3 State Football Champions Crowned Friday
Monday, November 25th, 2024 -- 7:04 AM
Three more champions were crowned at the 48th State Football Championships at Camp Randall Stadium on Friday.
Bay Port (12-2) wasted no time taking control of the Division 1 championship game by possessing a 19-0 lead at halftime en route to a 25-18 win over Muskego (9-5). The Warriors came to life in the second half with a pair of touchdowns and a field goal, but could not produce points in their final two drives.
The Pirates outgained the Warriors 259-20 in total offense in the first half and 397-203 in the game. They also held a commanding lead in time of possession with a 10:33 advantage.
Brady Moon amassed 241 yards rushing, which ranks fifth-most in Division 1 State finals history. He scored on runs of 80, 4 and 67 yards. Moon also led the Pirates in receiving with three catches for 29 yards. Matt Stevens ran for 70 yards and completed 7-of-9 passes for 82 yards. Defensively, the Bay Port was led by Nick Hawker with eight tackles, including two quarterback sacks.
Joey Shaw completed 5-of-15 for 86 yards and a touchdown for the Warriors. Jackson Niemiec was the leading ground gainer for Muskego with 53 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in receiving yards with 48 and a touchdown. Liam Shaw paced the Warriors’ defense with eight tackles.
Bay Port won its first State championship in its second State final. The Pirates only other experience in the final in 2019 resulted in a runner-up finish to Muskego. This time around, the Warriors finish runner-up in their fourth State finals appearance.
The Division 2 championship game was closely contested throughout, and Slinger (14-0) completed an undefeated by edging Rice Lake (11-3) 31-30. The statistics also revealed a competitive contest. The Owls possessed a slight 316-303 advantage in total offense yardage.
The Owls fought back from a 24-14 second quarter deficit to tie the game at 24-24 midway through the third quarter. After the Warriors scored on a 75-yard drive with 9:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, a failed two-point attempt would prove to be the difference. Slinger scored the game-winning touchdown and extra-point with 3:29 remaining in the game after recovering a Rice Lake fumble on the Warriors’ 34-yard line.
Michael Thiede led the Owls offensively. He completed 12-of-15 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown, and he led the team in rushing with 48 yards and two scores. Brayden Schnorenberg was on the receiving end of four passes for 78 yards, and Lucas Sonn caught four tosses for 58 yards and a touchdown. Kaiden Walworth led the Owls’ defense with 11 tackles and the game-changing forced fumble.
The Warriors’ offensive production came almost exclusively from the ground game. Connor Durand led all rushers with 123 yards, and Lucas Peters contributed with 82 yards and two touchdowns. Grant Pacholke attempted only four passes, completing two for 17 yards. Pacholke was the team leader on defense with 11 tackles and a forced fumble.
In its third appearance in the title game, Slinger won its second championship. Rice Lake, the Division 3 champion last season, finishes runner-up in its ninth experience in the final.
Notre Dame (14-0) secured a perfect season with a 49-28 win over Catholic Memorial (11-3) in a record-ladened Division 3 championship game.
The two teams combined to score a Division 3 record of 77 points and compiled 805 yards of total offense with the Tritons outgaining the Crusaders 459-346.
Catholic Memorial couldn’t contain the running of Christian Collins behind a stalwart offensive line. Collins shattered the State record for all divisions with 408 rushing yards on 39 carries, which broke the Division 3 mark. His five touchdowns also eclipsed the Division 3 record and tied the all-division mark. In addition, Collins’ 431 all-purpose yards set a Division 3 mark. The Tritons were led on defense by James Flanigan with nine tackles, including four for loss.
MJ Mitchell’s record-breaking performance was tarnished by the defeat, but he threw for a Division 3 record 307 yards for the Crusaders. Mitchell completed 15-of 26 passes and threw a Division 3 record four touchdowns. He also led the team with 23 rushing yards. Marvanous Butler-Brown was Mitchell’s favorite target, catching eight passes for a Division 3 record 160 yards and two touchdowns, which tied the division record.
Notre Dame won its third State championship in its fifth appearance in the title game, and Catholic Memorial finished runner-up in its 10th final experience.
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