No. 3-ranked Aquinas a win away from defending state championship

The Aquinas High School football team is a win away from defending last year’s Division 5 state championship.

The Blugolds (11-1) play unranked Kewaunee (11-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Wisconsin Rapids High School, as all state semifinal games are played at a neutral site.

Aquinas, ranked third in the Small Division, has won 27 of 28 games.

The Blugolds’ only loss came to seventh-ranked (Medium) West Salem (11-1) in the final week of the regular season, 28-14. The Panthers are playing for a Division 3 state berth against Onalaska (12-0) at Logan High.

The winner plays Mayville (12-0), which is ranked second (Medium) and lost to Aquinas in last year’s state title 28-26, or unranked Prairie du Chien (10-2) at Camp Randall Stadium on Nov. 17.

The Blugolds beat PdC 34-14 in Week 1.

The last time Kewaunee was at state was 2007 and it played, coincidentally, Aquinas, losing 27-0.