 touchdowns. Brennan Dvorachek has both passed and rushed for over 1000 yards this season. A matchup between two teams that love to run the ball will be on tap Friday night. Don't expect either one of these schools to go away any time soon.
8-Man State Championship: #1 Luck vs. #1 Newman Catholic (at Wisconsin Rapids, Saturday 1pm)
Two teams have domineered the 8-man football landscape since the first official state tournament in 2018, and those two teams will be playing for a title on Saturday afternoon. Luck started 8-man play in 2012 and has perfected the single wing, rushing for 4067 yards and 49 touchdowns this season. Wyatt Jensen, arguably the best 8-man player in the state, has accounted for almost 2500 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns with just one fumble. The Cardinals held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by Laona/Wabeno on Friday night, leading by 20 with seven minutes left before holding on for a four-point win. Newman Catholic held on for a one-point win at Gilman on Friday night after rolling through the regular season unscathed. Conner Krach has thrown
for 2265 yards on the season and leads one of the most explosive offenses in the state. These two teams met in the 2019 state championship, with Luck earning a 42-27 win. This will be another high-scoring, competitive game, just the way a state championship should be.
PICKS
Division 1
Franklin over Appleton North
Mukwonago over Sun Prairie
Division 2
Waunakee over Hartford
Homestead over Kettle Moraine
Division 3
Menasha over Rice Lake
Pewaukee over Monroe
Division 4
Ellsworth over Freedom
Catholic Memorial over Columbus
Division 5
Aquinas over Wittenberg-Birnamwood
Mayville over Belleville
Division 6
Colby over Durand
Saint Mary's Springs over Darlington
Division 7
Regis over Coleman
Reedsville over Cashton
8-Man State Championship
Luck over Newman Catholic
