Kobe Hendricks and Slinger will face off against Notre Dame in a matchup of defending state champions
DIVISION 2 | BRACKET
(All games Friday at 7 pm unless noted; Times, dates, & locations subject to change)
#4 La Crosse Central at #1 River Falls
#3 Oshkosh North at #2 New Richmond, 6 pm | ZaleskiSports Stream
#4 Slinger at #1 Notre Dame
#6 Wauwatosa East at #2 Rice Lake
#5 Pulaski at #1 West De Pere
#7 Nicolet at #3 Union Grove
#4 Elkhorn at #1 Homestead
#3 Germantown at #2 Monona Grove
To see the Level 1 Bracket Breakdown, click here.
Level 1 Surprise
Nicolet suffered through a five-game losing streak to begin conference play, but the Knights showed the challenging North Shore schedule prepared them well, going on the road to defeat second-seeded Holmen 23-13. Nicholas Bongard was able to hit on some big plays in the passing game while Conner McKenna rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
Best Rematch
Top-seeded West De Pere and fifth-seeded Pulaski met up back in Week 5, with West De Pere dominating en route to a 42-6 halftime lead and 52-9 running clock victory. Patrick Greisen threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns while Ryan Lutz rushed 17 times for 145 yards and three scores.
#1 seed with toughest match-up
This one’s pretty easy, as top seed and defending Division 3 state champion Notre Dame will match up with fourth-seeded and defending D2 state champ Slinger. We’ve seen a few defending state champion matchups over the years, though it is rare, even more rare in the postseason. Both teams are coming off convincing victories, especially Notre Dame, who hammered Greenfield 77-32 behind an incredible 477-yard, eight touchdown performance from junior running back Kingston Allen.
Level 2 Most Important Player
La Crosse Central senior Christian Rudrud is one of the toughest and most versatile players in the state, earning First Team All-Conference recognition as a quarterback and linebacker, with Mississippi Valley Offensive Player of the Year honors. He’s thrown for 875 yards and eight touchdowns this season and is also a workhorse carrying the ball, with 230 rush attempts for 1,694 yards and 25 touchdowns. He’ll have to be outstanding once again for the Riverhawks to challenge top-seeded River Falls.
My Picks
(14-2 last week; 87.50% in D2 overall)
River Falls over La Crosse Central
New Richmond over Oshkosh North
Notre Dame over Slinger
Rice Lake over Wauwatosa East
West De Pere over Pulaski
Union Grove over Nicolet
Homestead over Elkhorn
Monona Grove over Germantown
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].