Kimberly’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer sparks overtime win vs Pewaukee
Ava Van Vonderen’s triple sent the game to overtime, and the Papermakers took advantage as they went on to nip the Pirates 48-47 on Saturday in a matchup of two of the state’s top teams.
- Several Wisconsin high school teams, including Kimberly girls basketball and Winneconne football, won state championships in 2025.
- The Kaukauna wrestling and softball teams both secured state titles, with the wrestling team earning its fifth consecutive championship.
- The WIAA overwhelmingly passed a proposal allowing high school student-athletes to pursue Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities.
- Longtime Kaukauna coaches Tim Roehrig (softball) and Mike Schalow (boys basketball) announced their retirements.
The Kimberly girls basketball team’s incredible run to a WIAA Division 1 state title last March was one of excellence and redemption.
To get to the state tournament, the Papermakers had to defeat the one team that had given them their lone loss of the season – Pewaukee. Kimberly did just that, winning a thrilling sectional final game that catapulted the Papermakers to the Resch Center, where they would defeat Appleton East in the D1 semifinal before dispatching Muskego, 47-26, in the championship game.
It was the Papermakers’ first state title since a D2 crown in 1998 and their fifth overall.
Kimberly’s run to gold is the top story for the 2025 high school sports calendar year.
Here are the other top stories, in no particular order.
Winneconne captures Division 4 football title
The Winneconne football team gave its faithful a thrilling comeback victory in the Division 4 state title game. The Wolves beat Little Chute, 28-22, to claim their first state title since 2013.
Mason Mathe’s 8-yard touchdown run with 1:23 remaining secured the comeback victory for the Wolves. Winneconne was led by Iowa commit Brody Schaffer, who finished with three touchdowns total – two touchdown passes and another rushing. He also had an interception on defense.
Kaukauna earns fifth consecutive state wrestling title
Kaukauna wrestling and championships have been synonymous over the past decade.
The Ghosts routed Arrowhead, 54-13, to win the Division 1 championship at the UW Field House in Madison in March. Kaukauna won 11 of the 14 matches, including five by pin. The Ghosts finished 20-0 in dual matches. It was the ninth state title overall for Kaukauna, and its five consecutive titles ties it with Milwaukee South (1950-1954) and Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln (2003-2007). Rapids holds the record with seven consecutive crowns from 1995 to 2001.
WIAA passes Name, Image and Likeness proposal
The state prep landscape changed significantly with the WIAA’s passing of the Name, Image and Likeness proposal. The proposal passed overwhelmingly (293-108) by a vote of member schools in late April at SentryWorld in Stevens Point. The change allows student-athletes to enter into NIL opportunities for activities not associated with their school, team, conference or the WIAA.
Neenah girls win second straight D1 cross-country title
It was another dominating performance by the Neenah girls cross-country team as the Rockets won their second consecutive WIAA Division 1 state title this past October. Neenah placed four runners in the top 20, led by freshman Sam Zilm, who finished fourth overall.
Championship caps eventful spring for Kaukauna softball
The Kaukauna softball team returned to the top of the championship mountain with a 1-0 victory over Kenosha Bradford in the Division 1 state title game in June. The Ghosts got a solid pitching performance from three-time Gatorade state player of the year Karly Meredith, some superb defense and an RBI double from Lilly Boyle in the win.
The program also said goodbye to longtime coach Tim Roehrig, who announced his retirement soon after. He coached 27 years at Kaukauna, compiling 566 career wins and six state titles.
Freedom girls track claims second consecutive state title
The Freedom girls track and field team won its second consecutive Division 2 state title in June. Freedom finished with 40 points, just ahead of second-place University School of Milwaukee. Freedom had two individual champions, Claire Helmila in the 800 (2:12.76) and Lydia Merrick in the high jump (5-6). The Irish also scored points in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, triple jump, shot put, and the 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams.
Kaukauna’s Mike Schalow retires
Schalow, the dean of boys basketball coaches in the Fox Valley Association, retired in late May after 30 years as head coach of the Kaukauna boys basketball team. Schalow finished with a career record of 482-246, including 346-194 in the Fox Valley Association. He won a pair of Division 2 state titles with the Ghosts (2016, 2018).
Xavier girls soccer wins Division 4 state title
A strong postseason run lifted the Xavier girls soccer team to the Division 4 state crown. The Hawks defeated Ozaukee/Random Lake at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee, 2-0, to help the Hawks get their first state title since 2008. The Hawks got an early goal from Sydney Neilitz and another in the second half from Helayna Krueger.
Zephyrs doubles duo caps second consecutive undefeated season
The St. Mary Catholic girls tennis doubles team of Adel Schneider and Vivie Auth completed a rare back-to-back undefeated championship streak this fall. The duo finished 30-0 this season and defeated Kenosha St. Joseph’s Ava Miller and Parker Van Dusen 6-2, 6-1 to win their second consecutive WIAA Division 2 state doubles tennis title. Auth and Schneider extended their two-year undefeated record to 61-0.