After four champions were crowned on Thursday, the Wisconsin high school football season concluded Friday with the WIAA state title games in Division 1, 2 and 3 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
Here was the schedule:
Division 3: Notre Dame 49, Catholic Memorial 28. Christian Collins became the first player in any state-final game to clear 400 yards, rushing for 408 for Notre Dame (14-0) as part of a record-setting showcase with Memorial (11-3).
Division 2: Slinger 31, Rice Lake 30. The Owls (14-0) won their first state title since 1998, getting a late fumble recovery and go-ahead score with 3:29 to go to keep Rice Lake (11-3) from a second straight state title.
Division 1: Bay Port 25, Muskego 18. Bay Port (12-2) took a 19-0 lead at halftime and had to fend off a pesky Muskego (9-5) down to the wire; Brady Moon led the Pirates with 241 yards and three touchdowns.
The Journal Sentinel provided live coverage throughout the day. Check out all the highlights below.
The Green Bay area comes away with two state titles today, and Slinger wins its first state title since 1998. Bay Port, Slinger and Notre Dame join yesterday’s champions (Racine St. Catherine’s, Stratford, Lomira and Edgar) in bringing home 2024 gold balls.
Thanks to everyone who followed along with the live blog this year; we’ll try to do it again for state basketball. Take care!
It was a 19-0 lead for the Pirates at halftime, and though Muskego made things interesting in the second half, Bay Port prevails for its first state championship in football. Brady Moon finished with 24 carries, 241 yards and three touchdowns in a dazzling performance that included an 80-yard touchdown on the first snap from scrimmage.
Muskego struggled to ever get anything consistent going on the ground, and the Warriors seldom have to rely on a passing game. Still, junior Jackson Niemiec with two touchdowns and a field goal from Gabe Walden allowed the Warriors to get one last shot in a one-possession game. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Liam Shaw with eight tackles (1.5 for loss) to finish his incredible career for the Warriors.
Joey Shaw escaped more pressure and got off a heck of a nice pass past the sticks, but Bay Port knocked it away. Credit Brock Gauthier with the breakup on what was essentially a Hail Mary.
Just like the regular season, Muskego was left for dead and came back to make things really interesting, but the dream is going to end here. Bay Port is about to win, 25-18.
Nick Hawker came flying up the middle and threw Joey Shaw for a 10-yard loss, meaning it’s now going to take a miracle for Muskego.
It’s 4th and 30 from the Muskego 31 after a spike. One play left.
After an incomplete pass that should have been intercepted by Bay Port, a holding call has the Warriors back to their own 49-yard line with 54 seconds to go. It’s still going to take one big play, so down and distance may not mean much, but it’s 2nd and 20.
Wow, did not see that coming.
Matt Stevens takes a carry to the right on 4th and 1, but he’s stopped well short, with Thomas Glover in on the tackle of his life. It’s first and 10 from the Bay Port 39 yard line, with Muskego needing a touchdown. There’s 1:07 left, no timeouts.
There’s 1:11 left on the clock, and Brady Moon was just stopped at the 40-yard line, one yard shy of the first down. On 4th and 1, I think Bay Port still has to punt to avoid Muskego getting a short field, but if it wants to roll the dice, a first down ices this thing.
The replay sure makes it look like Moon reached the line to gain at the 41. He’s got 237 rushing yards.
It’s 3rd and 5 from the Bay Port 36, and if the Pirates convert, there’s nothing Muskego will be able to do to stop the clock. Muskego still has its final timeout remaining but hasn’t used it yet, hoping for a stop and quick clock stop to afford the Warriors perhaps a minute for offense.
Bay Port calls its own timeout to discuss. The Pirates have one left but presumably won’t need it.
First, Muskego tried a sudden turnaround kick out of the huddle, but the whistle to resume play hadn’t blown yet, so the officials blew it dead. Then, an attempted onside was blown dead for an offside call, moving Muskego back five yards. Then, a timeout (??) gets used. That’s a big loss; Muskego could have still theoretically stopped Bay Port here with just the two timeouts, but losing one makes that task significantly harder and puts more pressure on retrieving possession out of the kick.
UPDATE:Muskego just elects to kick it deep, and it’s a touchback. That timeout lost will be very costly.
Gabe Walden is called upon to boot a 33-yard field goal, and he does just that, so the lead is now one touchdown for Bay Port with 3:59 to go. That might be enough time to get a conventional stop and wrestle the ball back for one last possession.
Busy day for Walden, who now has a pair of field goals and also converted the onside kick successfully earlier in this half.
BAY PORT 25, MUSKEGO 18, 3:59/4th
Muskego went for the end zone on second down and had a run stuffed for a loss on third, meaning it’s now 4th and 3 with 4:03 to go in the game at the 16-yard line. Muskego calls timeout to discuss; with now two timeouts remaining, it feels pretty essential to get this first down to preserve any chance of winning the 2024 state title.
Bay Port’s Nick Hawker up to seven tackles, including a sack.
Nick Leto appeared to be bobbling the ball as he went out of bounds, and officials initially ruled no catch, but a replay review felt the evidence was there to award possession with a foot down. That brings the ball the 15-yard line of Bay Port, where it’s 2nda nd 2 with just more than 4:30 left to play.
The Warriors are still very much in the mix here.
Bryan Nguyen made sure Matt Stevens had no chance to get that football to a receiver, chasing him to the sideline before Stevens threw it away. That means it’s Muskego ball at its own 34-yard line,
The Warriors need 10 points and have 5:21 to work with.
Liam Shaw just met Brady Moon in the backfield and threw him for a three-yard loss, setting up 4th and 15 at the 34-yard line. Bay Port actually called timeout to discuss the play, since it appears they’re somewhat in no-man’s land and will go for it on fourth down.
There’s only 5:27 left. Even with a stop, Muskego has to find a way into the end zone quickly if it wants to try and conventionally stop Bay Port on defense after that.
Brady Moon just rattled off another big run, this one merely 25 yards, and his 254 rushing yards in this game are now fourth all-time in a Division 1 game. More importantly, the Pirates are down to the Muskego 27-yard line, looking for a knockout low with 7:20 to go in this contest.
UPDATE:Apparently that’s being classified as a pass, so he’s still on 229 yards rushing with 29 receiving.
That didn’t go the way the Warriors wanted, with one yard of lost yardage in three plays. Joey Shaw tried to go deep on 3rd and long, but the throw was well off the mark, and then the punt went sideways, too.
Bay Port will have the ball at its own 31-yard line, with 9:27 to go and a 10-point lead.
We have no choice but to call this a ballgame now.
Muskego surprised Bay Port by attempting an onside kick, and Xavier Witkowski ran it down to snag it out of the air, giving Muskego the ball back at the Pirates’ 48-yard line. You don’t have to worry about stopping Bay Port if you don’t give them the ball back.
The Warriors still have 11 minutes to get 10 points.
Jackson Niemiec breaks free for a 28-yard touchdown rush, and Muskego once again has some momentum. The junior came into the game as Muskego’s leading rusher, and he took an end around to the house without any Bay Port player getting his hands on him.
The extra-point was good but negated by a false-start penalty, so Gabe Walden simply kicked it again from farther back. It’s a 10-point game with just more than 11 minutes to play.
BAY PORT 25, MUSKEGO 15, 11:02/4th
Muskego has a 2nd and 5 on the Bay Port 33; the Pirates committed a late-hit personal foul that greatly helped Muskego’s cause on this drive. But only 12 minutes remain, and the Warriors are down 17 points.
A rare sight: Joey Shaw has 57 yards passing, twice as much as any rusher has for Muskego. The Warriors have just 71 yards rushing total, led by 24 from Jackson Niemiec.
The Pirates didn’t let Muskego keep an ounce of momentum.
On the second play of the next drive, Brady Moon took the ball 67 yards to the house, his second long touchdown of the game and third overall. On just 20 carries, he now has 229 rushing yards, the fifth most in Division 1 state-final history.
The conversion doesn’t work, but it’s now 25-8, with 2:33 to go in the third quarter. Have a night, Brady Moon.
BAY PORT 25, MUSKEGO 8, 2:33/3rd
On 3rd and 10 from the Bay Port 48, Shaw hit junior Jackson Niemiec, who made a nice cut back toward the middle of the field and dashed to the house for a score the Warriors absolutely had to have. The conversion is good, a diving catch by Jack Labisch after Shaw rolled nearly all the way to the sideline.
We have life, and maybe a ballgame, with Muskego down just 11 points and 3:21 to go in the third quarter. Don’t count out the Warriors; this program has been in positions like this before and comes through regularly.
BAY PORT 19, MUSKEGO 8, 3:21/3rd
Bay Port wasn’t able to use too much clock in quickly going three-and-out, and Muskego gets the ball back off a Bay Port punt at the Pirates 48-yard line. There’s 4:42 left in the third quarter.
Shaw dropped for a short loss on first down, though, right at midfield, and it’ll be third and long for the Warriors.
Juuuust when it looked like Muskego had figured something out … it loses the football.
It looked like an unsteady exchange with Jack Labisch, and Bay Port jumped on it at its own 16-yard line. Max Romenesko gets credit for the force and Alex Warden comes away with the ball; both players received some form of all-state accolade from the state coaches association.
Too early for a dagger, but it still feels like one. There’s 6:40 to go in the third quarter, and Bay Port has it back with a 19-0 lead.
The Warriors are slicing up the field to start the second half, a complete reversal from the team they were in the first half. The downside: Muskego has chewed up a lot of clock, with already 7:00 to go in the third quarter on this first drive. Muskego is on the Bay Port 15-yard line.
Joey Shaw went deep on the first play out of halftime and had Nick Letot available with a step on his man, but it just glanced off Let’s fingertips. I think he’s gotta catch it, but it glances away, and the Warriors miss an opportunity there.
BUT Muskego does have a first down after Jackson Niemiec ran for 12 yards on 2nd and 10. It’s the first first-down of the game for Muskego. AND the Warriors completed a pass on first and 10 to Ben Kreil, moving the ball to Muskego’s 40-yard line, followed by a second first-down run from Jack Labisch.
It is indeed not the same listless Warriors team in the second half. But do they have enough to compromise a 19-point deficit?
Zero first downs (10 for Bay Port), 20 yards (259 for Bay Port), 0 for 4 on third down (5 for 8 for Bay Port), less than six minutes of possession (more than 18 for Bay Port).
The only thing Bay Port did worse than Muskego in the first half was commit four penalties, while Muskego had none. It honestly could be a lot worse than 19-0. I maintain it’s not over, but the Warriors appear to have a major uphill battle.
When Bay Port scored on the first play of the game, it racked up 80 yards; four times what Muskego ultimately collected for the entire first half.
It’s all Pirates at the break.
It’s about as lopsided a yardage total as you’ll see in a state final, with Bay Port amassing 259 yards in the first half and Muskego collecting just 20. Brady Moon took the opening snap to the house, has 158 yards rushing at the break, and the Pirates have simply overwhelmed Muskego, which does not yet have a first down. Bay Port has 10 of those.
Bay Port just needs a clean half of football to secure the first state title in program history.
The Pirates got stopped just shy of the goal line on the 2-yard line, and Bay Port elected to kick a field goal. The 19-yarder from Beckett Koerten is good, although it’s still a three-score game with 7 seconds left on the first-half clock. Kinda surprised Bay Port wouldn’t go for a bigger punch there, though Muskego does get the ball to start the second half.
BAY PORT 19, MUSKEGO 0, 0:07/2nd
If you were following the blog earlier, you heard a lot about state title-game rushing records thanks to Christian Collins of Notre Dame, who ran for an unprecedented 408 yards in a title-game.
What about Brady Moon? He’s up to 152 yards on 16 attempts with a half of football remaining.
Here are the top five rushers in Division 1 state-final history.
I saw with my own eyes Muskego fall behind Neenah in Week 1 of the season, 21-3, and I figured the game was just about over. Not only did Muskego bounce back in the second half, but the Warriors won pretty easily, 31-21. Neenah was a good team, too, and Muskego defeated the Rockets in Level 3 in a rematch, 21-7.
Bay Port might very well be better than anything Muskego has seen this year, but the Warriors aren’t going to look at the 16-0 deficit and think it’s over.
But it sure would help if Muskego stopped Bay Port here, driving on the Muskego 35-yard line with 2:12 left before halftime.
Muskego was nearly tackled in the end zone on first down, then got a couple yards on second down. But on third, Joey Shaw tried to hide the delayed handoff and wound up crashing into his own lineman, with Bay Port easily able to smother him from there for the safety.
It’s Bay Port in a rout, for now. The Pirates begin at their own 49-yard line, on top of it.
BAY PORT 16, MUSKEGO 0, 3:50/2nd
Junior quarterback Matt Stevens can kick it a little bit, and he just got a great roll from inside the 20-yard line along the sideline all the way down to the Muskego 2-yard line. That’s where the Warriors must take over, with 5:02 left on the first-half clock.
Brady Moon already has 123 rushing yards, and he nearly broke a long run that still went for 11 yards on the last drive. Stevens, meanwhile, has connected on all three of his pass attempts for 41 yards, and he’s also run for 36 yards.
Moon appeared to convert on a fourth down across midfield, but holding brought the ball back to the Bay Port 46-yard line and prompted the punt. Still, Muskego needs a spark; perhaps a 98-yard scoring drive would do the trick?
Twice, sophomore quarterback Joey Shaw has tried passing on third down, and both have been narrowly incomplete. Once again, the Warriors surrender the football, punting it down to the Bay Port 18-yard line.
Nine snaps, 20 yards, zero first downs for Muskego thus far. There’s 10:48 to go in the second quarter.
As the first quarter ends, Nathan Makinen just stuffed Bay Port on 3rd and 1 from the Pirates’ own 23-yard line, setting up a 4th and 1 and, one presumes, a punt once we get into the second quarter. That’s progress for Muskego.
It bears mentioning that even though the Pirates can rack up points, they’ve also given up their share, including 14, 12, 21 and 26 in the playoffs. Bay Port surrendered 45 to West De Pere and allowed at least 21 points in three regular-season games this year aside from that. They’ve held opponents to single digits just twice.
So this game is far from over.
The early returns are quite unfortunate for Muskego. The Warriors still don’t have a first down (Bay Port has five), and the Warriors just had to boot the ball back to Bay Port, which takes over at its own 14 but holding a 14-0 lead with 1:42 to go in the first quarter.
The Pirates converted three different third downs on that 12-play, 68-yard drive, capped by a short run from Moon to give Bay Port a 14-0 lead with just more than three minutes to go in the first quarter. What a great start for a team looking for its first state crown, battling against a regular visitor to Camp Randall.
Moon: Seven carries, 98 yards, two touchdowns. Not too bad!
BAY PORT 14, MUSKEGO 0, 3:19/1st
Travis Wilson of Wissports.net pointed this out on Twitter, but Bay Port running back Brady Moon is the son of UW-Green Bay athletics director Josh Moon, a Wautoma native who took the big risk to hire nationally-known radio personality Doug Gottlieb as Phoenix men’s basketball coach.
Josh’s father, Dennis, won a state title as football coach of Wautoma in 2008.
Brady Moon is already up to 90 yards rushing on four carries as we get under 7 minutes with Bay Port at midfield.
Muskego’s misdirection offense might be tough to prepare for, but Bay Port wasn’t fooled on the first series, stopping the Warriors three yards shy of the marker for a three-and-out on the first drive. The punt lands at the Bay Port 31-yard line, where it’s fair caught.
The Pirates have a 7-0 lead with 9:43 to go in the first quarter.
We are off with a bang.
Brady Moon took the opening handoff, found his way through the muck and bounced out to his left, on his way to an 80-yard touchdown. It took 14 seconds for a team to score in this one, which certainly seems to portend our third high-scoring game of the day. Wow.
Muskego almost had a chance to bring him down around the 5-yard line, but Moon skipped away and into the end zone.
BAY PORT 7, MUSKEGO 0, 11:46/1st
Muskego won the toss and, like the six other teams that won tosses before them, deferred to the second half. Bay Port will receive the opening kick off and we are just about under way in the final game of the 2024 high-school season.
You’ve seen Muskego here plenty of times, but you’ve never seen them with a record like this. Muskego lost three straight games at one point this year, beset by injuries that appeared to derail their season. Then came the postseason.
Muskego dispatched some fellow excellent programs with ease: Oak Creek, Franklin and Neenah (21-7 in the latter game), followed by a tense 16-14 win over Mukwonago. That was a rematch of a regular-season loss, when Muskego lost a staggering five starters to injury.
Bay Port, meanwhile, defeated D.C. Everest in Level 4, 34-27, and has incurred losses this year to Kimberly and West De Pere. Neither one of these teams are conference champions.
Here are some nuggets about the game:
We didn’t see a defensive stop until the fourth quarter when the team traded fumbles, and then Slinger’s defense delivered one more stop and held on for the narrow win. It’s the program’s first state title since 1998.
Rice Lake, which won last year’s Division 3 title, narrowly fell short of the crown after moving up to D2. The Warriors were hampered by the loss of quarterback Jakob Kunz to injury, and I imagine that loss will be seen as a what-if moment in the program’s history.
Connor Durand had 123 yards rushing for the Warriors, but it’s Slinger that will raise the gold ball.
Landon Gehring, big No. 92 and, again, the son of a player on the last Slinger team to reach state, just clinched a victory for the Owls. He rumbled for the first down, getting 4 yards when one would have sufficed, and Slinger is now in victory formation.
In a fantastic game, Slinger’s defense got a fumble and a stop when it needed it most, and they’re going to beat Rice Lake, 31-30.
Slinger quarterback Michael Thiede tried to stretch for a first down at the 29-yard line and very nearly lost the football, but it landed on the sideline out of bounds. That in itself is a negative for Slinger, which ideally wants the clock to keep running now that Rice Lake has used its last two timeouts.
It’ll be short and, presumably, the Owls will go for it on 4th and 1 with 2:18 still on the clock. But they could have used Thiede going down in bounds, even if it was a little farther away from the marker.
UPDATE:Never mind, we have a review that indicates Thiede was down IN bounds and went down before he dropped the ball, so that means Slinger can still roll some clock.
If Slinger gets this first down, the game is essentially over.
Rice Lake, whose starting quarterback Jakob Kunz left this game in the first half, needed a pass completion on both 3rd and 8 and 4th and 8, but both tosses by Grant Pacholke were incomplete. That gives the ball back to Slinger with 2:37 to go at the Rice Lake 39-yard line.
In a game that hasn’t had many defensive stops, that was a mammoth one. Rice Lake still has two timeouts, though, so it’s not official yet.
After a big run on first down, Rice Lake gained only a total of two yards in two snaps, and now it’s 3rd and 8 on the Warriors’ own 39-yard line. Slinger takes a timeout to discuss the play; both teams are now down to just two timeouts.
There’s still 2:48 to go. Plenty of time, along with two timeouts, but obviously this is a big play forthcoming. Owls lead, 31-30.
Tremendous Division 2 state championship game coming down to the wire.
Thiede churns and churns until he finally gets the 2 yards he needs and falls into the end zone, followed by a crucial extra point from kicker Cole Martin. That spots the Owls a 31-30 lead with less than 3:30 to go.
Rice Lake hasn’t been stopped on any possession in this game, but they also haven’t exactly shown a quick-strike ability. Buckle up.
SLINGER 31, RICE LAKE 30, 3:29/4th
Michael Thiede beautifully sold a faked short pass into the flat, then heaved it downfield for Brayden Schnorenberg, who flagged it down and fell at the 6-yard line. Slinger is knocking on the door, down 30-24 with 3:45 to go.
It’s 3:27 on the clock now and 2nd and goal from the 2-yard line, with Rice Lake calling time out.
Landon Gehring, whose father was part of the 1998 Slinger football team that was the last Owls team to reach the state final, just came up with an unforgettable play in the 2024 version. He fell on a fumble forced by teammate Kaiden Walworth when Rice Lake was looking to convert on 3rd and 2, and now Slinger has the ball right back on the Rice Lake 34-yard line.
There’s still 5:10 to go, and Slinger can still score to tie (or go ahead) on this next sequence.
Gehring, a 5-10, 255-pound lineman, had zero carries last week but ran the ball twice, picking up 25 yards and scoring on a two-point conversion. Folk hero territory.
Slinger is the first offense to blink. On the drive and in enemy territory, Kobe Hendricks lost the football, and Rice Lake recovered on its own 28-yard line. The last drive chewed up 9 minutes, and there’s only 6:44 left in this game. With the Warriors ahead, 30-24, could this be it?
Slinger was in a bind on 3rd and 9 in its own territory, but Michael Thiede scrambled long enough to open up a running lane where he could obtain the necessary yardage. One play later, he finds Brayden Schnorenberg for a 25-yard pickup all the way to the Rice Lake 38-yard line. But the drive crashed on the game’s first turnover.
Rice Lake just hasn’t been denied.
Lucas Peters burrowed his way over the final 3 yards, and Rice Lake re-took the lead, but for the first time today, the Warriors’ conversion was no good. That means it’s just a six-point lead with 9:25 left to play for Rice Lake, as the Warriors find themselves within striking distance of a second straight gold ball.
It’s a LONG drive, 15 plays, 75 yards and 8:49. Rice Lake knows neither offense is easy to stop and is trying to make the game as short as possible.
Peters is up to 84 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Connor Durand has 102 yards rushing.
RICE LAKE 30, SLINGER 24, 9:25/4th
After the Warriors converted on a 4th and 1 to move the chains, Rice Lake now has 1st and 10 on the 14-yard line, the result of an 11-yard pass play between backup quarterback Grant Pacholke and Lucas Peters. It’s the first completed pass of the game for the Warriors (not counting a 2-point conversion).
We’re headed to the fourth quarter with the two teams tied at 24. It might just take one big defensive moment from Slinger, but they’ve got to have it to win this game.
Jakob Kunz has been walking up and down the sideline, still fully geared up, trying to walk off the effects of his ankle/knee injury. He doesn’t look comfortable, and his backup is keeping Rice Lake on the move.
The Warriors offense continues to seem just fine without injured quarterback Jakob Kunz. Grant Pacholke just engineered a dangerous pitch play, but Connor Durand took it 17 yards, and he’s up to 102 for the game as Rice Lake finds its way well into Owls territory.
It’s first and 10 from the 36-yard line with just more than 3 minutes left in the third quarter. Slinger has not kept Rice Lake out of the end zone yet (again, assuming you don’t count the one-play drive that went for 3 yards just before half).
Slinger ran into its first adversity on offense, falling into a 3rd and 17 hole after a run for loss and a delay of game penalty. A short pass got six of those yards back, and the Owls elected to go for a game-tying field goal, with Cole Martin coming through.
It’s a 38-yard field goal and caps a 5:28 drive to open the second half with points. You could interpret that as the first defensive stop of the game, but there have still be no punts or turnovers (on downs or otherwise).
Martin has a 52-yard make on the year according to the stats, and this one was through by plenty.
RICE LAKE 24, SLINGER 24, 6:22/3rd
The Rice Lake kicking has been an adventure: Two kicks out of bounds and some short liners. Kobe Hendricks just picked up the second-half kickoff and ran it to the Slinger 43-yard line, a strong 32-yard return that got the Owls’ crowd right back into the game.
Slinger down 24-21 as we open the second half, and again, neither team has staged a true defensive stop yet.
There were zero defensive stops in the first half, unless you count Rice Lake just quietly milking the final 16 seconds of the half. Both teams had three drives, and each one ended in a score, but Rice Lake fared better in the 2-point conversion department.
Slinger will get the ball first out of halftime, though. Does first stop win?
Michael Thiede has completed 7 of his 8 passes for 108 yards and also has 21 yards rushing, with a passing and rushing score for Slinger. Connor Durand has eight carries for 74 yards to lead Rice Lake, and quarterback Jakob Kunz has five for 61, but he left this game with what looked like a leg or ankle injury. We’ll see if that matters in the second half.
Kaiden Walworth has seven tackles for the Owls.
Michael Thiede’s 37-yard bomb to an outstretched Lucas Sonn proved to be a big play on the Slinger scoring drive just before halftime, and the Owls went for it on 4th and goal from the 3-yard line, with Thiede again finding Sonn for the score with 16 seconds on the clock.
Pass interference set up the Owls on the 9-yard line, but on 3rd and 3, Santos Rodriguez was stopped for a loss by all-state defender Lucas Peters. After a timeout, Slinger elected to go for paydirt, and Sonn worked his way open.
Sonn has four catches for 58 yards and the score. Slinger kicked the extra point, so it’s a field-goal spread, but the Owls get the ball first out of halftime.
RICE LAKE 24, SLINGER 21, 0:16/2nd
Junior Grant Pacholke checked in, and it was business as usual for Rice Lake, with the new quarterback running for a 9-yard touchdown to give the Warriors an 8-point lead. With the two-point conversion on a run by Connor Durand, Rice Lake now has a 10-point lead.
Has to be frustrating for Slinger; neither team has registered a defensive stop yet, and still, the Owls find themselves down two scores because they couldn’t cash in a 2-point conversion while unable to stop any of Rice Lake’s.
Still time for Slinger to score once more, and the Owls do get the ball after halftime.
RICE LAKE 24, SLINGER 14, 2:53/2nd
Quarterback Jakob Kunz just gained 30 yards for Rice Lake, but he’s down after the play and getting some medical attention. He got tackled awkwardly.
That would obviously be a big loss for Rice Lake, which has quite honestly just imposing its will. Methodical and with a lot of misdirection, but constantly moving the ball. Both teams have faced just two third downs (and both teams have converted them both).
Kunz is leaving the field with some considerable help. I’m not sure he’ll be able to continue at any point. With 4:17 to go, Rice Lake is down to the 17-yard line of Slinger and up, 16-14, but this is a significant development.
Slinger quarterback Michael Thiede just threw a dart into the heart of the coverage, but Brayden Schnorenberg caught it and held on with a bevy of Rice Lake defenders around him. That set up another direct snap to Kobe Hendricks that he ran into the end zone.
That’s the good news for the Owls. The bad news? The conversion was no good, meaning Rice Lake keeps the lead.
Slinger went nine plays, covering 65 yards and holding the ball for 4:18.
RICE LAKE 16, SLINGER 14, 6:58/2nd
Lucas Peters takes the give and churns his way to the 4 yards necessary for a go-ahead touchdown, followed by a smooth conversion attempt that featured Kunz finding Evan Strand open for the first completion of the day for the Warriors.
Rice Lake takes the lead early in the second quarter. Only three drives in this game thus far, and all of them have ended in scores. So who blinks first? It might come down to who hits on their conversions.
RICE LAKE 16, SLINGER 8, 11:17/2nd
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Rice Lake is looking at 1st and goal on the 5-yard line when the second quarter begins.
The Warriors have met little resistance, with a ton of misdirection keeping Slinger on its heels. Connor Durand is up to 57 yards rushing for Rice Lake, Lucas Peters has 40 yards and Jakob Kunz has another 30. They’re averaging 9.1 yards per play and looking to take the lead.
But as of this moment, it’s 8-8 as we move to the second quarter.
Michael Thiede completed both his passes on this drive (both to Lucas Sonn, for 18 yards), and he ran for 15 yards, with the final yard being a push to the goal line on 2nd and goal. Kobe Hendricks, the team’s leading rusher who hadn’t gotten a carry to that point, then scored the 2-point conversion, and we are tied.
Santos Rodriguez rushed five times on that drive for 32 yards.
RICE LAKE 8, SLINGER 8, 5:11/1st
Slinger showing a pretty good response to the fast Rice Lake start, already knocking on the door.
Santos Rodriguez just had a 13-yard carry up the gut into the red zone, putting him at 23 early rushing yards and the ball at the 18-yard line. A Michael Thiede keeper moves the ball to the 10-yard line, and as we move below 6:30 in the first quarter, Slinger is poised to score.
The Warriors flash up the field quickly and are already in the end zone before two minutes have gone by.
Quarterback Jakob Kunz called his own number on 1st and 10 from the 12-yard line and carried a tackler across the goal line with him for the score. The Warriors added the 2-point conversion, and it’s already an 8-0 lead.
It’s a five-play drive that navigated 67 yards in 1:53, all running plays. An impressive start to be averaging more than 13 yards per carry.
RICE LAKE 8, SLINGER 0, 10:01/1st
Lucas Peters for 15 yards and Connor Durand for 28, and that’s how we start the Division 2 title game with Rice Lake already knocking on the door of the red zone. The reigning Division 3 state champion moves up to D2 this year and finds itself trying to knock off undefeated Slinger.
Slinger is back to state for the first time since 1997-98, when it won silver the first year and gold the next. The Owls will face defending Division 3 champion Rice Lake, which got promoted to Division 2 because of the WIAA success-based factor after a 28-20 win over Grafton last year for the trophy.
Here are some nuggets about the battle:
It was entertaining and record-breaking, and the Tritons finished an undefeated season with the gold ball.
Christian Collins became the first player in state-title game history (any division) to clear 400 yards rushing, posting 408 on 39 carries (10.5 yards per rush). His five touchdowns are the most in Division 3 and tied two others in any division. His 431 all-purpose yards are 166 yards better than the previous record in Division 3 (!!!!).
Not only that, but his twin brother Jack got a touchdown for Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, Catholic Memorial quarterback MJ Mitchell set a Division 3 record with 309 passing yards, and receiver Marvanous Butler-Brown set a new D3 mark with 160 receiving yards (eight catches, two touchdowns).
But it’s Notre Dame who gets to celebrate the victory.
Notre Dame senior Christian Collins will finish with a state-record 408 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Notre Dame is kneeling it out rather than trying to get him a sixth touchdown, which would also be the first time ever. Incredible performance.
With 3:18 to go, MJ Mitchell tried to engineer some magic but couldn’t elude pressure on 4th and 18, and he ultimately went down at the CMH 20-yard line, giving Notre Dame the ball back with a chance to score one last touchdown and get Christian Collins 400 yards rushing.
The outcome is no longer in any sort of doubt. The Tritons will win the Division 3 championship.
I suppose there’s still at least a modicum of hope if Catholic Memorial had been given that 52-yard touchdown for Jake Berkholtz, but the play was wiped out by an illegal shift penalty.
There’s still 4:13 left, and CMH sure has ability to score quickly, but this is a tough row to hoe with a three-score deficit.
Christian Collins will probably finish shy of 400 yards, but just barely. He’s up to 397 after reaching the end zone, becoming the third player in state final history and first in Division 3 to score five rushing touchdowns in a game. He joins Karter Butt of Edgar (who turned the feat last year in Division 7) and Sam Santiago-Lloyd of Brookfield East (who turned the feat in Division 2 in 2015).
Notre Dame is going to win the Division 3 state title, with this singular performance at the forefront.
NOTRE DAME 49, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 28, 4:38/4th
The only question now is if Christian Collins becomes the first 400-yard rusher in a state-title game.
He’s up to 379 yards on 33 carries (11.5 per rush), and that eclipses the 362 yards by Steve Hougom of Westby in 1986 (on 28 attempts!) that had stood as the all-division record for nearly 40 years. There’s never been a rushing performance like this in the WIAA state final.
Notre Dame is down to the red zone, and the Tritons are now in the business of just running out the clock. Collins has everything: He’s got power, speed, patience, and kind of decent size? I don’t know why he hasn’t been recruited at any major programs yet.
As fun as it has been to constantly check the record book, Catholic Memorial is at a crossroads now, down two scores with 11:06 to go and having just punted the ball away. The ball is spotted at the 50-yard line, and if CMH can’t figure out a way to slow down Collins and Notre Dame, this game is going to wind up uncompetitive in the fourth quarter.
Wow, Christian Collins is going to wind up with the all-time state record for yards in a title game.
Collins just went 73 yards for yet another answer to Catholic Memorial’s scoring drive, breaking a tackle near the 30-yard line and taking it the rest of the way to give Notre Dame a 42-28 lead. He has crossed into the 3,000-yard territory for the season, making him the second player in state history to pull that off (Adrian Davis of Kenosha St. Joseph in 2001).
He’s got 353 yards in this game and four touchdowns. He’s on the doorstep of breaking the all-division mark set in 1986 by Steve Hougom of Westby, who ran for 326 yards in 28 attempts. I think he’s going to get it, folks.
His four rushing touchdowns tie him with a handful of others in Division 3 history.
Another one to watch: Most total yards by both teams in a state-title game. We’re up to 766 yards between these two, which is second all-time in D3 and chasing the 869 racked up by Wisconsin Lutheran and Notre Dame in 2003.
NOTRE DAME 42, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 28, end third quarter
What a drive for Catholic Memorial quarterback MJ Mitchell to put his team back within a score.
Mitchell just connected with Marvanous Butler-Brown for a touchdown, with the receiver doing a lot of heavy lifting and battering his way into the end zone for the 16-yard score.
The two plays before it were also impressive. Dalton Roach made a great catch in the end zone but lost control of the ball at the last second. One play earlier, Roach went up to snag a jump ball and converted it into a 38-yard reception.
Mitchell is now up to 312 yards passing, obliterating the old Division 3 state title-game record, set by Josh Ringelberg of Greendale back in 2013 (270 yards). It’s already the second-best passing performance in any division in title-game history, and we have a whole quarter to play. Can he catch the overall record of 383, set in 2016 by Josh Weiss of Cedar Grove-Belgium?
NOTRE DAME 35, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 28, 0:17/3rd
Christian Collins is going to find his way into the record book.
Collins took a direct snap, sold the fake well on jet motion to the right, then took off to the left and went almost untouched to the end zone, a 65-yard gain on first down that gives the Tritons a two-score lead. What a special talent.
Collins us up to 258 yards rushing on 26 carries (9.9 average) with three touchdowns. He now owns the Division 3 state-title game record, beating out a mark that has stood since 1986 when Mike Saunders of Milton ran for 244. He can now chase the three players to have cleared 300 yards for the all-division record.
He needs 44 yards for 3,000 this season. Only Adrian Davis of Kenosha St. Joseph in 2001 has gotten to that point in state history. He had 3,422. John Alanis of Seneca (2,972) was second, and for the moment that gives him the edge on Collins.
NOTRE DAME 35, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 21, 2:19/3rd
Catholic Memorial was cooking after a personal-foul facemask penalty put the ball on the Notre Dame 32-yard line, but CMH went backward from there, including a sack by James Flanigan and, ultimately, an incomplete pass on fourth down when Dustin Roach slipped. Oh, Roach is back in the game, by the way, after he left the field with an apparent injury.
It’s 1st and 10 for Notre Dame with 2:38 to go in the third quarter. After an absolute shootout in the first two quarters, we haven’t seen any scoring over two methodical drives here in the third.
With an 8-yard catch, Catholic Memorial senior Marvanous Butler-Brown now has the Division 3 receiving record in a state-title game, up to 137 yards on five receptions. That eclipses a mark that has stood since 1991, when Spooner’s Greg Gronski had 130.
MJ Mitchell is up to 227 yards passing, hot in pursuit of the 270 yards that mark the current Division 3 state record.
It did not dawn on me that Notre Dame would be stopped on 4th and 1, but Neeko Rodgers and Martell Harris of Catholic Memorial flew in to stuff Christian Collins on a snap from the 21-yard line, and the Crusaders are able to hold on the first drive of the second half.
Notre Dame still has the 28-21 lead with just more than 8 minutes remaining in the third quarter, but CMH takes over at its own 21-yard line.
Gabe Talla leads CMH, by the way, with seven tackles. James Flanigan also has seven for the Tritons to lead Notre Dame.
It did not take long for Notre Dame to get the engine humming out of the break. This was Kingston Allen going 22 yards on first down to put Notre Dame on the Memorial 41-yard line, and it comes with the added bummer of Dustin Roach getting injured and walking off the field gingerly for CMH. Roach just had an interception on the final play of the first half.
I just assumed the carry was Christian Collins when he burst up the middle; do they really have a bunch of other running backs who are also great just waiting their turn?
What a wild first half. We had unreal rushing performances (Christian Collins has 19 carries for 173 yards for Notre Dame), passing performances (Marvanous Butler-Brown has four catches for 129 yards for CMH) and scoring galore. MJ Mitchell has 219 yards passing and three touchdowns for the Crusaders but also a costly pick-six. But the Crusaders just got a takeaway to end the half and keep Notre Dame from re-gaining a two-score lead.
This is the delayed rubber match between two elite programs that split head-to-head state titles in 2015 and 2016. It still feels like a toss-up!
With no timeouts, Notre Dame turned to its passing game and has found its way inside the 10-yard line with less than 30 seconds to play in the half, but CMH was able to snuff it out with an interception in the end zone by Dustin Roach.
Charlie Honacek made a tightrope catch along the sidelines for 10 yards, and Christian Collins also reeled in a swing pass, so quarterback Max Pierce has his first two pass completions of the day for Notre Dame. His counterpart, MJ Mitchell, is 9 for 13.
A penalty pushed the Tritons back to the 14-yard line, and when Pierce unloaded toward the end zone, Roach was there to snag the interception. The Tritons will get the ball back in the second half and still have a lead, but that could have been a big one.
When Catholic Memorial scored to tie the half with less than 3 minutes remaining, I didn’t imagine the Crusaders would be in danger of going down by two scores before the break.
But after Notre Dame quickly answered, the Crusaders couldn’t get anything going, and a big third-down sack left CMH facing a 4th and 29 from its own 10-yard line. That played into a punt which gave the Tritons amazing field position at the 36-yard line. Notre Dame will also get the ball after halftime, and there’s still 52 seconds to work with.
Carson Vandenhouten had the sack for Notre Dame as Mitchell was retreating, a loss of 16 yards.
Notre Dame just used its third timeout on 2nd and 6 from the 32.
We’re going to have so many records and so much zaniness in this game.
Before we can even get to the 2-minute mark in the first half, Notre Dame has re-taken the lead. Christian Collins worked through another big hole and jetted 41 yards into the end zone, giving his team a one-score lead yet again.
Collins is up to 169 yards rushing on 18 carries (9.4 average) with two touchdowns. It’s a 42-second drive that traveled 57 yards in two plays. Charlie Honacek got the other 16 yards on his first carry of the game.
Collins is now 155 yards away from becoming the second player in state history to reach 3,000 yards in a season … and remember, he didn’t play in two games this year because of injury!
NOTRE DAME 28, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 21, 2:09/2nd
Jake Berkholtz has two catches and two touchdowns for CMH in this game, and it was Butler-Brown who just threw a pancake block to make sure he found the edge for the score.
With less than 3 minutes to go in this half, it’s shaping up to be an all-time classic.
MJ Mitchell now has 219 yards passing and three touchdowns. With two more yards, he’ll already move into the top-five passing performances in Division 3 state-final history.
CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 21, NOTRE DAME 21, 2:51/2nd
Notre Dame looked like it was poised to turn this into an early boat race. It ends the first half trying to slow down Memorial from tying the game.
Catholic Memorial is in the red zone at the 19-yard line, with MJ Mitchell finding Damyias Lopez for a 12-yard pickup. Mitchell up to 185 yards passing on 7 of 10 completions, not to mention another 31 yards rushing.
Here’s your all-time Division 3 title-game passing-yardage leaders.
We have 4:03 to go before halftime.
After coming down with another jump ball, this one for 37 yards, the Crusaders are on the Notre Dame 44-yard line and looking for more. Butler-Brown now has four catches for 129 yards and a touchdown.
He’s now 1 yard shy of the Division 3 receiving record. And again, we’re not to halftime yet. That record has stood since 1991 with Greg Gronski of Spooner. The all-division record is 173, set by Justin Peret of Arrowhead in 2015. I though Lamont Hamilton of St. Catherine’s might set that all-division mark yesterday after he re-wrote the Division 4 record.
Whatever Catholic Memorial did to adjust, it worked.
Christian Collins got another 8 yards, but he needed three carries to do it, making it 4th and 2 and forcing another punt from just beyond midfield. The Crusaders get it back at their own 16-yard line with just fewer than 8 minutes to go in the first half, down 21-14.
I’m starting to get the feeling there are a lot of swings still to come in this game.
Memorial held Christian Collins to two yards in two carries, then got a stop when the first pass of the game to James Flanigan was incomplete. After the punt (fielded inside the 5-yard line in a bit of an error), CMH needed two snaps to find the end zone.
MJ Mitchell threw a fantastic deep ball down the sideline while on the run, hitting Marvanous Butler-Brown in stride for an 87-yard touchdown. And hoo boy, does Butler-Brown have some speed to take it from there. It’s the fourth-longest passing play in state history and second longest in Division 3 behind Josh Ringelberg to Nate Miller of Greendale in 2013 (97 yards).
NOTRE DAME 21, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 14, 10:04/2nd
On 3rd and 10 after a penalty and blown-up play left the Crusaders facing 2nd and 22, Mitchell threw a pretty spiral down the field to his right, but it narrowly overshot Marvanous Butler-Brown, who was wide open and running free. Butler-Brown tried tipping it to himself and was almost successful, but it falls to the turf and the Crusaders have to punt it away.
And already, Notre Dame is across midfield. The Christian Collins show resumes.
It’s 21-7, Notre Dame, as time expires in the first quarter. Christian Collins has 118 yards on 12 carries.
With Christian Collins at 108 yards in the first quarter (on 10 attempts), here’s a look at the all-time rushing performances in the Division 3 state-title game.
The overall top performances include 362 yards by Steve Hougom of Westby in 1986 (Division 4) and the 341 yards of Blair Mulholland of Kimberly in an unforgettable 2015 final (Division 1). Nobody else in state-final history has 300 yards.
Oh wow, Notre Dame is on absolute fire.
On first down from the 29-yard line, Cayden Kiefert jumped the route and easily picked off Mitchell’s pass, with nothing but green in front of him. The pick-six has Notre Dame in cruise control with 2:41 to go in the first quarter. It’s two touchdowns in a span of two snaps, and the Crusaders are already in the danger zone.
NOTRE DAME 21, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 7
Christian Collins is already over 100 yards rushing, with 10 carries and 108 yards. But the last eight yards belonged to his brother, Jack Collins, who picked up the first carry of the game that went to someone other than his twin brother. It’s a touchdown, and Notre Dame has a touchdown lead with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.
Christian converted two third downs with long carries, including a 29-yarder and 18-yarder. Just an absolutely dominant performance in two drives thus far. Jack goes ahead and cashes it in.
NOTRE DAME 14, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 7, 2:51/1st
Christian Collins has still taken every snap for Notre Dame, including on third and 4, when he gained 18 yards into Catholic Memorial territory.
Nine carries, 77 yards and a touchdown and we still have 4 minutes left to go in the first quarter.
Before I type their names 100 more times today, take a look back at the Post-Crescent’s featureon the top 11 players in the Fox Valley/Green Bay area, including Notre Dame standouts Christian Collins and James Flanigan.
MJ Mitchell hit Damyias Lopez on a gorgeous quick route, and it took a speedy Jack Collins to save a touchdown on what became a 41-yard pickup, all the way down to the 12-yard line.
Two plays later, the Crusaders were in the end zone. Marvanous Butler Brown fought his way for some tough yards-after-catch inside the 5-yard line, and then it’s Jake Berkholtz who gets wide open in the end zone, and Mitchell finds him wide open, with a nice leaping catch to secure the football.
Honestly, the initial impression made me wonder if Notre Dame would simply overpower Memorial. But that answer certainly has me thinking twice.
It’s a seven-play drive that covered 67 yards in 2:23. The hook-up to Lopez for 40 yards was the biggie.
NOTRE DAME 7, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 7, 6:25/1st
After a three-and-out and Notre Dame scoring drive, CMH will begin this drive on the 33-yard line and try to give itself a bit of a restart. James Flanigan with a solid hit to send Marvanous Butler-Brown out of bounds on the kickoff.
On 3rd and 9 from the 34, MJ Mitchell nearly gets brought down in the backfield but escapes contain on the right side and takes it to the 47-yard line for a first down. The quarterback is one of the more exciting players in the Milwaukee area, and we’re seeing why.
Catholic Memorial already having problems bringing down Christian Collins, who already has more than 20 yards to become the state’s leading rusher in 2024. He also has a touchdown that pulls him alone into the state lead in that category, as well. That’s No. 38 on the season.
Collins bodied his way for 48 yards on four carries, the last of which went 25 yards to the house. Every snap went to Collins, and the Crusaders will need to find a lot more in the tank to bring him to the turf. It helps Notre Dame’s cause that James Flanigan is throwing blocks for him.
NOTRE DAME 7, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL 0, 8:54/1st
There’s maybe an argument that Davon Williams, when he slipped in the end zone and his knee touched the ground for a touchback, was out of the end zone and then stepped back in, which could have been a safety. But it was simply ruled a touchback and the drive started at the 20.
It didn’t go far from there. A deep pass from MJ Mitchell downfield to Dustin Roach was broken up, and a couple running plays set up an early punt, and Notre Dame immediately as the ball at its own 45-yard line. Solid start for the Tritons.
I happened to be in attendance to see these teams square off in 2015 and 2016, with each team winning once.
Memorial outgained Notre Dame in 2015, 418-273, but a trio of devastating interceptions in the final stretch allowed Notre Dame to keep it close, then score a go-ahead touchdown with 3:07 to win, 19-17.
In 2016, the Crusaders got even, with a 24-14 win. Eric Fridl’s 44-yard interception return for a touchdown was a huge blow for CMH.
We are under way in Madison on Day 2 of state football, with the Crusaders starting at their own 20-yard line!
Notre Dame de la Baie Academy (I like saying the full name at least once) won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, so Catholic Memorial will receive the ball first when we get going in about 10 minutes.
The all-Catholic final is once again upon us! For the third time in relatively recent history, Notre Dame and Catholic Memorial will meet for a gold ball.
CMH had fallen by enrollment to Division 4 in the years since the two teams met in 2015 and 2016, but the Crusaders are back up to D3 because of the newly implemented WIAA success-based factor. We saw Stratford win a Division 5 title yesterday after being promoted from Division 6.
Notre Dame has one of the best players in the state, running back Christian Collins (the Large School offensive player of the year). CMH is no slouch, though.
Here are some nuggets before we start:
Thursday, I made it as far as Brookfield before I had to turn around. I think I made it to roughly Jefferson today in the amount of time it took to abandon ship yesterday. Much easier!
So today, we are in the Camp Randall press box getting set for the biggest three divisions at state football. All three games will feature Milwaukee-area presence, and I hope we have more fun after four games yesterday. I have trail mix. This is key to my personal sense of having fun.
Kickoff in a little more than 45 minutes.
Live broadcasts of all seven championships will air locally on:
WCGV My 24 in Milwaukee
WKOW 27.2 in Madison
WAOW 9.2 in Wausau
WXOW 19.2 in La Crosse
WQOW 18.2 in Eau Claire
WLUK/WCWF CW14 in Green Bay/Appleton
The finals will be streamed live on the stations’ websites and app.
— Zac Bellman and Michael Whitlow
Division 7: Edgar 19, Potosi/Cassville 0. Edgar (13-1) goes back-to-back despite racking up just 119 total yards of offense, ending the undefeated bid for Potosi/Cassville (13-1).
Division 6: Lomira 26, Grantsburg 19. Taylor Schaumberg ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns to lead Lomira (12-2) over Grantsburg (12-2) in a battle of first-time state finalists.
Division 5: Stratford 21, Wrightstown 6. Stratford (14-0) becomes the first program to win 10 WIAA state football titles, while Wrightstown (12-2) fell short in a state final for a second straight year.
Division 4: Racine St. Catherine’s 26, Baldwin-Woodville 22. Lamont Hamilton set three state-final records with four total touchdowns for St. Cat’s (14-0), and the Angels held off a furious rally from Baldwin-Woodville (12-2).
No. 1 Catholic Memorial (11-2) vs. No. 2 Notre Dame (13-0)
When: 10 a.m. Friday.
Road to Camp Randall: Catholic Memorial – beat No. 8 New Berlin Eisenhower 42-6, beat No. 4 Reedsburg 34-33, beat No. 2 Mount Horeb/Barneveld 17-14, beat No. 3 Wisconsin Lutheran 31-14. Notre Dame – beat No. 7 Pewaukee 50-7, beat No. 3 Port Washington 35-13, beat No. 1 Grafton 28-6, beat No. 3 La Crosse Logan 41-21.
Previous WIAA championship experiences: Catholic Memorial − 10th appearance; won 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 titles; lost 2001, 2010, 2015, 2022 titles. Notre Dame − 5th appearance; won 2003, 2015 titles; lost 2000, 2016 titles.
The matchup:
For the third time since 2015, Catholic Memorial and Notre Dame will face off with a state title on the line. The two programs split the previous two meetings, in 2015 with a 19-17 nail-biter for the Tritons and the Crusaders bouncing back the following year with a 24-14 victory.
It’s been a tightrope back to state for the top-seeded Crusaders, who have survived two of their four previous games by a combined four total points. Some of that late-game magic can be credited to superstar quarterback MJ Mitchell, who has accounted for 11 total touchdowns in CMH’s playoff run.
“It just shows that if you don’t quit and play as hard as you can on every play … don’t worry about the final score. Just worry about working the process, one play at a time and win those one-on-one battles,” Crusaders coach Bill Young said. “It just toughens up your kids mentally, and it just brings them all together when they’re all committed to one another.”
No. 1 Slinger (13-0) vs. No. 2 Rice Lake (11-2)
Road to Camp Randall: Slinger – beat No. 8 Brookfield Central 43-7, beat No. 4 Wauwatosa East 21-3, beat No. 3 Homestead 17-14, beat No. 1 Badger 35-28. Rice Lake – beat No. 7 DeForest 56-22, beat No. 3 Monona Grove 35-34, beat No. 1 New Richmond 28-6, beat No. 3 West De Pere 31-24.
Previous WIAA championship experiences: Slinger − 3rd appearance; won 1998 title; lost 1997 title. Rice Lake − 9th appearance; won 1979, 2017 and 2023 titles; lost 1980, 1982, 2004, 2014 and 2021 titles.
The matchup:
Slinger already knocked off reigning D2 champion Badger in its semifinal victory, but one more reigning champion stands in its way. The 2023 D3 champion from Rice Lake has weathered a competitive balance promotion to return to Camp Randall and earn its chance to repeat. While competing at the D2 level is uncharted territory, state football in Madison is anything but for Rice Lake head coach Dan Hill. This will be his fifth trip to state since 2014, all with the Warriors. He said avoiding distractions and treating state week like any other are keys to finding success.
“You have to make a very conscious effort, and sometimes that may come across wrong to some people, but I do everything I can to keep it as normal as possible and refer to just about everything else as a distraction,” Hill said. “Keep our eye on the ball and try to keep doing what we do.”Rice Lake has largely grounded and pounded its way back to a title game, rushing for at least 210 yards as a team in each of its four postseason games. On the season, running backs Lucas Peters and Connor Durand have combined for 2,056 yards and 22 touchdowns, with quarterback Jakob Kunz adding 1,969 total yards and 30 total touchdowns rushing and throwing. The Warriors may seek to keep the ball on the ground given Slinger’s propensity for the interception. Chase Leverance leads an opportunistic Owls secondary with eight interceptions on the season, with Kaleb Burkel and Matthew Retzlaff each adding four.
No. 2 Bay Port (11-2) vs. No. 4 Muskego (9-4)
When: 4 p.m. Friday.
Road to Camp Randall: Bay Port – beat No. 7 Milwaukee Bradley Tech/Arts 56-14, beat No. 6 Sheboygan North 61-12, beat No. 1 Marquette 35-21, beat No. 7 D.C. Everest 34-27. Muskego – beat No. 5 Oak Creek 42-7, beat No. 1 Franklin 42-14, beat No. 3 Neenah 21-7, beat No. 2 Mukwonago 16-14.
Previous WIAA championship experiences: Bay Port – 2nd appearance; lost 2019 title. Muskego – 4th appearance; won 2018, 2019 titles; lost 1994 title.
The matchup:
Two teams that each knocked out a finalist in last year’s Division 1 title game will square off in the final football game of the season Friday.
For the second time in the last five state tournaments, Bay Port and Muskego will do battle with the D1 title on the line. Muskego won the previous meeting in 2019 with a 21-10 victory over the Pirates to cap a back-to-back state title run. The Warriors aren’t the Warriors from those two title seasons, but they could still make history Friday. A win would mark the first time a team with four or more losses in a season won the D1 title.
It’s been an uphill climb for coach Ken Krause and his program since a five-week stretch when they went 1-4 and the hope of a playoff berth seemed unlikely for the first time in a long time. The Warriors got healthy late in the regular season after losing five starters, including four returners from last year’s squad. They’ve reeled off five straight wins to put them on the cusp of a third title in program history.
