Classic Eight 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: Muskego captured an outright Classic Eight crown, going a perfect 7-0 in league play, no easy feat. The Warriors advanced to the state semi-finals before falling to Bay Port. Arrowhead was second, but would go on to capture the Division 1 state title. Mukwonago, Oconomowoc, Waukesha West, and Pewaukee gave the league six of seven teams in the playoffs.

Note: The Classic Eight is a six-team league paired with the Greater Metro for two crossover games. Pewaukee moves out of the Classic Eight and into the Parkland. Waukesha West leaves the Classic Eight for the North Shore. Franklin joins the Classic Eight from the Southeast.

2025 Classic Eight Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Southeast Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Arrowhead
2) Muskego
3) Franklin
4) Mukwonago
5) Oconomowoc
6) Kettle Moraine

Players to Watch:

Jerrell Anderson, RB, Mukwonago: Anderson has loads of potential, and is a breakout candidate after rushing for 740 yards and nine touchdowns behind Colton Lynch.

Max Baehman, WR, Mukwonago: Baehman earned First Team All-Conference recognition in the Classic Eight Conference a year ago, catching 41 passes for 437 yards and seven touchdowns.

Keegan Best, QB, Franklin: Best was a First Team All-Conference choice in the Southeast Conference last year when he threw for 1,619 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Nolan Hanson, QB, Arrowhead: Hanson is one of the top quarterbacks in the state, leading the Warhawks to a state title last year after throwing for 1,910 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has given a commitment to Drake.

Dillon Herling, RB, Franklin: Herling was a secondary back behind Rob Beglinger, but still put up 772 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, with an increased role expected in 2026.

Ryan Hoeffler, RB, Muskego: Hoeffler was the leading rusher for the Warriors last season, going for 1,051 yards and nine touchdowns on 135 carries.

George Molitor, QB, Mukwonago: Molitor threw for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns as a Second Team All-Conference selection a year ago.

Austin Munzel, QB, Oconomowoc: Munzel is a three-year starter at quarterback, throwing for more than 1000 yards with 10 touchdowns last season.

Tre Oiler, TE, Arrowhead: Oiler is an emerging D1 prospect in the Class of 2028 with more than a dozen high-level Division 1 scholarship offers.

Joey Shaw, QB, Muskego: Shaw was extremely efficient as a passer last year, completing 56% of his passes for 887 yards and 14 touchdowns on just 68 attempts, earning First Team All-Conference.

2026 Team Previews

1) Arrowhead finally got back on top of the mountain, claiming their first state title since 2012. The Warhawks’ only loss during the regular season was against Muskego, leaving them in second in the Classic Eight. They’d play a number of close games in the playoffs, including three wins by three points or less. That includes the thrilling state title game against Bay Port, when Ryan Heiman played the role of hero, returning a kick 76-yard for the game-winning touchdown with just 35 seconds remaining. “We are very deep with talent,” said head coach Matt Harris, who welcomes back seven starters on offense and eight on defense. “We have a lot of guys who have played significant minutes back from our state championship team. We are still extremely fast and athletic on both sides of the ball.” Nolan Hanson returns after throwing for nearly 2000 yards, Jebari Craig and Devin Nettles each had more than 700 rushing yards, and Tre Oiler is a top-level Division 1 talent at tight end. Over on defense, they lose All-State linebacker Brendan Foley, but Evan Wozniak leads a strong group. The Classic Eight got even tougher this year, and features the top four in our preseason rankings, but the Warhawks have a strong chance to get back to Madison.

2) Muskego opened the year with a close 14-13 loss to Neenah, but reeled off 11 consecutive wins in a row, capturing an outright Classic Eight Conference championship along the way. Despite taking care of business in the league and the rest of the Milwaukee area, they’d struggle against another Fox Valley-area team, falling to Bay Port in a 38-35 nail-biter. The traditional Wing-T offense should continue to hum along, with seven starters back, including quarterback Joey Shaw and talented playmakers Bryson Hoeffler and Aiden Perlberg. There’s a little more work to do on defense, as just two starters return on that side of the ball. The biggest change comes at the top, where longtime highly successful coach Ken Krause retired in the off-season, and defensive coordinator Ryan Lucchesi takes over. “Our football program will continue to lean in on the consistency of our systems and continuity within our coaching staff,” he said. “Program cohesion will continue to be a huge strength and our young men are incredibly excited to compete against a tremendous schedule on a weekly basis.”

3) Franklin had another very good season in 2025, as they went unbeaten during the regular season to claim yet another Southeast Conference title, though in a home sectional final, they’d get shocked by Bay Port 42-13. The new year brings all kinds of changes. Head coach Louis Brown stepped down, and former offensive coordinator Drew Ambrose was hired to lead the program. In addition, they’ll make the move into the absolutely loaded Classic Eight Conference. They’ve faced many of those teams in the playoffs over the years, but the week-to-week will certainly be tougher than what they’ve faced in the Southeast previously. “We graduated a large and very successful senior class, but return starters at several key positions including quarterback,” said Ambrose. “:We have a lot of talent and depth at the skill positions on both sides of the ball, but depth will be an issue on the offensive and defensive lines. Our lower levels were very successful last year, including some very good non-conference wins over quality programs. Our rising sophomore class is large and very talented as is our incoming group of freshman. We will likely start several sophomores on Friday nights due to their talent level, but inexperience could be an issue. The biggest challenge I anticipate for us will be having to play high level competition nearly every week, compared to our previous league.” Keegan Best is back at quarterback, and will be joined at the skill positions by running back Dillon Herling and receiver Gavin Schiek.

4) Mukwonago looked very impressive at times in 2025, but couldn’t quite find the consistency throughout the season, finishing a distant third in the Classic Eight and 7-4 overall after a Level 2 shutout loss to Waunakee. “The team has tremendous offensive skill,” said veteran coach Mike Gnewuch. “The offensive line will be significantly bigger than last year.” George Molitor is back after leading the Classic Eight in passing last year, and senior Jerrell Anderson is a breakout candidate after going for 740 yards on the ground while playing behind Colton Lynch. The Indians bring back six starters on offense and four on defense to go with 35 returning letterwinners.

5) Oconomowoc won the first three games of the year, including quality non-conference victories over Pulaski and Verona, and was able to qualify for the playoffs with a 5-4 regular season record. Facing off against Classic Eight foe Mukwonago in Level 1, they’d drop a 24-0 decision. It will be an experienced crew in 2026, with seven starters returning on offense and six on defense. “We return Austin Munzel as a three-year starter at quarterback,” said head coach Sal Logue. “We have the biggest offensive line we have ever had, as well as speed on the perimeter. Defensively, we have a bit less experience and depth.”

6) Kettle Moraine battled in 2025, but in a brutally tough Classic Eight Conference, the Lasers would go just 2-7. They’ll return six starters on offense and six on defense, with 25 letterwinners back. “We have more depth than last year with how hard our guys have worked this offseason, but will still strongly rely on our starters to play on both sides of the ball at times,” said head coach Wyatt Jentz. “We will still be younger with a small senior class, but have some exciting underclassmen that will hopefully earn some starting spots to fill some holes and will get them experience to be key contributors by the end of the season.” Among the top returning players are leading receiver Brody Schimpf, just a sophomore, as well as leading rusher Nico Yttre.