(WIAA) MADISON – Three champions were crowned on the final day of the 2025 State Football Championships at Camp Randall Stadium Friday.
Arrowhead (13-1) scored on a late kickoff return en route to an 18-15 win over former defending champion Bay Port (11-3) to win the Division 1 championship game.
Ryan Heiman fielded a squib kick at his own 24-yard line and raced 76 yards to the end zone to give the Warhawks a three-point lead with 35 seconds remaining in the game. On the ensuing drive, the Pirates drove the ball to the Arrowhead 11-yard line with one second on the clock, but a final pass attempt to find the endzone fell incomplete.
Arrowhead was outgained in total offense 347-198 in the game, but the opportunistic Warhawks’ defense created four turnovers.
Nolan Hanson completed 7-of-13 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown for the Warhawks. Harper Hughes was his favorite target, catching a game-high four passes for 88 yards. Jebari Craig led the Arrowhead rushing attack with 62 yards on 13 carries, and Devin Nettles ran nine times for 41 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Foley was active on the defensive side of the ball with a team high 10 tackles, a sack and a deflected pass.
Matt Stevens led the Pirates’ offense, completing 10-of-16 passes for 133 yards and rushing for a game-high 128 yards and a touchdown on 25 rushes. Brady Moon added 20 rushes for 75 yards. Ethan Orlando led three receivers with three receptions for 50 yards. Brock Gauthier made a game-high 11 stops on defense, including three behind the line of scrimmage.
Hanson found Harper Hughes on an 18-yard touchdown pass to give the Warhawks a 6-0 lead at the 4:15 mark of the second quarter for the first score of the game. Bay Port took a 7-6 lead late in the third quarter on a 5-yard keeper by Stevens. Arrowhead regained the lead at 12-7 with 7:35 remaining in the game following a 9-yard run by Nettles. On the Pirates’ next possession, they drove 76 yards in 12 plays to score a go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard pass from back-up quarterback Braydon Maney to Moon. The two-point conversion gave the Pirates a 15-12 lead with 46 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to set up the dramatic kickoff return for what proved to be the winning score.
Arrowhead has now won seven State titles in their 14 championship game appearances. Bay Port finishes runner-up in its third title game experience.
Division 2
West De Pere (14-0) were victors in the much-anticipated match-up of unbeatens, defeating Notre Dame (13-1) in the championship game to capture the Division 2 title.
Both teams’ offensive weaponry was on display early, scoring on five successive series to start the game. The Phantoms took the opening drive 69 yards in seven plays, culminating with a 1-yard plunge by Ryan Lutz. The Tritons responded with a 71-play drive on their first possession to tie the score at 7-7 on a 9-yard Kingston Allen run. Lutz added another 1-yard run to cap a 72-yard drive on the Phantoms’ ensuing possession, but Notre Dame again countered with a 76-yard possession capped by a 28-yard Allen touchdown scamper to tie the game.
West De Pere wasted no time scoring on its next possession, going 67 yards in 1:18 thanks in part to a 60-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Greisen to Judeah Kniskern at the 9:49 mark of the second quarter to gain a 21-14 advantage.
The defenses stepped up the second half. After a scoreless third quarter, the Phantoms expanded their lead with a 47-yard pass from Greisen to Landon Kibble to end the scoring.
Greisen set the Division 2 championship game record for passing yards with 304, completing 16-of-26 attempts with two touchdowns. Kniskern was on the receiving end of seven passes for a game-high 164 yards. Lutz accounted for most of the ground attack with 76 yards on 18 rushes and two scores. Cooper Borowicz led all defenders with 12 tackles, including a half of sack, and Jaxon Jashinsky added nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Allen was the catalyst on offense for Notre Dame. He ran the ball 43 times for 231 yards and two touchdowns. His rush attempts set a Division 2 championship game record. Max Pierce completed 4-of-11 passes for 63 yards, and Joey Massey led the team in receiving yards with 31 on one reception.
West De Pere earned the school’s third State title in its sixth appearance. Notre Dame finishes runner-up in its sixth experience in the title game.
Division 3
Grafton (14-0) executed a late scoring drive to win the State championship with a 17-15 triumph over Reedsburg (10-4) in the Division 3 title game.
The Blackhawks drove 49 yards on 15 plays in 1:31 to set up a game-winning, 35-yard field goal by Graysen Bollech with six seconds remaining to propel them to the title.
Grafton boasted a balanced attack to compile 393 yards of total offense, including 206 thru the air and 187 on the ground. The Beavers were totally reliant of the running game, rushing for 272 yards without completing a pass on two attempts.
Nicholas Schiller passed for 206 yards, completing 17-of-33 passes in the game for the Blackhawks. He completed 6-of-10 passes on the final drive to lead the Blackhawks into field goal range. Jack Nelson led the Grafton ground game with 129 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Tyler Deer made a game-high seven receptions for 129 yards. Defensively, Tyler Heinle made a game-high 11 stops.
Will Mikonwicz had a monster game rushing with 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 38 attempts fell one shy of tying the championship game record in Division 3. Sawyer Mittlestaedt only attempted two passes without a completion and one interception. Gavin Budnik paced the Beavers’ defense with eight tackles and a forced fumble. Mikonowicz also contributed on defense with an interception and four tackles.
Grafton marched down the field on the game’s opening drive, going 81 yards in 13 plays which consumed 6:31 of the clock for a 7-0 lead. Following an interception in their own end zone to thwart a second Blackhawks’ score, Mikonowicz broke off an 80-yard run to tie the game with 1:33 remaining in the first quarter.
After a scoreless second quarter, Grafton took a 14-7 lead on an 8-yard run by Nelson at the 2:41 mark of the third quarter. Reedsburg scored on a 1-yard run by Mikonowicz with 1:39 remaining in the game. The Beavers took a 15-14 lead with Mikonowicz slicing into the end zone for a successful two-point conversion, which set the stage for the Blackhawks’ game-winning drive.
Grafton won the program’s third State title in its fifth championship game appearance, and Reedsburg finished runner-up in its third title-game experience.
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