Judge orders Messmer-Shorewood into WIAA playoffs

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MILWAUKEE - A judge in Milwaukee ordered the WIAA this afternoon to include the Milwaukee Messmer-Shorewood football team in the Division-One state high school playoffs.

Circuit Judge Kevin Martens ruled that the team meets the WIAA’s criteria for eligibility, and it should not have been left out of the brackets that were originally set last Friday night. Meanwhile, the public release of the Division-One-and-Two brackets was held up, pending the outcome of the court hearing. Those brackets were released early this afternoon – but they still don’t say when each of the teams will play.

Level-One games in seven divisions will take place on Friday night and Saturday. Milwaukee Messmer-Shorewood did not get a seed – and they’ll face Number-Two Milwaukee Riverside in the opening round. Messmer-Shorewood was 4-2 in the Midwest Classic Conference North Division. And Judge Martens said Messmer was eligible because it had a record above .500 in conference play. But the WIAA contended that Messmer-Shorewood changed conferences in 2007 without the association’s permission – and therefore, the team was supposed to sit out of the playoffs for four years after that. The judge did not agree with that contention.

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WIAA Football Playoff Pairings for Divisions 1 and 2

DIVISION 1

Group A

#1 Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln (7-0, 8-1) vs. Hudson (5-2, 6-3)

#4 Kimberly (6-1, 8-1) vs. Green Bay Preble (6-2, 7-2)

#3 Eau Claire Memorial (6-1, 8-1) vs. Schofield D.C. Everest (4-3, 5-4)

#2 Appleton North (6-1, 8-1) vs. Bay Port (4-4, 4-5)

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Group B

#1 Manitowoc Lincoln (8-0, 9-0) vs. Milwaukee Madison/Northwest/Custer(3-3, 4-5)

#4 Sussex Hamilton (6-1, 8-1) vs. Germantown (5-2, 7-2)

#3 Mequon Homestead (6-1, 7-2) vs. Milwaukee Rufus King (5-1, 7-2)

#2 Milwaukee Riverside (6-0, 8-1) vs. Milwaukee Messmer/Shorewood (4-2, 4-4)

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Group C

#1 Verona Area (9-0, 9-0) vs. Watertown (4-3, 6-3)

#4 Middleton (8-1, 8-1) vs. Hartland Arrowhead (6-1, 7-1)

#3 Lake Geneva Badger (6-1, 7-2) vs. Sun Prairie (7-2, 7-2)

#2 Waukesha West (7-0, 9-0) vs. Janesville Parker (6-3, 6-3)

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Group D

#1 Kenosha Bradford (7-0, 9-0) vs. Milwaukee Pulaski/Arts/Reagan (3-3, 4-5)

#4 Muskego (6-1, 8-1) vs. Milwaukee Washington/CEO/North (3-3, 3-5)

#3 Milwaukee Marquette(6-1, 7-2) vs. Franklin (5-2, 7-2)

#2 Brookfield Central (6-1, 7-2) vs. Milwaukee Hamilton (3-3, 4-5)

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DIVISION 2

Group A

#1 Tomah (6-0, 8-1) vs. Wausau East (4-3, 4-5)

#4 Antigo (5-1, 6-3) vs. Holmen (5-1, 5-4)

#3 Marshfield (6-1, 8-1) vs. Merrill (3-3, 4-5)

#2 Menomonie (6-1, 8-1) vs. New Richmond (4-3, 4-5)

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Group B

#1 Waunakee (6-0, 9-0) vs. La Crosse Logan (3-3, 4-5)

#4 Menasha (4-3, 5-4) vs. Onalaska (3-3, 5-4)

#3 DeForest (5-1, 7-2) vs. La Crosse Central (3-3, 4-5)

#2 Beaver Dam (5-2, 7-2) vs. Hortonville (4-4, 5-4)

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Group C

#1 Monona Grove (6-0, 9-0) vs. De Pere (4-4, 4-5)

#4 Green Bay Southwest (6-2, 7-2) vs. Fort Atkinson (4-2, 7-2)

#3 Pulaski (6-2, 7-2) vs. West Bend East (4-3, 4-5)

#2 Cedarburg (6-1, 7-2) vs. Ashwaubenon (4-4, 5-4)

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Group D

#1 Greendale (8-0, 8-1) vs. Brookfield East (4-3, 6-3)

#4 Milwaukee Bradley Tech (5-1, 6-3) vs. Whitefish Bay (4-3, 5-4)

#3 Waterford (6-1, 8-1) vs. Greenfield (5-3, 5-4)

#2 Wilmot Union (6-1, 8-1) vs. South Milwaukee (5-3, 6-3)

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Waunakee, the AP’s top-ranked team among large schools, received a Number-one seed in Division-Two. They’ll host La Crosse Logan this weekend. West De Pere, the AP’s Number-one for middle-sized schools, earned a top seed in Division-Three. West De Pere hosts Fox Valley Lutheran in the first round. Edgar, the top-ranked team among small schools, will host Melrose-Mindoro on Friday night.

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The WIAA revised its high school playoff football pairings this morning. The line-ups for Divisions-Three-through-Seven are now in bracket form on the association’s Web site. One change today was in Division-Four, where Sturgeon Bay was originally scheduled to play Peshtigo. But now, Sturgeon Bay is scheduled to take on Number-Four Kiel in Group “D”, after the bracket-makers learned that Kiel had beaten Peshtigo in a non-conference game early in the season. Peshtigo will play Kewaunee instead.

Tags: prep football, prep