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2024 Football State Championships
Thursday & Friday, Nov. 21-22
Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis. 

Thursday, Nov. 21
10 a.m. – Division 7:  Edgar (13-1) 19, Potosi/Cassville (13-1) 0 - Story/Stats
1 p.m. – Division 6:  Lomira (12-2) 26, Grantsburg (12-2) 19 - Story/Stats
4 p.m. – Division 5:  Stratford (14-0) 21, Wrightstown (12-2) 6 - Story/Stats
7 p.m. – Division 4:  Racine St. Catherine's (14-0) 26, Baldwin-Woodville (12-2) 22 - Story/Stats

Friday, Nov. 22 
10 a.m. – Division 3:  Notre Dame (14-0) 49, Catholic Memorial (11-3) 28 - Story/Stats
1 p.m. – Division 2:  Slinger (14-0) 31, Rice Lake (11-3) 30 - Story/Stats
4 p.m. – Division 1:  Bay Port  (12-2) 25, Muskego (9-5) 18 - Story/Stats

Slinger did not lead in the game until less than four minutes remained, but the Owls found a way to prevail 31-30 over Rice Lake to claim the WIAA Division 2 state championship. With the game on the line, Slinger turned to an unlikely figure to close things out. Facing a fourth and one with 2:17 remaining in the game, Slinger inserted 5'10", 255-pound defensive lineman Landon Gehring in the Wildcat formation, and he pounded over the left side for four yards and the game-sealing first down. They'd kneel out the rest of the game. Just a few minutes earlier, Slinger took it's only lead of the game when Michael Thiede rushed in from two yards out, as Cole Martin's extra point lifted the Owls to a 31-30 advantage with 3:29 remaining. Rice Lake had a chance following that score, but facing third and eight and then fourth and eight from their own 39-yard line, the Warriors couldn't connect on back-to-back pass attempts, turning the ball over. It is the second state title for Slinger, who also won a D3 championship in 1998. Rice Lake takes home a fifth runner-up trophy to go with three state titles, including last season's Division 3 crown.

Christian Collins smashed the previous state record with 408 rushing yards as Notre Dame's ground-and-pound was too much for Catholic Memorial in the Division 3 state title game, as the Tritons pulled away for a 49-28 victory. Collins carried the ball 39 times, a Division 3 state finals record, and scored five rushing touchdowns, tying the all-divisions record for the state championships. The 408 yards ties the Camp Randall record set by Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon in his famous romp over the Nebraska defense in 2014. It was the perfect ending for a dominating season and career for Collins, who led the state in rushing as a junior and ended up doing so again as a senior, despite missing the first two games of the season with injury. He became just the second player in state history to eclipse 3000 rushing yards in a season, finishing with 3,084 on 350 carries with 42 touchdowns. His rushing total is second all-time. He ran for at least 300 yards in five of the final six games this year, including four of the five postseason contests. He finished with 1,600 yards and 21 touchdowns in the playoffs.

Brady Moon, Bay Port (pictured): Moon continued his breakout season with an impressive performance in the Division 1 state final, helping the Pirates to a 25-18 victory. He carried the ball 24 times for 241 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard score on the game's first play.

Matt Stevens, Bay Port: Stevens was his usual dual-threat self, carrying the ball 15 times for 75 yards, with another 82 yards on seven-of-nine passing. Stevens also averaged 40 yards per punt for the Pirates.

Nick Hawker, Bay Port: Hawker may be a little undersized for the traditional linebacker, but he plays big, including the D1 championship contest. Hawker led the Pirates with eight tackles, which included two sacks, and two tackles for loss.

Jackson Niemiec, Muskego: Niemiec was one of the few Muskego offensive players that could get going against Bay Port, rushing for 53 yards on eight attempts, also catching a 48-yard touchdown.

Liam Shaw, Muskego: Shaw showed why he was named the Tim Krumrie Award winner, leading Muskego with eight tackles from his defensive end spot, including 1.5 tackles for loss.

Michael Thiede, Slinger: Thiede completed 12-of-15 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown for the D2 champion Owls, also leading the team with 48 rushing yards on 11 carries, including two touchdowns on the ground.

Kaiden Walworth, Slinger: Walworth led Slinger with 11 tackles in the Division 2 championship game, adding a tackle for loss, forced fumble, and quarterback hit.

Connor Durand, Rice Lake: Durand worked the outside with success in the Warriors' offense, rushing 14 times for 123 yards, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. He added four tackles, including one for loss, 

Lucas Peters, Rice Lake: Peters was a standout on both sides of the ball for the Warriors, rushing 22 times for 82 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He also caught an 11-yard pass and recorded six tackles on defense.

Marvaneous Butler-Brown, Catholic Memorial: Butler-Brown set a new Division 3 state finals record with 160 receiving yards, hauling in eight passes with a pair of touchdowns. He had an impressive 100 yards after the catch. Butler-Brown added 98 kick return yards, eight punt return yards, and had six tackles on defense.

M.J. Mitchell, Catholic Memorial: Mitchell set a new record in the Division 3 state finals with 309 passing yards, completing 15-of-26 passes, including four touchdowns. He'd add 23 rushing yards, though that included 49 yards lost via sack.

James Flanigan, Notre Dame: Flanigan didn't catch a pass on offense but was a big part of the blocking up front that helped Christian Collins go for more than 400 rushing yards. Over on defense, he had nine tackles, with four tackles for loss, and two sacks.

Notre Dame Offensive Line: The Tritons offensive front includes Asa Positer, Richie Flanigan, Carson VandenHouten, Collin Cormier, and Andrew Rader plus tight end James Flanigan and you can include fullback Jack Whitehouse in the group. They paved the way for Christian Collins to rush for more than 400 yards, with just one negative play all day.

Lamont Hamilton, Racine St. Catherine's (pictured): Were it not for the record-setting performance from Christian Collins, Racine St. Catherine's junior Lamont Hamilton may have been the state finals MVP. The explosive wide receiver accounted for four touchdowns, three through the air plus a kick return score. After a sluggish start by both teams, Hamilton caught two touchdowns in the first half then added a 49-yard touchdown reception early in the third and an 83-yard kickoff return score later in the period. He finished with four catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns, a team-high 33 rushing yards, completed a 28-yard pass, and finished with 275 all-purpose yards.

Eddie Vinson, Jr., Racine St. Catherine's: Vinson, Jr. hooked up with Lamont Hamilton for three touchdowns, completing seven-of-14 passes for 183 yards overall. He added 27 rushing yards.

Gavin Sell, Baldwin-Woodville: Sell ran for 145 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries, also throwing for 53 yards and a touchdown. He had four tackles, two tackles for loss, and a pass breakup as well.

Taden Holldorf, Baldwin-Woodville: Holldorf finished with 137 rushing yards and a touchdown on 29 carries for the Blackhawks. he also tied for the team high with 5 tackles, which included 1.5 tackles for loss.

Brooks Vanderhoof, Stratford: Vanderhoof rushed for a career-high 137 rushing yards on 24 carries for a touchdown. He also had three tackles with a forced fumble on defense.

Jack Tubbs, Stratford: Tubbs capped his career with a solid performance in the Division 5 state title game, completing all five of his passes for 31 yards and a touchdown and really doing damage on the ground to the tune of 94 yards and a score on 15 carries. He added four tackles on defense.

Xander Curtice, Stratford: Curtice was a force on defense for the Tigers, recording seven tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a blocked extra point.

Trevor Vande Hey, Wrightstown: Vande Hey struggled a bit throwing the ball with two interceptions, but threw for 80 yards and ran for 83 with a score in a losing effort.

Taylor Schaumberg, Lomira (pictured): Schaumberg had a big game, rushing for 216 yards and three touchdowns on 29 attempts for the Lions in the D6 state title game. 

Jackson Goebel, Lomira: Goebel was very efficient throwing the ball, completing seven-of-ten passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. he added 19 rushing yards as well.

Ian Burkman, Grantsburg: Burkman had a big senior season for the Pirates, and in the state title game went for 68 hard-earned yards on 22 carries, rushing for a pair of touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 19 yards and had three tackles defensively.

Brock Matheny, Grantsburg: Matheny set a new Division 6 state finals record with 283 passing yards, completing 24-of-37 attempts.

Maverick Butt, Edgar: It was a low-scoring, defensive battle in the D7 title game, but Butt managed to lead the Wildcats with 45 rushing yards and a touchdown. He also caught an eight-yard pass and had four tackles defensively.

Isaiah Groom, Potosi/Cassville: Groom was the best player on the field in the Division 7 title game, though the co-op program came up short. He ran for a game-high 77 yards on 17 carries. The WFCA Small School Defensive Player of the Year recorded nine tackles on defense as well.

I went 4-3 in picking winners in the state championship games, finishing 188-42 overall (81.7%) on weekly picks. Below are my overall numbers in each division.

D1: 22-9; 71.0%
D2: 25-6; 80.7%
D3: 26-3; 89.7%
D4: 26-5; 83.9%
D5: 26-5; 83.9%
D6: 22-9; 71.0%
D7: 26-5; 83.9%
8-Player: 15-0; 100%

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.