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Football Playoff Breakdown: What teams missed this year, who rejoined, who changed divisions

10/19/2019, 12:15pm CDT
By Travis Wilson

Catholic Memorial is the defending state champion in Division 3 but drops to Division 4 this year

The high school football playoffs begin on Friday night with Level 1 action around the state, and we take a look at changes for the postseason this year, including teams that missed out after qualifying last year, teams that qualified for the postseason after missing last year, and teams that changed divisions compared to last season.

* - Notes

- There are 52 teams that are different in 2019 than qualified in 2018.

- A total of 32 teams saw their division change this year compared to last year; 29 of them move down a division while just three move up a division.

- Fall River/Rio is a new co-op, as Fall River misses the playoffs after making it last year, while Rio last made it in 2015

- Suring, Three Lakes, and Wabeno/Laona move to 8-Player Football this year after making the 11-Player postseason last year.

- Lodi had the longest playoff streak come to an end, as the Blue Devils missed out for the first time since 2000. Other double-digit playoff streaks ending include Mount Horeb/Barneveld (last missed 2006), Antigo (2007), and Milwaukee Hamilton (2007).

- Racine Case ends the longest playoff drought, as the Eagles are in for the first time since 1997. Augusta is in for the first time since 2004, while Sauk Prairie enters the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

TEAMS THAT MISSED PLAYOFFS IN 2019 AFTER QUALIFYING IN 2018

Team 19 2018 Division Last Missed
Adams-Friendship 4 2013
Antigo 3 2007
Ashland 3 2017
Assumption 7 2014
Baraboo 2 2017
Belleville 5 2016
Cambria-Friesland 7 2012
Cochrane-Fountain City 6 2017
Cuba City 6 2010
Cudahy 3 2017
Dodgeland 6 2014
Dominican 5 2017
Ellsworth 4 2016
Elmwood/Plum City 7 2013
Fall River * 7 2015
Fennimore 6 2015
Glenwood City 6 2017
Howards Grove 5 2016
Independence/Gilmanton 7 2016
Iola-Scandinavia 6 2012
Janesville Craig 1 2016
La Crosse Logan 3 2017
Living Word Lutheran 7 2017
Lodi 4 2000
Luxemburg-Casco 3 2012
Mayville 5 2016
Milwaukee Hamilton 1 2007
Milwaukee Vincent 2 2017
Mount Horeb/Barneveld 3 2006
Northern Elite 6 2002
Notre Dame 3 2012
Pecatonica/Argyle 6 2009
Port Washington 3 2015
Racine Horlick 1 2014
Rib Lake/Prentice 5 2017
Rice Lake 3 2013
Royall 7 2015
Seymour 3 2008
Shorewood/Messmer 1 2017
Somerset 4 2017
Southern Door 5 2013
Stanley-Boyd 5 2009
Suring * 7 2017
Sussex Hamilton 1 2016
Three Lakes/Phelps * 6 2017
Turner 4 2016
Two Rivers 4 2011
Valders 5 2015
Wabeno/Laona * 7 2015
Wautoma 4 2016
West Salem 4 2009
Westby 5 2010

TEAMS THAT QUALIFIED FOR THE PLAYOFFS IN 2019 AFTER MISSING IN 2018

Team 2019 Division Last Appearance Last Division
Appleton East 1 2014 1
Aquinas 5 2012 5
Athens 7 2017 7
Augusta 7 2004 7
Big Foot 4 2016 4
Black River Falls 4 2015 4
Brodhead/Juda 4 2016 4
Brookfield Academy 5 2017 5
Cashton 7 2015 7
Catholic Central 7 2015 7
Cedarburg 2 2016 2
Columbus 5 2016 5
D.C. Everest 1 2016 1
Durand 6 2017 5
Eau Claire Memorial 1 2017 1
Evansville 4 2012 3
Germantown 2 2017 2
Green Bay Southwest 2 2017 2
Hillsboro 7 2017 7
Kewaskum 4 2017 3
Laconia 5 2017 5
Lakeland 3 2009 3
Lomira 5 2011 5
Madison West 1 2017 1
Manitowoc Lincoln 1 2014 1
Milton 2 2015 2
Milwaukee Bradley Tech 1 2016 2
Milwaukee Pulaski 1 2014 1
Monroe 3 2017 3
Nekoosa 5 2017 4
Oostburg 5 2016 5
Osceola 4 2017 4
Osseo-Fairchild 6 2014 5
Pardeeville 6 2017 6
Pepin/Alma 7 2016 7
Platteville 5 2017 4
Racine Case 1 1997 1
Random Lake 6 2016 5
Reedsburg 3 2016 3
Rhinelander 3 2012 3
River Ridge 7 2017 7
Saint Croix Falls 5 2017 5
Saint John's NW Military 5 2012 4
Sauk Prairie 3 2007 3
Shawano 3 2016 3
Superior 2 2016 2
Union Grove 3 2015 2
Whitehall 6 2017 6
Whitnall 3 2017 3
Winnebago Lutheran 6 2016 5
Wisconsin Rapids 1 2017 1
Wittenberg-Birnamwood 5 2017 5

TEAMS THAT CHANGED DIVISION FROM 2018 TO 2019

Team 2018 Division 2019 Division Change
Ashwaubenon 2 3 -1
Badger 1 2 -1
Benton/Scales Mound (IL) 7 6 1
Berlin 3 4 -1
Bonduel 5 6 -1
Brookwood 6 7 -1
Catholic Memorial 3 4 -1
Chilton 4 5 -1
Chippewa Falls 1 2 -1
Colby 5 6 -1
Cumberland 5 6 -1
De Pere 1 2 -1
DeForest 2 3 -1
East Troy 3 4 -1
Freedom 3 4 -1
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 4 5 -1
Jefferson 3 4 -1
Johnson Creek 7 6 1
Kettle Moraine 1 2 -1
Lourdes Academy 6 7 -1
Menasha 2 3 -1
Menomonie 2 3 -1
Northland Pines 5 4 1
Northwestern 4 5 -1
Palmyra-Eagle 5 6 -1
Racine St. Catherine's 4 5 -1
River Falls 2 3 -1
Saint Mary's Springs 5 6 -1
Stoughton 2 3 -1
Wauzeka/Seneca 6 7 -1
Webster 6 7 -1
Whitefish Bay 2 3 -1

About the Author

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.

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Travis Wilson  Football Playoffs