Sports
Wisconsin high school football playoffs open Friday with area rivalries on the slate
The WIAA released its 2026 football tournament brackets after the regular season wrapped up. First-round games across seven divisions are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.
Wisconsin’s high school football postseason begins Friday night, with first-round games scheduled for 7 p.m. across the WIAA’s seven divisions. The tournament brackets were released Saturday after the regular-season finale the night before.
In Division 1, Sun Prairie East is set to visit Verona, while Janesville Parker travels to Hamilton. Madison Memorial will play at Marquette, and Middleton visits Oconomowoc. Other listed Division 1 matchups include Waunakee hosting D.C. Everest.
Division 2 games include DeForest at New Richmond, Beaver Dam hosting Brookfield Central and Monona Grove welcoming Milton. In Division 3, Portage visits Waterford and Sauk Prairie travels to Reedsburg; Mount Horeb-Barneveld is scheduled to host Baldwin-Woodville.
Among Division 4 matchups, Lakeside Lutheran will host Berlin, Edgerton visits top-seeded Lake Mills, and Edgewood hosts Ripon. In Division 5, Columbus travels to Racine Lutheran, while defending Division 6 champion Darlington moves up a division and is slated to host Dodgeville.
Division 6 pairings include Potosi-Cassville at Mineral Point, Cuba City hosting Benton Co-op and Cambridge hosting Marathon. In Division 7, River Ridge will welcome Elmwood/Plum City, and Waterloo visits top-seeded Ithaca-Weston.
Teams are competing for a place in the state championship games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. The WIAA bracket release marks the start of the elimination rounds, when a loss ends a team’s season.