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Five Green Bay area high school football teams remain in the playoffs

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GREEN BAY – Now the fun really begins in the WIAA football playoffs.

Each of the seven divisions is down to eight teams with the quarterfinal round scheduled for Friday, just two wins away from reaching a state title game at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

Eight local teams played second-round games last week. Five advanced.

Here's a quick look at every quarterfinal game involving a local team.

Division 1

No. 2 Bay Port (9-2) at No. 1 Milwaukee Marquette (10-1)

Revenge time for the pirates?

Bay Port was defeated 42-15 by eventual state champion Marquette in the playoffs last season.

The Pirates trailed by 21 points early in the second quarter and never got closer than 13 over the rest.

They allowed Marquette running back Tommy Novotny to rush for 141 yards and three touchdowns but limited him to 3.9 yards per carry.

Novotny is back and once again the Hilltoppers' greatest offensive weapon. He rushed for 1,317 yards and 24 touchdowns and had 146 yards and three scores in a win against De Pere last week.

Combined with a Week 8 game against West De Pere, Marquette will be the best offense Bay Port has faced this season.

It has scored 40 or more points in eight of the last nine games and has topped 50 or more in five of the last six weeks.

Bay Port could find some success on the ground against a Marquette defense that is allowing 134.5 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry. This allowed Mukwonago to rush for 402 yards and an 8.9 yard average in Week 9.

The Pirates have a rushing attack that averages more than 213 yards and has scored 36 touchdowns. A heavy dose of junior running back Brady Moon (926 yards and 18 TDs) and a mobile quarterback in Matt Stevens (549 yards, four scores) might be needed to knock off the defending champions.

Department 2

No. 3 West De Pere (10-1) at No. 1 Kaukauna (9-2)

The Phantoms and Ghosts play in different conferences, but this is the third consecutive year the teams have played each other twice.

It could be the game of the week in the state.

Kaukauna defeated West De Pere 35-31 in Week 2, although that didn't happen until the Phantoms were close to scoring a TD late in the fourth quarter before defender Will Clark made a game-saving fumble from the back of the field End zone went.

All but one of the meetings in the last three years have been close, with four contests decided by six points or fewer.

The other was a 26-7 win by West De Pere in a 2022 semifinal, although even that game was close entering the final 12 minutes before the Phantoms outscored the Ghosts 13-0 in the fourth quarter.

It's no secret how West De Pere will try to win, at least if the first 11 games of the season are any indication.

The Phantoms will put the ball in the air with junior quarterback Patrick Greisen, who completed 26 of 37 passes for 512 yards and five touchdowns in the second round against Sun Prairie East after rushing for 534 yards and eight touchdowns in the opening round against Oshkosh North had .

West De Pere didn't panic after Sun Prairie opened the game with an 80-yard TD and took the lead for good at the end of the first quarter after Greisen connected with Judeah Kniskern for a 95-yard score.

The Phantoms threw for 313 yards in the first meeting against Kaukauna, but the Ghosts hurt them both in the air and on the ground.

Kaukauna quarterback Bron Schaefer threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 77 yards and a score, while Aiden Reardon had 110 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Department 3

No. 2 Green Bay Notre Dame (11-0) vs. No. 1 Grafton (10-1)

The Black Hawks haven't lost since a 21-20 loss to Cedarburg in Week 1. It's the only time this season they haven't scored at least 31 points.

Grafton averages more than 350 yards of offense and is as balanced as any team. It threw for 2,106 yards and rushed for 2,200 yards.

What to do?

Stopping a passing game led by quarterback Brady Hilgart, who has thrown for 2,005 yards and 25 touchdowns? Or contain a rushing attack led by Tommy Lutz, who has 1,735 yards and 24 touchdowns and hasn't been held under 121 yards in any of his last 12 games until last season?

Maybe the answer lies in just not giving them the ball much.

Notre Dame is at its best when it's shedding yards on the ground, which often takes up time and helps wear down defenses.

It ran 44 times against Port Washington in the second round after running 37 times in the opening round against Pewaukee.

Just as the teams begin to pounce on the rush, Notre Dame pulls off a well-timed throw.

Junior quarterback Max Peirce has attempted just 15 total passes in the first two games of the playoffs, but he has thrown for 245 yards and four touchdowns.

Grafton knows what to expect against Notre Dame, but knowing that is much easier than stopping at times when a team is under attack by the Tritons.

Senior running back Christian Collins gained 222 yards on 40 carries against Port Washington and rushed for more than 2,000 yards for the second straight year.

“The kids work really hard,” Notre Dame coach Mike Rader said. “That’s the standard answer. The children work really hard, they know their responsibilities. If you can do it, you don't have to have the biggest kids in the world. We have some very talented people, which always helps. But if you know what you’re doing, have the right technique and do it over and over again, hopefully you’ll tire out some teams.”

Department 5

No. 2 Kiel (11-0) vs. No. 1 Wrightstown (10-1)

The Raiders weren't tested at all in the first two games of the playoffs after a regular season in which they won every game by double digits.

Kiel outscored Peshtigo and Kewaunee by a combined 91-15 over the last two weeks, but it's a good bet it'll be plenty against a Wrightstown squad that's two wins away from returning to the D5 title game for the second straight year gets harder.

The Tigers' defense will certainly have its hands full against Kiel, as it features a dynamic offense led by quarterback Cade Voelker (1,343 yards and 22 TDs), running back Bryce Gullixon (1,791 yards and 34 TDs) and wideout -Duo Harrison Zorn (31 catches, 562 yards, 11 TDs) and Braden Aprill (20 receptions, 415 yards, six scores).

Something has to give.

Wrightstown allows 3.5 yards per rush, 94.3 pass yards per game and has allowed 20 or more points just twice this season.

Department 6

No. 2 Bonduel (10-1) vs. No. 1 Coleman (11-0)

Coleman absolutely dominated his opponents during the regular season, with one exception.

In the Bonduel group, the team faces the exception of only being able to win 22:20 in Week 2 after getting a big lead.

The Cougars limited the Bears' offense on the night, allowing just 34 yards on 14 carries. But they had a difficult time against quarterback Cade Johnson, who threw for 239 yards and three TDs.

It's the second-most passing yards Coleman has allowed this season and one of three times he's allowed more than 200.

Coleman lost a touchdown in the second round against Abbotsford, but still won 7-6. It will probably be a close game again against Bonduel.

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