This story is sponsored by: Chips Hamburgers of Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
The 2021 WIAA football playoff brackets have been released, with 19 area teams qualifying for the postseason.
Play begins with Level 1 games on Friday, Oct. 22, across Wisconsin in seven divisions.
In Division 1, Valley Football Association co-champion Stevens Point is the No. 4 seed in its group and will host a first-round game against No. 5 Chippewa Falls. In the same bracket, No. 8 D.C. Everest will travel to No. 1 seed Kimberly, and No. 2 Wausau West, also a co-champion in the VFA, will host No. 7 Neenah.
On the other side of the Division 1 bracket, the third team to tie for the VFA title, Wisconsin Rapids, is a No. 2 seed and will be home for a Level 1 game against No. 7 Oshkosh West.
In Division 2, Marshfield is the No. 8 seed in its group and will travel to play No. 1 seed Waunakee.
In Division 3, Great Northern Conference champion Mosinee landed a No. 1 seed and will host No. 8 Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles. Mosinee won the GNC matchup between the two teams back on Sept. 3, 47-7. In the same group in Division 3, No. 6 Medford will play at No. 3 Rice Lake.
Four area teams from the Central Wisconsin Conference Large Division were split into different groups in Division 5.
No. 3 Spencer/Columbus Catholic will host a Level 1 game against No. 6 St. Croix Falls and No. 2 Stratford will be at home against No. 7 Westby next Friday. If the home teams win, it will be Spencer/Columbus at Stratford in Level 2.
In the bottom half of the bracket, CWC Large champion Amherst is the No. 1 seed and will play at home against No. 8 Clintonville, and No. 2 Wittenberg-Birnamwood will host No. 7 Tomahawk.
In Division 6, Marawood Conference champion Colby is the No. 1 seed in its group and will play at home against No. 8 Oconto in Level 1. No. 4 Abbotsford will host No. 5 Crivitz in the same grouping, setting up a possible matchup between Colby and Abbotsford.
Also in Division 6, Auburndale earned a No. 6 seed and will play a Level 1 game at No. 3 Necedah.
The Division 7 field features two matchups between area teams that played against each other earlier this year, and five local teams in the same group.
No. 4 Edgar will host No. 5 Iola-Scandinavia after beating the Thunderbirds 36-0 back on Sept. 3.
Central Wisconsin Conference Small Division champion Stevens Point Pacelli is the No. 3 seed in the group and will host conference-rival No. 6 Wisconsin Rapids Assumption. Pacelli won that matchup back on Sept. 10, 49-20.
In the same group, No. 8 Loyal will play at No. 1 seed and undefeated Hurley.
Click here to view all of the brackets, courtesy of the WIAA.