THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 48th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Football State Championships will be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 21-22, at Camp Randall Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.

ADMISSION TICKETS: The WIAA uses GoFan Ticketing for all digital and cashless tickets. Admission for a single game is $11 plus online fees for adults and students. An all-day pass for Thursday is $30 plus online fees, and $25 for an all-day pass for Friday’s games. All tickets must be redeemed on a mobile device. To purchase tickets, visit the WIAA website at: https://www.wiaawi.org/Tickets#4269710-11-player-football. Children 2-years old or younger do not require a ticket.t.

CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE:

Thursday, Nov. 21
Div. 7 – Edgar (12-1) vs. Potosi/Cassville (13-0) – 10 a.m.
Div. 6 – Grantsburg (12-1) vs. Lomira (11-2) – 1 p.m.
Div. 5 – Stratford (13-0) vs. Wrightstown (12-1) – 4 p.m.
Div. 4 – Baldwin-Woodville (12-1) vs.  Racine St. Catherine’s (13-0) – 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 22
Div. 3 – Catholic Memorial (11-2) vs. Notre Dame (13-0) – 10 a.m.
Div. 2 – Rice Lake (11-2) vs. Slinger (13-0) – 1 p.m.
Div. 1 – Bay Port (11-2) vs. Muskego (9-4) – 4 p.m.

FINALS TO AIR ON WIAA STATE TELEVISION NETWORK:  Watch the live broadcast of the WIAA State Football Championships Thursday and Friday on the WIAA State Television Network of stations. Here is a listing of the network stations and the channel guide for the broadcasts:

Madison
WKOW 27.2
Spectrum Channel 190
TDS Channel 29
Mediacom Channel 106

Wausau
WAOW 9.2
Spectrum 14/610
TDS channel 35/1035
DISH Channel 10
Solarus Channel 10

La Crosse
WXOW 19.2
Spectrum 15/610
Mediacom 4/9/10/133/820

Eau Claire
WQOW 18.2
Spectrum 15/610

Milwaukee
EVTV 24.1 (WVTV.2)

Green Bay/Appleton
WCWF (CW) 14.1
The finals will also be streamed live on the WIAA State Television Network stations’ websites at no cost or registration on WKOW.com, WAOW.com, WXOW.com and WQOW.com. In addition, watch the championship finals live on the 27 News Now, News 9 WAOW, WXOW News 19 La Crosse and WQOW News apps.

LAST YEAR RECAP:  Marquette won the Division 1 championship by defeating Franklin 27-10. In Division 2, Badger downed Waunakee 34-33 in the final, and Rice Lake scored a 28-20 victory over Grafton to win the gold trophy in Division 3. Lodi won the crown in Division 4 with a 38-14 win over Luxemburg-Casco, and Aquinas downed Wrightstown 32-13 to win its third straight Division 5 title. Stratford defeated Darlington 10-7 in the Division 6 championship game to earn its second consecutive title, and Edgar rolled to a 36-6 win over Black Hawk/Warren, Ill., in the Division 7 final.

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS HISTORY:  The WIAA began sponsoring the playoff tournament series in 1976. The first two championships featured four divisions. In 1978, the field expanded to five divisions. The playoffs were again expanded to include six divisions in 1981. In 1996, the playoff field was further expanded to 192 teams qualifying for the postseason. In 2002, the tournament expanded to its current seven-divisions format with 224 teams. The championships have all been at Camp Randall Stadium since 1982. The finals were not conducted in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. St. Mary’s Springs and Stratford have won the most championships with nine. Edgar and Kimberly have the second-most number of State titles with eight. Lancaster and Waunakee are next on the list with seven. Arrowhead, Homestead and Monroe have each won six titles. Catholic Memorial, D.C. Everest, Menomonie and Osseo-Fairchild each have won five. Edgar leads the membership in title game appearances with 15. Arrowhead, Darlington and St. Mary’s Springs are next with 13. Stratford and Waunakee follow on the list with 12. Lancaster has 11 appearances, and Kimberly. and Catholic Memorial have 10.

DIVISION 1 NOTES:  The final features a rematch of the 2019 championship game, which resulted in a 21-10 Muskego victory. That runner-up finish accounts for the one previous time Bay Port advanced to the final. This fall, they finished second in the North Division of the Fox River Classic Conference standings. Their road to the title game culminated with a 34-27 win over D.C. Everest in their State semifinal. The Pirates averaged 36.6 points per game during the regular season and are averaging 46.5 points per game in the playoffs. That 2019 championship game victory gave Muskego back-to-back titles after winning its first State title in 2018. This will be the Warriors’ fourth experience in the championship game. Their first resulted in a runner-up finish in 1994. They finished fourth in the Classic Eight Conference this fall. The Warriors defeated Mukwonago 16-14 in the semifinal to continue their quest for the program’s third championship. If the Warriors proceed to win the title, their 10-4 record would represent the most losses by a Division 1 champion in the history of the tournament.

DIVISION 2 NOTES:  Defending Division 3 champion Rice Lake moves up a bracket to advance to the title game in Division 2 this season. The Warriors are making their ninth trip to the State final and its third in the past four seasons. The Warriors have won three State titles, including Division 3 championships in 1979, 2017 and last season. Their five runner-up finishes occurred in 1980, 1982, 2004, 2014 and 2021. They tied for second place in the Big Rivers Conference this fall. The Warriors advance to the title game by defeating West De Pere in their semifinal game, 31-24. Rice Lake averaged 36.7 points per game during the regular season and 35.5 points during the playoffs. Slinger will experience the championship game for the third time, and for the first time since back-to-back Division 3 appearances in 1997 and 1998. The Owls finished runners-up in 1997 and won the crown in 1998. This season, they are the champions of the North Shore Conference. Their return to the final for the first time in 26 years comes by virtue of a 35-28 victory over former defending champion Badger in the semifinals. Their average scoring margin of victory during the regular season this season was 39-14.

DIVISION 3 NOTES: The game is a rematch between the two teams that battled for the titles in 2015 and 2016. Catholic Memorial is appearing in the title game for the fifth time in the last six championship finals, not including the COVID-19 year when a championship game was not conducted. It will be the 10th time the Crusaders advance to the championship final overall. They are in pursuit of the program’s sixth championship. The Crusaders won the Division 4 title in 2019 and 2021 after moving down a division from Division 3, where they won State titles in 2012, 2016 and 2018. In addition, the Crusaders were runners-up in Division 2 in 2001, in Division 3 in 2010 and 2015, and in Division 4 in 2022. Before joining the WIAA, the Crusaders won WISAA titles in 1979, 1989, 1993 and 1996. They were also runners-up six times. This season, they tied for first place in the Parkland Conference standings with Wauwatosa East. They advance to the championship game after a 31-14 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran in the State semifinal. The Crusaders are outscoring their opponents by an average 34-13 points per game this year. Notre Dame is making its fifth appearance in the State final and its first since back-to-back experiences vs. Catholic Memorial in 2015 and 2016 championship games, winning the title in 2015 and finishing runner-up in 2016. The Tritons also won the title in 2003. Their first experience in the title game resulted in a runner-up finish in 2000. They are the champions in the South Division of Fox River Classic Conference this season and advance to the final following a 41-21 win over La Crosse Logan in the semifinals. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Tritons played in four Division 1 title games of the now defunct WISAA organization. They won a title in 1992 and finished runner-up in 1995, 1997 and 1998.

DIVISION 4 NOTES:  Baldwin-Woodville is back in the State finals for the first time in 30 years and for the fifth time overall. The Blackhawks have won two championships. They earned the titles in Division 4 in 1987 and 1992. Their two runner-up finishes were in Division 3 in 1981 and in Division 4 in 1994. The Blackhawks cruised to a 40-16 victory over Winneconne in the semifinal. They are the champions in the Middle Border Conference this season. Baldwin-Woodville features a prolific offense averaging over 45 points a game this season, including 47 points per game in four playoff games. Racine St. Catherine’s is making its second appearance in the title game. The Angels’ only other experience resulted in a State championship in 2018. Their return to Camp Randall comes by virtue of a 12-6 win over former three-time Division 5 defending champion Aquinas in their semifinal matchup. The Angels are the champions in the Metro Classic Conference this fall. Racine St. Catherine’s stout defense has only allowed 65 points heading into action Thursday, yielding just 6.5 point per game. The most points surrendered by the Angels this season was the 14 yielded to Mount Horeb/Barneveld at the sectional level.

DIVISION 5 NOTES:  Last year’s runner-up Wrightstown is pursuing its fourth championship in the Tigers’ fifth State championship game appearance. They won State championships in each of its two Division 4 experiences in 2006 and 2011. The Tigers also captured the Division 5 championship in 1998. They defeated Northwestern 47-16 in the semifinal to advance to the title game. The Tigers finished runner-up in the North Eastern Conference this year. They have outscored their four playoff opponents by a combined average of 30 points per game. Two-time defending Division 6 champion Stratford moves up a division to return to the championship game for the 12th time in pursuit of its membership-leading 10th State title. The Tigers are the only program in State history to win six straight titles, all coming in Division 6 from 2003-08. They also won the Division 5 crown in 1986. Stratford recorded runner-up finishes in Division 5 in 2018 and 2019. This season, Stratford won the title in the Large Division of the Central Wisconsin Conference. The Tigers edged Prairie du Chien 26-25 in the State semifinal to advance to the championship final. They outscored their opponents by an average of 42-10 during the regular season.

DIVISION 6 NOTES:  The game features a pair of programs making their first-ever trek to Camp Randall for the State championship game. Grantsburg began preparing for its inaugural appearance at State after its 34-29 triumph over Bonduel in the semifinal. The Pirates are the champions of the Lakeland Conference this season. They scored an average of 40 points per game during the regular season and 35.5 points per game during the playoffs. Lomira trounced Belleville 36-0 in its State semifinal game to advance to the final. The Lions finished in a three-way tie atop the standings in the Wisconsin Flyway Conference with St. Mary’s Springs and Mayville. They have outscored opponents by a combined average of 35-10 per game through 13 games this season.

DIVISION 7 NOTES:  Defending champion Edgar will play in the State title game for the 15th time, which leads all other member schools. The Wildcats have won eight championships. They won the Division 7 crown in 2016 and last season; Division 6 championships in 2009 and 2010; Division 5 titles in 1992, 1999 and 2001; and a Division 4 gold trophy in 1979. In addition, the Wildcats have runner-up finishes in 1991, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2018 and 2019. They were the champions in the Marawood Central Wisconsin Conference this fall. The Wildcats edged Boyceville 21-20 in their semifinal for the chance to earn their ninth title. The only loss of the season was to Stratford, which is playing for the Division 5 title this week. They have outscored opponents by a combined point total of 451-104 in 13 games this year. Potosi/Cassville will make its first appearance in the State final as a co-op program. Before the co-op Cassville advanced to the championship game four times. The Comets won the Division 6 title in 1982, and they finished runners-up in Division 5 in 1980 and in Division 6 in 1987 and 1993. Potosi, as a stand-alone program, advanced to the championship final once in the program’s history. The Chieftains finished runner-up in Division 7 in 2012. This year, the co-op program is the champion of the Six Rivers Conference. It defeated Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic 26-15 in the State semifinal to move forward in its quest to win the championship. Potosi/Cassville outscored opponents by an average of 41-10 during the regular season and by an average of 27.5-6.2 in the playoffs. An interesting note, the co-op does not have a mascot or nickname.

EIGHT-PLAYER RECAP:   Owen-Withee (12-0) completed an undefeated season by capturing the State 8-player football championship with a 50-36 victory over Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas (10-2) at South Wood County Stadium last Saturday. Statistically, the game was remarkably even. Owen-Withee gained 417 yards of total offense to Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas’ 412 yards. The Titans actually had more than a four-minute advantage in possession time in the game. Mason Gay accounted for most of the Blackhawks’ offense, rushing for 321 yards and six scores. His rushing yardage total ranks second-most in championship game history. The Owen-Withee defense was led by Colin Fritz with 17 tackles, including 10 solos and a sack, and Sherwood contributed with 12 tackles. Calvin Peters rushed 30 times for 178 yards and a score to lead the Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas offense. He also completed 10-of-16 passes for 122 yards and a pair of scores. Max Peterson and Shallow each carried the ball eight times for 42 and 37 yards, respectively. Shallow caught five passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns, and Max Peterson made four receptions for 51 yards. Peterson led the Titans’ defense with 11 tackles. Owen-Withee wins its first 8-player football title in the Blackhawks’ first appearance in the championship game, and Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas finishes runner-up in its first experience in the State final.

FOLLOW FINALS ON SOCIAL MESSAGING: Receive updates of the State Football Finals on the WIAA State Tournament X account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaafb. Also like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at wiaawi.

NEED RESULTS?:  Results and statistics will be available on the WIAA website approximately 15 minutes following the conclusion of each title game at: https://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/Fall/Football/Tournament.

WILSON IS THE OFFICIAL BALL:  Wilson is the official game ball of the WIAA State Football Finals. Wilson footballs are also the official ball at Levels 3 and 4 of the playoffs. The agreement with Wilson is effective through 2029.

STATE FOOTBALL FINALS APPAREL: Fans can commemorate their experience at the 2024 football championships at Camp Randall Stadium with exclusive souvenir merchandise for sale at Bucky’s Locker Room located below Section Y and in the concourse behind Section A. Additional WIAA football championships merchandise is available online now through Sunday, Dec. 1 prior to midnight. Access the link to the WIAA football championships online store through a partnership with Fox Cities Embroidery on the Football Tournament homepage at wiaawi.org/StateFBStore. Customized championship apparel for each team will also be available after the finals with links to the store on the Football Tournament homepage.

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