From the WIAA
The 39th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Soccer State Tournaments will take place Saturday, Nov. 7 at three different locations. The price of admission for the limited number of tickets afforded to schools for the tournament is $11.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: The single-elimination tournament features one less division in 2020. The three-division format is a result of fewer teams sponsoring boys soccer in the fall during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Division 1 tournament will be held at Mukwonago High School. The Division 2 tournament will be held at Marshfield High School, and the Division 3 tournament will be played at Kewaskum High School. Of the 174 schools that opted to offer a boys soccer program this fall, four teams will compete for the State title in each of the three divisions. Below are the pairings and time schedule of games.
Division 1
Semifinals
#2 Arrowhead (10-2-1) vs. #3 Elkhorn (13-0) – 11 a.m.
#1 Marquette (11-0-2) vs. #4 Hudson (11-0-1) – 2 p.m.
Division 1 Championship
Winners of the Semifinals – 7 p.m.
Division 2
Semifinals
#2 Roncalli/Two Rivers (12-1-1) vs. #3 Medford (9-3-1) – 11 a.m.
#1 Delavan-Darien (11-2) vs. #4 Sauk Prairie (10-2-3) – 2 p.m.
Division 2 Championship
Winners of the Semifinals – 7 p.m.
Division 3
Semifinals
#2 University School of Milwaukee (11-0) vs. #3 St. Lawrence Seminary (10-1-2) – 11 a.m.
#1 The Prairie School (14-2-1) vs. #4 Arcadia (8-2) – 2 p.m.
Division 3 Championship
Winners of Semifinals – 7 p.m.
STATE SOUVENIR PROGRAMS ONLINE: The souvenir programs for the 2020 fall State culminating events are available online and available to download and print at no cost. The complete State Boys Soccer Tournament program with rosters of qualifiers, history and schedule information can be accessed at: https://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Publications/Programs/2020boyssoccer.pdf.
ORDER STATE MEET APPAREL ONLINE: WIAA licensed apparel is available online for the 2020 State Boys Soccer Tournament. To browse and purchase branded merchandise, visit the WIAA Store at: https://wiaa-state-boys-soccer-2020.itemorder.com/sale. Online purchases will be shipped after the online store closes on Monday, Nov. 9.
ALL GAMES LIVE STREAMED ON WIAA.TV: The semifinals and finals of all three divisions of the WIAA State Boys Soccer Tournaments will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a consumer subscription basis for $10.99 per month. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, visit WIAA.TV and click on the subscription graphic on the page. Archived streams of the games will be available on demand on the NFHS Network 72 hours after the tournament.
LAST YEAR: Verona earned the title in Division 1 with a 2-0 shutout over of Neenah in the final. In Division 2, Brookfield Central outlasted crosstown rival Brookfield East to win the championship by virtue of an 8-7 shootout following a 1-1 tie. In Division 3, Shorewood edged McFarland 2-1 in the title game, which finished runner-up for the second straight season. Sturgeon Bay defeated The Prairie School 2-1 in overtime to win the Division 4 championship.
THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Marquette is the top seed. The Hilltoppers advance to the State Tournament in pursuit of their 15th State championship. They have now qualified for State in six of the past seven seasons and for a membership-leading 19 times. Their championship total of 14 is also a membership record for championships won. The Hilltoppers won five consecutive titles from 2014-18 and a string of four crowns from 2000-03. They also won three straight titles from 2010-12 to go with championships in 2005 and 2008. In addition, they finished runner-up in 2004 and 2007. Prior to joining the WIAA, The Hilltoppers won 14 titles as a former member of WISAA. Those came in 1974, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984-86, 1989-90, 1992, 1994-97. They qualify this year by edging Whitefish Bay 4-3 in overtime in the Whitefish Bay Sectional final. The Hilltoppers are the champions of the Greater Metro Conference this season. Second-seeded Arrowhead qualifies for State for the seventh time and for the first time since 2017 when the Warhawks finished runners-up. They also advanced to the championship game and finished runners-up in 2015 and 1985. Arrowhead is the representative from the Muskego Sectional following its 1-0 shutout victory over Hortonville in the final. The Warhawks finished runner-up in the Classic Eight Conference behind Oconomowoc this season. The third seed, Elkhorn, moves up a division after qualifying in Division 2 last season. The Elks are making their fourth overall appearance at State. Their most notable experience was a runner-up finish in 2016. The Elks first tournament appearance in 2011 came in Division 1, which resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals. This season, they cruised to a 6-0 win over Muskego to advance from the sectional final hosted by the Warriors. They are the champions of the Southern Lakes Conference this year. Fourth-seeded Hudson qualifies for the State Tournament for the 10th time and for the first time since 2007. The Raiders furthest advancement at State was to the semifinals in 1993. They blanked Wausau West 1-0 in the Wausau West Sectional final to earn their return to State.
DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Delavan-Darien qualifies for first time since 2017. The Comets are shooting for their fourth State title. They won Division 3 championships in 2014 and 2016, and they captured a Division 2 crown in 2000. In addition to the their four titles. they have five runner-up finishes on their ledger, including four in Division 2 in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2005, and one in Division 3 in 2017. This past weekend, they shutout Grafton 1-0 to advance from the Kewaskum Sectional. The Comets are the runners-up in the Southern Lakes Conference this season behind Division 1 qualifier Elkhorn. Roncalli/Two Rivers is the #2 seed in the bracket. They are making the co-op program’s first-ever State appearance. The Jets downed Seymour in the sectional final played at Seymour to advance to the State semifinals. They are the champions of the East Central Conference this fall. Third-seeded Medford will be embarking on the program’s first ever State Tournament appearance. The Raiders earned their way into the qualifying field by advancing via a 6-5 shootout after tying Rice Lake 0-0 in the sectional final held at Medford. The Raiders finished runners-up in the Great Northern Conference this fall behind Rhinelander. Fourth-seeded Sauk Prairie returns to the State Tournament for the first time since 1996 and for the fourth time overall. The Eagles captured the Division 2 title that season after their previous two experiences, which came in 1992 and 1995, resulted in losses in semifinals. They defeated Seymour 3-0 in the final of the Seymour Sectional to return to the semifinals.
THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Last year’s Division 4 runner-up The Prairie School was issued the top seed in the bracket. The Hawks return to the tournament field for the 10th time overall and for the third time in the last four seasons. They have advanced to the championship game in each of their previous nine experiences at State, including six championships. The Hawks won back-to-back titles on two different occasions. They captured Division 3 titles in 2004-05 and then duplicated the feat in 2010-11. They also won Division 4 crowns in 2014 and 2017. Their other two experiences in the final resulted in runner-up finishes in Division 3 in 2003 and in Division 4 in 2014 and 2019. Prior to joining the WIAA as a former member of WISAA, the Hawks finished runner-up four times–in 1985, 1993, 1995 and 1996. Last weekend, they defeated Lake Mills 4-0 in the sectional final hosted by the Hawks to continue their pursuit of a seventh title. They finished first in the Metro Classic Conference this season. University School of Milwaukee was issued the #2 seed in the bracket. The Wildcats are making their fifth State Tournament appearance overall and the second in the past three seasons. They have won two Division 4 State titles. Their first came in 2013 followed by their most recent in 2018. They also have a runner-up in 2015 on their resume. The Wildcats advance to the State semifinals this year with a 2-0 shutout over Oostburg in the Kohler Sectional final. They captured the Midwest Classic Conference crown this fall. Third-seeded St. Lawrence Seminary is a first-time qualifier to the State Tournament. The Hilltoppers earned the berth following a 5-1 victory over St. Mary Catholic in the Kiel Sectional final. They finished atop the standings of the Wisconsin Flyway Conference this year. Arcadia will also be experiencing its inaugural appearance in the State Tournament following the Raiders’ 4-1 triumph over Columbus Catholic in the sectional final played in Marshfield. They are the fourth seed in the bracket after playing an independent schedule this fall.
SELECT IS THE OFFICIAL BALL: The Select “Royale” soccer ball is again the official ball of the 2020 Boys Soccer State Tournament. For more on Select soccer items, access the Select website at www.selectamerica.com.
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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]
