Dennis Semrau, ESPN Wisconsin 5y

WIAA football playoffs kick off tonight - who will make it to Madison?

Dennis Semrau covers prep sports for 100.5 ESPN and ESPNWisconsin.com

MADISON, Wisc. - It’s time for the 2018 WIAA prep football playoffs.

Following are my picks for the state semifinals and who we could see at Camp Randall Stadium for the state finals on Nov. 15 and 16.

Division 1: Muskego over Fond du Lac; Kimberly, Milwaukee Marquette.

Division 2: Waunakee over Mequon Homestead; Marshfield, Brookfield Central.

Division 3: Waukesha Catholic Memorial over West DePere; Rice Lake, New Berlin Eisenhower.

Division 4: Saint Croix Central over Lakeside Lutheran; Little Chure, Racine St. Catherine’s.

Division 5: St. Mary’s Springs over Kewaunee; Spencer/Columbus Catholic, Lake Country Lutheran.

Division 6: Iola-Scandinavia over Mineral Point; Grantburg, Fennimore.

Division 7: Edgar over Black Hawk; Hilbert, Bangor.

Eight-player: Wausau Newman Catholic over Luck; Oakfield, Northwood/Solon Springs.

When first-round action kicks off on Friday night, it will seem like déjà vu for several area teams with four first-round games including familiar foes, who met just two weeks ago on Oct. 5 in conference action.

That includes:

In Division 1, No. 6 seeded Middleton (6-3) plays at No. 3 seeded and co-conference champion Sun Prairie (8-1) of the Big Eight. Sun Prairie, the 2017 state runner-up, previously prevailed in the battle of the Cardinals, 35-7.

In Division 2, No. 8 seeded Baraboo (4-5) is at top-seeded and conference champion Waunakee (9-0) of the Badger North. The defending state champion — which outscored its opponents 389-34 during the regular season — Waunakee defeated Baraboo 43-0. The Thunderbirds are making their first playoff appearance since 2006.

Also in Division 2, No. 7 seeded Stoughton (6-3) is at No. 2-seeded and conference champion Monona Grove (9-0) of the Badger South. The host Silver Eagles routed Stoughton 42-7 in their earlier meeting.

In Division 4, defending state champion and No. 6-seeded Lodi (7-2) plays at No. 3-seeded Lake Mills (7-2) of the Capitol North. The host L-Cats earned a 25-14 victory over Lodi, the defending state champion, two weeks ago.

The field was announced by the WIAA Saturday morning after it selected the 224-team field and grouped it into seven enrollment-based divisions and then four geography-based groupings per division. All eight coaches from each grouping seeded the teams in their grouping on Saturday morning from No. 1 through No. 8, and the brackets were created from that list.

In Division 1, top-ranked Fond du Lac (9-0) earned the No. 1 seeding in its eight-team grouping which includes five of the six playoff qualifying teams from the Big Eight Conference. Fond du Lac, which ended Kimberly’s 70-game winning streak in the season opener, will host No. 8 seeded Madison La Follette (4-5).

In the same grouping is Big Eight co-champion Madison Memorial (8-1), which earned the No. 2 seeding and will host seventh-seeded Sussex Hamilton (5-4). Rounding out the grouping is No. 4-seeded Verona (7-2) which hosts No. 5-seeded Hartland Arrowhead (6-3). Verona defeated Arrowhead 21-17 in the 2016 playoffs.

In the opposite bracket, No. 4-seeded Janesville Craig (6-3) will host No. 5 seeded Wales Kettle Moraine (5-4). Muskego (9-0) is the No. 1 seed in that eight-team grouping.

In Division 2, which includes six Badger North and South Conference teams, No. 3-seeded Oregon (7-2) will host La Crosse Central (7-2), while No. 4 seeded DeForest (7-2) will host No. 5-seeded Holmen (6-3).

In the opposite bracket, No. 4-seeded Watertown (6-3) will host No. 5-seeded Whitefish Bay (5-4). In the Goslings’ grouping, Mequon Homestead (9-0) is the No. 1 seed.

In Division 3, No. 2-seeded McFarland (9-0), which earned its first playoff appearance since 2012, will host No. 7 seeded Pewaukee (6-3), while No. 3-seeded Mount Horeb/Barneveld (7-2) will host No. 6 Berlin (7-2). Waukesha Catholic Memorial (8-1) is the No. 1 seed in that grouping.

Also in Division 4, Capitol North champion Lakeside Lutheran (8-1) earned a No. 1 seed and will host No. 8 Beloit Turner (4-5). No. 2 -seed Edgerton (8-1) will host No. 7 Wautoma (6-3).

In Division 5, No. 8 Marshall (3-6) will play at 2017 state runner-up and top-seeded Hartland Lake Country Lutheran (9-0). No. 6 Belleville (6-3) will play at No. 3 Horicon/Hustisford (8-1). No. 7 New Glarus/Monticello (4-5) will play at No. 2 Prairie du Chien (8-1).

In Division 6, unbeaten Capitol South champion Cambridge (9-0) earned a No. 1 seed and will host No. 8 Dodgeland (5-4).

FYI: The following schools from area conferences qualified for the state football playoffs this season:

Big Eight (6) — Madison Memorial, Sun Prairie; Verona, Janesville Craig, Middleton; Madison La Follette.

Badger North (4) — Waunakee, DeForest, Mount Horeb/Barneveld; Baraboo.

Badger South (4) — Monona Grove; Oregon, Watertown, Stoughton.

Capitol North (3) — Lakeside Lutheran, Lake Mills, Lodi.

Capitol South (4) — Cambridge; Belleville, Marshall, New Glarus/Monticello.

Rock Valley (5) — McFarland, Edgerton, East Troy, Jefferson, Beloit Turner.

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