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There was some consternation about where teams a bit further down were seeded after the brackets were released, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of complaints about which teams earned the number one seeds in Division 1. Shockingly, none of the number one seeds have advanced to the state semi-finals in the largest division. Franklin (against Muskego) and Verona (against Arrowhead) were knocked off in Level 2, suffering their first losses of the year. Two more of the number one seeds went down this week. Waunakee hadn't exactly dominated in the first couple playoff games against lower-seeded competition, and the Warriors were knocked off by seventh-seeded D.C. Everest 31-21 on Friday. Defending state champion Marquette had looked awfully impressive the first couple weeks of the playoffs, but the Hilltoppers fell 35-21 to Bay Port, the same team they'd beaten 42-15 in Level 2 last year en route to the D1 title.

While the biggest score differentials were recorded by higher-seeded home teams, it was actually lower-seeded visiting teams that won more games overall in Sectionals, going 15-13.

That included two of the biggest Cinderella stories in the state continuing on. Belleville won just three games on the field during the regular season, but the Wildcats learned from a tough schedule to show out during the playoffs. Belleville shutout top-seeded Cambridge in Level 1, knocked off another Eastern Subruban Conference team Marshall in Level 2, and Friday night scored a third consecutive road win against Lancaster, 35-32.

D.C. Everest won the Wisconsin Valley Conference title but didn't have a lot in the way of signature wins during the season. That resulted in the Evergreens getting a seven-seed in the Division 1 playoffs. They've rolled through the top seeds in their group, starting with second-seeded Hudson in Level 1, third-seeded Madison Memorial last week, and on Friday night, D.C. Everest advanced to the state semi-finals for the first time since 2003 by defeating top-seeded Waunakee 17-0.

There are only two previous instances of a seven- or eight-seed making it to the state semi-finals since the WIAA moved to one through eight regional seeding in 2012.

In 2012, the first year coaches handled seeding, eighth-seeded Freedom advanced to the state semi-finals in Division 4 before going out to Big Foot.

Just last year, under computer seeding, seventh-seeded Stoughton made it all the way to the semi-finals in Division 3 before falling 17-6 to Grafton.

Muskego was a four-seed in Division 1, but the Warriors finished under .500 in Classic Eight Conference play. Getting some key players back from injury, including fullback Jack Labisch, Muskego has really turned it on the last few weeks and advance to the state semi-finals with a 21-7 win over Neenah.

There were eight teams still alive entering Sectionals that had been elevated a division this season via the WIAA's new Tournament Performance Factor points. Four of them suffered defeats this weekend: Waunakee (D1), Columbus (D4), Mayville (D4), and Regis (D6).

However, four of the teams elevated by TPF points advanced to the state semi-finals, including three state champions from a year ago. Aquinas, the three-time defending state champion in Division 5, scored a hard-earned 29-28 win over Columbus, another team elevated to Division 4 this year. Stratford won the last two championships in Division 6 but are bumped to D5 this season, where they are still going after a 34-11 victory against Lake Country Lutheran. After winning the D3 championship a year ago, the Warriors keep on in Division 2 after knocking off previously undefeated New Richmond. Catholic Memorial hasn't won a Division 4 title since 2021, but the Crusaders were still moved up to D3 this year, staying alive via a wild ending for a second straight week, as CMH rallied to defeat Mount Horeb/Barneveld 17-14.

D1: Marquette lost to Bay Port 35-21
D2: Badger beat Milton 42-22
D3: Rice Lake beat New Richmond 28-6 in a Division 2 game
D4: Lodi lost to Aquinas in Level 2
D5: Aquinas beat Columbus 29-28 in a Division 4 game
D6: Stratford beat Lake Country Lutheran 34-11 in a Division 5 game
D7: Edgar beat Lourdes Academy 29-6
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 still has the best overall record as a league, as the teams are a combined 8-3, with Muskego and Mukwonago still alive in Division 1, where they'll meet up in a state semi-final next week. Up next is the FRCC-North at 7-3, as the league joins the Classic Eight as the only conferences with two teams left. Bay Port (D1) and West De Pere (D2) will represent the FRCC-North in the semi-finals.

(sorted by alpha)

Badger-Large 6-5
Badger-Small 2-4
Bay 5-4
Big East 5-6
Big Eight 3-4
Big Rivers 5-4
Capitol 5-4
Classic Eight 8-3
Cloverbelt 4-5
Coulee 5-4
CWC-Large 5-4
Dairlyand 2-5
Dunn-St. Croix 6-3
East Central 3-4
Eastern Suburban 1-4
Eastern Wisconsin 2-6
Flyway 6-4
Fox Valley Association 5-5
FRCC-North 7-3
FRCC-South 4-3
Great Northern 2-5
Greater Metro 3-4
Heart O'North 5-3
Lakeland 3-3
Marawood 5-4
Metro Classic 6-4
Middle Border 5-3
Midwest Classic-Large 2-5
Midwest Classic-Small 4-2
Milw. City-Blackbourn 0-3
Milw. City-Richardson 0-5
Mississippi Valley 6-4
North Eastern 5-3
North Shore 5-4
Northwoods 3-5
Packerland 5-5
Parkland 6-4
Rock Valley 2-4
Scenic Bluffs 2-5
Six Rivers 5-4
South Central 1-4
Southeast 3-5
Southern Lakes 5-5
SWAL 5-4
SWC 5-4
Trailways 5-5
Wisconsin Valley 3-3
Woodland 6-3

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.