Three fingers, signifying a third trip in as many years to the WIAA Division 2 state championship game at Camp Randall Stadium following the Papermakers' 42-14 demolishing of Merrill in a state semifinal game.

The Papermakers (12-1) will play either Waunakee or Franklin in the Division 2 title game at 1 p.m. Friday.

"It's just great," Kimberly senior linebacker Matt Craggs said. "It's so exciting to go down three times in a row. Hopefully, we can win and get that three-peat."

Winning a third consecutive championship is the only thing left for this battle-tested squad.

The Papermakers have persevered the entire season. First, Kimberly had to overcome the loss of 18 starters from last year's championship team.

Then the Papermakers slugged their way through a Fox Valley Association regular season that saw them lose their lengthy win streak as well as fail to put together a game of four solid quarters.

And in the regular-season finale, the team suffered a huge setback when it lost playmaking quarterback Mitch Hintz to an ankle injury.

But the Papermakers rallied behind backup quarterback Austin Rogers and the result has been another run to the state championship game.

"That wasn't an obstacle, that was a mountain," Kimberly coach Steve Jorgensen said of losing Hintz. "Mitch was by far our biggest offensive threat. He was putting up great numbers and I told the guys everybody has to elevate. Everybody has to find something you hadn't found before and let's play for him.

"It's talk sometimes and it never really happens but, with this group, it happened."

Against Merrill, the Papermakers had that fast start that had eluded them most of the season.

Kimberly raced to a 21-0 first-quarter lead on a 19-yard touchdown run by Colten Heagle, a 34-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Craggs and an 11-yard scoring run from Rogers.

Rogers finished with 16 carries for 101 yards. He also scored on a nine-yard run in the second quarter and a 12-yard scamper in the fourth.

"We jumped on them and that really got them on their heels," Jorgensen said. "We just came out and everything clicked. We got on them and it kind of steamrolled from there.

"This is a game of emotions and we had that emotional edge the entire night."

The Papermakers defense shut down Merrill running back Ross VanDerGeest and the entire Blue Jays running game, limiting them to 70 yards on 30 carries.

That put the onus on Merrill quarterback Pascal Paul, who completed 11-of-22 passes for 112 yards but also threw an interception.

The Papermakers also controlled the clock, churning out 248 yards on 47 carries.

It was classic Kimberly football and something the Papermakers hope to continue at Camp Randall.

"That's our tradition. That's the Kimberly program," Kimberly senior linebacker Logan Hietpas said. "We just have an awesome coaching staff and we sat in the film room all week long to get prepared and that carries over into the games.

"It all meshes together and that's what makes a football team."