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Playoff Bracket · Football Division 4 OFFICIAL

WIAA official bracket, released October 17, 2026Next: Level 1, Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMEwert’s picks: week 9 ratings, 10/22/26, 5:39 AM CentralField table · How it works

Bracket and table computed Thu, Oct 22 · 4:14 PM CDT

  • Final Finished, with the score
  • Upcoming Both teams set; day and site on the card
  • Ewert’s pick A guess, not a set matchup
Freedom vs Black River Falls · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at FreedomES pick: Freedom, 99.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 FreedomES 99%8 Black River…Fri 7 PM · @ FreedomFri 7 PM · @ FreedomLakeside Lutheran vs Berlin · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at Lakeside LutheranES pick: Lakeside Lutheran, 91.3% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.4 Lakesi…ES 91%5 BerlinFri 7 PM · @ Lakeside LutheranFri 7 PM · @ Lakeside Lu…Osceola vs Ashland · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at OsceolaES pick: Osceola, 94.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.3 OsceolaES 95%6 AshlandFri 7 PM · @ OsceolaFri 7 PM · @ OsceolaNorthwestern vs Somerset · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at NorthwesternES pick: Northwestern, 91.4% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 Northw…ES 91%7 SomersetFri 7 PM · @ NorthwesternFri 7 PM · @ NorthwesternES pick: Freedom, 97.6% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 FreedomES 98%4 Lakeside Lut…EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/303 OsceolaES pick: Northwestern, 70.4% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 Northw…ES 70%EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30ES pick: Freedom, 89.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 FreedomES 90%2 NorthwesternEWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/6EWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/6Little Chute vs Denmark · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at Little ChuteES pick: Little Chute, 98.0% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Little…ES 98%8 DenmarkFri 7 PM · @ Little ChuteFri 7 PM · @ Little ChuteLodi vs Mauston · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at LodiES pick: Lodi, 95.2% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.4 LodiES 95%5 MaustonFri 7 PM · @ LodiFri 7 PM · @ LodiFuller Collegiate Academy vs Wrightstown · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at Fuller Collegiate Academy3 Fuller Colle…ES pick: Wrightstown, 98.4% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.6 Wright…ES 98%Fri 7 PM · @ Fuller Collegiate AcademyFri 7 PM · @ Fuller Coll…Stratford vs Seymour · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at StratfordES pick: Stratford, 93.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 Stratf…ES 94%7 SeymourFri 7 PM · @ StratfordFri 7 PM · @ StratfordES pick: Little Chute, 96.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Little…ES 97%4 LodiEWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/306 WrightstownES pick: Stratford, 68.2% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 Stratf…ES 68%EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30ES pick: Little Chute, 86.0% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Little…ES 86%2 StratfordEWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/6EWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/6Lake Mills vs Edgerton · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at Lake MillsES pick: Lake Mills, 96.2% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Lake M…ES 96%8 EdgertonFri 7 PM · @ Lake MillsFri 7 PM · @ Lake MillsPlatteville vs Evansville · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at PlattevilleES pick: Platteville, 57.1% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.4 Platte…ES 57%5 EvansvilleFri 7 PM · @ PlattevilleFri 7 PM · @ PlattevilleDelavan-Darien vs Campbellsport · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at Delavan-DarienES pick: Delavan-Darien, 77.3% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.3 Delava…ES 77%6 CampbellsportFri 7 PM · @ Delavan-DarienFri 7 PM · @ Delavan-Dar…Edgewood vs Ripon · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at Breese Stevens FieldES pick: Edgewood, 97.9% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 Edgewo…ES 98%7 RiponFri 7 PM · @ Breese Stevens FieldFri 7 PM · @ Breese Stev…ES pick: Lake Mills, 82.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Lake M…ES 83%4 PlattevilleEWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/303 Delavan-Dari…ES pick: Edgewood, 75.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 Edgewo…ES 76%EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30ES pick: Lake Mills, 61.9% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Lake M…ES 62%2 EdgewoodEWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/6EWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/6Racine St. Catherine's vs Turner · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at Racine St. Catherine'sES pick: Racine St. Catherine's, 93.4% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Racine…ES 93%8 TurnerFri 7 PM · @ Racine St. Catherine'sFri 7 PM · @ Racine St.…Saint Francis vs Shoreland Lutheran · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at Saint Francis4 Saint FrancisES pick: Shoreland Lutheran, 55.0% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.5 Shorel…ES 55%Fri 7 PM · @ Saint FrancisFri 7 PM · @ Saint Franc…Aquinas vs Xavier · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at UW - La CrosseES pick: Aquinas, 70.3% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.3 AquinasES 70%6 XavierFri 7 PM · @ UW - La CrosseFri 7 PM · @ UW - La Cro…West Salem vs Wisconsin Dells · Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · at West SalemES pick: West Salem, 99.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 West…ES 100%7 Wisconsin De…Fri 7 PM · @ West SalemFri 7 PM · @ West SalemES pick: Racine St. Catherine's, 88.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Racine…ES 89%5 Shoreland Lu…EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/303 AquinasES pick: West Salem, 83.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 West S…ES 84%EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/301 Racine St. C…ES pick: West Salem, 80.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 West S…ES 81%EWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/6EWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/6ES pick: Freedom, 71.1% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: neutral.1 FreedomES 71%1 Little ChuteEWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/13EWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/13State semifinal1 Lake MillsES pick: West Salem, 73.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: neutral.2 West S…ES 74%EWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/13EWERT’S PICK · Fri 11/13State semifinalES pick: Freedom, 81.2% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:07.507Z; assumed venue: neutral.1 FreedomES 81%2 West SalemEWERT’S PICKEWERT’S PICKState final · ES pick: FreedomLevel 1Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMLevel 1Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMLevel 2Fri, Oct 30 · 7 PMLevel 2Fri, Oct 30 · 7 PMLevel 3Fri, Nov 6 · 7 PMLevel 3Fri, Nov 6 · 7 PMLevel 4Fri, Nov 13 · 7 PMLevel 4Fri, Nov 13 · 7 PMRegion ARegion BRegion CRegion D

Division 4 · Week 9 field and cut line

Table-only view →

Since week 8: in Black River Falls (40 → 32) · out Kewaskum (30 → 33). Biggest climbs: Fuller Collegiate Academy ▲9, Black River Falls ▲8, Osceola ▲5. Biggest drops: Edgerton ▼6, Denmark ▼5, Saint Francis ▼3.

The seed column is WIAA’s. Rank, totals and the cut line are still our unofficial numbers, so a team can sit on the other side of our line from WIAA’s field.

Rank+/−TeamCityW-LTotalTier 1 AVGTier 2 AVGTier 2 WinsWIAA Seed
1–Freedom checkFreedom28.941-A
2▲2Lake Mills checkLake Mills22.171-C
3–Racine St. Catherine's checkRacine21.611-D
4▼2Little Chute checkLittle Chute21.441-B
5–West Salem checkWest Salem20.442-D
6▲1Northwestern checkMaple20.062-A
7▼1Stratford checkStratford19.672-B
8–Edgewood checkMadison19.112-C
9▲5Osceola checkOsceola18.283-A
10–Aquinas checkLa Crosse17.393-D
11▼2Delavan-Darien checkDelavan16.783-C
12▲9Fuller Collegiate Academy checkMilwaukee16.073-B
13–Lodi checkLodi15.504-B
14▼3Saint Francis checkSaint Francis15.104-D
15▼3Platteville checkPlatteville14.394-C
16▲1Lakeside Lutheran checkLake Mills14.224-A
17▼1Evansville checkEvansville14.115-C
18▼3Berlin checkBerlin13.835-A
19–Shoreland Lutheran checkKenosha12.005-D
20▼2Mauston checkMauston11.785-B
21▼1Xavier checkAppleton11.176-D
22–Ashland checkAshland10.116-A
23▲1Wrightstown checkWrightstown10.006-B
24▲1Campbellsport checkCampbellsport9.896-C
25▲4Seymour checkSeymour9.567-B
26▲1Ripon checkRipon9.227-C
27▲4Somerset checkSomerset8.397-A
28–Wisconsin Dells checkWisconsin Dells8.287-D
29▼6Edgerton checkEdgerton8.118-C
30▲2Turner checkBeloit7.728-D
31▼5Denmark checkDenmark7.448-B
32▲8Black River Falls checkBlack River Falls6.448-A in
Our unofficial cut line · top 32 by our numbers
33▼3Kewaskum checkBelow cut lineKewaskum6.17Not in WIAA field dropped
34▼1Oconto Falls checkBelow cut lineOconto Falls5.50Not in WIAA field
35▼1Saint Thomas More checkBelow cut lineMilwaukee5.16Not in WIAA field
36▲8Waupun checkBelow cut lineWaupun5.11Not in WIAA field
37▲1Altoona checkBelow cut lineAltoona4.72Not in WIAA field
38▼1Marinette checkBelow cut lineMarinette4.70Not in WIAA field
39▼3Kohler checkBelow cut lineKohler4.67Not in WIAA field
40▼5Jefferson checkBelow cut lineJefferson4.44Not in WIAA field
41▼2Brown Deer checkBelow cut lineBrown Deer3.93Not in WIAA field
42▼1Saint Croix Central checkBelow cut lineHammond3.72Not in WIAA field
43–Big Foot checkBelow cut lineWalworth3.17Not in WIAA field
44▼2Two Rivers checkBelow cut lineTwo Rivers3.14Not in WIAA field
45–Whitewater checkBelow cut lineWhitewater1.89Not in WIAA field
46–Milwaukee School of Languages checkBelow cut lineMilwaukee1.22Not in WIAA field
47–Mosinee checkBelow cut lineMosinee0.61Not in WIAA field
48T–Ellsworth checkBelow cut lineEllsworth0.00Not in WIAA field
48T–North Fond du Lac checkBelow cut lineNorth Fond du Lac0.00Not in WIAA field
48T–Sheboygan Falls checkBelow cut lineSheboygan Falls0.00Not in WIAA field
—Milwaukee Madison checkMilwaukee0.00Excluded
—Northwood/Solon Springs checkProgram eligibility not verified0-0————Unverified
—Winter/Birchwood checkProgram eligibility not verified0-0————Unverified

Wisconsin programs continue below the cut line in the same table. Eligibility notes use the published WIAA record; where it does not identify the reason, we say so. A three-year enrollment average above 200 can have a second-year commitment exception.

About this projection

When the games are played. Level 1: Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · Level 2: Friday, October 30, 7:00 PM · Level 3: Friday, November 6, 7:00 PM · Level 4: Friday, November 13, 7:00 PM. Days and times are WIAA’s as of October 17 (Central time); WIAA’s bracket page has any change.

This is WIAA’s bracket, released October 17, 2026 (WIAA’s bracket page). The region letters A to D are ours, in the order of WIAA’s page; WIAA prints none. See our own projection through week 9 →

Ewert’s picks are guesses. Hypothetical playoff winners use the current ES model and rated snapshots, not seeds. Early rounds assume the higher seed hosts; state semifinals and final assume a neutral site. No new games, results or forecasts are saved. ES basis: week 9, 10/22/26, 5:39 AM Central. Missing or near-even inputs remain TBD.

Official bracket, unofficial table. The bracket above and the seeds are WIAA’s, as published October 17, 2026. Everything else on this page (rank, totals, the cut line, the weekly movement and the worked example) is still our own calculation, described below.

How our projection was made. Seeds come from the unofficial playoff matrix above (WIAA’s formula on the results we hold, 2026 regulations). Regions and Level 1 pairings follow the regulations’ travel rules with an approximation: straight-line miles between school ZIP centroids instead of WIAA’s travel distances, so a region letter or a pairing near the margin can differ. Slots: WIAA's official bracket where stored, projected elsewhere. Through week 9 (games dated Friday 2026-10-16 or earlier; WIAA deadline: completion before 11:59 p.m. Central; stored dates do not establish finish times). 32 of 50 in the field.

How WIAA builds the bracket, and how to check a team

  1. Tier 1 points. Every win earns points set by the team you beat: Division 1 = 6.5, D2 = 6.0, D3 = 5.5, D4 = 5.0, D5 = 4.5, D6 = 4.0, D7 = 3.5. A tie earns half. A loss earns nothing. A forfeit win earns the full value. Tier 1 AVG = Tier 1 points ÷ games played (at most 9).
  2. Tier 2 points. Add up their Tier 1 points for every team you beat (a team you tied is not beaten and adds no points). Opponents’ games = the games played by every team you played, won, lost or tied, added together (each counted up to 9). Tier 2 AVG = Tier 2 points ÷ opponents’ games, and the Tier 2 score is 9 × Tier 2 AVG. WIAA’s rule: “Divide Tier 2 points by opponents’ games played and multiply by 9 (this is a 100% bonus to the Strength of Victory) to get the Tier 2 score.”
  3. Total (PQS) = Tier 1 AVG + 9 × Tier 2 AVG. WIAA’s own example: Franklin 2024, 56.0 ÷ 9 + 228.5 ÷ 81 × 9 = 31.61. Ties in Total are broken by Tier 3, the average of the Tier 2 scores of the teams you beat.
  4. Replacement games. If a team replaced a forfeit win with a new game that week, the forfeit counts when the replacement was lost; when it was won, whichever is worth more counts (regulations 3h). WIAA prints such games as “Seeding Only”. When you beat a team in its replacement game, your Tier 2 points count that team’s Tier 1 points without the forfeit win it kept that week.
  5. Field and seeds. Teams are ranked inside their division by Total. The top 32 qualify after Week 9. Ranks 1–4 are the #1 seeds, 5–8 the #2 seeds, and so on to #8. The four #1 seeds anchor four regions: the #1- and #4-ranked go to one half of the state bracket, #2 and #3 to the other. #2 seeds join the nearest #1 seed, #3 and #4 seeds their likely second-round opponents, and #5–#8 are placed by the shortest total travel. Level 1 is #8 at #1, #5 at #4, #7 at #2 and #6 at #3 in each region.

Worked example: Lake Mills (rank 2, seed 1)

DateOpponentResultOpponent’s valueTier 1 earnedOpp. Tier 1 pointsOpp. gamesCounts?
2026-08-21FreedomL5 (D4)0.00—9yes
2026-08-28McFarlandW5.5 (D3)5.5021.509yes
2026-09-04Lakeside LutheranW5 (D4)5.0028.509yes
2026-09-11ColumbusW4.5 (D5)4.5010.009yes
2026-09-18LodiW5 (D4)5.0030.509yes
2026-09-25EdgertonW5 (D4)5.0020.009yes
2026-10-02JeffersonW5 (D4)5.0015.009yes
2026-10-09Big FootW5 (D4)5.008.509yes
2026-10-16PortageW5.5 (D3)5.5025.009yes

Tier 1 AVG = 40.50 ÷ 9 = 4.500. Tier 2 points = 21.50 + 28.50 + 10.00 + 30.50 + 20.00 + 15.00 + 8.50 + 25.00 = 159.00; opponents’ games = 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 81; Tier 2 AVG = 159.00 ÷ 81 = 1.963. Total = 4.500 + 9 × 1.963 = 22.17 (Tier 3 tie-break 6.60).

To check another team’s numbers, open its row’s “check” link in the tables above. Confirmed matchups in the bracket open game pages; team pages are linked in the field table and on each game page.

WIAA Football Playoff Brackets: Official and Projected | Ewert Sports | Ewert Sports