The first football games of the year are still a couple months 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.

Previously Released Rankings:

Division 4
Division 5
Division 6
Division 7
8-Player

1. Catholic Memorial - The Crusaders dropped a competitive game to Franklin to open the season but rattled off 11 straight wins to claim a Parkland Conference title and advance to the state semifinals for a fifth consecutive season. Unfortunately they’d fall in a close one to eventual state champion Grafton to end the season short of the ultimate prize. There is a load of talent returning as the Crusaders try to get to the top of the hill. On offense, quarterback Dalton Steinke had an excellent sophomore season and brings back the entirety of the pass-catchers from a year ago, highlighted by explosive Badgers commit Dustin Roach, who doubles as an All-State caliber safety. 1000-yard rusher Devon Williams, Jr. is back, along with second0-leading rusher Camden Shumpert. The defense may have even more talent, including Badger commit Isaac Miller at defensive end, talented linebackers Naverion Flowers and Will Schmitzer, and defensive backs Dustin Roach and Zy’aire Smith amongst others. A big move this year finds Catholic Memorial moving from the Parkland to the Greater Metro Conferenced, which will certainly introduce a higher level of competition week-to-week, as they’ll also play Arrowhead and Muskego in crossover games. They have the talent to compete with those teams, but could take a few lumps during the year. They will be a favorite come playoff time no matter what, however.

2. Whitefish Bay - It was quite the rollercoaster season for the Whitefish Bay Blue Dukes. The team opened with a 27-22 win over Madison Memorial, but would win just two more games against a very tough schedule the rest of the regular season. Sitting at 3-6 overall and 2-5 in league play, the team would have been eliminated from the playoffs in previous years, but the new Matrix system put the team in as an eight seed. They’d go on quite the run, beating top seed New Berlin West in the opening playoff game before advancing all the way to the state semifinals where they’d go out against Reedsburg. Five starters are back on both sides of the ball for the Blue Dukes, including the bulk of the skill positions. That includes quarterback Chase Wolter, leading rushers Lateef Love and Kaden Kelly, and explosive receiver Mace Miskel. While most of the big guys up front need to be replaced, Kaben Ziegler returns as one of the best two-way linemen in the state.

3. Pewaukee - Like Whitefish Bay, Pewaukee would not have qualified for the playoffs in past years at 2-5 in the ultra-tough Classic Eight, but did get in thanks in large part to a pair of non-league wins over Port Washington and Greendale. They’d make lengthy trips in the playoffs, but took down third-seeded Sauk Prairie and then second-seeded Onalaska in a thriller before exiting against Reedsburg. Properly moved out of the Classic Eight and into the Parkland, the Pirates figure to be one of the better teams in the state. “We are a team that has a lot of returning players from a State Quarterfinalist finish in 2025,” said head coach Justin Friske. “Our offensive and defensive lines should be a strong point of our team, and the experience we have gained playing in the Classic Eight the past two seasons should pay dividends as we transition back to the Parkland Conference in 2026.” The team can rely on a pair of Big Ten linemen, Cade Reikowski (Northwestern) and Jack Tabbert (Wisconsin), along with the returning quarterback duo of Brooks Dobberstein and Benji Weis. Colton Wall is an outstanding athlete who will play on both sides as well. There are a total of seven starters back on offense and seven on defense.

4. Waterford - The Wolverines dropped three in a row late in the season and it sent what had been a promising campaign off the rails a bit. They’d make the trip to Reedsburg in the playoffs, where they’d fall 49-24. Head coach Brent Thoen relied on a strong junior class last year, and with those players entering their senior campaign, the Wolverines are ready to make some noise. Four of five linemen return, including Wake Forest Peyton Schuster. They’ll block for 1000-yard rusher Jax Pesch, who is receiving scholarship attention, and quarterback Hunter Schneiker, who got plenty of time as a sophomore last season. The defense features some big time players including D1 prospect John Cramer plus Mason and Carter Thoen.

5. Mount Horeb/Barneveld - The Vikings were part of a three-way tie for the Badger-Small Conference title last year, as they beat Sauk Prairie but fell to Edgewood late in the year. They’d see a familiar end to their season, going out to Catholic Memorial in Level 3 of the playoffs, finishing 9-3 overall. A talented senior class moves on, especially at the skill positions, but head coach Bret St. Arnauld does return six starters on offense and five on defense. “The strength of our team will be on the offensive line,” he said. “We bring back four starters on the offensive line from last season and they have all gotten bigger, faster, and stronger.” One of those is Evan Leibfried, who recently committed to Northern Illinois. Eli Maier is an experienced running back returning (and doubles as an outstanding linebacker), while Django Christian got plenty of run at receiver a year ago.

6. Plymouth - The Panthers rolled through the regular season undefeated, capturing the East Central Conference title. They scored a couple nice playoff wins but fell to eventual state champion Grafton in the sectional final. They make the change to the Glacier Trails this year, though it is many of the same teams they faced previously. Second year coach Mark Vollbrecht returns six starters on offense, including three-year starting quarterback Augie Eigenberger as well as four of the five offensive linemen. Over on defense, Cole Kuhn is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

7. Port Washington - Port Washington continued its strong recent play, not only qualifying for the playoffs for a fifth straight season but winning a postseason game for the fifth consecutive year. They werer second in the East Central, and fell to old rival Whitefish Bay in a close Level 2 game. They’ll move to the newly formed Glacier Trails Conference this year, though with quite a few familiar opponents. Jack Bunyan, the son of head coach John Bunyan, returns for his junior year after a solid sophomore season. Leading receiver Kade Kintop is also among the returning standouts on offense. Kiya Sullivan and Thilar Goodman are back as standouts on the defensive side of the ball.

8. New Berlin West - The Vikings won seven of the first eight games last year, but dropped the regular season finale to rival New Berlin Eisenhower, and despite still receiving a top seed in the playoffs, were shocked by eight-seed Whitefish Bay 31-7. “The strength of the team will be experience with key returners at every position,” said head coach Ben Chossek. Building depth and having the size to match up with big physical teams will be keys to success for 2026.” There are nine starters returning on the offensive side of the ball, including leading rusher Aidan Devine as well as second-leading rusher Evan Trudell, quarterback Logan Zylka, and top receiving option Zachary Hewitt. Seven starters are back on the defensive side of the ball.

9. Winneconne - What a season it was for the Wolves, who opened with a win over Little Chute, which proved to be just a preview of what we’d get in the Division 4 state championship game. Trailing late, Winneconne rallied for a 28-22 win and the school’s second state title. It was a senior-laden team led by Brody Schaffer, a two-way star who accounted for more than 3000 yards of offense and 43 offensive touchdowns. With his move to the University of Iowa, there’s definitely some big holes to fill in such a key production spot. Look for junior Broderick Stille to slide into that spot. He’ll be welcomed by three returning starters on offense, including All-Conference receiver Ryan Quigley, second-leading rusher Mason Mathe, and talented offensive lineman Baylor VanBommel. There are three starters back on defense as well. The JV team went undefeated a year ago as well, and those players will be looked to to fill holes and step into bigger roles.

10. Fox Valley Lutheran - Fox Valley Lutheran was third in the Bay Conference a year ago, and while they qualified for the playoffs, they’d fall to Luxemburg-Casco in a tight Level 1 game. “We have some good pieces returning this year in key positions and a lot of our younger guys that stepped up and received some varsity experience later in the season,” said head coach seth Jaeger. That includes five starters back on offense, where the conference’s leading receiver Jacoby Dobberstein returns. Another Heiges is set to take over at quarterback, as Braden makes the move from receiver, replacing older brother Gabe, who graduates. Braden is also described as the heart and sould of the defense by Jaeger and one of five starters returning there.

11. La Crosse Logan - The Rangers put together a solid 2025 season, finishing fourth in the very competitive Mississippi Valley Conference, with all of the defeats in close games, and beat Wisconsin Lutheran 42-19 in the first playoff game before seeing a halftime lead go away in a 31-22 loss to Catholic Memorial. 1500-yard rusher Maxim Roberts graduates, but the Rangers to return junior quarterback Thomas Check, who threw for nearly 800 yards and added 1,018 yards on the ground. Jesse Lycke is a standout two-way lineman that is also back for veteran coach Casey Knoble, who always has the Rangers in a very competitive spot.

12. Wisconsin Lutheran - The Vikings were a little off the pace in the Woodland last year, finishing third behind Grafton and Whitnall. They’d go out to La Crosse Logan in a Level 1 playoff game, but head coach Joel Radue brings back six starters on both sides of the ball and 23 letterwinners. The headliner is Jamail Sewell, a towering offensive lineman who recently gave a commitment to Minnesota. Quarterback Jonah Sadler, who threw for 10 touchdowns and ran for 10 more, is also returning this season. Things do get tougher for the Vikings this year, as they’ll move to the more challenging North Shore Conference.

13. Baldwin-Woodville - The Blackhawks to the state semifinals for a third straight year, where they’d fall to Winneconne after defeating the Foxes there in 2024. That success has bumped Baldwin-Woodville up to D3 this season via the WIAA’s Tournament Performance Factor. They’ll definitely be a factor in the Middle Border Conference race again, with 29 letterwinners back. “We hope to have a larger number of one-way players this year,” said head coach Dan Keefer. “Our kids have had one of the best off-seasons I have seen which gives us a shot at having a great year.” Five starters return on offense, led by standout quarterback Joe Jensen. Luke Janke is just a sophomore but ran for more than 500 yards and had over 250 receiving yards last season. Landon Peavey is an outstanding two-way lineman.

14. Luxemburg-Casco - After winning the first seven games of 2025, the Spartans hit a wall late in the year, dropping three of the final four, including a Level 2 playoff defeat against Plymouth. They have some nice pieces returning this year, notably quarterback Eli Derenne, who threw for 1,598 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior. Second-leading receiver Katem Klaubauf is also back on the perimeter.

15. Onalaska - The Hilltoppers qualified for the playoffs for a 16th straight season, finishing third in the Mississippi Valley Conference. They’d defeat Menomonie in level 1, but dropped a heartbreaker to Pewaukee the next week. Head coach Tom Yashinsky will have a young group, with just 11 seniors and only five starters back, but there’s definitely reason to think the playoff streak will continue. “We have a lot of depth at skill positions, but our lines will be tested early,” he said. “Numbers are well over 100 in the program so the long term outlook is good but it's going to take the summer to see how guys fit into positions.” There are some excellent athletes ready to step in, including Kaeson Stettler, who missed a good amount of time but still showed flashes at running back. Brendan Chenault is one of the area’s top all-around athletes and will be an impact player at receiver and defensive back. Wyler Burch was the backup quarterback last season and is another strong run-and-jump athlete will make an impact somewhere. Keep an eye on Adam Kuhn as a breakout player.

** Reedsburg is not considered for the Top 15 as Bound Wisconsin’s Travis Wilson is an assistant coach with the Beavers.