Bay Port won it all in D1 in 2024 and is looking to get back to Madison for a third straight year
DIVISION 1 | BRACKET
(All games Friday at 7 pm unless noted; Times, dates, & locations subject to change)
#4 Milwaukee Reagan at #1 West De Pere
#3 Hudson at #2 Verona
#5 Franklin at #1 Muskego
#3 Kenosha Indian Trail at #2 Racine Case
#4 Marquette at #1 Hamilton
#3 Oconomowoc at #2 Arrowhead
#4 Neenah at #1 Bay Port
#6 Appleton North at #2 Waunakee
To see the Level 1 Bracket Breakdown, click here.
Level 1 Surprise
Sixth-seeded Appleton North was the highest seed to claim victory in Level 1 of the D1 playoffs, going on the road to defeat third-seeded Stevens Point. Appleton North’s up-and-down season continues following the 21-7 victory, as they’ll take on Waunakee next. Stevens Point was playing without quarterback Trent Breitbach, who led them in passing and rushing this year.
Best Rematch
Franklin and Muskego have been frequent playoff opponents over the last couple decades, most recently in 2024 when Muskego downed the Sabers in Level 2. Now, they’re in the same conference with Franklin’s move to the Classic Eight, and earlier this year met up with Muskego scoring a 31-6 win.
#1 seed with toughest match-up
Bay Port is a top seed and has been to the last two Division 1 state championship games, but for the Pirates to continue that streak they’ll have to get past fourth-seeded Neenah first. The Rockets played a very tough early schedule, dropping three of the first four. Senior standout Ashton Van Beek, a quarterback who has committed to North Dakota State as a linebacker, missed some time but has come back in a big way late in the year, including an impressive performance last week against De Pere. These teams scrimmaged back in August.
Level 2 Most Important Player
Senior quarterback Austin Munzel of Oconomowoc missed the last couple games of the regular season, but returned last week and had a big performance to help the Raccoons to a 52-35 win over Middleton in Level 1 of the playoffs. He completed 20-of-29 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown, providing a passing complement to junior running back Damian Bartolotta, who rushed for 205 yards and five scores. Munzel will need to have another big day in a rematch with Arrowhead. He threw for just 42 yards in the last meeting, which Arrowhead won 35-0.
My Picks
(16-0 last week; 100% in D1 overall)
West De Pere over Milwaukee Reagan
Hudson over Verona
Muskego over Franklin
Racine Case over Kenosha Indian Trail
Hamilton over Marquette
Arrowhead over Oconomowoc
Bay Port over Neenah
Waunakee over Appleton North
* - Disclaimer: I am an assistant coach at Reedsburg
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 as Communications and Website Director. 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].
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