Division 1 champion: Kimberly Papermakers
Final record: 14-0
State-title game: Kimberly 29, Franklin 14
Conference: 8-0 in Valley North
Championship moment: Either of DJ Stewart’s fourth quarter touchdowns, the scores that accounted for the winning margin, can be considered daggers in Franklin’s upset bid, which featured a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Title-game stats: DJ Stewart ran for 108 yards and the two scores, and Danny Vanden Boom hit 12 of 20 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Alec Rosner caught three passes for 71 yards and one of those scores. The Papermakers forced five turnovers, and Alex Warzyn had a fumble recovery and interception to lead the defense. Kyle Mayfield made nine tackles.
Playoff ladder: Kimberly defeated Milwaukee Vincent (78-0), Appleton West (42-7), Fond du Lac (32-29) and Stevens Point (28-7)
Of note: Kimberly’s 56-game winning streak, which includes four state titles, is the longest current winning streak in the nation.
The state-title game marked the first time since 2010 that the Papermakers were shut out in the first half of a football game. They scored 29 unanswered points in the second half to secure the win. In 2015, down 42-21, Kimberly rallied for 28 unanswered points to shock Arrowhead in the Division 1 title game.
Kimberly trailed in its Level 3 game with Fond du Lac, 29-26, with 5:06 to go before driving 69 yards and scoring on a touchdown pass between Vanden Boom and Tyler Verstegen to avoid the upset.
Leaders: DJ Stewart ran for 1,857 yards and 32 touchdowns, filling in admirably for graduated state Player of the Year Blair Mulholland. Zach Miller added 872 yards and nine scores. Vanden Boom, committed to play at the University of Wisconsin, completes 67 percent of his passes and finished the year with 2,166 yards passing and 31 touchdowns to just five interceptions.Tyler Verstegen was the top receiver, with 608 yards and seven touchdowns, though Tyler Bruss also had 559 yards receiving and three scores. First-team All State choices included Logan McCormick at defensive end, Tyler Staerkel at outside linebacker, Logan Bruss at offensive line, Stewart and Vanden Boom. Honorable-mention choices were Kyle Mayfield at inside linebacker and Adam Stage at kicker.
Runner-up: Franklin (12-2) graduated 28 seniors off last year’s Level 4 team and lost its season opener before winning 12 straight, including convincing Level 3 and Level 4 playoff wins over Marquette and Badger, respectively. Quarterback Max Alba, an honorable-mention All State pick, finished the year with 2,544 yards passing and 29 touchdowns. Defensive lineman Hawk Wimmer was a first-team All State pick.