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I said several times this year that there seemed to be more competition in Division 1 this season than what we've seen in the past. That certainly has seemed to be the case, with some noteworthy results in Level 2.

Franklin spent the last several weeks of the regular season ranked first in the Division 1 Coaches Poll, but the Sabers' hopes of a return trip to Madison came to a screeching halt, as they lost in a running clock to old playoff nemesis Muskego, 42-14. 

It was a good night for the Classic Eight Conference, which got another win over a top-seeded D1 team, as Arrowhead held off previously undefeated Verona 22-21. The Wildcats had been ranked second in the final WSN Coaches Poll. 

Neenah beat Kimberly back in the regular season, the first win for the Rockets over the Papermakers since 2005. Well, the streak is much shorter this time, as the Rockets went on the road and beat Kimberly once again, this time 34-14 as Wisconsin Badger commit Grant Dean had a big game. This marks the first time since 2011 that Kimberly doesn't advance to at least Level 3.

On the other side of the bracket, D.C. Everest may just be "back", as the Evergreens followed up a Wisconsin Valley Conference title with a couple playoff wins. Gettin a seven-seed in the D1 postseason, Everest downed second-seeded Hudson 50-21 last week before an impressive 45-24 win over third-seeded Madison Memorial this week.

Of 55 games played Friday night in 11-player football, an incredible eight of them were decided by just one point.

Coleman 7, Abbotsford 6
Saint Croix Falls 21, Wittenberg-Birnamwood 20
Rice Lake 35, Monona Grove 34
Badger 28, Racine Horlick 27
Catholic Memorial 34, Reedsburg 33
New Berlin West 29, Greendale 28
Milwaukee Academy of Science 36, Darlington 35
Arrowhead 22, Verona 21

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. Three of those 12 teams suffered defeat Friday night.

All was not lost for underdogs, as, overall, 11 of 56 lower-seeded road teams would win in Level 2. Compare that to the 14 lower-seeded teams that won on the road in Level 2 last year, and 14 lower-seeded teams that won on the road in the 2022 Level 2 playoffs.

Overall, compared to previous seasons, there were fewer upsets in Level 2 than we've seen in the past, though many of the teams that scored road wins did so in convincing fashion.

Eight of 11 road victors won by at least three scores, there was a 14-point win, plus a pair of one-score affairs.

Potosi/Cassville, who was ranked #1 in the WSN Coaches Poll and one of the most underseeded teams in the state by most estimations, took out their continued frustrations on second-seeded Cochrane-Fountain City to the tune of a 55-0 win. 

The biggest Cinderella kept the dance shoes on, as eighth-seeded Belleville scored a second straight win in Division 6, downing Marshall 21-7.

Also still going strong is seventh-seeded D.C. Everest, as the Evergreens are into Level 3 for the first time since 2011 after a 45-24 win over Madison Memorial.

D1: Marquette beat De Pere 52-23
D2: Badger beat Racine Horlick 28-27
D3: Rice Lake beat Monona Grove 35-34 in a Division 2 game
D4: Lodi lost to Aquinas 29-0
D5: Aquinas beat Lodi 29-0 in a Division 4 game
D6: Stratford beat Amherst 28-7 in a Division 5 game
D7: Edgar beat Shiocton 37-0
8-Player: Florence did not qualify for the playoffs

Below is a list of conferences and the combined win-loss percentage of league teams. It should come as no surprise that the Classic Eight has the best overall record as a league, as the teams are a combined 6-2, with three squads (Arrowhead, Mukwonago, Muskego) into Level 3 of the Division 1 playoffs. Up next are the Capitol, Dunn-St. Croix, and Woodland Conferences, who are each a combined 5-2. A total of nine conferences have no more teams alive in the postseason.

(sorted by alpha)

Badger-Large 6-3
Badger-Small 2-3
Bay 4-4
Big East 5-5
Big Eight 3-4
Big Rivers 4-3
Capitol 5-2
Classic Eight 6-2
Cloverbelt 4-4
Coulee 4-4
CWC-Large 4-4
Dairlyand 2-5
Dunn-St. Croix 5-2
East Central 3-4
Eastern Suburban 1-4
Eastern Wisconsin 2-5
Flyway 5-3
Fox Valley Association 5-3
FRCC-North 5-3
FRCC-South 3-3
Great Northern 2-4
Greater Metro 3-3
Heart O'North 4-2
Lakeland 2-3
Marawood 4-4
Metro Classic 5-3
Middle Border 4-3
Midwest Classic-Large 2-4
Midwest Classic-Small 3-2
Milw. City-Blackbourn 0-3
Milw. City-Richardson 0-5
Mississippi Valley 5-4
North Eastern 4-2
North Shore 4-3
Northwoods 3-4
Packerland 4-5
Parkland 5-3
Rock Valley 2-4
Scenic Bluffs 2-5
Six Rivers 4-3
South Central 1-4
Southeast 3-5
Southern Lakes 4-5
SWAL 4-4
SWC 4-3
Trailways 5-3
Wisconsin Valley 2-3
Woodland 5-2

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.