When Friday’s football games are in the books, it will be time for the WIAA staff to work on finalizing the playoff field and determine pairings. The final night of the regular season is always a busy time, and this year, the work to be done will look so much different than years past.
About 30% less teams are participating in football this fall, and there won’t be traditional brackets as in year’s past.
43 Football Games Cancelled in Week 7
The WIAA will still have a 224 team playoff field, separated into seven divisions, and placed in eight team groupings, seeded #1 to #8
For 2020, those eight-team groupings will then be broken down further into two, four-team pods “regionally and competitively when possible” according to the WIAA.
The higher-seeded team will host, if on the approved site list. The default for games will remain 7 pm on Friday but can be changed to Saturday upon agreement by both teams.
Week 7 High School Football Scoreboard
The WIAA’s estimated schedule for releasing information this weekend is:
Friday, Nov. 6
Midnight – release tournament field of 224 – broken into 7 divisions.
12:30 a.m. – run auto-seeding program
1:30 a.m. – release 8-team groupings/brackets by division
Saturday, Nov. 7
Brackets released – Time TBA
220 teams have opted in for the playoffs, and once the four team brackets are created, the uncertainty will likely continue, as teams need to cancel due to COVID exposures, as has occurred all season.
Teams that win their Level 1 game will be advanced to Level 2, where they will face the other winner from their four-team pod, with officials assigned by the WIAA.
Teams that lose their Level 1 matchup do not have to advance to play the loser of the other game. However, those teams do have the option of scheduling any opponent in Level 2, if they choose.
OPT-OUTS AND PROJECTED DIVISIONS
According to information provided by the WIAA, 38 teams in 11-player football have opted out of the postseason, including eight that have previously announced a move from the fall to the spring. It is unclear how many of these teams will be done after the regular season, and how many may schedule their own opponents in Level 1 and/or 2 instead of participating in the WIAA postseason. The list of opt-outs includes:
Abbotsford
Almond-Bancroft
Barron
Berlin
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
Chippewa Falls
Dominican
Elmwood/Plum City
Hillsboro
Hope Christian
Iowa-Grant
Ithaca
Johnson Creek
Living Word Lutheran
Manitowoc Lutheran
New Berlin Eisenhower
Niagara/Goodman/Pembine
Owen-Withee
Pardeeville
Pecatonica/Argyle
Platteville
Random Lake
River Falls
Saint Francis
St. John’s Northwestern Academies
Waukesha South
West Salem
Whitehall
Wilmot
Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln
Holmen (moved to spring)
Kewaunee (moved to spring)
Menasha (moved to spring)
Montello/Green Lake/Princeton (moved to spring)
Notre Dame (moved to spring)
Omro (moved to spring)
Sparta (moved to spring)
Wausau East (moved to spring)
With 220 teams currently opted in to the WIAA postseason, it makes it very easy to project the divisional splits. Those are included below in the tab titled “Projected Divisional Placement”.
PROJECTED DIVISIONAL PLACEMENTS FOR 11-PLAYER FOOTBALL POSTSEASON
|
TEAMNAME |
ENROLL |
PROJECTED DIVISION |
|---|---|---|
| Kenosha Indian Trail | 2345 | 1 |
| Kenosha Bradford/Reuther | 2121 | 1 |
| Arrowhead | 2106 | 1 |
| Oak Creek | 2061 | 1 |
| Kenosha Tremper | 2030 | 1 |
| Marquette | 1912 | 1 |
| Hudson | 1849 | 1 |
| D.C. Everest | 1731 | 1 |
| Oconomowoc | 1673 | 1 |
| Muskego | 1666 | 1 |
| Mukwonago | 1650 | 1 |
| Franklin | 1539 | 1 |
| Hamilton | 1429 | 1 |
| Wausau West | 1425 | 1 |
| Germantown | 1344 | 1 |
| Badger | 1335 | 1 |
| Hartford Union | 1325 | 1 |
| Brookfield East | 1311 | 1 |
| Homestead | 1309 | 1 |
| Kettle Moraine | 1298 | 1 |
| Menomonee Falls | 1283 | 1 |
| Watertown | 1259 | 1 |
| Brookfield Central | 1242 | 1 |
| Marshfield | 1218 | 1 |
| Wauwatosa East | 1206 | 1 |
| Kaukauna | 1177 | 1 |
| Waukesha West | 1176 | 1 |
| West Bend West | 1170 | 1 |
| Hortonville | 1149 | 1 |
| Waukesha North | 1131 | 1 |
| Cedarburg | 1104 | 1 |
| Wauwatosa West | 1100 | 1 |
| Westosha Central | 1099 | 2 |
| Burlington | 1089 | 2 |
| Nicolet | 1072 | 2 |
| Waterford | 1072 | 2 |
| Elkhorn Area | 1053 | 2 |
| Menomonie | 1034 | 2 |
| Slinger | 1032 | 2 |
| West Bend East | 1032 | 2 |
| Union Grove | 1010 | 2 |
| West De Pere | 1010 | 2 |
| Whitefish Bay | 988 | 2 |
| Wilmot Union * | 981 | 2 |
| Onalaska | 953 | 2 |
| New Richmond | 949 | 2 |
| Tomah | 911 | 2 |
| Baraboo | 896 | 2 |
| Pewaukee | 889 | 2 |
| Reedsburg | 884 | 2 |
| Sauk Prairie | 878 | 2 |
| Wisconsin Lutheran | 829 | 2 |
| Merrill | 826 | 2 |
| Port Washington | 806 | 2 |
| Rhinelander | 790 | 2 |
| Portage | 778 | 2 |
| New Berlin West | 772 | 2 |
| Shawano | 770 | 2 |
| Plymouth | 763 | 2 |
| New Berlin Eisenhower * | 759 | 2 |
| Antigo | 740 | 2 |
| New London | 737 | 2 |
| Lakeland | 736 | 2 |
| Grafton | 707 | 2 |
| Rice Lake | 703 | 3 |
| Delavan-Darien | 701 | 3 |
| Seymour | 698 | 3 |
| Fox Valley Lutheran | 683 | 3 |
| Ashland | 662 | 3 |
| Medford | 642 | 3 |
| Waupaca | 640 | 3 |
| Mosinee | 633 | 3 |
| Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles | 630 | 3 |
| Luxemburg-Casco | 602 | 3 |
| Kewaskum | 595 | 3 |
| Marinette | 594 | 3 |
| Catholic Memorial | 589 | 3 |
| Martin Luther | 575 | 3 |
| Freedom | 550 | 3 |
| Winneconne | 525 | 3 |
| Little Chute | 520 | 3 |
| Xavier | 520 | 3 |
| Wisconsin Dells | 514 | 3 |
| Saint Thomas More | 510 | 3 |
| Ellsworth | 509 | 3 |
| Kettle Moraine Lutheran | 508 | 3 |
| Two Rivers | 507 | 3 |
| Osceola | 505 | 3 |
| Mauston | 497 | 3 |
| Denmark | 488 | 3 |
| Kohler/Sheboygan Christian/Sheboygan Lutheran | 486 | 3 |
| Somerset | 486 | 3 |
| Edgewood | 485 | 3 |
| Amery | 482 | 3 |
| Sheboygan Falls | 477 | 3 |
| Baldwin-Woodville | 465 | 3 |
| Altoona | 461 | 4 |
| Adams-Friendship | 458 | 4 |
| Clintonville | 455 | 4 |
| Lake Mills | 453 | 4 |
| Wrightstown | 453 | 4 |
| Oconto Falls | 452 | 4 |
| Saint Croix Central | 446 | 4 |
| Richland Center | 437 | 4 |
| University School of Milwaukee | 428 | 4 |
| Racine Saint Catherine’s | 426 | 4 |
| River Valley | 426 | 4 |
| Northwestern | 424 | 4 |
| Prescott | 422 | 4 |
| Dodgeville | 420 | 4 |
| Northland Pines | 416 | 4 |
| Lakeside Lutheran | 406 | 4 |
| Watertown Luther Prep | 403 | 4 |
| Wautoma | 401 | 4 |
| Bloomer | 399 | 4 |
| Kiel | 396 | 4 |
| Lake Country Lutheran | 387 | 4 |
| Horicon/Hustisford | 380 | 4 |
| Tomahawk | 375 | 4 |
| Neillsville/Granton | 369 | 4 |
| Prairie du Chien | 368 | 4 |
| Chilton | 365 | 4 |
| Spooner | 360 | 4 |
| Shoreland Lutheran | 350 | 4 |
| Spencer/Columbus Catholic | 350 | 4 |
| Peshtigo | 342 | 4 |
| Brillion | 337 | 4 |
| Viroqua | 334 | 4 |
| New Holstein | 332 | 5 |
| Saint Croix Falls | 330 | 5 |
| Brookfield Academy | 329 | 5 |
| Westby | 328 | 5 |
| Oostburg | 327 | 5 |
| Elk Mound | 326 | 5 |
| Valders | 322 | 5 |
| Nekoosa | 321 | 5 |
| Amherst | 320 | 5 |
| Stanley-Boyd | 317 | 5 |
| Wittenberg-Birnamwood | 317 | 5 |
| Marshall | 314 | 5 |
| Stratford | 314 | 5 |
| Southern Door | 310 | 5 |
| Cedar Grove-Belgium | 296 | 5 |
| Colby | 295 | 5 |
| Cumberland | 292 | 5 |
| Oconto | 292 | 5 |
| Aquinas | 289 | 5 |
| Bonduel | 286 | 5 |
| Unity | 286 | 5 |
| Cameron | 284 | 5 |
| Lancaster | 281 | 5 |
| Osseo-Fairchild | 281 | 5 |
| Howards Grove | 279 | 5 |
| Westfield | 278 | 5 |
| Cambridge | 276 | 5 |
| Mondovi | 272 | 5 |
| Weyauwega-Fremont | 272 | 5 |
| Racine Lutheran | 271 | 5 |
| Markesan | 268 | 5 |
| Durand | 265 | 5 |
| Random Lake * | 265 | 6 |
| Fall River/Rio | 264 | 6 |
| Darlington | 261 | 6 |
| Rib Lake/Prentice | 261 | 6 |
| Ladysmith | 258 | 6 |
| Kenosha Christian Life | 257 | 6 |
| Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic Academy | 253 | 6 |
| Mishicot | 249 | 6 |
| Luther | 247 | 6 |
| Marathon | 245 | 6 |
| Colfax | 244 | 6 |
| Waterloo | 243 | 6 |
| Grantsburg | 238 | 6 |
| Dodgeland | 237 | 6 |
| Fall Creek | 236 | 6 |
| Spring Valley | 233 | 6 |
| Manawa | 230 | 6 |
| Melrose-Mindoro | 229 | 6 |
| Roncalli | 229 | 6 |
| Boscobel | 225 | 6 |
| Mineral Point | 224 | 6 |
| Palmyra-Eagle | 224 | 6 |
| Regis | 224 | 6 |
| Cadott | 221 | 6 |
| Coleman | 221 | 6 |
| Crivitz | 221 | 6 |
| Ozaukee | 220 | 6 |
| Crandon | 218 | 6 |
| Lake Holcombe/Cornell | 213 | 6 |
| Augusta | 201 | 6 |
| River Ridge | 200 | 6 |
| Boyceville | 197 | 6 |
| Iola-Scandinavia | 197 | 7 |
| Shiocton | 196 | 7 |
| Webster | 196 | 7 |
| Glenwood City | 195 | 7 |
| Cochrane-Fountain City | 193 | 7 |
| Edgar | 189 | 7 |
| Iowa-Grant * | 189 | 7 |
| Wild Rose | 186 | 7 |
| Blair-Taylor | 185 | 7 |
| Pittsville | 183 | 7 |
| Hurley | 180 | 7 |
| Potosi/Cassville | 180 | 7 |
| Reedsville | 179 | 7 |
| Pacelli | 177 | 7 |
| Randolph | 175 | 7 |
| Thorp | 175 | 7 |
| Eleva-Strum | 174 | 7 |
| Clear Lake | 173 | 7 |
| Independence/Gilmanton | 173 | 7 |
| Rosholt | 168 | 7 |
| Hilbert | 166 | 7 |
| Lourdes Academy | 162 | 7 |
| Flambeau | 158 | 7 |
| Athens | 156 | 7 |
| Loyal | 149 | 7 |
| Pepin/Alma | 147 | 7 |
| De Soto | 137 | 7 |
| Catholic Central | 136 | 7 |
| Assumption | 127 | 7 |
| Turtle Lake | 123 | 7 |
| Cambria-Friesland | 118 | 7 |
| Highland | 95 | 7 |
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
