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How to watch the WIAA football state finals Thursday and Friday on TV, livestream (plus, an interesting fact about each game)

JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·5 min read

The WIAA football state-championship games will wrap up the fall sports season this weekend, kicking off at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Thursday morning. Follow or live blog from Madison here. Here's how to watch:

Wisconsin high school state football championship games

Thursday, Nov. 16

  • Division 7 - Edgar (12-1) vs. Black Hawk/Warren, Ill. (12-1), 10 a.m.

  • Division 6 - Stratford (12-1) vs. Darlington (12-1), 1 p.m.

  • Division 5 - Wrightstown (11-2) vs. Aquinas (12-1), 4 p.m.

  • Division 4 - Luxemburg-Casco (12-1) vs. Lodi (13-0), 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 17

  • Division 3 - Rice Lake (12-1) vs. Grafton (11-2), 10 a.m.

  • Division 2 - Waunakee (13-0) vs. Badger (13-0), 1 p.m.

  • Division 1 - Marquette (11-2) vs. Franklin (13-0), 4 p.m.

Where can you watch the WIAA football state finals?

The games will be available on airwaves at My24 in Milwaukee (WCGV). The games will also be available in Madison (WKOW 27.2 and Spectrum channel 190), Wausau (WAOW 9.2 and Spectrum 14/610), La Crosse (WXOW 19.2 and Spectrum 15/610), Eau Claire (WQOW 18.2 and Spectrum 15/610) and Green Bay (WLUK Fox 11 and WCWF CW)

Are the WIAA state final games available to livestream online?

The finals will also be available to stream on those channels' website with no additional cost. You can find one livestream at My24Milwaukee.com.

You can also follow the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel live blog, with reaction and updates from the Camp Randall Stadium press box, for all seven games.

Here's at least one interesting fact about each game

Get to know the seven state-final matchups.

Division 7: Edgar vs. Black Hawk/Warren

Edgar has the most state-finals appearances of any WIAA program, making a 14th trip. Black Hawk/Warren, meanwhile, is one of three co-ops in Wisconsin that include teams from Illinois, and all three are in the same Six Rivers Conference. Black Hawk/Warren's Andrew Figi leads the team with 18 receptions on offense … and 11 interceptions on defense.

Division 6: Stratford vs. Darlington

Stratford comes into the game as a defending champion, though Darlington's 13 state-finals trips are only one shy of Edgar for most in state history. Darlington won each of its last three playoff games by one score each. Stratford running back Koehler Kilty ran for 194 yards and two touchdowns in last year's win and comes to state with the most rushing yards (1,834) of any state finalist.

Division 5: Wrightstown vs. Aquinas

Defending champion Aquinas beat Columbus, another returning state champion that moved down from Division 4 to Division 5 this year, in Level 3 of the playoffs with a fourth-down stop and 20-13 win. Wrightstown is your traditional run-first opponent that attempted seven passes combined in three of its four playoff games (and seven attempts in the fourth).

Division 4: Luxemburg-Casco vs. Lodi

Luxemburg-Casco shocked No. 1-ranked Catholic Memorial with a last-second field goal in Level 4 last week; coach Neil Seering said he invoked passages from the Disney movie "Miracle" to fire up his team. Quarterback Max Ronsmann leads the team in both passing (2,116 yards) and rushing (1,351), one year after losing nearly his entire junior season with injury. It's the program's first state final. Lodi coach Dave Puls has already said this will be his final year as head coach. His son Brady, a senior who leads the team in tackling, overcame a serious car accident as a sophomore.

Division 3: Rice Lake vs. Grafton

Grafton is back to state for the first time since 1984 and won a pair of thrillers in the playoffs to get here. Head coach Jim Norris was expecting his second child to be delivered Tuesday, three days before kickoff. Rice Lake defeated the state's top passer (Onalaska's Adam Skifton) in Level 3 and the state's top rusher (Green Bay Notre Dame's Christian Collins) in Level 4. Senior Easton Stone was named the state's Small School Defensive Player of the Year by the WFCA.

Division 2: Waunakee vs. Badger

Badger head coach Matt Hensler, who suffered a heart attack during his team's Level 3 game, expects to be available for the game. He could become the first head coach to win a state title after his father also won one; Keith Hensler won with Mukwonago in 2004. Three other father-son combos have reached state, but only one of the two has won once getting there. It's Badger's first state final. Waunakee has outscored its opponents this year by an average of 47-5.

Division 1: Marquette vs. Franklin

The Sabers are traditionally known for their passing attack, but running back Terrance Shelton was named the WFCA Player of the Year on offense. The squad includes six players who started as sophomores for the state-championship team two years ago. Marquette junior Erik Schmidt is regarded as one of the best kickers and punters in the country in his class. It's only the Hilltoppers' second trip to the WIAA final after beating Menomonee Falls in 2009, 7-0. This is the first state final between two Milwaukee County teams and only the fourth finals game featuring two teams from the same county (two Waukesha County examples).

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How to watch 2023 Wisconsin high school football state final games