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WIAA State 8-Player Football Championship Preview

Monday, November 11th, 2024 -- 12:32 PM

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The sixth Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association 8-Player Football State Championship final will be held this Saturday, Nov. 16, at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School at 1 p.m.  You can hear all the action live on 92.7 FM WPKG.

KEY DIFFERENCES IN THE 8-PLAYER GAME: In addition to only eight players on the field for each side, the game differs slightly from the 11-player format both in the field configurations and playing rules. The 8-player field is 40 yards wide instead of 53 1/3 yards and the distance between the hash marks are narrower than the 11-player field. The playing rules differ from 11-player in that there must be at least five players on the offensive line of scrimmage at the snap. Each player that is at the end of the line of scrimmage and each of the three players behind the line of scrimmage are eligible and may have any legal jersey number.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HISTORY:  Sevastopol defeated Luck 38-30 in the first title game played at Stanley-Boyd in 2018. The first year featured an eight-team bracket that was expanded to a 16-team bracket in 2019. There was no championship game in 2020 because of COVID-19 guidelines and accommodations when only one level of the playoff was offered. Newman Catholic is the only program to have won two 8-player football titles. Newman Catholic and Luck have played in the most championship games with three.

THIS YEAR'S MATCH-UP:  Both Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas and Owen-Withee will be making their first appearance in the 8-player championship game. Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas has qualified for the 8-player football playoffs in each of the last four seasons of the tournament. Prior to this season, the Titans’ furthest advance in the bracket was to the second round in 2021 and 2022. Before transitioning to 8-player, the co-op qualified for the 11-player playoff field in Division 6 three times and were eliminated from title contention in the first round in each of their previous experiences. Lena, as a stand-alone program, advanced to the third round of the playoffs in Division 6 in 1991, which accounts for its only stand-alone experience. The Titans were the runners-up in the Across the Bay Conference this fall. They earned the opportunity to play for the championship after beating Northwood/Solon Springs 38-14 in their State semifinal matchup. Owen-Withee has qualified for the playoffs for the second time. The Blackhawks qualified last season and lost to their opening-round foe. Prior to the transition to 8-player, the Blackhawks qualified 18 times in the 11-player playoffs, compiling a 31-15 record. They won Division 6 championships in 1992 and 1999, and were the 2014 champion in Division 7. Owen-Withee is the champion in the East Division of the North Central Conference this season. The Blackhawks advance to the title game following a 23-21 win over Highland in their State semifinal game played at Stanley-Boyd.

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