Sports
Verona, Waunakee and Monona Grove advance as Wisconsin football playoffs open
Several area teams moved on with first-round wins Friday, including Verona’s 24-16 victory over Sun Prairie East and Belleville’s comeback against St. Mary’s Springs. Lower-seeded teams also produced upsets across the seven-division bracket.
MADISON, Wis. — Verona, Waunakee, Monona Grove and other area teams advanced Friday as Wisconsin’s WIAA high school football playoffs opened across seven divisions. For teams that lost, the single-elimination format brought their seasons to an end.
Verona, the No. 2 seed, defeated No. 7 Sun Prairie East 24-16 in a matchup that began as a defensive contest. Jax Wepking broke the scoreless tie with a first-quarter touchdown, and Joe Seelen later connected with Caden Jonjak for another score. Verona recovered a fumble forced by Sun Prairie East’s Jack Ireland before pulling away to secure a Level 2 berth.
No. 2 Waunakee beat D.C. Everest 36-22, with quarterback Aaron Trudell scoring from the 1-yard line with one second left in the first half. The Warriors also stopped an opponent’s fourth-down attempt in the second half.
Monona Grove, the top seed, defeated conference rival Milton 35-6. Edgewood shut out No. 7 Ripon 58-0 at Breese Stevens Field, while No. 1 New Glarus beat Bloomer 48-8.
Belleville rallied past St. Mary’s Springs 32-21. The No. 4 Wildcats trailed 21-7 late in the first half before scoring 22 unanswered points in the second half. Lodi, seeded fourth, beat No. 5 Mauston 49-12.
The opening round also brought a string of lower-seed wins statewide. In Division 1, No. 5 Franklin beat No. 4 Kenosha Bradford 16-6, and No. 6 Appleton North defeated No. 3 Stevens Point 21-7. Division 2’s biggest upset came from No. 7 Brookfield Central, which edged No. 2 Beaver Dam 42-41.
Other lower-seeded winners included No. 6 Grafton and No. 5 Marshfield in Division 2; No. 5 Catholic Memorial in Division 3; No. 6 Wrightstown and No. 5 Evansville in Division 4; and No. 6 University School of Milwaukee and No. 5 Winnebago Lutheran in Division 5.
In Division 6, No. 7 Fall Creek beat No. 2 Saint Mary Catholic 34-7, while No. 5 Potosi/Cassville edged No. 4 Mineral Point 26-24. Division 7 upsets included No. 7 Osseo-Fairchild’s 28-20 win over No. 2 Shiocton.
Several first-round games remained scheduled for Saturday, including Mount Horeb/Barneveld against Baldwin/Woodville in Division 3 and Crivitz against Pacelli in Division 7. Friday’s winners will continue in the state tournament’s next round.