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Level 1 Rapid Reaction

10/23/2021, 1:00am CDT
By Travis Wilson

WSN Football Playoff Coverage presented by the Buckle Up Phone Down Pledge

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Below are some quick takeaways from Level 1 of the high school football playoffs. Look for a full preview of each division to come out next week on WisSports.net. To see the full Scoreboard, click here.

HOME TEAMS DOMINATE, BUT SO DO A FEW ROAD TEAMS

The first year the WIAA went to true 1-8 coach seeding of regional groupings was 2012. That season, 26 of 112 road teams claimed victory, for a winning percentage of 23.2%. Each year since we have tracked the winning percentage of road teams in Level 1 of the 11-player playoffs. In 2019, the last year of a regular playoffs with coach seeding, road teams won 24 contests for a winning percentage of 21.4%.

Of course, this year, the seeding was done via an automated computer formula developed by the WIAA and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.

This season, road teams in 11-player football have a winning percentage of 22.3%, claiming victory in 25 contests. 

While home teams took control of most of the games, there were several road teams that not only won, but won big. 15 of the 25 road victors won by double digits, including ten that won by 20 points or more. There were road victories with winning margins of 36, 33, 31, 31, 25, and 22 points.

There were 14 teams seeded sixth or seventh that claimed victories (12 in 2019):

#7 Neenah over #2 Wausau West, Division 1
#6 Marquette over #3 Milwaukee Marshall, Division 1
#7 Slinger over #2 Cedarburg, Division 2
#6 Kettle Moraine over #3 Racine Horlick, Division 2
#7 Onalaska over #2 Mount Horeb/Barneveld, Division 2
#6 Notre Dame over #3 Fox Valley Lutheran, Division 3
#6 Jefferson over #3 Martin Luther, Division 3
#7 New Berlin Eisenhower over #2 Fort Atkinson, Division 3
#6 Little Chute over #3 Oconto Falls, Division 4
#6 Saint Croix Falls over #3 Spencer/Columbus Catholic, Division 5
#7 Grantsburg over #2 Augusta, Division 6
#6 Auburndale over #3 Necedah, Division 6
#7 Lancaster over #2 Luther, Division 6
#6 Catholic Central over #3 Lourdes Academy, Division 7

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS

There were just two conferences that posted perfect records in Level 1 of the playoffs: North Eastern (5-0), Marawood (4-0). In addition, the SWAL, Parkland, and Cloverbelt Conferences went 4-1 overall. Nine other conferences finished 3-1.

The Milwaukee City-Richardson (0-4), Milwaukee City-Blackbourn (0-3), and Trailways (0-5) did not have any teams pick up victories in Level 1 of the 2021 playoffs. There are 13 conferences who have just one team alive in the postseason.

Conference Results:

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

TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS

Looking back at the last time we had state playoffs in 2019, all eight champions qualified for the postseason this year. One, DeForest, changed division, meaning we're guaranteed a new champion in Division 3.

D1: Muskego beat Oconmomowoc 35-0
D2: Brookfield East lost to Wauwautosa West 48-28
D3: DeForest beat New Richmond 35-14 in a Division 2 game
D4: Catholic Memorial beat Kiel 42-6
D5: Lake Country Lutheran beat New Holstein 44-0
D6: Saint Mary's Springs beat Ozaukee 38-0
D7: Black Hawk/Warren (IL) beat Randolph 30-0
8-Player: Luck beat Northwood/Solon Springs 42-20

Sub-.500 Teams

There were 30 teams that qualified for the playoffs with a conference record under .500. Three of those teams earned victories in Level 1 of the playoffs: Neenah over Wausau West, Slinger over Cedarburg, and Little Chute over Oconto Falls.

There were 37 teams that qualified for the playoffs with an overall record under .500. Three of those teams won in Level 1: Lancaster over Luther, Marquette over Milwaukee Marshall, and New Berlin Eisenhower over Fort Atkinson.

Of note, Augusta was the only unbeaten team to lose in Level 1, going out 14-12 to Grantsburg. Lourdes Academy went unbeaten in conference play but had a non-conference loss, and lost in Level 1.

My Game: Hartford 14, Kaukauna 13

It was a close one in the Kwik Trip Game of the Week, as host Hartford got out to a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter, and it appeared the Orioles might be able to grind away Kaukauna. However, the Ghosts responded with a touchdown just over a minute later, though in what turned out to be a huge part of the game, the extra point was blocked, as Hartford led 14-6 at halftime. Kaukauna also missed a 35-yard field goal earlier in the half.

Kaukauna moved down the field on the opening possession of the second half, as Carson Sippel hauled in a 20-yard score from Finnley Doriot, as the extra point pulled the Ghosts within 14-13 with 8:14 left in the third quarter.

Kaukauna had the momentum virtually the entire second half, but a couple key mistakes kept them from capitalizing. A long Carson Sippel touchdown catch was wiped out by a holding penalty, and Sippel would later lose a fumble after picking up a big third-and-long conversion.

Kaukauna put together a nice drive in the fourth quarter, and faced fourth and four from the Hartford 34-yard line with just over two minutes remaining. After a timeout, the Ghosts elected for a 51-yard field goal try, but Gavin Lahm's kick came up just short.

Hartford would convert a first down after taking over and kneel out a 14-13 victory. The Orioles will travel to top-seeded De Pere next week.


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