DELAVAN, Wis. — Delavan-Darien has never won a state football championship, but they now stand as Walworth County's last team in the playoffs. The Comets last made the third round of the bracket in 2010.
Head coach Mark Kibler, a 2006 Delavan-Darien alum, has now led the Comets to the Division 4 playoffs for three straight seasons.
Delavan-Darien was previously eliminated in the second round each of the past two seasons before they upset Edgewood on the road last week, 42-35.
The 4th-seeded Comets will face top-seeded Lake Mills on the road Friday night.
Team announcer Dan Brandt, a former Delavan-Darien teacher, said the Comets' recent success has inspired the community.
"The bottom line is, these kids make the community proud," Brandt said. "How can you not be a fan of the Comets?"
Brandt said the community connection is deep because Kibler and the team's assistant coaches are also Delavan-Darien alumni.
"They were all in my classroom," Brandt said. "I think of them as kids, but now they're grown adults doing great things."
Delavan-Darien Booster Club treasurer Jennifer McKean said she has also noticed enthusiasm around the team, even when it isn't Friday night.
"Even when I'm out and about and I have my Delavan gear on, they say, 'Oh my gosh, it's fantastic, isn't it a great year?'" said McKean, whose son Braedyn is on the team. "It is awesome. It's so great and exciting."
While people Delavan and Darien are proud of the Comets' success, they are still keeping their eyes on the ultimate prize.
"If Delavan wins state, it will be mayhem," Brandt said.
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