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 5
Division 6
Division 7
8-Player

1. Little Chute - The Mustangs opened the year with a 14-6 loss to a very good Winneconne team in Mark Krommenacker’s first year at the helm, but would win the next 12 games of the year, capturing the North Eastern Conference title and advancing to the Division 4 state championship game. They’d match up with Winneconne again, holding a late lead before falling 28-22. It was an incredible turnaround, and they are the only D4 semifinalist returning this year, as Baldwin-Woodville and Winneconne move up to Division 3 while Columbus drops to D5. The Mustangs have seven starters back in the prolific flexbone rushing attack, led by 1700-yard rusher Reece Joten but also 900-yard rusher Jaden Hermsen, the quarterback, and Charlie VandenHeuvel and Tyler Hietpas, who combined for more than 1200 yards. While the backfield is well-stocked, there are a few more holes to fill up front, including replacing both guards, Gavin McInnis and Noah Faccio. The defense brings back six starters, with Joten an All-State linebacker.

2. Lake Mills - The L-Cats were an outstanding team in 2025, but dropped a pair of tough regular games to Lodi and Columbus, then went out in a 12-6 decision to eventual state champ Racine St. Catherine’s in Level 2. It was a young grouop, as 12 seniors return who have varsity experience, including 11 of them that were starters last year. “It’s a very strong senior class,” said head coach Tyler Hube. “My best class that I have ever coached top to bottom. So a lot of experience with this group with great leadership.” Eight starters are back on offense, led by four-year starting quarterback Tyler Wollin, one of the top players in the state who earned All-State honors after throwing for 2,625 yards and 38 touchdowns. Talented receivers Collin Christian and Jackson Roberts are back, leading rusher Kamden Tande-Habich returns, and the team is eagerly anticipating a full year of Dylan Brinkmann, who missed a good chunk of last season due to injury. The key comes up front, like it so often does. “We’ll only will go as far as our offensive line and defensive line will take us,” Huber explained. “Not a weakness, but an opportunity to improve.” Nine starters return on the defensive side of the ball, with many two-way players. Lake Mills opens the year with a tough one against Freedom.

3. Edgewood - The Crusaders won their first eight games of the season, including a 27-20 victory over Mount Horeb/Barneveld in Week 8 that guaranteed a share of the Badger-Small Conference title. They’d drop the next game to Sauk Prairie to leave a three-way tie for the crown, then go out to Reedsburg in Level 2 of the D3 playoffs as a top seed. Head coach Jesse Norris graduates a strong senior class, but a good amount of talent returns as the Crusaders drop from Division 3 to Division 4 this season. Ben Morey is an electric receiver who led the team with 41 catches for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns. Chris Lee, Owen Rist, and junior Azindo Takoro, who holds D1 offers, are strong players in the front seven on defense.

4. Aquinas - The Blugolds remain elevated in Division 4, last year going unbeaten until a sectional final loss to Baldwin-Woodville. The team brings back seven starters on offense, but must replace quarterback Ryan Johnson plus talented pass catchers Logan Becker and Waylon Hargrove. There remains a good amount of speed and athletic ability at the perimeter positions, including North Dakota State commit Brady Lee, who is an All-State caliber defensive back and will get some more opportunities on offense as well. The Blugolds have five starters returning on defense.

5. Freedom - The Irish dropped just one regular season game, a close one against Little Chute, and advanced to a sectional final before going out against Winneconne. The offense brings back four starting linemen plus junior quarterback Owen Henkel, who threw for more than 2000 yards as a sophomore, plus 1000-yard rusher Axzil Eggert, another Class of 2028 standout. Just four starters return on defense, though Mason Van Groll is one of the league’s best defensive linemen. There is a lot of talent in the junior class that could lead to a special season in Freedom.

6. West Salem - West Salem had a nice 2025 season, but couldn’t get past the better teams on the schedule. They’d fall to old rival Onalaska to open the year, then drop a tight one to Aquinas as they’d finish second in the Coulee Conference. A Level 2 loss to Little Chute sent them home in the playoffs. Former head coach Justin Jehn is back at the helm, replacing Ryan Olson, who remains as the athletic director. There are seven starters returning on offense, including dual-threat quarterback Drew McConkey, leading rusher Lucas Fry, and top receivers Jameson Skifton and Josiah Wolbrink. It’s a strong group up front, led by college prospects Luke Grube and Will Clements.

7. Lodi - Lodi finished second in the Capitol Conference last year, earning a home playoff game. However, the Blue Devils would get upset by Platteville in Level 1. There are four starters back on offense and defense, but the team has more experience than that indicates. “We had some injuries at the end of last season, which allowed some of the younger players to gain experience for this upcoming season,” said head coach Kyle Mack. Junior running back Casey Fleschman should see his role increase, as should senior receiver Bennett Nyquist.

8. Racine St. Catherine’s - The Angels put together another excellent season, winning a share of the Metro Classic Conference title. They’d take down a very good Lake Mills team in Level 2 before going out against Little Chute in the sectional final. Head coach Dan Miller loses a core group of athletes that were part of the 2024 state championship as well as a great amount of overall success the last few years. That includes dynamic D1 player Lamont Hamilton, multi-year starting quarterback Eddie Vinson plus defenders Andreyan Contreras and Mauricio Talamantez amongst others. As the team moves forward with a new group, it can turn to several backs with experience, including Jayden Phillips, Elijah Ballinger, and Jovanni Gonzalez.

9. Northwestern - The Tigers had a number of close calls in getting back to Madison for the first time since 1993, and after knocking on that door frequently in the last 30-plus years, they finally got over the hump in 2025. Winning 13 straight games to open the year, they’d take down league rival Saint Croix Falls and juggernaut Stratford along the way, before dropping a tough one to Mayville in Division 5 state title game. The Tigers get elevated to D4 this season by the WIAA’s Tournament Performance Factor. “The strength of this team is their experience at the skill positions and the physical strength of their interior line,” said Jovin Kroll. While just three starters are back on offense this year, that includes some really talented skill guys. Tysen Teal is one of the most dynamic players in the state, rushing for more than 1800 yards and 32 touchdowns along with a team-high 683 receiving yards. Starting quarterback Kamden Kroll threw for 17 touchdowns last year, while Mason Chell was second on the team with 15 rushing touchdowns.

10. Osceola - Osceola took a nice step forward last year, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2021. They’d finish tied for second in the Middle Border Conference, but dropped three of the last four games, including a Level 2 contest against Aquinas. “For any team, our team identity will come with time, but we are excited for the versatility some of our players will bring to the table,” said veteran coach Scott Newton. “We have multiple guys that will be able to play multiple positions based on the skills they provide.” Five starters are back on offense and six on defense, including leading rusher Elliot Havlish.

11. Delavan-Darien - The Comets dropped the two opening non-conference games, but rebounded to claim a share of the Rock Valley Conference. They’d win a playoff game for a second straight year, makring the first time in school history that has happened. Delavan-Darien returns 10 starters on offense, including the bulk of a prolific passing attack spearheaded by Quintin Arizola, who threw for 3,223 yards and 33 touchdowns. The top three receivers return, including 1000-yard receivers Kaden Garbe and Braedyn McKean. Seven starters return on the defensive side of the ball. “All of our team captains return except one and we return eight leadership council players,” said head coach Mark Kibler.

12. Stratford - The Tigers dropped the first two non-conference games to Mosinee and Edgar, but rebounded with ten straight wins to claim the CWC-Large crown. They’d advance to the state semifinals in Division 5, which led to some interesting moves for this year. Stratford is the first team to be double elevated by the WIAA’s Tournament Performance Factor, as they were bumped up from D6 to D5 prior to 2024, and after continued success in the higher division are now further elevated to Division 4. It’s a tough time to make the change, with just five total starters coming back. “We graduate most of our starters on both sides of the ball, but have a great core of returning players with experience and good leadership,” said head coach Marshall Lehman. “We are excited about what the underclassmen will bring to these positions, but they have limited varsity experience, so there may be some growing pains early in the season.” The defense can turn to returning league Defensive Lineman of the Year Tyler Budtke.

13. Mosinee - The Indians had another strong season in 2025, rallying to claim a share of the Great Northern Conference title and advancing to Level 3 of the playoffs before going out to Columbus. They figure to be in contention in the league once again, but there are some pretty considerable graduation losses, headlined by two-way standout Treve Stoffel, who led the team with nearly 2000 passing yards and more than 1000 rushing yards. While there aren’t many experienced skill guys, who team does have talent and experience up front, including Gavin Cliver and Kaeden Ludwig.

14. Wrightstown - The Tigers were 4-3 in the North Eastern Conference last year, but all four defeats were very competitive matchups. Unfortunately it was a North Eastern team that knocked them out of the playoffs, as they’d fall a second time to rival Freedom. Veteran coach Steve Klister brings back 18 letterwinners from a year ago, though only three starters on both sides of the ball. “We have some excellent skill players but lack experience at quarterback as well as size and experience on the line on both sides of the ball,” Klister said.

15. Evansville - The Blue Devils dropped a close early October game to Edgerton, but still were able to grab a share of the Rock Valley Conference title last fall. After shutting out Shoreland Lutheran in Level 1, the Blue Devils made the long trip to Mosinee and fell 19-7. Head coach Garth Coats returns six starters on both offense and defense. He likes the speed and athletic ability of the team, but has concerns about the experience of some of the linemen on each side of the ball. On offense, quarterback Matthew Wickersham returns, along with leading receiver Karder Tway, who was a First Team All-Conference pick. Harker Larsen is one of the league’s best players and top collegiate prospects, earning Rock Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.