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Below are some quick takeaways from Level 2 of the high school football playoffs. Look for a full preview of each division to come out next week on WisSports.net. Click here for the full results list from this week.

There were nine teams seeded sixth or seventh that claimed victory in Level 1 of the playoffs, but for the majority of them, the dream came to an end in Level 2. Six of those nine teams suffered defeat Friday night.

All was not lost for underdogs, as, overall, 14 of 56 lower-seeded road teams would win in Level 2. Compare that to the 15 lower-seeded teams that won on the road in Level 2 last year, and 12 lower-seeded teams that won on the road in the 2019 Level 2 playoffs.

For many reasons, it perhaps isn't too surprising to see these teams still alive, but any time a six or lower seed survives into Level 3, it is impressive and noteworthy.

Kaukauna downed Milwaukee King in Level 1 then went on the road again to Slinger, scoring an impressive 45-24 victory as Noah Hofmann ran for 307 yards and five touchdowns.

Sixth-seeded Burlington and second-seeded Westosha Central played one of the wildest games of the year last night, as Burlington went up 41-21 early in the fourth quarter, only to see Westosha Central come roaring back to take a 42-41 lead with just 37 seconds remaining. However, a big kick return and a couple more plays set up Benjamin Graham for a game-winning 37-yard field goal on the final play of the game, as Burlington escaped with a 44-42 win.

Notre Dame got revenge for an earlier loss to Menasha, as the seventh-seeded Tritons kept dancing with a 26-21 win over the Bluejays.

Three defending champions were eliminated in Level 2 of the playoffs.

D1: Franklin lost to Muskego 42-18
D2: Waunakee beat Middleton 21-14 in a Division 1 game
D3: Pewaukee lost to Monroe 22-21
D4: Catholic Memorial beat Lakeside Lutheran 49-14
D5: Aquinas beat Northwestern 36-16
D6: Colby beat Saint Croix Falls 28-0 in a Division 5 game
D7: Reedsville lost to Shiocton 21-0
8-Player: Newman Catholic beat Gilman 48-14

It was everything you want in a high school football playoff game, with old rivals squaring off in a highly-competitive contest that came right down to the end.

Grafton got on the board first when Chase Norton powered in from a yard out, but Port Washington answered a short time later as Ben Fritsch hit Josh Arnold from 17 yards out.

Grafton missed what turned out to be the first of two field goals later in the second quarter, and saw another golden scoring chance just before halftime thwarted, when Fritsch picked off a pass in the end zone on the final play of the half, as Grafton turned down a field goal attempt.

Chase Norton put Grafton ahead on its first drive of the second half, scoring another short touchdown, but Fritsch had yet another answer, returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

The game remained tied at 14 until Matt Esselmann booted a 24-yard field goal with 9:20 left in the fourth quarter to put Port Washington up 17-14.

Grafton would drive down but miss another field goal with 5:36 left, as Port Washington would effectively ice the game when Fritsch broke off a 47-yard touchdown run with 2:16 left.

Grafton moved down the field quickly but Esselmann picked off a pass in the end zone to put the game away.

Port Washington moves on to host fourth-seeded New Berlin West next week.

Below is a list of conferences and the combined win-loss percentage of league teams. The Classic Eight has the best overall record at 9-1, with the only loss coming last night as Waukesha West fell to league foe Kettle Moraine. The FVA is next with a 7-2 overall record. A total of 17 conferences have no more teams alive in the postseason.

(sorted by winning percentage)

Classic Eight 9-1
FVA 7-2
Middle Border 6-2
Marawood 5-2
Packerland 5-2
Scenic Bluffs 5-2
Parkland 5-2
SWC 6-3
North Shore 6-3
Wisconsin Flyway 6-3
FRCC-North 4-2
Capitol 6-3
Midwest Classic 5-3
Greater Metro 5-3
FRCC-South 3-2
SWAL 3-2
Cloverbelt 4-3
Coulee 4-3
CWC-Large 4-3
Six Rivers 4-3
Badger-Large 4-3
North Eastern 5-4
Big Rivers 4-4
Southern Lakes 4-4
Eastern Wisconsin 4-4
Lakeland 3-3
East Central 4-5
Metro Classic 3-4
Trailways 3-4
Dairyland 2-3
Rock Valley 2-3
Dunn-St. Croix 3-5
Big East 3-5
Big Eight 2-4
Eastern Suburban 2-4
Mississippi Valley 2-4
Northwoods 2-4
VFA 2-4
CWC-Small 1-2
Badger-Small 2-5
Great Northern 2-5
Heart O' North 2-5
Southeast 2-5
Ridge & Valley 1-4
Woodland 1-4
Bay 1-4
Independents 0-1
Milwaukee-Blackbourn 0-3
Milwaukee-Richardson 0-5
South Central 0-5

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.