The Mayville Cardinals completed their perfect 14–0 season Thursday afternoon with a hard-fought 42–32 win over Northwestern (13-0) in the WIAA Division 5 State Championship, delivering the program’s first state title since 1994 and reinforcing exactly what head coach Scott Hilber has preached all year: play Mayville football. For Hilber, a Mayville alumnus who previously coached the Cardinals to state runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2022, the victory was more than the culmination of a season. It was a continuation of the legacy his father, Alex Hilber, built when he led the 1994 Mayville team to its own undefeated, championship run. Now, father and son stand as one of the rare, perhaps only, coaching duos in Wisconsin to win state titles for the same district, a point not lost on a community that cherishes its football history.
Before the season even began, the 2025 Cardinals were already forged by adversity. In May, just days before graduation, a tornado tore through town, uprooting trees, damaging businesses, residential property, and disturbing the quiet of Graceland Cemetery. Without being asked, Mayville’s players joined community members who showed up with gloves and grit. They hauled branches, cleared debris, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with neighbors, and even hoisted an overturned chicken coop upright. Their service that week reflected the very identity Hilber emphasized: toughness, humility, and doing things the right way. Residents watched young men step into leadership roles long before they stepped onto Camp Randall’s turf. Their coach called it the team’s “brand.” Their community simply called it Mayville values. It wasn’t a fundraiser or a service project. It was simply who they are.
That togetherness carried onto the field game after game, a style marked by physicality, discipline, and a refusal to break. On Thursday, it was on full display once again. The game opened with that same relentless spirit. After winning the coin toss and deferring, Mayville’s defense immediately forced a turnover on downs. Moments later, Owen Steger burst through to block a Northwestern punt, and lineman/linebacker Weston Teeters scooped the ball on the 15 and rumbled into the end zone for his first career touchdown, electrifying the Mayville crowd and giving the Cardinals a 7–0 lead with 4:45 left in the first quarter. Northwestern answered instantly, returning the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a score and adding a successful two-point conversion to go up 8–7, but the Cardinals settled into their bruising, trademark ground game to regain momentum.
Mayville’s offense churned out 322 rushing yards, wearing down Northwestern’s defense with relentless physicality. Senior running back Joe Promersberger delivered a standout performance with 135 yards on just seven carries, including touchdown runs of 36 and 58 yards, averaging a staggering 19.3 yards per carry. Workhorse Landen Baker added 119 yards on 29 carries and powered in two touchdowns, while quarterback Emerson Mittelstadt contributed a rushing score of his own. But it wasn’t just the offense imposing its will—special teams and defensive pressure swung key moments early. Owen Steger set the tone with a blocked punt in the first quarter, a play that allowed Weston Teeters to scoop the ball and score a touchdown, putting Mayville on the board first. In the second quarter, Teeters struck again, this time blocking a PAT attempt, a moment that forced Northwestern to chase two-point conversions the rest of the way—none of which were successful after their opening drive. Defensively, Mayville recorded three tackles for loss—two by Steger—and limited Northwestern to just 114 rushing yards on 24 attempts, even as standout Tiger back Tysen Teal managed three touchdowns to keep his team within reach. Northwestern passed for 210 yards, but Mayville’s steady tackling, special teams impact, and clock management never allowed the Tigers to seize momentum for long.
Mayville led 21–14 at halftime after Promersberger’s 36-yard sprint to the end zone and extended that lead with methodical drives throughout the second half. Promersberger’s 58-yard breakaway in the fourth quarter and Baker’s 10-yard touchdown run with 3:33 remaining sealed the victory, despite Northwestern continuing to push behind Teal’s big day. The game featured no penalty flags, a rarity at any level, and even required an official review on a Northwestern onside kick attempt late in the fourth quarter. When the ruling confirmed Mayville ball, both sides of the stadium erupted—one side in relief, the other in disbelief.
The atmosphere inside Camp Randall was electric. The Mayville band delivered a lively halftime performance, while students and parents filled the stands with red, belting chants of “We are the mighty, mighty Cardinals!” The weather held with mild temperatures until a light mist drifted in late in the fourth, as if nature itself paused to witness what was happening on the field.
When the final horn sounded, the Cardinals sprinted into a joyful swarm of teammates and coaches while families and fans erupted in the stands.
Adding to the day’s meaning was the journey that brought the team to Madison. On behalf of the Mayville High School Class of 1987 and Horizon Construction Group, Inc., alumnus E. Jay Gering covered the team’s travel expenses and provided a charter bus for the Cardinals’ trip to Camp Randall. Gering, who played on the 1985 Mayville team that reached the state semifinals under head coach Alex Hilber, understood the significance of the moment for the players, coaches, and community.
Mayville historian, longtime coach, and community treasure Bill Lee addressed the team earlier that morning during the sendoff pep rally, delivering a speech that left many in tears. He spoke of the long tradition of Mayville football, from the eras of Ray Dunn and Jack Omar to the playoff runs under Tom Noennig and Alex Hilber. He reminded the team that they come from generations of hard-nosed Cardinals who understood unity and discipline. And then he spoke directly to the players’ hearts: “A team is made up of a lot of different boys—the managers, the assistants, the freshmen, the seniors. It’s cohesion. It’s togetherness. And that togetherness will be remembered for a long, long time.” As he grew emotional, he added, “These guys have persevered…When I do these things at my old age, I start getting awfully emotional, but I love these guys; I'm with them every day. They’re going down there to the state tournament with one job—to WIN. They want to bring home that gold ball, because there is tradition here.” The players delivered exactly what he called for.
Back in Mayville, the celebration was just beginning. Around 9 p.m., the team buses rolled into town, flanked by fire trucks from area communities for a classic Mayville championship parade through downtown. Streets packed with cheering fans, waving signs, and shouting congratulations. The parade returned to the high school gym, where a second rally erupted as players marched in with the gold ball held high.
Coach Hilber addressed the crowd with heartfelt honesty, reflecting on the long road that brought him to this moment. “I lost my first 20 games as a head football coach,” he told the crowd. “I got humbled the hard way. But I made a promise to myself—I was going to enjoy the journey. Always.” He spoke of the poem “The Station,” which sits on his desk as a reminder that chasing a goal often overshadows appreciating the path that leads there. “I love you guys,” he said to his players. “I appreciate your buy-in, your chemistry, your steadiness. You bring it every single day. We are so blessed. I love you. I love this community.”
As the crowd roared its approval, Bill Lee once again took the microphone, unable to contain his pride, he stated, “I pulled a freshman aside the other day, I said, ‘watch these guys’ as [the underclassmen] they're bored over here on the sidelines these last few days of practice getting ready for this big day. I said ‘But, understand, those seniors, they were you four years ago, they were standing on the sidelines watching. Look at them now,” he said. “They are State Champions!” The gym exploded in cheers. Lee, choking back emotion, said, “We did it. You did it.”
Then, in one of the most emotional scenes of the day, the players carried the state trophy straight to one of their most beloved supporters— Mr. Bill Lee. The players surrounded him, placing the trophy in his hands so he could share in the moment.
Principal Mike Blaha playfully called and warned Superintendent Dr. Scott Sabol that the crowd didn’t seem eager to return to school the next day. Sabol replied, “You can’t celebrate alone—that’s sad. You’ve got school tomorrow.”
But school or not, Mayville will remember this season—and this team—for decades. A team shaped by adversity, bonded by service, driven by tradition, and committed to one another, all culminating in a perfect season marked by heart, grit, and community pride.
Mayville football didn’t just win a championship. They lived it. They defined it. They brought it home, loud and proud, and on November 20, Mayville stood as state champions once again.
Mayville, 42 vs. Northwestern, 32
Thursday, November 20, 2025 - Camp Randall Stadium, Madison
MAY 7-14-7-14-42
NW 8-6-6-12-32
Team Statistics (MAY/NW)
First Downs: 18/13; Total Yards: 342/324; Rushes-yards: 54-322/24-114; Passing yards: 21/210; Fumbles-lost: 0-0/0-0; Turnovers: 0/1; Penalties-yards: 0-0/0-0
Mayville
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Promersberger 7-135 2 TD; Baker 29-119 2TD; Schneider 9-47; Mittelstadt 7-23 1 TD
PASSING: Mittelstadt 1-2-0
RECEIVING: Promersberger 1-21
PUNTING: Wendorff 1-31
RETURNS: Schneider 3-53; Promersberger 1-10
KICK OFF: Mlsna 7-240
INT: Wendorff 1-0Scoring summary: Q1 4:45, MAY, Teeters Blocked punt return, PAT good Mlsna (7-0); 4:30, NW Calore 86-yard punt return, 2 Pt good (7-8); Q2 8:36, MAY, Baker 2-yard run, PAT good Mlsna (14-8); 4:36, NW, Teal 16-yard run, PAT blocked(14-14); 1:07, MAY, Promersberger 36-yard run, PAT good Mlsna (21-14); Q3 4:13, MAY, Mittelstadt 2-yard run, PAT pass good Mlsna (28-14); 1:44, NW, Teal 8-yard run, 2 PT failed (28-20); Q4 11:06, MAY, Promersberger 58-yard run, PAT good Mlsna (35-20); 7:10, NW, Teal 16-yard run, 2 PT failed (35-26); 3:33, MAY, Baker 10-yard run, PAT good Mlsna (42-26); 2:45, NW, Kroll pass to Teal 48-yards, 2 PT failed (42-32)
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