Jackson Nelson and last year’s D3 champion Grafton are still alive as one of the lowest-seeded teams heading into Level 3
Below are some quick takeaways from Level 2 of the high school football playoffs. Look for a full preview of each division to come out next week on BoundWisconsin.com.
For the full Level 2 results on the Bound Wisconsin scoreboard, please click here.
As a reminder, we'll have loads of additional content coming in the next few days to wrap up Level 2, including:
Prep Props: Top Statistical Leaders from the week (Monday)
Bound Wisconsin Football Player of the Week nominees (Monday)
Bound Wisconsin Football Team of the Week nominees (Monday)
CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT
There were eight teams seeded sixth or lower that claimed victory in Level 1 of the playoffs, but for the majority of them, the dream came to an end in Level 2. Three of those eight teams suffered defeat Friday night.
All was not lost for underdogs, as, overall, 12 of 55 lower-seeded road teams (there is one game to be played Saturday) would win in Level 2. Compare that to the 13 lower-seeded teams that won on the road in Level 2 last year, and 11 lower-seeded teams that won on the road in the 2024 Level 2 playoffs.
Only one top-seeded team lost in Level 2 surprisingly, as New Berlin West had its chances but fell to Catholic Memorial 26-23. That means 31 of the 32 number one seeds advanced to the third round.
CINDERELLA KEEPS DANCING
Of the lower-seeded teams that scored wins in Level 2, there were some very tight games, with six decided by single digits, though four of them won by at least three scores.
The lowest seed still remaining in the playoffs is seventh-seeded Brookfield Central, who took down Beaver Dam in a thrilling overtime game in Level 1, and went on the road again, defeating River Falls 42-20.
In addition, a pair of six-seeds won and continue on: Grafton 14-13 over Elkhorn in D2 and Wrightstown 9-0 over Stratford in D4.
Last year’s biggest Cinderella team, Whitefish Bay, advanced to the state semifinals in Division in 2025 before going out against Reedsburg, and the Blue Dukes stayed alive this season with a 14-7 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran on Friday night.
TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS
D1: Arrowhead beat Oconomowoc 38-17
D2: West De Pere beat Milwaukee Reagan 49-0 in a Division 1 game
D3: Grafton beat Elkhorn 14-13 in a Division 2 game
D4: Winneconne lost to Plymouth 35-23 in a Division 3 game
D5: Mayville lost to Grantsburg 42-6
D6: Darlington beat Winnebago Lutheran 35-7 in a Division 5 game
D7: Kenosha St. Joseph beat Cuba City 28-21 in a Division 6 game
8-Player: McDonell Central lost last week (moved to 11-player, D7)
CONFERENCE RESULTS
Below is a list of conferences and the combined win-loss percentage of league teams. The best win/loss percentage belongs to the Glacier Trails, who got five qualifiers with four still alive, combining for an 8-1 record (.889 winning percentage). The Cloverbelt Conference is a combined 8-2 (.800%), while the Greater Metro and North Eastern are 7-2 (0.777%).
A total of 14 conferences have no more teams alive in the postseason. Of note, for a second straight season, no team from the FVA makes it past Level 2.
(sorted by winning percentage)
Conference | Qualifiers | W | L | Still alive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Glacier Trails | 5 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
Cloverbelt | 5 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
Greater Metro | 5 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
North Eastern | 5 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
Big East | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
Fox River Classic-North | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
Classic Eight | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
Dunn-St. Croix | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
Six Rivers | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
Big Rivers | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
Metro Classic | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
Southwest Wisconsin Activities | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Parkland | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
North Shore | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Heart O' North | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Badger - Large | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Dairyland | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Wisconsin Flyway | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Capitol | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
Southern Lakes | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
Packerland | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Rock Valley | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Mississippi Valley | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Bay | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Fox River Classic-South | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Lakeland | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Midwest Classic-Classic | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Midwest Classic-Midwest | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Northwoods | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Southeast | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Coulee | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Central Wisconsin | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
Eastern Suburban | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Fox Valley Association | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Eastern Wisconsin | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
Marawood | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Trailways | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Scenic Bluffs | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
Badger - Small | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Big Eight | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Middle Border | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Wisconsin Valley | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Great Northern | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Milwaukee City (Richardson) | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
South Central | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Woodland | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Southwest Wisconsin | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Milwaukee City (Blackbourn) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
SUB-.500 TEAMS
There were 42 teams that qualified for the playoffs with an overall record under .500. Four of those teams earned victories in Level 1 of the playoffs, and surprisingly, three of them are still alive heading into Level 3:
Brookfield Central (3-6)
Catholic Memorial (4-5)
Wrightstown (4-5)
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 website & communications coordinator. 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].
