GRAFTON, Wis. — The Grafton Black Hawks football team is heading to Madison for the state championship game Friday morning, and the school sent them off in style Thursday afternoon.
The Black Hawks will play for the Gold Ball at 10 a.m. Friday, seeking to complete a perfect 14-0 season. This marks the team's second trip to the state title game in recent years, after falling short in the 2023 championship.
Grafton High School celebrated the achievement Thursday with a drumline procession through the school halls as students and parents cheered on the football team.
Watch: Grafton students, parents cheer football team to state for the second time in three years
They are the second Grafton team to reach state competition in just a couple of weeks, following the girls' volleyball team's second-place finish.
"They're going to talk about this forever," said Ginger Lee Nelson, a Grafton teacher and parent whose son Jack is one of the team's running backs.
The Nelson family has made this trip to Madison before when Grafton lost in the title game in 2023, when Jack was a freshman.
"We didn't give up. We took it to them. We put everything on the line, and we are just so proud of our guys for working so hard," Nelson said.
Last week, Grafton overcame a three-touchdown fourth-quarter deficit against Catholic Memorial to advance to the championship. Max Glab sealed the Black Hawks' 35-28 victory, making the winning touchdown catch in overtime.
"(Our families) sacrifice so much for us, and we're willing to sacrifice everything for them," Glab said.
Senior quarterback Nick Schiller emphasized the rarity of getting a second chance at a title game in high school athletics.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but for us it's kind of twice in a lifetime, so just wanna go in there and get the win this time," Schiller said.
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