Jim Garvey
Jim Garvey Draven Peeples (running the ball) is part of a dynamic Sun Prairie team that could end the championship streak of the Kimberly Papermakers.
The Sun Prairie High School football team outscored its nine regular-season and four playoff opponents, 497-99. Now, the Cardinals have an opportunity few teams ever even imagine: Not only are they playing for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Division 1 state championship on Nov. 17 at Camp Randall Stadium, but Sun Prairie also could end the longest active winning streak in the country.
The 13-0 Cardinals will play Kimberly High School, which has won 69 straight games dating back to August 2013, including a 31-14 victory over Appleton North to put the Papermakers in a position to take home their fourth Division 1 state title. (Kimberly also won state at the Division 2 level in 2013.) Kickoff is at 4 p.m.
In Sun Prairie’s 26-21 semifinal victory over Muskego, the Cardinals gave up more points (and scored fewer of them) than they did in a single game all season. But this program has not won a state title since 1995 and hasn’t been to the title game since 2012, and if ever a group of players were primed for a championship, it’s these guys — anchored by senior running back Draven Peeples, who has 19 touchdowns and 1,119 yards on the season.
Two other area teams also will compete at Camp Randall. Undefeated Waunakee, led by formidable defense and running back Javian Dayne (son of Ron Dayne, the former University of Wisconsin and NFL running back who won the 1999 Heisman Trophy), will meet undefeated Brookfield Central on Nov. 17 for the Division 2 championship at 1 p.m. This marks the ninth trip to state for the Warriors, who have won the title five times since 1999 — most recently in 2011.
Lodi (13-0) will play defending state champion Hammond St. Croix Central (12-1) for the Division 4 title on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils are seeking redemption after an early exit from the playoffs last year and a shutout loss to Osceola in the 2015 championship game.
If you’ve never been to Camp Randall for this annual high school sports tradition, consider making the trip this year to support three area teams and, in the case of the Division 1 game, witness history. If the Papermakers win, Kimberly will be only the second program in Wisconsin ever to win five or more consecutive state championships; if the Cardinals win, they will forever be known as the team that toppled a dynasty.
