WIAA State Football Preview: Division 5
Tuesday, November 19th, 2013 -- 8:31 AM
The 38th Annual WIAA Football State Championship Finals will be held this Thursday and Friday at Camp Randall Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Here?s a preview of the Division 5 game on Thursday?.4 p.m. Stanley-Boyd (13-0) vs. Lancaster (13-0)
Perennial power Lancaster, runner-up the last two seasons, is back in the title game for the 10th time, which ranks as second-most of any member school. The Flying Arrows are tied for the second-most number of State championships won with six. They won two straight Division 5 championships in 2005 and 2006, and made four straight appearances in the Division 4 title game from 1999-2002. That run resulted in three consecutive titles from 2000-02 and a runner-up finish in 1999. The Flying Arrows also won the Division 4 title in their first title game experience in 1993. They are the champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference this season. They thrashed Kewaunee 52-26 in the semifinal to advance to the title game for another shot at a seventh gold trophy. The Flying Arrows averaged a staggering 52 points a game during the regular season this year and are averaging 38 points per contest in the playoffs. Stanley-Boyd is making it sixth championship game appearance and its first since 1996. All five of its previous experiences have come in Division 4. The Orioles have been crowned champions twice and have finished runner-up on the other three occasions, winning the titles in 1991 and 1995, and placing second in 1977, 1986 and 1996. The champions of the traditionally strong Cloverbelt Conference defeated defending State champion Amherst 28-21 in their Level 4 match-up to land in the title game this season. They outscored their regular-season opponents 325-56 this year.
DIVISION 6 NOTES: Darlington returns to the State championship final for the ninth time and for the first time since 1997, which capped an impressive decade of success. The Redbirds won the Division 5 championship in 1987, 1990, 1991 and 1995. In addition, they placed runner-up in Division 5 in 1993, 1994, 1996 and in Division 4 in 1997. All tallied, that accounts for nine trips to the final during an 11-year span. To be in position to win their fifth title, the Redbirds had to go through two-time defending champion St. Mary?s Springs. Their 28-13 Level 4 win snapped the Ledgers 39-game winning streak. The Redbirds are champions of the Southwest Athletics Conference this year. Their only setback of the season was a 28-15 loss that came back in August to Platteville, who is playing in the Division 4 title game. Not counting that loss, they have outscored their regular-season opponents by a combined total of 401-46 and by a total of 158-27 in the playoffs. Shiocton returns to the State final for the third time and for the second time in the last three seasons. The Chiefs fell at the hands of St. Mary?s Springs in the 2011 final and was also runner-up in their only other appearance in 1983. This season, they are the champions of Central Wisconsin 8 Conference. They advance to the title game following a 50-0 shutout of Hurley in their Level 4 match-up. They have destroyed the opposition in their playoff march to the title game, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 196-6. The domination of the opposition also rang true during the regular season, outscoring opponents 437-22. The defense has recorded 10 shutouts in 13 games.
All of the championship games will be televised live on Fox Sports Wisconsin.
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