2020 WIAA Football Playoff Pairings and Brackets: a Year Unlike Any Other

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When Friday’s football games are in the books, it will be time for the WIAA staff to work on finalizing the playoff field and determine pairings. The final night of the regular season is always a busy time, and this year, the work to be done will look so much different than years past.

About 30% less teams are participating in football this fall, and there won’t be traditional brackets as in year’s past.

43 Football Games Cancelled in Week 7

 The WIAA will still have a 224 team playoff field, separated into seven divisions, and placed in eight team groupings, seeded #1 to #8

For 2020, those eight-team groupings will then be broken down further into two, four-team pods “regionally and competitively when possible” according to the WIAA.

The higher-seeded team will host, if on the approved site list. The default for games will remain 7 pm on Friday but can be changed to Saturday upon agreement by both teams.

Week 7 High School Football Scoreboard

The WIAA’s estimated schedule for releasing information this weekend is:

Friday, Nov. 6

Midnight – release tournament field of 224 – broken into 7 divisions.
12:30 a.m. – run auto-seeding program
1:30 a.m. – release 8-team groupings/brackets by division

Saturday, Nov. 7

Brackets released – Time TBA

220 teams have opted in for the playoffs, and once the four team brackets are created, the uncertainty will likely continue, as teams need to cancel due to COVID exposures, as has occurred all season.

Teams that win their Level 1 game will be advanced to Level 2, where they will face the other winner from their four-team pod, with officials assigned by the WIAA.

Teams that lose their Level 1 matchup do not have to advance to play the loser of the other game. However, those teams do have the option of scheduling any opponent in Level 2, if they choose.

OPT-OUTS AND PROJECTED DIVISIONS

According to information provided by the WIAA, 38 teams in 11-player football have opted out of the postseason, including eight that have previously announced a move from the fall to the spring. It is unclear how many of these teams will be done after the regular season, and how many may schedule their own opponents in Level 1 and/or 2 instead of participating in the WIAA postseason. The list of opt-outs includes:

Abbotsford
Almond-Bancroft
Barron
Berlin
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
Chippewa Falls
Dominican
Elmwood/Plum City
Hillsboro
Hope Christian
Iowa-Grant
Ithaca
Johnson Creek
Living Word Lutheran
Manitowoc Lutheran
New Berlin Eisenhower
Niagara/Goodman/Pembine
Owen-Withee
Pardeeville
Pecatonica/Argyle
Platteville
Random Lake
River Falls
Saint Francis
St. John’s Northwestern Academies
Waukesha South
West Salem
Whitehall
Wilmot
Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln
Holmen (moved to spring)
Kewaunee (moved to spring)
Menasha (moved to spring)
Montello/Green Lake/Princeton (moved to spring)
Notre Dame (moved to spring)
Omro (moved to spring)
Sparta (moved to spring)
Wausau East (moved to spring)

With 220 teams currently opted in to the WIAA postseason, it makes it very easy to project the divisional splits. Those are included below in the tab titled “Projected Divisional Placement”.

PROJECTED DIVISIONAL PLACEMENTS FOR 11-PLAYER FOOTBALL POSTSEASON

TEAMNAME

ENROLL

PROJECTED DIVISION

Kenosha Indian Trail 2345 1
Kenosha Bradford/Reuther 2121 1
Arrowhead 2106 1
Oak Creek 2061 1
Kenosha Tremper 2030 1
Marquette 1912 1
Hudson 1849 1
D.C. Everest 1731 1
Oconomowoc 1673 1
Muskego 1666 1
Mukwonago 1650 1
Franklin 1539 1
Hamilton 1429 1
Wausau West 1425 1
Germantown 1344 1
Badger 1335 1
Hartford Union 1325 1
Brookfield East 1311 1
Homestead 1309 1
Kettle Moraine 1298 1
Menomonee Falls 1283 1
Watertown 1259 1
Brookfield Central 1242 1
Marshfield 1218 1
Wauwatosa East 1206 1
Kaukauna 1177 1
Waukesha West 1176 1
West Bend West 1170 1
Hortonville 1149 1
Waukesha North 1131 1
Cedarburg 1104 1
Wauwatosa West 1100 1
Westosha Central 1099 2
Burlington 1089 2
Nicolet 1072 2
Waterford 1072 2
Elkhorn Area 1053 2
Menomonie 1034 2
Slinger 1032 2
West Bend East 1032 2
Union Grove 1010 2
West De Pere 1010 2
Whitefish Bay 988 2
Wilmot Union * 981 2
Onalaska 953 2
New Richmond 949 2
Tomah 911 2
Baraboo 896 2
Pewaukee 889 2
Reedsburg 884 2
Sauk Prairie 878 2
Wisconsin Lutheran 829 2
Merrill 826 2
Port Washington 806 2
Rhinelander 790 2
Portage 778 2
New Berlin West 772 2
Shawano 770 2
Plymouth 763 2
New Berlin Eisenhower * 759 2
Antigo 740 2
New London 737 2
Lakeland 736 2
Grafton 707 2
Rice Lake 703 3
Delavan-Darien 701 3
Seymour 698 3
Fox Valley Lutheran 683 3
Ashland 662 3
Medford 642 3
Waupaca 640 3
Mosinee 633 3
Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles 630 3
Luxemburg-Casco 602 3
Kewaskum 595 3
Marinette 594 3
Catholic Memorial 589 3
Martin Luther 575 3
Freedom 550 3
Winneconne 525 3
Little Chute 520 3
Xavier 520 3
Wisconsin Dells 514 3
Saint Thomas More 510 3
Ellsworth 509 3
Kettle Moraine Lutheran 508 3
Two Rivers 507 3
Osceola 505 3
Mauston 497 3
Denmark 488 3
Kohler/Sheboygan Christian/Sheboygan Lutheran 486 3
Somerset 486 3
Edgewood 485 3
Amery 482 3
Sheboygan Falls 477 3
Baldwin-Woodville 465 3
Altoona 461 4
Adams-Friendship 458 4
Clintonville 455 4
Lake Mills 453 4
Wrightstown 453 4
Oconto Falls 452 4
Saint Croix Central 446 4
Richland Center 437 4
University School of Milwaukee 428 4
Racine Saint Catherine’s 426 4
River Valley 426 4
Northwestern 424 4
Prescott 422 4
Dodgeville 420 4
Northland Pines 416 4
Lakeside Lutheran 406 4
Watertown Luther Prep 403 4
Wautoma 401 4
Bloomer 399 4
Kiel 396 4
Lake Country Lutheran 387 4
Horicon/Hustisford 380 4
Tomahawk 375 4
Neillsville/Granton 369 4
Prairie du Chien 368 4
Chilton 365 4
Spooner 360 4
Shoreland Lutheran 350 4
Spencer/Columbus Catholic 350 4
Peshtigo 342 4
Brillion 337 4
Viroqua 334 4
New Holstein 332 5
Saint Croix Falls 330 5
Brookfield Academy 329 5
Westby 328 5
Oostburg 327 5
Elk Mound 326 5
Valders 322 5
Nekoosa 321 5
Amherst 320 5
Stanley-Boyd 317 5
Wittenberg-Birnamwood 317 5
Marshall 314 5
Stratford 314 5
Southern Door 310 5
Cedar Grove-Belgium 296 5
Colby 295 5
Cumberland 292 5
Oconto 292 5
Aquinas 289 5
Bonduel 286 5
Unity 286 5
Cameron 284 5
Lancaster 281 5
Osseo-Fairchild 281 5
Howards Grove 279 5
Westfield 278 5
Cambridge 276 5
Mondovi 272 5
Weyauwega-Fremont 272 5
Racine Lutheran 271 5
Markesan 268 5
Durand 265 5
Random Lake * 265 6
Fall River/Rio 264 6
Darlington 261 6
Rib Lake/Prentice 261 6
Ladysmith 258 6
Kenosha Christian Life 257 6
Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic Academy 253 6
Mishicot 249 6
Luther 247 6
Marathon 245 6
Colfax 244 6
Waterloo 243 6
Grantsburg 238 6
Dodgeland 237 6
Fall Creek 236 6
Spring Valley 233 6
Manawa 230 6
Melrose-Mindoro 229 6
Roncalli 229 6
Boscobel 225 6
Mineral Point 224 6
Palmyra-Eagle 224 6
Regis 224 6
Cadott 221 6
Coleman 221 6
Crivitz 221 6
Ozaukee 220 6
Crandon 218 6
Lake Holcombe/Cornell 213 6
Augusta 201 6
River Ridge 200 6
Boyceville 197 6
Iola-Scandinavia 197 7
Shiocton 196 7
Webster 196 7
Glenwood City 195 7
Cochrane-Fountain City 193 7
Edgar 189 7
Iowa-Grant * 189 7
Wild Rose 186 7
Blair-Taylor 185 7
Pittsville 183 7
Hurley 180 7
Potosi/Cassville 180 7
Reedsville 179 7
Pacelli 177 7
Randolph 175 7
Thorp 175 7
Eleva-Strum 174 7
Clear Lake 173 7
Independence/Gilmanton 173 7
Rosholt 168 7
Hilbert 166 7
Lourdes Academy 162 7
Flambeau 158 7
Athens 156 7
Loyal 149 7
Pepin/Alma 147 7
De Soto 137 7
Catholic Central 136 7
Assumption 127 7
Turtle Lake 123 7
Cambria-Friesland 118 7
Highland 95 7

 

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David Keech
Author: David Keech

David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]