Wisconsin high school football playoffs begin with key matchups

The 2026 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) high school football playoffs kicked off with the first round, or Level 1, on Friday, October 23, according to Yahoo Sports.

Coverage included live updates and reports from two games: Slinger at West Bend West and Franklin at Kenosha Bradford. The Journal Sentinel also provided live coverage of the night's action.

Several notable matchups were scheduled, including No. 5 Milwaukee Pulaski Co-op at No. 4 Milwaukee Reagan, No. 6 Milwaukee Bradley Tech/Arts at No. 3 Kenosha Indian Trail, and No. 6 Milwaukee Lutheran at No. 3 New Berlin Eisenhower, among others.

A total of 46 Milwaukee-area programs are competing across five divisions, with five teams holding No. 1 seeds in their respective brackets. The playoffs will ultimately crown seven state champions at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison about a month from the opening round.

Reporters Zac Bellman and Michael Whitlow provided predictions for potential sleepers, final four participants, and champions in each division as the postseason chase began.