Division 3 champion: Catholic Memorial Crusaders
Final record: 14-0
State-title game: Catholic Memorial 24, Green Bay Notre Dame 14
Conference: 7-0 in Classic 8
Championship moment: In a game where both teams had trouble with turnovers, the biggest came with 2:38 left in the third quarter, as Eric Fridl took an interception return 44 yards for a score that put CMH ahead, 21-7. The Crusaders added the gold ball to their trophy case alongside the title in 2012 and runner-up finishes in 2001, 2010 and 2015.
Title-game stats: Jaylen Campbell ran 22 times for 167 yards and a touchdown. Max Cooper caught four passes for 78 yards and a score, and Luke Groehler posted a team-best eight tackles with one for loss. CJ Goetz also had eight tackles and two sacks. Fridl, Oechsner and Austin Ciezki came away with interceptions.
Playoff ladder: Catholic Memorial defeated New Berlin West (33-6), Wisconsin Lutheran (30-27), Kewaskum (35-7) and Pewaukee (30-7)
Of note: Playing in a conference of much larger schools, CMH won the outright conference title in the Classic 8 for the first time since 2000.
Eric Fridl, who kicked a 51-yard field goal to save Memorial in Level 2 against Wisconsin Lutheran as time expired, missed two field goals in the first half. One was from 48 yards and one in close as time ran down, which was blocked and deflected off the crossbar.
This was a rematch of a 2015 battle that ended with Notre Dame victorious, 19-17. That game featured four interceptions and late heroics by Notre Dame that sent CMH to a crushing defeat after it had the ball with a one-score lead on the 3-yard line of Notre Dame and just 4:30 left in the game.
Bill Young didn’t have an answer when asked postgame if this was his last game as head football coach, saying there was no decision right now. The Hall of Fame coach now has two titles and three runner-up trophies since the WIAA-WISAA merger in 2000.
Leaders: Wide receiver Max Cooper didn’t receive any All-State accolades, but he finished with 50 receptions for 1,024 yards and 17 touchdowns. On the ground, Jaylen Campbell racked up 1,333 yards and 16 touchdowns, and Tony Wojnowski had another 894 yards. Ben Nimz threw for 2,032 yards and 18 scores, completing 63 percent of his passes. On defense, CJ Goetz was a monster, racking up 120 tackles, 20 for loss, three fumble recoveries and six sacks. Luke Groehler added 107 tackles, Campbell had six sacks, Mike Oechsner had eight interceptions and Eric Fridl had four interceptions. The junior inside linebacker Goetz was named first-team All State and is getting Division 1 consideration. Campbell was named first team at outside linebacker, and Oechsner was named first team at defensive back. Honorable-mention All State choices included offensive lineman Bruce Mesa, tight end Austin Young and Fridl at kicker.
Runner-up: Notre Dame (12-2) incurred just two losses, one to top Division 1 squad Bay Port and one in the title game. Nate Ihlenfeldt was a first-team All State running back, racking up 2,257 yards on the ground. The defending state champ also won the state title in 2003 and finished as state runner-up in 2000.