Stratford, Spencer/Columbus host opening-round games; Auburndale hits the road

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

The brackets have been released for the upcoming 2016 WIAA football playoffs, which will begin with Level 1 contests in seven divisions on Friday, Oct. 21.

There will be four rounds of playoffs leading to the WIAA State Football Championships at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on 17-18.

Locally, Stratford (8-1) and Spencer/Columbus Catholic (7-2) are on the same side of the Division 5 bracket.

Third-seed Stratford will host Colby (4-5), and Spencer/Columbus is the No. 4 seed in the bottom half of the bracket and will be at home in Spencer against Bonduel. Both games will be played Friday at 7 p.m.

Should Spencer/Columbus win, it could set up a rematch of last year’s Division 5 state championship game against No. 1 seed Amherst in Level 2.

In Division 6, Auburndale (4-5) will travel to Marawood Conference rival Marathon (8-1) for a Level 1 contest Friday at 7 p.m. Marathon beat Auburndale 45-7 on Oct. 7.

(Hub City Times Sports Reporter Paul Lecker is also the publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com.)

2016 WIAA State Football Playoffs — Level 1

*All games will be Friday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted

Division 1

Group A

No. 8 Appleton North at No. 1 Bay Port
No. 5 D.C. Everest at No. 4 Wisconsin Rapids
No. 6 Chippewa Falls at No. 3 Hudson
No. 7 Green Bay Preble at No. 1 Stevens Point

Group B

No. 8 Milwaukee Vincent/Destiny at No. 1 Kimberly
No. 5 Neenah at No. 4 Appleton West
No. 6 Milwaukee Morse-Marshall/Carmen/Juneau/Languages at No. 3 Milwaukee King
No. 7 Milwaukee Washington/Sciences/Collegiate at No. 2 Fond du Lac

Group C

No. 8 Madison La Follette at No. 1 Sun Prairie
No. 5 Middleton at No. 4 Oconomowoc
No. 6 Hartland Arrowhead at No. 3 Verona
No. 7 Madison West at No. 2 Lake Geneva Badger

Group D

No. 8 Milwaukee Hamilton/Audubon at No. 1 Franklin
No. 5 Kenosha Bradford/Reuther at No. 4 Oak Creek
No. 6 Kenosha Indian Trail at No. 3 Racine Horlick
No. 7 Milwaukee Riverside/Golda Meir at No. 2 Milwaukee Marquette

Division 2

Group A

No. 8 Wausau West at No. 1 Menomonie
No. 5 Ashwaubenon at No. 4 Green Bay Southwest
No. 6 Pulaski at No. 3 Hortonville
No. 7 Holmen at No. 2 Superior

Group B

No. 8 Wauwatosa West at No. 1 Brookfield Central
No. 5 Oshkosh North at No. 4 Hartford
No. 6 Cedarburg at No. 3 Brookfield Eaast
No. 7 Menomonee Falls at No. 2 Menasha

Group C

No. 8 DeForest at No. 1 Waunakee
No. 5 Monona Grove at No. 4 Waterford
No. 6 Stoughton at No. 3 Waukesha West
No. 7 Watertown at No. 2 Wilmot

Group D

No. 8 Milwaukee Bradley at No. 1 Mequon Homestead
No. 5 Shorewood/Milwaukee Messmer at No. 4 Germantown
No. 6 Milwaukee Bay View/Lifelong Learning at No. 3 Greenfield
No. 7 South Milwaukee at No. 2 Whitefish Bay

Division 3

Group A

No. 8 Merrill at No. 1 Rice Lake
No. 5 La Crosse Logan at No. 4 Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles
No. 6 Medford at No. 3 New Richmond
No. 7 Sparta at No. 2 Onalaska

Group B

No. 8 Shawano at No. 1 Green Bay Notre Dame
No. 5 Fox Valley Lutheran at No. 4 Antigo
No. 6 Waupaca at No. 3 West De Pere
No. 7 Seymour at No. 2 Luxemburg-Casco

Group C

No. 8 Reedsburg at No. 1 Monroe
No. 5 Evansville/Albany at No. 4 Fort Atkinson
No. 6 Jefferson at No. 3 Pewaukee
No. 7 Delavan-Darien at No. 2 Mount Horeb/Barneveld

Group D

No. 8 New Berlin West at No. 1 Waukesha Catholic Memorial
No. 5 Wisconsin Lutheran at No. 4 New Berlin Eisenhower
No. 6 Greendale at No. 3 Plymouth
No. 7 Port Washington at No. 2 Kewaskum

Division 4

Group A

No. 8 Altoona at No. 1 Osceola
No. 5 Northwestern at No. 4 St. Croix Central
No. 6 Nekoosa at No. 3 West Salem
No. 7 Amery at No. 2 Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau

Group B

No. 8 Peshtigo at No. 1 Little Chute
No. 5 Wrightstown at No. 4 Adams-Friendship
No. 6 Appleton Xavier at No. 3 Freedom
No. 7 Omro at No. 2 Berlin

Group C

No. 8 Big Foot at No. 1 River Valley
No. 5 Brodhead/Juda at No. 4 Lodi
No. 6 Mauston at No. 3 Lake Mills
No. 7 East Troy at No. 2 Platteville

Group D

No. 8 Kohler/Sheboygan Lutheran/Sheboygan Christian at No. 1 Sheboygan Falls
No. 5 St. Francis at No. 4 Kiel
No. 6 Glendale Martin Luther at No. 3 University School of Milwaukee
No. 7 Ripon at No. 2 Two Rivers

Division 5

Group A

No. 8 Cameron at No. 1 Stanley-Boyd
No. 5 Bloomer at No. 4 Elk Mound
No. 6 Colby at No. 3 Stratford
No. 7 St. Croix Falls at No. 2 Durand

Group B

No. 8 Oconto at No. 1 Amherst
No. 5 Bonduel at No. 4 Spencer/Columbus Catholic (at Spencer)
No. 6 Valders at No. 3 Winnebago Lutheran
No. 7 Kewaunee at No. 2 Southern Door

Group C

No. 8 Marshall at No. 1 Clinton
No. 5 New Glarus/Monticello at No. 4 Arcadia
No. 6 Horicon/Hustisford at No. 3 Laconia
No. 7 Westby at No. 2 Lancaster

Group D

No. 8 Whitefish Bay Dominican at No. 1 Columbus
No. 5 Kenosha St. Joseph at No. 4 Random Lake
No. 6 Brookfield Academy at No. 3 Racine St. Catherine’s
No. 7 Oostburg at No. 2 Cedar Grove-Belgium

Division 6

Group A

No. 8 Cochrane-Fountain City at No. 1 Grantsburg
No. 5 Glenwood City at No. 4 Spring Valley
No. 6 Melrose-Mindoro at No. 3 Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
No. 7 Unity at No. 2 Eau Claire Regis

Group B

No. 8 Crandon at No. 1 Coleman
No. 5 Niagara/Goodman/Pembine at No. 4 Rib Lake/Prentice
No. 6 Auburndale at No. 3 Marathon
No. 7 Wabeno/Laona at No. 2 Abbotsford

Group C

No. 8 Brookwood at No. 1 Darlington
No. 5 Mineral Point at No. 4 Fennimore
No. 6 Cuba City at No. 3 Markesan
No. 7 Waterloo at No. 2 Pecatonica/Argyle (at Argyle)

Group D

No. 8 Manawa vs. No. 1 Fond du Lac St. Mary’s Springs at North Fond du Lac
No. 5 Dodgeland at No. 4 Lake Country Lutheran
No. 6 Racine Lutheran at No. 3 Iola-Scandinavia
No. 7 Shiocton at No. 2 Ozaukee

Division 7

Group A

No. 8 Chippewa Falls McDonell at No. 1 Bangor
No. 5 Elmwood/Plum City vs. No. 4 De Soto at UW-La Crosse or La Crosse Logan
No. 6 Eleva-Strum at No. 3 Turtle Lake
No. 7 Clear Lake at No. 2 Pepin/Alma

Group B

No. 8 Suring at No. 1 Wild Rose
No. 5 Wisconsin Rapids Assumption at No. 4 Edgar
No. 6 Owen-Withee at No. 3 Hurley
No. 7 Almond-Bancroft at No. 2 Loyal

Group C

No. 8 North Crawford at No. 1 Ithaca
No. 5 Iowa-Grant at No. 4 Highland
No. 6 Wauzeka-Steuben/Seneca at No. 3 Black Hawk
No. 7 Potosi at No. 2 Shullsburg

Group D

No. 8 Tri-County at No. 1 Hilbert/Stockbridge
No. 5 New Lisbon at No. 4 Royall
No. 6 Fall River at No. 3 Oshkosh Lourdes
No. 7 Johnson Creek at No. 2 Cambria-Friesland