High School on SI Wisconsin's Countdown To Kickoff: Notebook

With the first games of the exciting, highly anticipated 2025 Wisconsin high school football season scheduled for later this week (Aug. 21 and Aug. 22), its time to begin the countdown to kickoff.

Historical Perspective: High school football continues to thrive in Wisconsin during modern era

There are 298 high school football programs from throughout the state that compete within the modern-era Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), which originally sponsored a four-division playoff system (16 teams) for the 11-player format in 1976. With increasing popularity and steady growth of the sport over the years, the playoff system gradually expanded to seven divisions (224 teams) in 2002.

Teams currently compete in one of seven respective divisions based primarily on official school enrollment.

Bay Port (Division 1), Slinger (Division 2), Notre Dame (Division 3), Racine St. Catherine's (Division 4), Stratford (Division 5), Lomira (Division 6), and Edgar (Division 7), each won a WIAA state championship in 2024.

Important Dates: Aug. 21-22 (Games begin); Oct. 24-25 (Playoffs begin); Nov. 21-22 (State finals)

Bay Port Appears Poised and Ready to Defend Division 1 title

Bay Port defeated Muskego 25-18 to capture the WIAA Division 1 state championship at the University of Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium (longtime home of the Wisconsin Badgers) on Nov. 22, 2024.

Wisconsin high school football: Members of the Bay Port football team celebrate after winning the WIAA D1 state championship — Members of the Bay Port High School football team hoist the championship trophy after defeating Muskego in the WIAA Division 1 state championship game on Friday, November 22, 2024,Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was the first state title for the Pirates, who finished the historic championship journey with six consecutive victories. The memorable run included a single-game season-high point total in a second-round home-field playoff win over Sheboygan North (61-12) on Nov. 1, 2024 and statement-making third-round road victory over reigning state champion Marquette (35-21) at Wauwatosa's Hart Park on Nov. 8, 2024.

Bay Port finished second in the Fox River Classic Conference (North Division) with a 6-1 record, qualified for the WIAA playoffs for the 27th time in program history, and ended the year 12-2 overall.

“Two words we are not going to use is ‘last year,’” said second-year Bay Port head coach Steven Jorgensen, in an interview with Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter Scott Venci. “We are not talking about that at all. We are going to use the lessons we learned, but we are going to build upon that this year. New year, same goal. We are back at it, and they are focused. We have got a great senior group who is ready to go."

Senior quarterback Matt Stevens (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) and senior running back Brady Moon (5-foot-8, 175 pounds) return to help lead the explosive Bay Port offense.

Stevens, an All-Fox River Classic Conference honorable mention choice last season, completed 212 passes for 2,148 yards and 27 touchdowns for the Pirates. He was also the team's second-leading rusher with 775 yards and six touchdowns.

Moon, an All-Fox River Classic Conference (North Division) first-team selection, rushed for 1,479 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2024.

Other key returning players include All-FRCC second-team senior offensive lineman Aiden Dirksen (6-foot-6, 280), All-FRCC honorable mention offensive lineman Lukas Weyenberg (6-3, 225), All-FRCC first-team senior outside and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association honorable mention outside linebacker Brock Gauthier (6-2, 215), and junior wide receiver Ethan Orlando (6-2, 173 ).

Bay Port is scheduled to host Middleton in a non-conference season opener Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.

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-- Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com

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