Wisconsin state finals live updates: Edgar has a 14-0 lead before Black Hawk/Warren has a first down

The 2023 Wisconsin high school football playoffs conclude this week in Madison with seven state championship games Thursday and Friday at Camp Randall Stadium.

First up are Divisions 4-7 on Thursday.

I'll have updates all day from the press box. Be sure to refresh your browser for the latest.

Edgar needs a timeout, but Black Hawk needs a stop

Edgar uses its first timeout but has been comfortable thus far, with an overall yardage advantage of 122-28 and 3 for 3 on third down. Could these Wildcats go 10 for their first 10 like the other Wildcats did on this same field on Saturday?

Black Hawk/Warren has to punt

The Warriors threw Edgar for a loss and dropped them back to inside their own 20-yard line to start the next drive, but Black Hawk/Warren had to surrender the ball again and is facing a bit of a danger zone early in the second quarter.

End first quarter: Edgar has a two-score lead

Black Hawk is facing a 3rd and 10 after a penalty for early movement, but they'll be switching sides as we finish the first quarter with Edgar ahead, 14-0.

Black Hawk has its first first-down on a great fake by Eli Schliem

I was sure the ball had been handed off on 3rd and 1 near midfield, but Black Hawk/Warren quarterback Eli Schliem kept it and got the necessary yardage. The Wing-T offense is confusing for defenses and definitely for folks watching the game.

After an ugly start to this game, Black Hawk is finally moving the ball a little bit and just crossed midfield in the final minute of the first quarter.

Touchdown, Edgar, as Karter Butt scores again

Great news for Edgar. First of all, Teegan Streit missed only one play before returning to the field (albeit a bit gingerly). And two plays later, Edgar was in the end zone.

Karter Butt stretched across the goal line for the final inches of his 4-yard touchdown run, and he's now got two scores today with 2:54 left in the first quarter. Review (yes, they have that for these games) upheld the score.

Butt is up to 33 touchdowns on the year and 87 yards rushing on nine carries in this game. Edgar was going to kick the extra point, but an offsides by Black Hawk/Warren moves the ball a yard closer, and now the Wildcats will go for two, already with a 14-0 lead.

Black Hawk/Warren finally gets a bit of momentum. Butt got met head-on as he tried to pick up the conversion and got stonewalled by Bryce VanRaalte of the Warriors.

EDGAR 14, BLACK HAWK/WARREN 0, 2:54/1st

Teegan Streit with another first-down run, but the Edgar quarterback is injured

Teegan Streit didn't do much running this year (249 yards, but he's up to 31 yards on three carries as he gains 9 yards and another Edgar first down with 4:13 left in the first quarter.

But the bad news is that he hasn't gotten up off the turf yet, with trainers hovering over him at the 10-yard line. He's brought to his feet but looks a little worse for wear, and he limps to the sideline. Worth noting, even as Edgar sets up shop at the 10-yard line looking for a two-score lead.

Sophomore Tucker Streit takes his cousin's place under center.

Karter Butt with another big run to put Edgar in business again

Karter Butt with a 22-yard run on first down right up the gut, and he's already up to 72 yards rushing for Edgar as the Wildcats move the ball inside the Black Hawk/Warren 30-yard line.

Butt came into the game needing 227 yards for 2,000 on the year, and early returns suggest that's in reach.

Interesting that we saw a pass on second down; Teegan Streit only threw 82 passes all year, but he completes one for 3 yards, setting up a first-down run by Butt that gave Edgar a new set of downs on the Black Hawk 22-yard line. About 5 minutes left in the first quarter.

Edgar gets the defensive stop and gets the ball back midway through the first

Owen Seffrood had a run that set up 3rd and 1 for Black Hawk/Warren, but a motion penalty and short gain on third down forced the Warriors to punt it back to Edgar. It's a short punt, too, and Edgar will take over on its own 45-yard line, already with an 8-0 lead and 6:58 to go in the first quarter.

Edgar's Brett Baumgartner had the tackle for no gain on third down.

Near disaster on first snap for Black Hawk/Warren

Warriors quarterback Eli Schliem fumbled the first snap of the game for Black Hawk/Warren but was able to grab it and even gain a yard. Before the team gets another snap, though, Black Hawk/Warren calls timeout, so a bit of an ugly start for the Warriors.

The Warriors opened their first drive of the game on their own 32-yard line. The team has a pair of 1,200-yard rushers, including Lane Marty (1,408 yards) and Owen Seffrood (1,233).

Touchdown Edgar, and Wildcats take 8-0 lead

Karter Butt took a handoff, bounced outside to the left and had green grass all the way to the end zone, a 42-yard run that represents Butt's 32nd rushing touchdown of the year. The Wildcats strike first.

Two Black Hawk defenders ran into each other on the play, which helped spring Butt. It had been 3rd and 13, but an offsides penalty made it 3rd and 8.

Kohlbe Weisenberger then takes a handoff and gets outside to the left again to convert the 2-point conversion. Edgar has kicked extra points during the season, but not that time.

That's a six-play drive that covered 68 yards in 2:36.

EDGAR 8, BLACK HAWK/WARREN 0, 9:23/1st

Quarterback Teegan Streit picks up game's initial first downs

Edgar quarterback Teegan Streit kept the ball for 12 yards and a first down to open the game, then scrambles his way around Warriors defenders for another one to the Black Hawk 44-yard line. Edgar is already cooking early in the first quarter.

Kohlbe Weisenberger was drilled in the backfield back at the 50 on the first-down snap, with Warriors leading tackler Will Stietz sniffing it out.

Edgar will get the ball first in the day's first state final

Black Hawk/Warren, wearing gray jerseys with black numbers and orange trim, will kick the ball off to Edgar in their white jerseys and green pants and helmet. Let's play (a lot of) football!

Is high-school participation in Wisconsin falling?

I wrote this morning about high-school football in Wisconsin and whether or not the decline in participation is alarming. It's a complex question that doesn't have an obvious "yes" or "no" answer, though I suppose the bottom line winds up being that the WIAA and state football coaches association aren't worried and view recent data as showing growth.

There's a lot to digest though.

The student section not filling in great today

(That's a joke!)

A familiar face for Badgers fans will work radio broadcasts

Former Badgers linebacker Chris Orr is in the booth for ESPN Madison doing broadcasts of the games. Orr had a great career at Wisconsin and is a great presence for radio. He had one of my favorite quotes from 2019.

These two teams have recent history in the state final

In 2019, Black Hawk/Warren defeated Edgar, 6-0, in the Division 7 championship game. Edgar had four fourth-quarter drives that crossed into Black Hawk territory in that game, but the Warriors kept the Wildcats out of the red zone each time.

In 2018 (before Warren joined the co-op), Black Hawk got the best of Edgar in the D7 games, 22-15. Kyle Lovelace scored a go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds of the third quarter, and the Black Hawk defense made that stand.

That's pretty good success for the Warriors against one of the great programs in state history. Prior to that, Edgar had won its previous three state final games and four of five going back to 2001.

Black Hawk made three straight trips to the state final but fell short in 2017 to Bangor before coming back to win the back-to-back crowns. Black Hawk also won the title in 2013, so if you discount the changing of the guard that came with the co-op, it's been three titles in four trips over the past decade. The program also went to state in 1998 in Division 6 and took second.

Division 7: Black Hawk/Warren (Ill). vs. Edgar

Some pregame nuggets for your consideration:

Black Hawk/Warren (12-1) is one of three co-ops in the state of Wisconsin that include kids from Illinois, and they're all in the same conference (Six Rivers). Black Hawk coach Desie Braedon said roughly 16 players out of the 41 in the program hail from the Illinois side of the border.

"It's exactly what you want out of a co-op," he said on the coaches' conference call. "The administrations on both sides have been great with communication and working together. Both communities have been fantastic and supporting and the kids mesh awesome."

The squad took a loss to Potosi/Cassville midseason, 20-14, and then came back with a vengeance in Level 3 with a 36-0 win over the same foe. The Warriors haven't been tested in the playoffs.

Great stat: Andrew Figi leads the team with 18 receptions (they run the ball, obviously). He also leads the team with 12 interceptions. And he's the punter, of course.

Brothers Will and Drew Stietz lead the team in tackling, with cousin Brady leading the team in sacks.

Edgar (12-1) is one of the pre-eminent football programs in the state of Wisconsin. This is their 14th trip to the final (one ahead of Darlington, who plays next, for most in WIAA state history), and the Wildcats are looking for gold ball No. 8.

Edgar lost the first game of the season, 8-6, and hasn't lost since, including four lopsided playoff wins. The most impressive win came in Week 2, a 40-6 win over Stratford — a team that will play for the Division 6 state title next.

Great stat: After allowing 8 points and 6 points in the first two games of the season, Edgar rattled off a ridiculous nine straight shutouts. NINE.

Then came a 52-26 win over Boyceville in Level 3 and a 21-3 over Bangor last week to get to Madison.

Three-year starter Karter Butt is a player to watch for sure. He leads the team in rushing (1,773 yards) and tackles (104, with an interception and fumble recovery). He's a sprint relay kid and stands 5-10, 215 pounds, which is a pretty big kid for the Division 7 level.

We have arrived at Camp Randall Stadium

I think it was Wrightstown coach Steve Klister who said in the coaches' conference call that the last two times his team played at state, they absolutely froze on the sideline.

Today is not that day.

With temperatures likely to reach the 60s, it is an unusual vibe for the start of the WIAA state finals (though tomorrow stands to be a little more crisp). Edgar just headed through the tunnel for warmups, and they'll be pursuing an eighth gold ball against Black Hawk/Warren in the first game of the day.

We're under an hour from kickoff. Stick with us for updates all day long from Madison.

Wisconsin high school football state finals schedule on Thursday

• Division 7 - Edgar (12-1) vs. Black Hawk/Warren, Ill. (12-1), 10 a.m.

• Division 6 - Stratford (12-1) vs. Darlington (12-1), 1 p.m.

• Division 5 - Wrightstown (11-2) vs. Aquinas (12-1), 4 p.m.

• Division 4 - Luxemburg-Casco (12-1) vs. Lodi (13-0), 7 p.m.

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.

Who are the teams playing in the Divisions 3, 2 and 1 WIAA state football championship games on Friday?

• Division 3 - Rice Lake (12-1) vs. Grafton (11-2), 10 a.m.

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

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

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

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: State football live updates: Edgar 14, Black Hawk/Warren 0 (first quarter, Division 7)