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WisSports.net Final Football Coaches Poll: Division 2

12/04/2020, 10:30am CST
By Travis Wilson

With the 2020 high school football season complete, we will be posting a last look back via a final WisSports.net Football Coaches Poll for each division. Divisional placement is based on division cutlines for the 2020 playoffs and may be different than the division a school appeared in the Coaches Poll during the season. To view Coaches Polls from the regular season, please click here.

Listed records include only games played, not any forfeits or cancelations.

Previous Final Coaches Poll Rankings:

Division 3
Division 4
Division 5
Division 6
8-Player

WISSPORTS.NET FINAL FOOTBALL COACHES POLL: DIVISION 2

1. Whitefish Bay

Whitefish Bay put together one of the best seasons in school history, as the Blue Dukes went unbeaten to claim a North Shore Conference title. They didn't end there, beating a very good Martin Luther team to open the WIAA postseason before taking down Catholic Memorial 19-7 to close out the year. It was a tough, physical group that featured some outstanding athletes, including Division 1 lineman Joe Brunner, senior quarterback Jack Stecker, two-way standout Grover Bortolotti, and emerging D1 junior linebacker prospect Nick Jorndt. Whitefish Bay was a perfect 7-0 on the year.

2. Menomonie

Menomonie was extremely short-handed in a season-opening loss to Hudson, but once the Mustangs got back to full strength as the season went along, they proved themselves as a team that would certainly have been a state title contender in a normal year. After that Week 1 defeat, Menomonie rebounded to win the next five games of the year, and while they opted up to Division 1 for the playoffs, the team had to be shutdown before taking part in any postseason competition. The Mustangs were 5-1 in the limited season.

3. Catholic Memorial

Catholic Memorial followed up back-to-back state championships with another solid season, as the Crusaders opened the year with impressive victories over Wauwatosa West and Brookfield Central. While the solid victories would pile up, there were a few hiccups, with defeats against Menomonee Falls, Germantown, and a Level 2 loss against Whitefish Bay. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find the kind of quality victories CMH had by many other teams. The Crusaders finished 6-3 on the year.

4. Luxemburg-Casco

Luxemburg-Casco missed the playoffs last year but had an excellent bounce back campaign. After a 41-16 loss to Wrightstown in the second game of the year, the Spartans would win six straight to close the season, including postseason victories over ranked Division 2 teams Plymouth and West De Pere. Luxemburg-Casco finished 7-1 this season.

5. Rhinelander

Rhinelander put together an incredible turnaround in the last couple years. Prior to 2019, the program had just two playoff appearances in school history. They advanced to the postseason for just the third time in Aaron Kraemer's first year at the helm in 2019, and expectations were certainly raised. I think it's fair to say those expectations were exceeded this year, as the Hodags won a number of close games (five by one score) to post a record of 8-1. They came up short in a de facto Great Northern Conference championship game against Medford in the final week of the regular season, but it set the stage for a history-making first just a week later. A 27-20 win against Lakeland in Level 1 was the first playoff win for the Hodags in school history, and they followed it up with a thrilling 27-26 win over Mosinee just a week later. 

6. Onalaska

Onalaska wasn't sure they'd be able to play this season at all, with local health guidelines putting things at risk. However, not only did the Hilltoppers end up playing, they were able to piece together a solid schedule despite numerous cancelations. There were 19 different games on the team's schedule at one point or another, and they ended up playing eight contests. They dropped close games against Edgar and Saint Croix Central, but did beat Baraboo 50-26 to close out the season, finishing 6-2.

7. West De Pere

West De Pere could not get anything to come easy in 2020, as just getting in the season proved to be a challenge. With typical high expectations coming into the season, the Phantoms suffered an early setback when Hortonville rallied for a 43-39 win in the first game of the year. The team would not play another game for a month, however, as things got shutdown due to COVID-related issues. As the only FRCC team who ended up playing this year, they were able to add a few late-season games, getting back on track a bit with four wins in a row, including a 7-3 victory over Grafton in Level 1. However, West De Pere lost 21-20 to Luxemburg-Casco to close the season. The Phantoms finished 4-2 overall.

8. Baraboo

Baraboo was thrown into a bit of a quandary when many of the Badger Conference schools opted for the alternate spring season. The T-Birds were able to put together a full schedule nonetheless, and it turned into one of the best seasons in many years. Baraboo did not lose a game against a Badger Conference team, with the only defeats against Sussex Hamilton as well as a season-ending loss to Onalaska. Still, Baraboo was clearly the top Badger Conference team playing in the fall, finishing with a 7-2 overall record.

9. Plymouth

Plymouth finished unbeaten in East Central Conference play, with the only regular season defeat a one-score setback against Kaukauna. The Panthers would win four games in a row following that loss, only to see their season come to an abrupt end in a 30-20 Level 1 playoff defeat against Luxemburg-Casco. 

10. Grafton

Grafton was moved to the Woodland Conference this season, but when all teams except Wisconsin Lutheran opted for the alternate spring, the Black Hawks had to scramble to find a solution. That meant playing as a member of the Parkland Conference, where Grafton did quite well. They had wins over both New Berlin schools and Pewaukee, with the only regular season defeat coming against Catholic Memorial. The season came to an abrupt end in a 7-3 loss to West De Pere in Level 1 as the Black Hawks finished 5-2.

Others Receiving Votes

Elkhorn
Fox Valley Lutheran
Martin Luther
Medford
Mosinee
New Richmond
Rice Lake
Shawano
Slinger
West Bend East
Wilmot


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.

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