WIAA Division 3 state football championship game preview: Rice Lake vs. Grafton
Division 3 championship game: No. 1 Rice Lake (12-1) vs. No. 4 Grafton (11-2)
When: 10 a.m. Friday.
Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison.
Tickets: Available through the WIAA's virtual ticketing partner, GoFan, on the WIAA website.
Streaming/broadcast: Live broadcast in the Milwaukee area on WCGV My24. Games will also be streamed live, free of charge and registration, on the WIAA state television network station websites of WKOW, WAOW, WXOW and WQOW.
Road to Camp Randall: Grafton – beat No. 5 Wisconsin Lutheran 49-15, beat No. 1 Port Washington 22-21, beat No. 7 Menasha 17-13, beat No. 7 Stoughton 17-6. Rice Lake – beat No. 8 La Crosse Logan 50-7, beat No. 4 Sparta 50-20, beat No. 3 Onalaska 58-36, beat No. 2 Notre Dame 30-15.
Previous championships won: Rice Lake (D3 2017, 1979); Grafton (D2 1982, 1981)
More: WIAA Division 1 state football championship game preview: Marquette vs. Franklin
More: WIAA D2 state football preview: Badger vs. Waunakee
The matchup
The first title game Friday is one of the more interesting matchups. Rice Lake, one of the four top seeds in the division, is back in the title game for the third time since 2017, when it won it all, and the second time in the last three postseasons. Grafton has made the postseason in six straight seasons under coach Jim Norris but is back in a title game for the first time since 1984 after one of the weirdest trips through the playoffs in some time.
Rice Lake lost its season opener to Menomonie 21-12 after a three-turnover performance offensively. The Warriors haven’t scored fewer than 30 points since that loss. They scored 50-plus points in three straight playoff games before last week’s 30-15 semifinal victory over Notre Dame.
Since Sept. 22, last week’s win was the only game in an eight-game stretch in which the Warriors didn’t score at least 44 points. They’re rolling into Madison on a 12-game winning streak and look like the team to beat.
“The biggest challenge in my mind is all the distractions,” Rice Lake coach Dan Hill said during Sunday’s media availability.
“All the extra stuff that happens this week, it’s different than any other week with your travel and all of that kind of that stuff than what we’re doing right now. There’s all kinds of things and the school gets all fired up. It’s great. It’s all great stuff, but you gotta keep your team focused on what you’re going down there for and sometimes (laughs), the older I get, it seems like the harder it’s getting with some of these guys, but I think that’s more of maybe me getting older than them getting any different.”
Don't discredit the ride Grafton has been on, though.
The Black Hawks have hit their stride since a 3-2 start. After crushing fellow Woodland Conference foe Wisconsin Lutheran in the opening round of the playoffs, the breaks have come Grafton’s way and it has fully taken advantage. Grafton trailed top-seeded Port Washington 21-7 with 9:44 to play in the first half of their second-round meeting. Since that point, the Black Hawks have outscored their opponents, 49-19.
It's a group that is clicking at the right time and finds itself a win away from the program’s first state title since 1982. Sure, they’ve played back-to-back No. 7 seeds get to Madison. But you play who’s in front of you and the Black Hawks have muscled through all of them.
If the Black Hawks are going to finish this, it’ll be with quarterback Brady Hilgart making some big-time throws and the defense continuing to play tough, playmaking ball, as it did with four turnovers in the win over Port Washington.
“(Brady) is the real deal, man. He’s every coach’s dream.," Grafton coach Jim Norris said. "He’s one of the hardest workers on the team, first one, last one out-type guy.
“Anything you say about great players, that’s what he is. He’s truly a student of the game. (He) loves being coached. He’s such a competitor. There’s always that constant growth mindset. He’s never satisfied and he’s pushing the offense, pushing everyone on the team to keep this thing rolling.”
Players to watch
Grafton – QB Brady Hilgart (196/278, 2,642 yards, 28 TD, 5 INT); RB Tommy Lutz (191 carries, 1,272 yards, 20 TD); WR Carson Hildebrand (42 catches, 633 yards, 4 TD); WR Gavin Lempke (34 catches, 616 yards, 7 TD); ILB Tyler Heinle (82 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries)
Rice Lake – QB Jacob Lunz (60/98, 1,355 yards, 20 TD, 2 INT; 89 carries, 691 yards, 12 TD); RB/LB Lucas Peters (168 carries, 995 yards, 13 TD; 102 total tackles, six tackles for loss); RB Conner Durand (88 carries, 842 yards, 5 TD); WR/DB Zach Orr (22 catches, 535 yards, 7 TD); FB/ILB Easton Stone (70 carries, 455 yards, 13 TD; 161 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, two tacks, two fumble recovery TDs)
Predictions
Zac Bellman: Rice Lake 35, Grafton 20
Michael Whitlow: Grafton 24, Rice Lake 23
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WIAA D3 state football title game preview: Rice Lake vs. Grafton
