The first football games of the year are just over a week away, and we’re excited to kickoff a new season!

Over the next several weeks, Bound Wisconsin will be producing Preseason Football Team Rankings, featuring a Top 15 for each division as well as Others to Watch.

1. Bay Port - The defending Division 1 state champions return 55 letterwinners and 10 starters from last year, including dynamic running back Brady Moon, multi-dimensional quarterback Matt Stevens, and some talented players up front, plus All-State linebacker Brock Gauthier.

2. Arrowhead - The Warhawks took a step in the right direction last year, opening with a win over defending Division 1 champion Marquette before going on to tie for the Classic Eight title. Head coach Matt Harris has a team that is capable of taking another step in 2025 to challenge for a trip to Madison, behind a roster loaded with athleticism and bolstered by a couple transfer linemen: 6’7”, 290-pound Sam Cheever from Minnesota and Tristan Seidl, who started both ways at Kettle Moraine last season.

3. Franklin - The Sabers once again dominated the Southeast Conference, going unbeaten during the regular season to earn a top seed in the playoffs. The team would run into old playoff foe Muskego in Level 2, falling to the Warriors in 42-14 affair. It is a season of lasts for the team, including its last in the Southeast before moving to the Classic Eight next year. It is also the last as head coach for Louis Brown, who is retiring after the 2025 campaign. It is an extremely strong group with 15 returning starters that is a strong threat to push for a state title this fall.

4. Mukwonago - The Indians went through quite the gauntlet of a schedule in 2024 before advancing to the state semi-finals, where they fell to Classic Eight rival Muskego. While the team has to replace All-State running back Mason Radobicky, the duo of Colton Lynch and Jerrell Anderson has plenty of talent to step in. Five starters are back on offense and eight on defense.

5. Kimberly - The Papermakers are coming off a solid year in 2024, but one that saw them unable to get past the Neenah Rockets. Kimberly was 8-0 against everyone else, including a victory over eventual D1 champion Bay Port, but dropped a 29-28 decision to Neenah that led to a three-way tie atop the FVA standings, then went out to the Rockets in Level 2 of the playoffs. There are 45 returning letterwinners, including five starters back on both sides of the ball for one of the state’s best and most consistent programs.

6. Muskego - The Warriors dropped three straight and four out of five at one points during the middle portion of a grueling schedule, all by competitive scores, but the Warriors rebounded in a big way, running through a playoff gauntlet that included Oak Creek, Franklin, Neenah, and Mukwonago to get to the state finals in Division 1. They came up just short, falling to Bay Port, but are expected to be locked and loaded for a season where they should challenge for the Classic Eight title and perhaps another trip to Camp Randall.

7. Waunakee - The Warriors started a new era last season, as Chris Graverson replaced Pat Rice as the team’s head coach, and the team maintained a high level of play. Waunakee went undefeated in Badger-Large Conference play to claim the league title, finishing 10-2 overall after a sectional final loss to D.C. Everest in the Division 1 playoffs. There are six returning starters on offense this fall with five back on defense.

8. Verona - The Wildcats dominated the Big Eight Conference like few we’ve seen, as Verona is currently riding a 21-game winning streak in the league dating back to the 2021 season, winning three consecutive outright conference titles. Last season the team earned a top seed in the playoffs after an unbeaten regular season, dispatching Kenosha Bradford in the opening game before falling to Arrowhead in Level 2, continuing some postseason struggles outside the league. Most notable among the players that will have to be replaced this year is Tre Poteat, a Tennessee recruit who was an All-State defensive back last season and also one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the state.

9. Sussex Hamilton - The Chargers finished second in the Greater Metro Conference last year, falling on the road to Arrowhead in Level 1 of the playoffs. The team will be strong up front, with five offensive linemen who have started multiple games in the past, including junior twins Hunter and Reece Mallinger, who are racking up Division 1 scholarship offers left and right. Drew Olsson is one of the top receivers in the state as well.

10. Marquette - The Hilltoppers won a Division 1 state title in 2023, but opened last year with a loss to Arrowhead. The Hilltoppers would rebound nicely, winning ten straight games to capture the outright Greater Metro Conference and get to a sectional championship, where unfortunately they’d fall to eventual champion Bay Port. Longtime coach Keith Klestinski, who spent many years as an assistant and later as head coach, stepped down in the off-season, and Marquette HS grad Jon Kahle takes over after spending a dozen years at Brookfield Academy.

11. Badger - The Badgers were the state champion in Division 2 in 2023, and followed it up with another outstanding season. The Badgers won an outright Southern Lakes Conference title, but couldn’t quite figure out the Slinger Owls. They lost 35-33 in an early non-conference game, then 35-28 to the Owls in the Division 2 state semi-finals. Head coach Matt Hensler brings back 25 letterwinners from last year’s group, with eight starters returning in the flexbone option offense. That includes dynamic senior quarterback Matthew O’Grady, the Southern Lakes Offensive Player of the Year, who ran for more than 1800 yards.

12. Racine Case - Case has made huge strides the last few years, winning its first-ever playoff game in 2023 and following it up with another postseason victory last year. The Eagles finished second in the Southeast Conference behind heavyweight Franklin, and are once again loaded with talent under head coach Anton Graham. Can they unseat the Sabers at the top? That will be an outstanding conference race to watch this fall.

13. Appleton North - The Lightning went 5-5 last year, struggling to find a win against the better teams on the schedule, despite a number of competitive contests. Appleton North lost consecutive games against rival Kimberly to end the regular season and then in the first round of playoffs. There is a sense that the team should take a step forward this year with eight returning starters on offense to go with four on defense, as longtime head coach Rob Salm returns 35 letterwinners from a year ago.

14. Oconomowoc - The Raccoons were one of the surprise teams of the 2024 season, going from out of the playoffs the previous two years to a share of the Classic Eight title. The team would be the victim of a seeding controversy in the playoffs, receiving a five-seed and road game, which they lost to Racine Case. Head coach Sal Logue brings back 29 letterwinners, with five starters returning on offense and four on defense as the team tries to build on last year’s impressive season.

15. Sun Prairie East - The Cardinals won a playoff game for a seventh consecutive season (including time as Sun Prairie), but it wasn’t quite what we’ve seen from the team over the years, as they finished 7-4 overall and exited in Level 2 to West De Pere. Veteran head coach Brian Kaminski, who sports a 181-63 record in 23 seasons, returns 28 letterwinners with five starters on both sides of the ball, including running back Brady Kaufman, who could become the school’s all-time leading rusher this fall.

16. Middleton - The Cardinals struggled in some close games, including tough conference losses to Madison Memorial and Verona, finishing third in the Big Eight standings last year and 6-3 overall during the regular season. The Cardinals did get a home playoff game, defeating Chippewa Falls before exiting to Waunakee in Level 2. Tim Simon and Joe Poehls will continue as co-head coaches for Middleton, who returns 27 letterwinners from a year ago, including five starters on offense and four on defense.