Two undefeated schools that have dominated their opponents this season will compete for the eighth WIAA eight-player football state championship on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. at South Wood County Stadium in Wisconsin Rapids.
Belmont and Gilman both enter with 12-0 records and seek their first eight-player state championship. Gilman was the state runner-up last season, while Belmont finished runner-up in 2022. Belmont has outscored its 12 opponents by a total score of 637-109, and Gilman has outscored its opponents by a combined 612-32. Both teams have not had a game decided by fewer than 20 points this season.
Belmont is in its fifth appearance in the eight-year history of the eight-player football playoffs. The Braves advanced to the title game in 2022, falling to Newman Catholic 54-0. Belmont made 11 appearances in the 11-player football playoffs and reached the Division 7 finals in 2007, but lost to Regis 42-0.
Belmont, the Ridge and Valley Conference champion, reached this year’s finals with a 50-26 semifinal win over Wabeno/Laona. The Braves beat Wild Rose 74-12 in Level 1, Palmyra-Eagle 50-0 in Level 2, and Oakfield 48-6 in the sectional final.
Gilman is also in the eight-player playoffs for the fifth time and lost to McDonnell Central 22-0 in last year’s championship game. The Pirates own three 11-player state titles in 15 playoff appearances. They defeated Cambridge 44-12 in Division 6 in 1986, beat Eleva-Strum 42-0 in Division 7 in 2006 and downed Catholic Central 42-13 for the Division 7 crown in 2010. Gilman lost to Pacelli 46-20 in the Division 7 final in 2005.
Gilman advanced to this year’s championship game with a 47-0 semifinal win over North Central Conference-East Division rival Owen-Withee. The Pirates opened with a 55-6 win over Frederic in Level 1 and then beat Clear Lake 50-0 in Level 2 and Athens 57-0 in the sectional final.
Reduced-player football history
Reduced-player football has had a long history in the association. The WIAA?introduced a reduced-player football option for the first time in 1937 with a six-player option intended to serve small schools. An eight-player option was introduced a few years later, and prior to 1941, there were 90 schools playing either six- or eight-player football. World War II had an impact as the number of reduced-player teams declined to 70. In 1950, there were 50 six-player teams and 26 eight-player squads. By 1956, the eight-player game had all but replaced the six-player option as 71 programs were playing eight-player to only six schools sponsoring the six-player option. By 1969, almost every football program was 11-player, with the number of teams playing eight-player dwindling to six. In 2012, the WIAA reinstated reduced-player football with 16 teams optioning for the eight-player format that season. In 2018, an eight-team playoff began, which expanded to 16 teams in 2019 and then to 32 teams in 2025.
Facts and Figures
There are 68 programs sponsoring eight-player football in 2026, and 53 were tournament eligible. There were several schools participating in the eight-player program that were ineligible for the post-season tournament because their three-year average enrollment exceeds 200, which is the threshold to be eligible for the eight-player tournament.
Key Differences in the Game
In addition to having only eight players on the field per side, the game differs slightly from the 11-player format in both field configuration and rules. The eight-player field is 40 yards wide, and the distance between the hash marks is narrower than the 11-player field. The playing rules differ from the 11-player in that there must be at least three players on the offensive line of scrimmage at the snap. Each player who is at the end of the line of scrimmage and each of the three players behind the line of scrimmage are eligible and may have any jersey number.
