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.
- 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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
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