High school football is back in the state of Wisconsin, and 97.3 The Game will broadcast nine straight Fridays of action, beginning with three consecutive weeks featuring a defending state champion. Muskego, Brookfield East, and Catholic Memorial all took home the gold trophy last season, and for Muskego and Catholic Memorial, the victories made it back-to-back championships for the schools.

Our 2020 schedule features two intra-city clashes, as well as all seven scheduled match-ups featuring playoff teams from 2019. In addition to the three state champions, the schedule also includes two more teams that advanced to the state semifinals (Level 4) and all of last year's conference champions from the Classic 8, Greater Metro, and Woodland.

Every Iron Joc High School Game of the Week can be heard on 97.3 The Game, for free on the iHeartRadio app (click here), and on demand on iHeartRadio and 973thegame.com. Here is the 2020 schedule:

Week 1 (September 25) – Muskego at Arrowhead

In the season's opening week, two-time defending Division 1 champion Muskego battles perennial power Arrowhead in a Classic 8 clash. Defending state defensive player of the year Hunter Wohler of Muskego leads a star-powered Warriors squad into the 2020 season, as Muskego welcomes back two of the state's best running backs as well in Alex Current and Josh Blount. Mason Buehler is another top defensive back in a deep class statewide returning for the Warriors. Arrowhead, meanwhile, boasts two returning first-team All-Classic 8 performers in Owen Arnett at defensive back and Nate Hess at linebacker, as well as one of the state's top kickers in Tyler Bittman. | WSN Classic 8 Preview (Muskego, Arrowhead) (Click Here)

Week 2 (October 2) – Catholic Memorial at Brookfield Central

Our second broadcast of the season features another two-time defending state champion, Catholic Memorial, who took home titles in 2018 in Division 3 and 2019 in Division 4, squaring off with yet another one of the state's top annual programs in Brookfield Central. It wouldn't be a Catholic Memorial Crusaders team without a group of college prospects, and the senior class is strong yet again, led by offensive lineman Jim Schwaab and two-way threat Alex Oechsner on the outside. Junior Obacoso Allen ran for nearly 1,000 yards as a sophomore last year as well. Brookfield Central has one of the top defensive lineman in Wisconsin in Hayden Nelson, a force for the Lancers, as well as returning all-conference offensive lineman Zike Okoro and versatile athlete Cam Devine. This will also be the debut of Harrison-Thomas Stadium, named after Central alumni Kenny Harrison, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump, and Joe Thomas, a former Wisconsin Badgers football player who went on to have a Hall of Fame-caliber career in the NFL. | WSN Parkland Preview (Catholic Memorial) (Click Here) | WSN Greater Metro Conference Page (Brookfield Central) (Click Here)

Week 3 (October 9) – Brookfield East at Brookfield Central

A cross-town rivalry is the highlight of the third week of coverage this year, as we head to Brookfield for this year's East-Central showdown. Brookfield East won last year's Division 2 state championship in thrilling fashion over Waunakee, as the Spartans have won now two titles in the past four years. Returning all-conference players include defensive lineman Ryan Blomberg, defensive back Hayden Doyle, as well as standouts Harrison Kielar on the defensive line and Michael Weismueller on the offensive line. Central, as noted in Week 2's preview, will bring in some star power to match-up as well. | WSN Greater Metro Conference Page (Brookfield East, Brookfield Central) (Click Here)

Week 4 (October 16) – Waukesha West at Mukwonago

We head back to the Classic 8 for an intriguing match-up between a pair of teams that met in Week 9 a year ago, which ended up a classic as West defeated the Indians 38-35 to clinch their playoff spot, which also forced a tie for third place in the conference for each team. West advanced to Level 4 in Division 2, falling to Waunakee, while Mukwonago blasted Oak Creek before getting edged 17-7 by eventual state champion Muskego in Level 2. West boasts a star multi-sport athlete in Tyler Hug, who played receiver last year and will move to quarterback for 2020, as well as returning about half of their starters from a year ago. Mukwonago features one of the top athletes in Wisconsin in tight end Garrett Gillette, while also returning running back Cole Kaestner, who was the second-leading rusher for the team a season ago. | WSN Classic 8 Preview (Waukesha West, Mukwonago) (Click Here)

Week 5 (October 23) – Oak Creek at Franklin

Off to the Southeastern Conference we go in the season's fifth week to take in a battle between two of the conference's top contenders. Franklin is no stranger to the spotlight, and they boast one of the state's top Class of 2022 players in quarterback Myles Burkett, who had 33 total touchdowns (24 passing, nine rushing) a season ago, per wissports.net. The senior class features standout receiver Elliott Harris, while the junior class includes lineman Chad Schuster, along with Burkett at QB. Oak Creek brings back plenty of experience, including quarterback Jason Sinani and nine defensive starters, to challenge Franklin and Indian Trail this season in the conference. | WSN Southeastern Preview (Oak Creek, Franklin) (Click Here)

Week 6 (October 30) – New Berlin Eisenhower at Catholic Memorial

With all of the splintering of area conferences for the 2020 statewide realignment, these teams are part of the new Parkland Conference, combining schools from four different 2019 conferences. This game will be played at Waukesha North. New Berlin Eisenhower came close to a trip to state, falling to eventual champion DeForest in the Level 4 game in Division 3 14-9. The Lions graduated most of their starters, but bring back a few notable two-way standouts, including linebacker and running back John Wesling. Meanwhile, Catholic Memorial, as noted in our Week 2 match-up, packs plenty of star power into their lineup. | WSN Parkland Preview (New Berlin Eisenhower, Catholic Memorial) (Click Here)

Week 7 (November 6) – New Berlin West at New Berlin Eisenhower

Our second intra-city rivalry game of the 2020 schedule is also the regular-season finale as New Berlin Eisenhower takes on New Berlin West. While Eisenhower brings back a few notable two-way standouts as noted in our Week 6 match-up, West brings back two-way all-conference selection Paul Nennig on both the offensive and defensive line, but like Eisenhower, will have to replace plenty of starters on both sides of the ball in 2020. | WSN Parkland Preview (New Berlin West, New Berlin Eisenhower) (Click Here)

Week 8 (November 13) and Week 9 (November 20) - WIAA Culminating Event

97.3 The Game will provide coverage of both weeks of this year's WIAA Culminating Event, and will make decisions on which schools to cover when those match-ups and details become available. The 2020 WIAA State Football Championships at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison are cancelled.

Football Friday Night Returns for 2020!

Statewide, football fans can enjoy Football Friday Night again in 2020! This year's edition will be hosted by Chuck Freimund and Dan Pfeifer of 97.3 The Game, and produced by Travis Wilson of WisSports.net. You can read more about the show at WisSports.net (click here).

2020 High School Football Broadcaster

Entering his 18th year of calling high school sports, Jimmie Kaska will be on the headset for all nine football broadcasts on 97.3 The Game in 2020. (bio)

*Coverage subject to change

Drew & K.B.