Wisconsin
Eight-player high school football is growing in Wisconsin. Here’s how it works
Since the WIAA membership reinstated eight-player football in Wisconsin in 2012, participation has quadrupled, going from 16 teams that first year to 66 in the 2024 season.
The reduced-player game is mostly an option for smaller schools, allowing them to continue to play, and often be more competitive, while maintaining their identity by not becoming part of a co-op program or dropping football altogether.
Here’s a look at the game:
What is eight-player high school football?
The game is, as its name indicates, played with three fewer players per side than traditional football, a tweak that allows programs that otherwise might not have enough players to still compete.
An offense is limited to three interior lineman and has one fewer eligible receiver. Defenses operate with one fewer level of secondary.
Reduced-player football dates to the Great Depression, with the six-man game beginning in Nebraska in 1934.
Is a standard field used for eight-player football?
National rules call for a field 80 yards long instead of 100 and 140 feet wide rather than 160, but the WIAA permits an exception.
So in Wisconsin, 100 yards is considered the standard length – that avoids schools needing to move goal posts if they change from eight- to 11-player or vice versa – while fields are narrowed by 20 feet. A few Wisconsin teams do play on 80-yard fields, said Chad Schultz, an assistant director for the WIAA who oversees eight-player football.
When did eight-player football begin in Wisconsin?
Reduced-player football became an option for Wisconsin high schools in 1937 with a six-player version, and eight-player came along in shortly thereafter.
How many eight-player high school football teams are there in Wisconsin?
Sixty-six programs are fielding eight-player teams in the 2024 season, and 50 of those teams are playoff eligible, according to the WIAA.
Those 16 teams ineligible for the playoffs may exceed enrollment caps or may initially have committed to 11-player football for 2024-25.
Before World War II, there were as many as 90 schools taking part in Wisconsin’s six- or eight-player options.
The WIAA didn’t sanction reduced-player football once the modern playoff system came to be in 1976 but reinstated the sport in 2012, when 16 teams took part.
Why do some Wisconsin schools opt for eight-player football?
When short on numbers, schools can face the choice of forming co-op programs with others schools, moving to the eight-player game or dropping the sport altogether, coaches and administrators say. With eight-player, the program maintains its school identity and has a greater opportunity to be competitive, which in turn tends to increase interest and participation.
Decreasing overall enrollment and additional extracurricular offerings for students that have cut into football participation are the general reasons offered as to why programs have made the change from 11-player football.
South Shore, a school that sits along Lake Superior in Port Wing with 68 students, is the smallest school to play a game this season. Cambria-Friesland with 113 is the smallest to compete in 11-player, and Middleton with 2,388 is the largest.
Is eight-player football an option for large WIAA member high schools?
Although only teams with a three-year enrollment average of 200 or fewer are eligible for the playoffs, larger schools can play.
One example: Wausau East has had about 1,000 students, but coming out of the COVID-19-affected 2020 season was left with few juniors and seniors in its football program, so it took part in eight-player in 2021. The team went 1-5.
Which Wisconsin high school has won the most eight-player football championships?
Newman Catholic of Wausau has won two championships (2021, 2022) since the playoffs began in 2018. Newman and Luck are the only programs to have played in three championship games.
Which Wisconsin high schools have qualified for the eight-player football playoffs most?
Two-time champion Newman Catholic, defending-champion Florence, Northwood/Solon Springs and Oakfield all have made the playoffs five times.
Gibraltar, Chippewa Falls McDonell Catholic, Shell Lake and Wabeno/Laona have qualified four times.
Wisconsin
Cult-classic filmed in central Wisconsin returns to big screen, with enhancements, this weekend
STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) – A giant spider isn’t actually invading central Wisconsin this weekend.
But an enhanced, big-screen version of the cult-classic 1975 film The Giant Spider Invasion is crawling back into local theaters — and it’s bringing some central Wisconsin nostalgia with it.
The movie was famously filmed in Merrill and Stevens Point, and the updated 2026 release adds enhancements designed for a modern theatrical experience.
What’s new in the 2026 enhanced version?
Executive Producer J.B. Thompson says the team took the original 1975 film and enhanced it for the big screen in 2026, giving audiences a refreshed way to experience a movie that’s long been a Wisconsin oddity — and a point of pride.
Actor and Producer Dan Davies is featured in newly filmed scenes created specifically for this updated release.
Stevens Point’s role in the original film
While much of the film is associated with Merrill, Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza says Point also played a major role in the production — another reason the film’s return matters to local history buffs and movie fans alike.
Why does this movie still capture attention 50 years later?
Whether it’s the over-the-top creature feature story, the uniquely Wisconsin filming locations, or the nostalgia of seeing familiar places on screen, the group says the film’s staying power is real — even five decades later.
Screenings this weekend
The enhanced version of The Giant Spider Invasion is set for local screenings this weekend in Central and North Central Wisconsin. To purchase tickets for showings in Stevens Point, Marshfield or Waupaca, click here.
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Copyright 2026 WSAW. All rights reserved.
A Wisconsin man has been arrested in Colorado in connection with a fatal north suburban hit-and-run earlier this year that left a 50-year-old woman killed.
According to the Winthrop Harbor Police Department, Travis Kern, 35, of Pleasant Prairie, turned himself into police in Lakewood Colorado on an arrest warrant. Kern was charged with two felonies, police said, and remains in custody in Colorado pending extradition proceedings.
About 11:10 p.m. on February 26, a pedestrian was struck in the 1400 block of Sheridan Road in Winthrop Harbor by a driver of a vehicle heading northbound. The vehicle then fled the scene, police said.
The pedestrian, later identified as Shanna White, 50, of Waukegan, was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to court documents, Kern’s next scheduled court date is set for July 22.
WHITEWATER, Wis. (WMTV) – The Kids from Wisconsin troupe is kicking off its 56th annual tour this week.
Kids from Wisconsin is a traveling show with 22 singer-dancers and 14 band members. The troupe performs across Wisconsin, hosting workshops for kids and helping fundraise for youth arts programs.
This year’s theme is “America’s Soundtrack: The Pulse of a Nation.” The theme honors the 250th anniversary of America and features music by all-American composers, bands and performers.
Kids from Wisconsin bassist and student leader Alex Coller said that range is what makes this year’s tour stand out.
“The theme is really just celebrating American music. And I think it’s definitely one of the most cohesive and like diverse shows I have played with this organization,” Coller said. “Even though its just American music it’s really cool to see. Anyone no matter who you are, or what your musical background is, or whether you like music or not, there is something here for everyone to enjoy.”
Kids from Wisconsin’s artistic and choral director, Taras Nahirniak, said audiences won’t want to miss it.
“Find a show near you, you are not going to want to miss this show. It’s just spectacular, the kids are so talented,” Nahirniak said. “We are just finishing up our camp right now, and they are just working their tails off. To really go around the state and show the state what they have.”
The tour premieres Thursday night at Young Auditorium in Whitewater. For tickets, tour dates or to find a show, visit kidsfromwi.org.
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Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
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