Capitol 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: Columbus claimed an outright Capitol Conference in 2025, and the Cardinals advanced to the state semifinals before falling to Little Chute. Lodi was second, followed by Lake Mills. Clinton and Turner also qualified for the playoffs out of the Capitol.

Note: The Capitol is a seven-team league paired with the Rock Valley for one crossover. Big Foot, Clinton, and Turner leave the Capitol for the Rock Valley this year, while Horicon/Hustisford exits to the Eastern Suburban. Edgerton and Jefferson join the Capitol from the Rock Valley, with Lakeside Lutheran and Portage entering from the Badger-Small.

2025 Capitol Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Rock Valley Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Badger-Small Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Lake Mills
2) Columbus
3) Lodi
4) Portage
5) Edgerton
6) Lakeside Lutheran
7) Jefferson

Players to Watch:

Collin Christian, WR, Lake Mills: Christian was a big-play threat for the L-Cats last year, catching 34 passes for 702 yards and six touchdowns to earn First Team All-Conference recognition.

Eli Kittleson, WR/DB, Edgerton: Kittleson was First Team All-Conference on both sides of the ball, catching 39 passes for 681 yards and nine touchdowns to go with four interceptions on defense. He recently gave a commitment to St. Thomas.

Kamden Tande-Habich, RB, Lake Mills: The team’s leading rusher a year ago, he was a First Team All-Conference selection in the Capitol in 2025.

Bobby Tracy, RB, Columbus: Tracy rushed for 1,189 yards and 21 touchdowns last year despite sharing the load in a talented backfield. He was a First Team All-Conference pick last year.

Tyler Wollin, QB, Lake Mills: Wollin was a WFCA All-State pick last year and is one of the most prolific quarterbacks we’ve seen, throwing for 2,625 yards and 38 touchdowns last season.

2026 Team Previews

1) Lake Mills was 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 group, 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 Huber. “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.

2) Columbus won the Capitol Conference title last year, which is no small feat in such a strong league. Elevated to Division 4, they advanced to the state semifinals before going out to Little Chute. The Cardinals drop back down to Division 5 this season, where they figure to be among the state’s best once again. There are definitely some holes to fill, including multi-year starting quarterback Peyton Powers, leading receiver Jordan Mobry, and two-way All-State lineman Wyatt Graffin. The return of leading rusher Bobby Tracy is certainly a good start to building something new in 2026. He rushed for 1,189 yards and 21 touchdowns despite sharing a lot of carries with now-graduated Owen Cowell and Peyton Powers. Expect his usage to go up this season.

3) 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.

4) Portage has been asking to get out of the Badger Conference for a number of years, and that is finally happening this year. The Warriors are making the move coming off a 3-6 season that saw them drop six of the final seven games, as they narrowly missed the postseason as the last team out in Division 3. “Last year was a tough one to swallow,” said head coach Chris Rice. “Finishing 33rd and being the first team left out of the playoffs is something that’s stayed with our guys all off-season. It’s a reminder of how much every play matters, and we aren't taking anything for granted. The guys are hungry to prove themselves and are chomping at the bit to get back out there, keep their heads down, and work to try and earn a postseason spot this time around. We’re moving into the Capital Conference this year, which is a tough conference, but we’re finally playing against schools with similar enrollments. That’s a huge plus for us as we keep building the culture we’ve been working on for the last three years.” The Warriors welcome back four starters on offense, including running back Austin Fries and quarterback Oskar Johnson, who saw some action as a sophomore last year. Six starters are returning on the defensive side of the ball.

5) Edgerton went 6-4 last year participating in the Rock Valley Conference. They’ll make the move to the Capitol Conference this year, though they do have some experience against their new league opponents, having fell to Lodi and Lake Mills last year. That’s not all for the changes, as head coach Russ Lietz is replaced by co-head coaches, with Kyle Johnson and Justin Fowlkes taking over. “We’ll have a strong senior class with a lot of returning talent,” said Johnson. “There are new coaches and schemes on both sides of the ball, so there will be a learning curve, but excited to see the guys flying around.” There are seven starters back on both offense and defense, with 30 total letterwinners. Among the returnees for the Crimson Tide is standout receiver Eli Kittleson, who caught 39 passes for 681 yards and nine touchdowns, plus big men Kasen Demrow and Kellen Hein.

6) Lakeside Lutheran dropped seven consecutive games to begin the 2025 season, but scored wins over Portage and Stoughton to close out the year. Moving back to the Capitol Conference after a couple years in the Badger-Small, they’ll have a good amount of experience returning from last year, especially at the skill positions on offense. Head coach Dennis Leckwee is worried about the relative lack of experience on the line, however. There are a total of six starters back on offense and defense for the Warriors.

7) Jefferson went 5-5 overall last year after a 55-7 loss to Catholic Memorial in the opening playoff game. They’d finish in a tie for fourth in the Rock Valley, as they transition to the Capitol Conference this year. “This team lost nine seniors a year ago, but has tons of experience coming back,” said head coach Scott Slotten. “We have to replace our quarterback, but have a junior that has put in the work and has tons of experience already under his belt. We have experience at every position returning. Our biggest strength will be creating offense out of our run game and stopping the run.” Leading receiver Landen Schmitt is among five starters back on offense, with seven returning on the defensive side of the ball.