WIAA state football finals: Rice Lake holds off Grafton in Division 3, 28-20

The 2023 Wisconsin high school football playoffs conclude Friday in Madison with the Division 1, 2 and 3 state championship games at Camp Randall Stadium.

Here's the schedule:

• Division 3 - Rice Lake (13-1) 28, Grafton (11-3) 20

• Division 2 - Waunakee (13-0) vs. Badger (13-0), 1 p.m.

• Division 1 - Marquette (11-2) vs. Franklin (13-0), 4 p.m.

Stick with us throughout the day, and check out our live blog from Thursday, which featured Divisions 7-4, with Edgar, Stratford, Aquinas and Lodi winning titles.

Waunakee starts with the ball first

Four early rushes for Ben Lindley for 20 yards, and the Warriors are already on the move across midfield. Waunakee is one of the great programs in state history, and it's a fascinating battle against a team here for the first time in program history.

Ethan Francois charges up the middle and throws Waunakee quarterback Vance Johnson for a sack, setting up 2nd and 16 at Waunakee's own 48.

Will Matt Hensler and his father become the first to accomplish this feat?

Matt Hensler is on the sideline for Badger two weeks removed from a heart attack. Today he can do something unique, making him and his father the first father/son tandem to both win state titles. Keith won the 2004 title with Mukwonago.

There are three other father/son combos to both get to state, but none feature titles on both sides.

• Waukesha West's Steve Rux won state titles in 2004 and 2010, and father Ed led Oconomowoc to the final in 1987.

• LaVern Pottinger led Rice Lake to the 2004 runner-up; son Brian won with Reedsburg in 2009.

• Alex Hilber took Cassville (1982) and Mayville (1994) to titles and also a runner-up finish for both. Son Scott was the runner-up leader of Mayville in 2021 and 2022.

Division 2: Waunakee vs. Lake Geneva Badger

Here's the only battle at state between two undefeated teams. Powerhouse Waunakee and first-time state finalist Badger square off with identical 13-0 records.

Matt Hensler could clinch the first father-son head coach tandem to win state titles; father Keith led Mukwonago to the 2004 crown. Hensler, however, had a heart attack at his team's Level 3 game, and he's been a bit of a "game time decision" for this final.

Badger shocked powerful Kettle Moraine that night and has won its four playoff games convincingly. In fact, the Badgers have won ALL their games convincingly.

Waunakee, likewise, has just crushed teams this year. With legendary coach Pat Rice at the helm, the team defeated Kaukauna in Level 4, 24-14, in by far its closest game of the year.

Ben Lindley, with 1,335 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground, tore his ACL as a sophomore but has blossomed in his senior year. Wade Bryan (10 sacks) is one of the best defensive players in the state, and Sam Hoglund has 28 tackles for loss.

Badger has two 1,000 yard rushers in JP Doyle (1,413) and Landon Nottestad (1,468).

Final numbers from Rice Lake's win over Grafton

Rice Lake spread out the wealth on offense, as is customary. Connor Durand had nine carries for 72 yards (eight yards per carry!) and also caught two passes for 76 yards and one touchdown. One catch was tipped off the hands of Easton Stone right to him.

Stone had 55 yards rushing. Lucas Peters had 41. Jakob Kunz had 22 and passed for 118 yards and a touchdown.

For Grafton, Tommy Lutz ran 30 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns in a tremendous performance. Matthew Clemens was big with five catches for 43 yards, and Gavin Lempke had four catches for 43 yards.

Stone, the small school defensive player of the year, had a game-high 10 tackles with an interception and three pass breakups. Tremendous all-around game.

Both teams moved the football. Rice Lake finished with 305 yards of total offense and 16 first downs, and Grafton finished with 276 and 20 first downs. Grafton controlled the time of possession with 27 minutes to 21 for Rice Lake.

But it's Rice Lake that gets the gold.

Final in Division 3: Rice Lake 28, Grafton 20

It sure seemed like Rice Lake was the heavy favorite to win this game, but Grafton delivered a tremendous effort to make this Division 3 title game compelling. The Black Hawks pulled even twice and had an extra-point attempt that would have given them the lead, but Rice Lake responded with a block there, plus a touchdown drive and then held on for victory.

It's the third state title in Rice Lake history. Grafton, back at state for the first time since 1984, will settle for silver.

Rice Lake fakes the punt and gets it. Ballgame.

The Warriors didn't want to leave this up to chance, and they're going to win the state title.

Jakob Kunz took the snap but didn't kick it, electing to try to run for the marker, and he got it to the 37-yard line. It's victory formation for the Warriors, who are going to win, 28-20.

It's 4th and 7 for Rice Lake with 1:34 left

Grafton uses its third and final timeout and, assuming Rice Lake actually punts this, the Black Hawks will have a little bit of time left to work with, down 8 points in the final moments of the Division 3 championship game.

Grafton limits Rice Lake to very short gains on first and second down

The Black Hawks have used their first two timeouts with 1:40 still on the clock, and Rice Lake hasn't gone anywhere on this series. The Warriors will face 3rd and 7 from their own 46.

Rice Lake makes the stop, and the Warriors are in position to win the state title

Brady Hilgart is sacked by Will Johnson for no gain, well shy of the first down, and a holding penalty on Grafton gets declined, meaning Rice Lake takes over just across midfield with 1:51 left on the clock. The Warriors have a 28-20 lead; Grafton has all three of its timeouts remaining, but they'll need a quick stop.

Grafton has really played great football today but has always been chasing a little bit.

The Black Hawks are at midfield with 2 minutes to go, but it's fourth down

More tough yards for Tommy Lutz, who's up to 147 for the game, but two passes fall incomplete out of Grafton receivers hands, and the Black Hawks are looking at a do-or-die 4th and 3 from their own 49 with 1:57 left on the clock.

Here comes Grafton looking to engineer one more drive

The Black Hawks have had success moving the ball today, and they'll open up the drive on their 31 yard line, needing 69 yards for a chance to tie this score. We're under 4 minutes to go.

Brady Hilgart has connected on 15 of 22 passes for 113 yards, and Tommy Lutz has 140 yards on the ground for the Black Hawks.

Amazing play call on the 2-point conversion and Rice Lake gets it

Connor Durand took a snap, raced to his left and then (with his left hand) shoved the ball over a charging linebacker to a wide-open Zach Orr in the end zone for the 2-point conversion. Superb play call, and now Grafton will need a score and a conversion to stay in this game.

RICE LAKE 28, GRAFTON 20, 4:43/4th

TOUCHDOWN RICE LAKE

Grafton had a good read on 3rd and short, but the Warriors converted to the 5-yard line for a fresh set of downs. Easton Stone then plowed in for the go-ahead score with 4:43 to go.

Big 2-point conversion coming, and Rice Lake has called timeout to discuss it.

For now, it's a 6-point lead.

RICE LAKE 26, GRAFTON 20, 4:43/4th

Yet another great bounce for Rice Lake

A pass to Easton Stone is too high, but he tips it into the air right to Connor Durand, who stays in bounds and brings it down to the 16-yard line of Grafton. Just a crazy series of near-misses at this point (though not sure any Grafton player could have hauled in that tipped ball.

Grafton defense now trying to hold the line with less than 6 minutes remaining.

Ball was OUT but Rice Lake recovered

Connor Durand had a nice gain down inside the Grafton 40-yard line but fumbled the ball with two Grafton players in the area, but it was Durand who was able to throw himself onto the ball and keep the drive moving. Grafton is going to be seeing loose footballs in its nightmares.

Rice Lake has 2nd and 5 on the Grafton 33 with 7:20 to go in this game.

Grafton tries onside kick and SHOULD HAVE HAD IT but lost it out of bounds

Oh man, Grafton almost pulled off a steal.

The Black Hawks do what a lot of teams do at kickoffs, faking an onside rush at the ball and then backing off for the actual kick. This time, Grafton tried it for real, and they had a player available to scoop it up on the sideline, but he couldn't corral it and it caromed out of bounds. Rice Lake takes over at its own 37-yard line looking for a go-ahead score.

TOUCHDOWN GRAFTON, but extra point is blocked

Easton Stone made an unreal tackle to stand up Tommy Lutz on second down, but the Black Hawks got into the end zone on 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line. Hilgart took the snap and intentionally left it on the ground for Lutz, who just kept churning until he got the real estate he needed.

BUT the extra point was blocked. Harrison Burke's kick was batted straight back by Lucas Sirek, and so we are tied with 9:45 left on the clock.

It's a massive drive, one that went 18 plays for 65 yards and used 8:26 of the clock. One of many long drives we've seen this week in Madison.

RICE LAKE 20, GRAFTON 20, 9:45/4th

Brady Hilgart gets LIT UP but gets the first down inside the 5-yard line

Brady Hilgart certainly paid for it, getting rifled out of bounds, but he got the first down on a 3rd and 5 snap that makes it first and goal from the 3-yard line. Expecting to see a lot of Tommy Lutz here as Grafton tries to tie or grab the lead.

END THIRD QUARTER: Rice Lake 20, Grafton 14, but Black Hawks driving

Grafton will start the fourth quarter looking at a 2nd and 3 from the Rice Lake 6-yard line, knocking on the door of a tying (or go-ahead) touchdown here in the final stages of the Division 3 championship game. Shaping up to be an amazing finish.

Tommy Lutz up to 133 yards rushing for the Black Hawks.

Wow, Easton Stone JUST MISSED an interception, and a pass-interference call gives Grafton life

Easton Stone made a diving stab at a throw from the 27-yard line and very nearly came away with an interception. It would have been an amazing catch, but he had it in his clutches before the ground kept him from securing it.

Grafton found itself in trouble, facing 4th and 9 on the 27-yard line, and Hilgart uncorked a pass to the end zone intended for Gaving Lempke, and though it fell incomplete, Rice Lake's Zach Orr was all over him and got flagged for pass interference.

The ball moves to the 13 and Grafton gets a fresh set of downs in the final minute of the third quarter.

Matthew Clemens helps Grafton move the chains

Matthew Clemens isn't listed on Grafton's stats rundown of receivers (which granted is just a top-three list), but he's been a big deal today for the Black Hawks. He just made his fifth catch, good for 13 yards to help Grafton convert on 3rd and 9 and move the chain. He's got 46 receiving yards total.

Grafton now finds itself on the Rice Lake 37-yard line with less than 3 minutes to go in the third quarter.

TOUCHDOWN RICE LAKE, but the conversion is no good

Fullback Easton Stone, which might be the best name for a fullback in the state of Wisconsin, powers in for the final 2 yards and Rice Lake has retaken the lead. It's a 10-play drive that covered 84 yards over the first 5 minutes and 34 seconds of the second half.

That gave Rice Lake a 20-14 lead over Grafton, but the conversion was no good. Quarterback Jacob Kunz had a man open but threw it behind his man and it bounced off Stone's hands incomplete.

Stone, as I've mentioned is the Defensive Player of the Year among the state's small schools, will now go to work to preserving the tenuous lead.

Connor Durand is up to 56 yards rushing for Rice Lake, and Stone has 40.

RICE LAKE 20, GRAFTON 14, 6:17/3rd

Tyler Heinle with a big hit to start the second half, but Rice Lake is on the move again

Great start for Grafton out of the gate in the second half, starting with a tackle on the kickoff at the 16-yard line, then Tyler Heinle wrapped up Lucas Peters in the backfield for a 2-yard loss.

But Rice Lake got past that. On 2nd and 12, Connor Durand weaved his way all the way to the Rice Lake 41-yard line, resetting the downs and getting Rice Lake back in decent field position. Tough break for Grafton.

That's a 27-yard gain, and now the Warriors are on the Grafton 25-yard line, with a 16-yard carry by Easton Stone the latest development. Rice Lake keeping it on the ground and making headway.

Some halftime numbers for Grafton and Rice Lake

As a reminder, Rice Lake hasn't fallen short of 30 points in a game since Week 1, and the Warriors scored 30 last week. Prior to that, Rice Lake had hit 34 points in every game and 50 in all three playoff games.

But Grafton has kept Rice Lake somewhat in check, and the Black Hawks are winning the yardage battle, 197-155, with Tommy Lutz responsible for 104 yards on the ground on 16 carries. Rice Lake does have 6.7 yards per play though, compared to Grafton's 5.1. Grafton has dominated time of possession, 15 minutes to 8.

Brady Hilgart is 13 of 17 passing for Grafton, with 88 yards and an interception. Gavin Lempke has four catches for 43 yards.

Jakob Kunz is only 4 for 8 passing but has 101 yards total, with a touchdown and interception. Connor Durand has four rushes for 25 yards and a catch that went for a 59-yard touchdown early in the game.

Grafton's been a pretty solid 4 for 7 on third down. Rice Lake is 2 of 5.

HALFTIME: Grafton 14, Rice Lake 14, with a great punt by Brady Hilgart to close this half

Grafton was in an awkward spot facing 4th and 1 at midfield with 20 seconds left. The Black Hawks lined up to snap it but just took a delay-of-game penalty when they couldn't coax Rice Lake offsides. Hilgart then punted it and got it all the way down in the corner, dead at the 4-yard line. That's where this first half ends.

Grafton scratching and clawing for one last gasp

The Black Hawks are picking up yardage but they haven't yet got to midfield, and they just burned their last timeout with 26 seconds left.

Great tackles by Rice Lake, including one by Remington Wager, to keep the Grafton players in bounds and force their hand. Ball is at the Grafton 48-yard line with a 3rd and 2 upcoming.

Rice Lake JUST MISSES a touchdown, but Grafton gets a stop

Connor Durand had gotten free and open on 3rd and 11, but the ball by Kunz was just out of reach, and Grafton comes away with a defensive stop. The Black Hawks will get the ball back at their own 13-yard line with 1:21 left before halftime.

Rice Lake will get the second-half kickoff, but Grafton would be fine to come away with a tie. Perhaps they can still cook up some flash offense.

Rice Lake with a chunk play to kick off scoring drive, but big third-down looms

For the second straight kickoff, Grafton gave Rice Lake an opening, with an out-of-bounds kick starting things off at the 35-yard line.

Then, Lucas Peters caught a 16-yard pass after he snuck behind the defense on first down, but Grafton stopped another downfield pass to force a 3rd and 11 right at the 50-yard line with 1:30 to go. Rice Lake wants to discus sit.

TOUCHDOWN GRAFTON and we are TIED

I'm going to be honest. I thought Rice Lake, between its reputation and its early touchdown plus an interception, was going to take control of this game. It hasn't happened. Grafton can absolutely move the ball on this team.

Tommy Lutz with a sensational cut to pick up the final 6 yards to cap off an 11 play, 69-yard drive that ate up 5:03 of clock, and with just more than 2 minutes before halftime, this is a tied football game.

Lutz up to 16 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown.

RICE LAKE 14, GRAFTON 14, 2:06/2nd

Grafton cooking again on offense and knocking at the door

Tommy Lutz is up to 12 carries for 87 yards, and he just converted a 3rd and 6 by racking up 13 and dragging a defender with him at the end.

Matthew Clemens then caught a first-down pass that put Grafton on the 17-yard line. Black Hawks looking to draw even with 3:30 left in the first half.

TOUCHDOWN RICE LAKE (confirmed on review), but Grafton holds off conversion

Rice Lake's Connor Durand took a toss on 3rd and 4 and got to the pylon for a touchdown, the capper to a 10-play, 58-yard drive ... although the play wasn't official until confirmed under review to see if the ball crossed into the end zone before he ducked out of bounds.

Rice Lake then went for the 2-point conversion again (as is customary for the Warriors) that ultimately wound up no good. Quarterback Jakob Kunz switched fields after getting heavy pressure, and Connor Durand nearly made a circus one-handed catch.

Grafton made some nice tackles on the drive, namely Tyler Heinle near the goal line and Garrett Bonk, wrapping up quarterback Jakob Kunz for a loss on third down. But Rice Lake went for a fourth down at the 34-yard line, and Kunz found Will Johnson for a 7-yard pickup when he needed 4. That set the stage for a touchdown.

The drive was doomed at the start. A squibbed kickoff hit an up man and deflected right to another Rice Lake player, giving the Warriors tremendous field position at their own 43 to start the drive. Throw in an offsides by Grafton, and the Warriors took their first official snap from their own 48-yard line.

RICE LAKE 14, GRAFTON 7, 7:13/2nd

TOUCHDOWN GRAFTON

On the first play of the second quarter, Brady Hilgart sneaks it right over center, and Grafton punches it in for the touchdown. The Black Hawks don't elect to go for two, instead kicking the extra point, and Harrison Burke cashed it in. The drive starts with Burke's interception and ends with his extra point.

RICE LAKE 8, GRAFTON 7, 11:56/2nd

END FIRST QUARTER: Rice Lake up, 8-0, but Grafton on the goal line

Lutz has been the workhorse on this drive, now up to 10 carries for 61 yards, and Grafton will have first and goal on the 1-yard line when the second quarter resumes. The Black Hawks, to be honest, looked like they were in a bit of a jam, down 8-0 with Rice Lake picking off a pass in the middle of the field. But an interception by Harrison Burke set up Grafton for a very encouraging offensive series. Just got to cash it in now.

Tommy Lutz picking up some tough yards

The Black Hawks are officially in the Rice Lake red zone, getting a 3rd and 5 conversion thanks to some tough yards on the ground from running back Tommy Lutz. We're down to the last minute of the first quarter, with Grafton trying to get back to even (or close to it).

Lutz just picked up another first down at the 10 yard line with more gritty work, bringing him to 9 carries for 52 yards this far.

Intercepted right back by Grafton!

Big stop for the Black Hawks, who just seized the ball right back on Harrison Burke's interception at the Grafton 39-yard line. Credit Miles Muilenburg with the pressure that coaxed a rushed throw out of Jakob Kunz, and Burke made a catch low to the ground for the turnover. You could see this getting out of hand if Rice Lake had cashed that in.

Black Hawks already at the 50 and finding some success moving the football.

Rice Lake hauls in an interception off a deflected pass

Grafton had again gotten near midfield, but Hilgart's pass on third down was behind his intended target, and Jaeden Tiegs accidentally kicked the ball into the air as he tried to reach back for it, allowing Easton Stone to make a diving interception and give the ball right back to the Warriors.

Stone, the Small School State Player of the Year, came down with it at his own 42-yard line.

Rice Lake immediately picked up 14 yards and another long run that was negated by a block in the back penalty; it appears the Warriors will have no trouble moving the football.

TOUCHDOWN RICE LAKE

Well, there's that offensive machine clicking into place.

On 3rd and 5 from Rice Lake's own 41, quarterback Jakob Kunz pulled in a couple defenders with a fake in the backfield, and two receivers were streaking open down the left side of the field. Connor Durand caught Kunz's pass in stride, and he was off to the races for a 59-yard touchdown.

Rice Lake, which looks like it has kicked just two extra points all year, lined up for two and got that, as well, with Durand easily beating Grafton to the edge. Not an ideal start for Grafton.

RICE LAKE 8, GRAFTON 0, 7:41/1st

Black Hawks avert disaster with early fumble but need to punt

After 6-3 junior Gavin Lempke caught a ball over the middle for a third-down conversion worth 9 yards, quarterback Brady Hilgart and running back Tommy Lutz mixed some signals on a handoff that resulted in the ball on the ground. Hilgart recovered to avoid disaster, but Grafton found itself in a 3rd and long situation.

Hilgart tried a deep toss and had Lempke, but the ball took too long to get there and Rice Lake broke it up, meaning the Black Hawks have to punt from their own 41.

Rice Lake is going to take possession at its own 31. Now we get to see the offense that has hit 50 points or more in four of its past six games.

Grafton will get the ball first as we are under way

Grafton will start at its own 28-yard line after Rice Lake kicked off first, and here we go on the last day of the fall sports season in 2023.

Division 3: Grafton (11-2) vs. Rice Lake (12-1)

The first meeting of the day gives us a Grafton team that's back to state for the first time since 1984. At the time, the program had been to three state finals in four years, but it hasn't been back, often struggling to compete in the North Shore Conference. But now in the Woodland, the Black Hawks have been on quite a ride.

First came a wild 22-21 win over Port Washington in Level 2, avenging an earlier-season loss. It nearly ended in massive controversy but, perhaps fortunately, a missed field goal made the final events of that game moot.

Then Grafton gritted out close wins over Menasha and Stoughton, two teams that had been assigned No. 7 seeds in the tournament and were on Cinderella runs by that metric. The Black Hawks scored a go-ahead touchdown against Menasha in the final minute with a pass to the end zone corner.

Grafton's Tommy Lutz ran for 1,148 yards and 20 touchdowns this year, though quarterback Brady Hilgart will certainly pass it, lighting up the air for 2,474 yards and 27 touchdowns this season.

But Rice Lake, who put up 50, 50, 58 and 30 points in the playoffs, will be the favorite. After a Week 1 loss to Menomonie, 21-12, the team has been on an offensive rampage, scoring no fewer than 34 points in a game until the 30 against Notre Dame in a 30-15 win in Level 4.

Rice Lake beat the team's top passer in Onalaska's Adam Skifton in Level 3, then beat the state's top rusher in Christian Collins of Notre Dame in Level 4.

Jacob Kunz has thrown for 1,303 yards and 20 touchdowns, and the rushing attack gets spread around to Lucas Peters (900 yards) and others. Zach Orr and Connor Durand have caught 15 touchdowns between them.

Rice Lake won a state title in 2017 but finished as a runner-up in 2021 against Pewaukee. Before that, the program has been to state in 2014, 2004, 1982, 1980 and 1979, taking second each time but the first one, a win over Edgerton.

Inside linebacker Easton Stone, whom coach Dan Hill called one of the smartest kids he's ever coached, was the Defensive Player of the Year according to the state coaches association among small schools.

Grafton doesn't have any first-team all-state kids, though offensive lineman James Nellis and the quarterback Hilgart are honorable mention picks.

The biggest stories from yesterday

In case you missed Day 1, you did miss one absolutely bonkers game, where German exchange student Laurenz Plattner kicked his first field goal of the year with no time on the clock to give Stratford a 10-7 win over Darlington in the Division 6 title game.

The fourth quarter was wild. First, Stratford managed to chew up 11:30 on one drive, nearly holding the ball the entire fourth quarter. Then, Plattner's first field-goal attempt of the year was blocked. Then Darlington inexplicably fumbled trying to orchestrate one last gasp. Then, time ran out on a play where Stratford got down to the 3-yard line, but a holding call on Darlington extended the game by one untimed down. That set the stage for a 32-yarder by Plattner, who proceeded to give an absolutely beautiful interview.

Otherwise:

• Mason Lane of Lodi was truly one of the day's biggest standouts. The 6-1 quarterback threw a touchdown on the first snap of the game, helping the Blue Devils rampage past Luxemburg-Casco in Division 4. It was the final game for coach Dave Puls, who had previously announced this would be his last season. Lodi was an offensive juggernaut all season and proved it.

• Karter Butt of Edgar was a battering ram, setting the Division 7 state record with five rushing touchdowns in a lopsided win over Black Hawk/Warren in Division 7. Butt is one of two players (Sam Santiago-Lloyd of Brookfield East) to notch five rushing scores in any division in a state final. Could it be the final game for legendary coach Jerry Sinz, who's now coached in 14 state finals?

• Stratford, by the way, now has nine state titles, tied for the most in state history with St. Mary Springs.

• In Division 5, Wrightstown jumped out to a 13-0 lead and looked amazing but then never scored again as Aquinas rolled to a 32-13 victory. It's a third straight gold ball for Aquinas in La Crosse, with running back Kyle White (240 yards rushing) leading a determined effort.

• Division 7 - Edgar (13-1) 36, Black Hawk/Warren, Ill. (12-2) 6. Read game story

• Division 6 - Stratford (13-1) 10, Darlington (12-2) 7. Read game story

• Division 5 - Aquinas (13-1) 32, Wrightstown (11-3) 13. Read game story

• Division 4 - Lodi (14-0) 38, Luxemburg-Casco (12-2) 14. Read game story

It's sunny and 41 degrees as our day begins at Camp Randall Stadium

We've dipped below an hour to go before kickoff of the WIAA Division 3 state final between Grafton and Rice Lake, and the Black Hawks just took the field. It's not 60 degrees like yesterday, but we do have beautiful blue skies and plenty of sunshine.

How to watch Wisconsin high school football state finals: TV channel, livestream

The games will be available on airwaves at My24 in Milwaukee (WCGV). The games will also be available in Madison (WKOW 27.2 and Spectrum channel 190), Wausau (WAOW 9.2 and Spectrum 14/610), La Crosse (WXOW 19.2 and Spectrum 15/610), Eau Claire (WQOW 18.2 and Spectrum 15/610) and Green Bay (WLUK Fox 11 and WCWF CW).

The finals will also be available to stream on those channels' websites with no additional cost. You can find one livestream at My24Milwaukee.com.

Must-read: What to know about the WIAA state football finals

Wisconsin high school football state championship game predictions

Which teams will bring home gold? Appleton Post-Crescent sports reporter Ricardo Arguello offers his predictions for all seven state championship games on Thursday and Friday.

The best Wisconsin high school football state championship games

Earlier this week, I published a story on the 25 most memorable state title games involving Milwaukee area teams. Which ones do you remember?

2022 Wisconsin high school football state champions

• Division 1 - Kimberly

• Division 2 - Kettle Moraine

• Division 3 - Monroe

• Division 4 - Columbus

• Division 5 - Aquinas

• Division 6 - Stratford

• Division 7 - Regis

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin state football championships live updates for Divisions 1-3