Vikings get first chance at state in 74 years | Parents & Kids

Basketball sectional final win earns Stoughton chance at championship  

Surpassing decades without a chance at state, the Stoughton boys' basketball team earned a big victory Saturday in Janesville as it beat DeForest 55-51 at the Janesville Craig Sectional final.

The Division 2 team was last at the state in 1939, according to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, during Franklin Roosevelt's presidency. Coach Matt Hockett emphasized the win was a triumph for the team.

"It's been 74 long years," Hockett said. "Words just can't explain or do justice to the feeling. For the whole town, the community of Stoughton, I mean, look around here … it's unreal."

Stoughton (18-8) will play Wisconsin Lutheran (21-5) Friday at 1:35 p.m. at the 98th Annual WIAA Boys Basketball State Championships in the Kohl Center in Madison.

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According to the WIAA, this year is only the third time the Stoughton Vikings have ever qualified for state; the other qualifying seasons were 1937 and 1939.

Tickets are $10 and available on site an hour before the game or online two hours before the game. Visit WIAA online for ticketing information.