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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 12 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. Nine of those 12 teams suffered defeat Friday night.

All was not lost for underdogs, as, overall, 13 of 54 lower-seeded road teams would win in Level 2, pending Saturday's results. Compare that to the 11 lower-seeded teams that won on the road last year.

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.

Seventh-seeded Monroe is the highest (or is it lowest?) seeded team still remaining in the playoffs, as the Cheesemakers' road prowess continues. After beating second-seeded Onalaska 31-30 in Level 1, Monroe took down third-seeded Stoughton 14-7. It was a rematch of a Week 8 game won by Stoughton 53-18.

Sun Prairie is not your typical six-seed, and the Cardinals proved that with a second win over Verona to open the playoffs. Going on the road again to second-seeded Fond du Lac, who spent the year ranked in the top five of the WisSports.net Division 1 Coaches Poll, Sun Prairie controlled much of the game and hung on for a 34-30 victory, setting up a second showdown with Madison Memorial next week.

Coleman has been on quite a run, winning eight games in a row since starting 1-2. After a dominating 40-0 win over Bonduel last week, the Cougars took down another CWC-Large team in Level 2, topping Manawa 46-28.

Division 2 was expected to be a wide open division coming into the playoffs, with some of the traditional powers not quite up to their usual standards and other strong teams dropping down to Division 3. Still, it was shocking to review the D2 scoreboard and see that five of the eight road teams won and three of the four top seeds lost.

Number one seed Pulaski trailed fourth-seeded Superior 30-27 with less than ten seconds remaining as the Raiders lined up for a possible game-tying field goal. However, Superior blocked the kick and returned it for a touchdown on the final play of the game to claim a 36-27 victory.

Brookfield Central beat crosstown rival Brookfield East in the regular season, but the top-seeded Lancers were shutout by B'East in the playoffs, 20-0.

It was just three weeks ago that Waterford put a running clock on Burlington, but this time around, fourth-seeded Burlington got the edge in a 24-18 victory. 

Other road victors included number three Kaukauna over number two Hortonville and third-seeded Waukesha West putting a running clock on second-seeded Wilmot.

Homestead has seemed out of whack for much of the season, and the defending Division 2 state champions couldn't get back on track. The Highlanders' season would come to an end in Level 2 as Menomonee Falls won 32-19.

D1: Muskego beat Mukwonago 17-7
D2: Homestead lost to Menomonee Falls 32-19
D3: Catholic Memorial beat Kewaskum 39-0 in a Division 4 game
D4: Racine St. Catherine's beat Cedar Grove-Belgium 14-7 in a Division 5 game
D5: Saint Mary's Springs beat Johnson Creek 48-0 in a Division 6 game
D6: Iola-Scandinavia did not make the playoffs
D7: Black Hawk/Warren (IL) beat Ithaca 40-6
8-Player: Sevastopol did not make the playoffs

DeForest beat Reedsburg 28-0 early in the season, and the Norskies posted another shutout over the Beavers in Level 2, 20-0. The conditions were poor, the field was a mess, and the game moved extremely quickly as the teams combined for just six passes in the game. 

DeForest showed it could be successful in different ways, grinding out 191 yards on the ground on 49 carries. The poor weather and field conditions kept Reedsburg from getting to the edge, and the stout DeForest defense bottled up the inside runs, limiting the Beavers to just 66 yards on 32 carries. 

A fast-moving first quarter saw DeForest get on the board first when Gabe Finley capped off a drive with a three-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, facing a fourth and two from the Reedsburg 22-yard line, Trey Schroeder hit tight end Nolan Hawk on play action for a touchdown and 14-0 lead, which held through the third quarter. Finley would tack on another touchdown run in the fourth to help put the game away.

It was an impressive win for DeForest, who continues to look like a favorite to get to Madison in a few weeks. The Norskies take on Cinderella team Monroe, a seven-seed, next week, though it remains to be seen where that game will be held after an already beat up DMB Stadium turf was chewed up even further.

Below is a list of conferences and the combined win-loss percentage of league teams. The VFA-North has the best percentage, as the league teams are 6-1 for a 0.857 win-loss percentage. The Marawood and Capitol-North are not far behind with just one total playoff loss apiece as well.

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.