Catholic Memorial and junior Dustin Roach are trying to get back to Madison after a runner-up finish last season
DIVISION 3 | BRACKET
Toughest Road So Far
Pewaukee has made a pair of trips across the state and come away with road victories. Despite a deceiving 4-5 regular season record playing some of the top programs in the state as a member of the Classic Eight Conferernce, the Pirates were a popular upset pick heading into the postseason. First, the sixth-seeds traveled to Badger-Small co-champion Sauk Prairie and soundly defeated the Eagles 31-10, then sweated out a 24-21 win over Onalaska that saw the Hilltoppers come within a toe tap in the back of the end zone of scoring the comeback win.
Cinderella
Whitefish Bay barely snuck into the playoffs as team 31 of 32 qualifiers, thanks in large part to an early non-conference win over Madison Memorial. In the previous playoff qualification, the Blue Dukes’ 2-5 conference record would have left them out completely. However, after taking some lumps in the tough North Shore Conference, the number eight seed has scored impressive wins over number one seed New Berlin West and fifth-seeded Port Washington.
Most Impressive
While most of the Division 3 teams have played a hard-fought game at some point in the postseason, Grafton has not yet been challenged. Playing a pair of Great Northern Conference teams, the Black Hawks defeated Medford 49-14 before another running clock victory against Merrill, 59-0.
The Match-Ups
This was one of the most highly anticipated matchups of Level 3, with the only two undefeated teams in D3 placed in the same bracket. The teams met in Level 2 of the playoffs last year, when Grafton pulled away for a 31-21 victory. Neither has been significantly challenged in the playoffs yet, though Plymouth does have some closer games during the regular season than what Grafton experienced.
My Pick: Grafton
#2 Mount Horeb/Barneveld (9-2) at #1 Catholic Memorial (10-1)
Mount Horeb/Barneveld had Catholic Memorial beat in Level 3 last year before a heartbreaking fumble on a busted play led to the Crusaders scoring in the final minute to win. These two are among the most talented rosters in the state. Catholic Memorial has gotten its ground game going much more this year and appear to be more balanced than last season, with sophomore quarterback Dalton Steinke improving by the game.
My Pick: Catholic Memorial
Pewaukee took its lumps in the final year as a member of the Classic Eight Conference, going 2-5 in league play, but solid non-conference victories over Port Washington and Greendale were enough to get the Pirates into the playoffs, where they’ve scored back-to-back road wins. Reedsburg lost three games in the Mississippi Valley Conference by a single score, going 6-3 overall during the year. The Beavers dispatched Waterford in Level 1 before a road win at top-seeded Edgewood last week. Despite not moving to running back until the fifth game of the season, senior Will Mikonowicz is up to 1,965 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground this season.
My Pick: (No selection)*
#8 Whitefish Bay (5-6) at #3 Martin Luther (8-3)
Group D has certainly been the upset bracket, including right out of the gates when eighth-seeded Whitefish Bay went to top seed New Berlin West and handily defeated the Vikings 31-7. The Blue Dukes followed that up with a 17-15 win over Port Washington, as they are trying to make it three-for-three on road wins in Level 3. Standing in the way is a Martin Luther squad that had no troubles with Pius XI Catholic in Level 1, then shocked many people with a 51-49 victory over Whitnall. Martin Luther was the third place team in a predominantly D4/5 conference, albeit it a good one in the Metro Classic. Meanwhile, Whitefish Bay competes in a North Shore Conference made up almost entirely of Division 2 schools. This will be fascinating to watch from that perspective of conference size for the teams.
My Pick: Whitefish Bay
My Picks:
(5-1 last week; 19-2, 90.48% overall in Division 3)
* - 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 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].