Bound Wisconsin Week 3 Football Preview

All game times 7 pm unless otherwise noted.

Appleton North (1-1; D1 #6) at Fond du Lac (2-0) - Appleton North was impressive in defeating Mukwonago in Week 1, but the Lightning didn’t respond well last week, traveling to Kenosha Bradford and falling 27-17. Fond du Lac has struggled the last several years in the early part of the season, but that has been reversed this season, with the Cardinals posting impressive early victories over Hartford and Marquette.

Hortonville (0-2) at Kaukauna (0-2) - Kaukauna played a tough non-conference schedule, but things have not gone the Ghosts’ way thus far, with losses to Notre Dame and West De Pere. They have a chance to get back on track against a Hortonville team that has suffered two blowout losses.

All game times 7 pm unless otherwise noted.

Monona Grove (2-0; D2 #9) at Waunakee (2-0; D1 #4) - Neither team has really been challenged at this point, though Waunakee has played the more difficult schedule, with running clock wins over Madison Memorial and La Crosse Central.

La Crosse Central (0-2) at Reedsburg (2-0; D3 #4) - These two teams were part of the five-way tie atop the Mississippi Valley Conference standings last season, though Central defeated the Beavers 43-27 in the league opener in 2024.

Lodi (2-0; D4 #7) at Columbus (1-1; D4 #6) - The Capitol Conference is shaping up to be as tough as ever, with three teams in the Division 4 Coaches Poll. Two of them meet up here, with the winner getting an early advantage in the league. Columbus is coming off a tough loss to Aquinas.

Mineral Point (1-1) at Darlington (2-0; D6 #3) - Darlington and Mineral Point will meet for a historic 125th time, with Darlington leading 93-26-5 in the all-time series, including a 27-0 win last year.

Black Hawk/Warren (2-0; D7 #4) at River Ridge (1-1) - These two figure to be among the contenders in the Six Rivers Conference. While Black Hawk/Warren has taken care of business so far, River Ridge lost a tough one to Fennimore last week.

Racine Park (0-2) at Racine Horlick (1-1) - This is the 101st meeting between these Racine schools, with Park holding a 54-40-6 advantage all-time, though Horlick won 27-7 last year. Park has lost two games by a total of eight points this year, including 50-43 last week despite 395 passing yards by Jailen Vaughn.

Waukesha West (2-0; D2 #8) at Arrowhead (2-0; D1 #1) - We expected Arrowhead to be good, and the Warhawks have certainly delivered, ascending to the number one position in the Division 1 Bound Wisconsin Coaches Poll. Waukesha West has gotten off to a good start as well, first beating Wisconsin Lutheran in Week 1 before a 35-0 shutout of Waukesha North last week.

Marquette (0-2) at Brookfield Central (1-1; D2 #8) - Marquette has dropped two straight to begin the 2025 season, not the kind of start the Hilltoppers and new coach Jon Kahle were looking for. Now, they enter Greater Metro Conference play against a Brookfield Central squad that was soundly defeated by Franklin last week.

Hamilton (2-0; D1 #2) at Brookfield East (2-0) - Hamilton has impressive wins over Kimberly and Racine Case and is up to second in the Division 1 Bound Wisconsin Football Coaches Poll. They will travel to Brookfield East, who has dominating wins over Madison East and Madison West, but will not be tested in quite the same manner as Hamilton.

Racine Case (1-1) at Franklin (2-0; D1 #3) - This could determine the winner of the Southeast Conference (though Kenosha Bradford seems like they may have something to say about that), as Franklin is trying to end its time in the SEC with another league title. Case provided the toughest test for Franklin last year before ultimately falling 27-14.

Muskego (1-1; D1 #8) at Pewaukee (2-0; D3 #3) - Muskego rallied from an opening loss against Neenah to take it to Oak Creek in a 41-17 victory last week. Pewaukee will get out of the Classic Eight next year, but the Pirates took a couple big steps towards playoff qualification for this season with non-conference wins over Greendale and Port Washington. Now they get a chance to see if they are capable of competing in the Classic Eight this year.

Fox Valley Lutheran (2-0; D3 #10) at Xavier (1-1) - The Apple Bowl features the two Appleton private schools squaring off in their annual meeting. FVL is 2-0 on the year, while Xavier went down last week go Luxemburg-Casco.

Green Bay Preble (2-0) at Bay Port (1-1; D1 #7) - Defending Division 1 champion Bay Port suffered a 23-7 loss to Kimberly last week, as they couldn’t quite make the plays necessary to get the job done. They’ll try to rebound against a Preble team that is 2-0 but will be taking a considerable step up in competition.

Notre Dame (2-0; D3 #1) at Sheboygan North (2-0) - Notre Dame has gotten past solid De Pere and Kaukauna teams in the non-conference portion of the schedule, looking outstanding once again with Kingston Allen averaging just shy of 300 yards per game on the ground. Sheboygan North actually has more rushing yards overall this year, behind a balanced attack that is trying to push its way into the top of the FRCC-South.

Wausau East (1-1) at Tomahawk (2-0; D4 #7) - Tomahawk took down Wittenberg-Birnamwood last week and vaulted into the Coaches Poll. As they move into Great Northern Conference play, the Hatchets can show they’re ready to contend for a playoff spot against Wausau East.

Weyauwega-Fremont (2-0; D6 #7) at Wittenberg-Birnamwood (1-1) - Weyauwega-Fremont is 2-0, with a couple impressive wins over Berlin and Iola-Scandinavia. The Warhawks meet up with Wittenberg-Birnamwood this week, though the team went out against Tomahawk in overtime in the last game.

Auburndale (2-0; D6 #9) at Edgar (2-0; D6 #1) - Edgar is coming off a big win over rival Stratford, but the Wildcats have to avoid a letdown as conference season gets underway this week. They’ll take on an Auburndale team off to a 2-0 start that has them in the Division 6 top ten.

Hudson (2-0) at Menomonie (2-0; D3 #9) - This has been one of the best rivalries in northwest Wisconsin for some time, with the teams taking turns putting together significant streaks. Right now, Hudson is on a five-game winning streak over Menomonie.

Onalaska (2-0; D3 #8) at Holmen (2-0; D2 #7) - These La Crosse suburban rivals were part of a historic five-way conference championship in the Mississippi Valley last year. Onalaska has impressed with wins over playoff teams West Salem and Medford, while Holmen has dominated competition so far this year, out-scoring its first two opponents 97-16.

Saint Croix Central (2-0) at Baldwin-Woodville (2-0; D4 #4) - Baldwin-Woodville has reloaded after last season’s state runner-up finish. The Blackhawks have had no troubles with G-E-T- or Tomah in the non-conference. Now, it’s time for the Middle Border schedule, beginning with an unbeaten Saint Croix Central squad that is averaging 280 rushing yards per game.