West Salem quarterback Drew McConkey
DIVISION 4 | BRACKET
(Times, dates, & locations subject to change)
The Placements
Freedom is the top overall seed in Division 4 and the number one seed in the top left, as the Irish have already defeated two of the other number one seeds, Little Chute and Lake Mills, convincingly. That top left group also includes undefeated Northwestern plus Middle Border Conference champion Osceola. Little Chute earned the top seed in the lower right group, which also includes Stratford, who is double elevated via the WIAA Tournament Performance Factor. Lake Mills is the number one seed in the top right group, which also includes a talented Edgewood squad. Racine St. Catherine’s grabbed the number one seed in the lower right bracket, with undefeated West Salem the two-seed.
Six to Watch
Here are six of the most electric offensive players that will be lining it up beginning this weekend:
Quintin Arizola, Delavan-Darien - Arizola was the top returning passer from a year ago and has put together an excellent senior season as well. So far he has thrown for 1,882 yards and 15 scores this season, adding 290 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Axzil Eggert, Freedom - Eggert averages better than 10 yards per carry, going for 1,204 yards and 26 touchdowns on 113 rush attempts this season.
Owen Henkel, Freedom - Henkel has completed 63% of his passes for 1,897 yards with 22 touchdowns as the Irish are undefeated to head into the postseason.
Drew McConkey, West Salem - McConkey leads the Panthers in passing and rushing this season, with 910 yards through the air and 911 yards on the ground. He has accounted for 24 total offensive touchdowns.
Tysen Teal, Northwestern - A returning All-State selection, Teal has rushed for 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns this year, averaging 9.2 yards per carry for the undefeated Tigers.
Tyler Wollin, Lake Mills - Wollin recently broke the state’s career passing touchdowns record and has thrown for 2,025 yards and 31 touchdowns this year. The senior slinger has completed 62% of his passes in 2026.
Upset Alert
Wrightstown will be a very popular upset pick, as the sixth-seeded Tigers will travel to third-seeded Fuller Collegiate Academy, who went just 2-3 on the field this year and lost both games against non-MPS schools, neither of whom made the playoffs.
Best Level 1 Game
Aquinas is 8-1 overall and a number three seed, as they’ll welcome in Xavier out of the Bay Conference. The Hawks have shown the ability to play with some good teams, falling to Winneconne by just one point earlier in the year. They could provide a challenge for the Blugolds.
Potential intriguing match-ups the rest of the way
Please note the emphasis on potential.
Osceola vs. Northwestern, Level 2 - A classic Middle Border vs. Heart O’North matchup, which we’ve seen so often in the postseason. Osceola won the MBC crown while Northwestern is undefeated the winner of the HON.
West Salem vs. Aquinas, Level 2 - These teams have battled it out for the Coulee Conference the last few years, and this season it was West Salem that won the regular season matchup en route to a league crown, 35-6 back in early September.
Freedom vs. Northwestern, Sectional Final - Both teams would be undefeated and each can claim they deserved the number one seed. As it is, Freedom earned that nod, but Northwestern is coming off a Division 5 runner-up from a year ago.
Freedom vs. Little Chute, State Semi-Final - These teams have been among the top teams in the Division 4 Coaches Poll all year, and met up back in late September with Freedom scoring a 49-29 victory.
My Picks
Freedom over Black River Falls
Lakeside Lutheran over Berlin
Osceola over Ashland
Northwestern over Somerset
Little Chute over Denmark
Lodi over Mauston
Wrightstown over Fuller Collegiate Academy
Stratford over Seymour
Lake Mills over Edgerton
Evansville over Platteville
Delavan-Darien over Campbellsport
Edgewood over Ripon
Racine St. Catherine’s over Turner
Saint Francis over Shoreland Lutheran
Aquinas over Xavier
West Salem over Wisconsin Dells
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. 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 @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].
