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NFHS - New Blocking, Kicking Rules Address Risk Minimization in High School Football

New rules on blindside blocking are the most recent steps taken by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee in minimizing the risks associated with the sport.

Mayo Clinic Study: School Football Does Not Increase Risk of Degenerative Brain Diseases

A Mayo Clinic study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that varsity football players from 1956 to 1970 did not have an increased risk of degenerative brain diseases, compared with athletes in other varsity sports.

Kimberly Wins Fourth Straight Football Title

KImberly (14-0) became just the second program in State finals history to win at least four straight championship by winning the Division 1 title with 29-14 win over Franklin (12-2) in the title game Friday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis.

Brookfield East Wins First Title with Division 2 Crown

Brookfield East (12-2) captured the State championship in its first title game appearance with a 42-36 triumph over Monona Grove (11-3) Friday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis.

At the onset, it appeared the gold trophy was going to be in the possession of the Silver Eagles. They scored on the opening drive, marching 79 yards in nine plays. Jackson Thomsen culminated the drive by scoring on a 13-yard scamper to give Monona Grove a 7-0 lead. Spencer Hampton blocked a punt on the ensuing Spartans’ possession, and Willie Klein recovered the ball in the end zone to give the Silver Eagles a 14-0 lead.

Sam Santiago-Lloyd led the Spartans on a 65-yard drive and scored the first of his State finals record five rushing touchdowns on a 6-yard run with 2:30 remaining in first quarter to cut the Monona Grove lead in half. Santiago-Lloyd scored his second touchdown on a 1-yard plunge on the Spartans next possession to tie the game at 14-14 with 9:45 left in the second quarter.

Monona Grove regained the lead at 21-14 just 14 second later on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Alec Ogden to Andryi Nahirniak. The Spartans would tie the game at 21-21 late in the first half on a 22-yard connection from Jake Graf to Patrick Cartier.

Santiago-Lloyd scored his third and fourth touchdowns of the game on a 7-yard run with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter and on a 14-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to give the Spartans a 35-21 advantage.

The Silver Eagles narrowed their deficit to 35-28 with 4:42 remaining in the game on a 5-yard run by Ogden. Santiago-Lloyd scored his fifth rushing touchdown on a 42-yard burst on a four-and-one situation with 2:31 remaining in the game.

Monona Grove completed the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Ogden to Frankie Langer with just under a minute to play. The Spartans covered the ensuing onside kick to secure the title.

The Spartans rushed for 378 yards in the game, led by Santiago-Lloyd with 197 yards and five touchdowns on 37 carries. Jake Graf ran 25 times for 170 yards, and he completed 3-of-4 passes for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Ogden connected on 10-of-15 passes for 138 yards a touchdown for Monona Grove. Andryi Nahirniak led all receivers with four catches for 111 yards and a score. Thomsen led the Silver Eagles in rushing, compiling 94 yards on 14 carries.

Monona Grove finishes runner-up for the second time in its five State finals appearances.

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Catholic Memorial Downs Notre Dame for Division 3 Title

In a rematch of last year’s title game, Catholic Memorial (14-0) avenged last year’s loss with a 24-14 win over Notre Dame (12-2) to win the Division 3 championship Friday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

The Crusaders wasted little time putting points on the scoreboard. On the third play of the game, Jaylen Campbell sprinted 70 yards down the sideline for a touchdown to give Catholic Memorial a 7-0 lead. The Tritons responded with an 80-yard drive of its own on their first possession, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Nate Ihlenfeldt to tie the game 7-7.

After the Crusaders intercepted a pass late in the first quarter, they regained the lead on a perfectly thrown 62-yard strike from Ben Nimz to Max Cooper with two minutes remaining in the first quarter to go ahead 14-7.

The score remained unchanged until late in the third quarter. A tipped Notre Dame pass fell into the arms of the Crusaders’ Eric Fridl, who raced 44 yards down the sideline into the end zone to give Catholic Memorial a 21-7 lead with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter. Fridl converted on a 27-yard field goal to provide the Crusaders with insurance and increase their lead to 24-7. The Tritons added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 7-yard toss from Johnny Santaga to Ihlenfeldt to account for the final score.

Campbell rushed for a game-high 167 yards and a touchdown for Catholic Memorial. Nimz completed 6-of-10 passes for 125 yards and a score. Cooper led the Crusaders in receiving with four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Eric Fridl kicked pair of field goals, had an interception return for a touchdown and made six tackles in the game. TJ Goetz led the defense with eight tackles, including two sacks and two deflected passes.

Santaga connected on 15-of-27 passes for 148 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions for the Tritons. Ihlenfeldt paced the Notre Dame ground game with 84 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and he snatched a game-high five passes for 35 yards and a score. Ryan O’Connell and Danny Stewart led the Tritons’ defense with nine tackles apiece.

Last year’s runner-up Catholic Memorial wins its second State championship in its fifth finals appearance, also winning the Division 3 title in 2012. The 2015 champion Notre Dame finishes runner-up in its fourth experience in the championship game.

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