J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium will be the host of the first-ever Wisconsin Football 7-on-7 State Championship June 25, which will feature high schools from across the state competing for the inaugural seven-man state crown.

UWO head football coach Peter Jennings said he’s thrilled to offer Wisconsin high school football players an exceptional platform to showcase their talents.

“We’re really excited about making this Championship the ultimate high school football event in Wisconsin,” he said. “You can’t ask for better scenery than Oshkosh in June and we can’t wait to give players the awesome opportunity to compete against the best of the best in the state.”

Hosted by the UW Oshkosh football team, the 7-on-7 championship will be divided into four divisions based on size of the school and will feature teams from as far away as Stanley-Boyd and Rhinelander. Among the favorites for the Division I competition are Arrowhead and Marquette University high schools, who have won a combined 15 WIAA State Football Championships in 11-man football.

In the tournament format, each team will be guaranteed three games to decide bracket seeding and 12 teams from each division will advance to the final bracket. The winners of each division will be presented a Wisconsin Football 7-on-7 State Championship trophy.

“The community is buzzing with excitement,” Jennings said. “We are grateful to have players and coaching staff happy to help ref the games, along with sponsors and food trucks all looking to get involved with this special day for Wisconsin high school football.”

Just like 11-man football, 7-on-7 football has touchdowns and uses yard-markers but is played on a smaller field and participants still wear helmets. Most 7-on-7 games use flags similar to flag-football as a replacement for tackling.

The key differences between 11-man and 7-man are that each possession starts at the 40-yard line, moving towards the endzone, and teams are given three downs to move the ball, with two first downs at the 25 and 10-yard lines. Touchdowns are still worth six points, but there is no kicking involved. The offense must score from the five-yard line for an extra point and must score from the 10-yard line for a two-point conversion. Games are typically 21 minutes long, with a running clock for the first 20 minutes.

The Wisconsin Football 7-on-7 State Championship will feature new rules such as the option for the running back to carry the ball and modified field sizes to help accommodate for high schools that have eight-man football teams in the fall.

The tournament, sponsored by Ripon Athletics and BSN, plans to kick off at 9 a.m. June 25 at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.