Big East 2026 Football Preview

Over the next several weeks, we’ll be previewing every conference in the state as part of our preseason preparations.

Check out all of our Football Conference Previews for every league in the state, here.

2025 Recap: Manitowoc Lutheran took a big step forward and won the Big East Conference title, going unbeaten until the state semi-finals. Cedar Grove-Belgium was second with Hilbert third, both advancing to sectional finals. Reedsburg and Howards Grove also made the postseason.

Note: Mishicot joins the Big East from the Packerland. Random Lake and Ozaukee form a new co-op this year.

2025 Big East Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Packerland Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Manitowoc Lutheran
2) Cedar Grove-Belgium
3) Hilbert
4) Reedsville
5) Mishicot
6) Howards Grove
7) Oostburg
8) Random Lake/Ozaukee

Players to Watch:

Griffin Knight, WR/DB, Cedar Grove-Belgium: Knight caught 40 passes for 626 yards and 10 touchdowns as a Second Team All-Conference receiver, adding First Team recognition on defense with seven interceptions.

Jack Pakala, RB/LB, Hilbert: Pakala is a beast to bring down running the football, going for 1,314 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. He was First Team All-Conference on offense and Second Team on defense.

Henry Schroeder, QB, Howards Grove: Schroeder started some games as a sophomore then took over the role as a junior last season, throwing for more than 1600 yards with 14 touchdowns.

Noah Teunissen, OL, Cedar Grove-Belgium: Teunissen is the only returning First Team All-Conference choice on the offensive line in the Big East.

Brody Wieting, LB/TE, Manitowoc Lutheran: Wieting was a First Team All-Conference pick last year and led the Lancers in tackles.

2026 Team Previews

1) Manitowoc Lutheran had one of the best seasons in school history, as the Lancers went undefeated during the regular season and advanced all the way to the state semifinals before going out to eventual D6 champion Darlington. “Our numbers continue to be strong, which adds depth and options for many positions,” said head coach Ryan Hulse. “We return a good number of boys who played a lot of meaningful minutes last season.” There are just four starters back on offense, however, though three All-Conference offensive linemen are among them. Aaden Krause will likely take over at quarterback, while Charlie Vogel is a breakout candidate at receiver.

2) Cedar Grove-Belgium lost non-conference games to eventual state champions Mayville and Kenosha St. Joseph last year, and would also fall to Manitowoc Lutheran and Columbus, both state semifinals last season. They used that experience to make a nice run in the playoffs, defeating Mishicot and Saint Mary’s Springs before going out to Manitowoc Lutheran for a second time. The Rockets will be the most experienced team in the Big East Conference this fall, bringing back eight starters on offense and nine on defense, with many of them entering their third year as varsity starters. Quarterback Carter Schmitz graduated after accounting for 25 touchdowns, but the Rockets are excited about what junior Evan Halleman can bring to the table. He can throw it to leading receiver Griffin Knight, who caught 10 touchdowns last season.

3) Hilbert was third in the Big East Conference, finishing behind larger division schools Cedar Grove-Belgium and Manitowoc Lutheran. They did win a couple home playoff games before falling in a close one against Lourdes Academy, as they’ll try to continue that momentum into a new year. Senior running back Jack Pakala can create his own momentum, coming off a 1300-yard performance last year, as he’s one of the top athletes in the division. Kendrix Grenzer got plenty of reps last year at quarterback as just a freshman and will have another year of experience under his belt. Ezra Sevala is another key playmaker returning on offense.

4) Reedsville went 4-6 on the field last year after a 42-27 home playoff loss to Crivitz. It was the ninth consecutive postseason appearance for the Panthers, who won a state title in 2021 and made it to the state semifinals twice during that stretch as well. They’ll have to replace quarterback Ben Prochnow, who was a key part of the basketball team’s state title run, as well as leading rusher Howie Zeman, though leading receiver Connor McDonald is back.

5) Mishicot makes the move from the Packerland to the Big East this year, and the Indians have plenty of experience against their new league-mates. Last year, they went 1-2 against Big East teams, beating Reedsville to open the season before a loss to Manitowoc Lutheran the following week and Cedar Grove-Belgium in the playoffs. Joe Baeten replaces Kevin Fix as the head coach for the Indians. He likes the returning linemen, but most of the skill players from last season have graduated. The team has four starters back on offense and four on defense. T.J. Hagenow and Brady Ledvina are two-way standouts.

6) Howards Grove qualified for the playoffs for a 35th time, but the Tigers would get defeated soundly 53-16 by Poynette in Level 1. Returning experienced quarterback Harry Schroeder is a good way to begin the 2026 campaign for the Tigers, as Schroeder completed 135-of-243 passes last season for 1,660 yards and 14 touchdowns. They’ll need to replace 1000-yard rusher James Holler plus big play receiver Keaton Milbrath.

7) Oostburg won three games by mid-September last season, but the Flying Dutch would drop the final five games of the season, and that kept them out of the playoffs. It will be a young team in 2026 according to head coach Michael Lauritsen, who brings back four starters on offense and six on defense. There’s not a lot of depth either, but Lauritsen likes the speed and athleticism of this year’s group.

8) Random Lake/Ozaukee formed a late co-op last season, winning an opening non-conference game over Kingdom Prep Lutheran before losing five straight then canceling the remainder of the schedule. “We were extremely young last year, so have a lot of young players that have veteran varsity experience but have now matured into varsity bodies,” said head coach Cole large. “We had poor injury luck last season, and are returning some impact players that were lost early in the 2025 season. We haven’t had a lot of success in the past, we’ll need to build confidence through success on the field.” The co-op is eligible for the playoffs this year and features a roster of nine returning starters on both offense and defense.