FRCC-South 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: Notre Dame dominated the FRCC-South, advancing to the state title game in D2 after winning it all in Division 3 in 2024. The Tritons would fall to West De Pere in the championship game. Oshkosh North had an outstanding year, finishing second and getting to a sectional final. Menasha was the only other team to make the playoffs.

2025 Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Notre Dame
2) Menasha
3) Oshkosh North
4) Sheboygan North
5) Manitowoc Lincoln
6) Green Bay West
7) Sheboygan South
8) Green Bay East

Players to Watch:

Kingston Allen, RB, Notre Dame: Allen was unbelievable last year, rushing for a state record 3,436 yards and 57 touchdowns to earn co-Offensive Player of the Year honors from the WFCA. He has given a commitment to Wisconsin.

Lucas Davis, OL, Oshkosh North: Davis was First Team All-Conference as an offensive lineman as just a sophomore for the Spartans last year.

Richie Flanigan, OL/DL, Notre Dame: Flanigan was WFCA All-State both ways and earned the inaugural WFCA Large School Lineman of the Year award.

Jaquan Foth, RB, Manitowoc Lincoln: Foth was a Second Team All-Conference choice, rushing for 994 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

Joey Massey, TE, Notre Dame: Massey is an Iowa State recruit who caught 16 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns for the Tritons last season.

Paul Schmolinske, QB, Menasha: Schmolinske threw for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, adding 735 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

Keonte Thigpen, RB, Menasha: Thigpen was a First Team All-Conference running back, leading the Bluejays with 824 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Jack Whitehouse, FB/LB, Notre Dame: Whitehouse was First Team All-Conference as a fullback and linebacker last year and is one of the state’s top defenders.

2026 Team Previews

1) Notre Dame won a Division 3 state championship in 2024, and was outstanding again in 2025, going unbeaten in the regular season and advancing back to Madison in Division 2 against a very tough playoff schedule. In an outstanding championship game, they’d drop a 28-14 decision to West De Pere to finish as runners-up. There are extremely high expectations again in 2026, especially with the return of senior Wisconsin running back recruit Kingston Allen, who set a new state record with 3,436 rushing yards and 57 touchdowns a year ago. He’s far from the only standout coming back, as the Tritons also return two-way All-State lineman Richie Flanigan, a Notre Dame recruit, as well as Iowa State tight end recruit Joey Massey. The top three tacklers from last season also return, as the Tritons are loaded up for a deep run once again.

2) Menasha went 6-3 during the regular season, finishing a distant third in the FRCC-South standings. The Bluejays made the playoffs once again, but went out after a lengthy trip to La Crosse Central. “We are not as young as the past two seasons,” said veteran coach Jeramie Korth. “Our youth is more experienced, and we have a combination of excellent team speed and size. We are looking to continue to build on a strong running game with a full backfield of talent. Defensively, we have several key returning contributors looking for breakout seasons.” Quarterback Paul Schmolinske and leading rusher Keonte Thigpen are among the top returning players for Menasha, who will have to deal with adversity after a July tornado damaged their home at Calder Stadium, forcing them to play home games this year at the Banta Bowl in Appleton.

3) Oshkosh North put together an outstanding 2025 campaign, winning the first eight games of the year before a hard-fought loss to Notre Dame, finishing alone in second place in the league. They wouldn’t stop there, winning playoff games against Marshfield and New Richmond before going out to River Falls in a sectional final. Head coach Luke Ott stepped down in the offseason, with former coach Chris Kujawa coming back as a co-head coach with Alec Gulan. The Spartans return four starters on the offensive line, but have to replace the entire skill position group, including prolific starting quarterback Bryce Ott. While just four starters are back on offense and two on defense, the team returns 13 players who got varsity reps last year.

4) Sheboygan North dropped the final three games of the year, including a 14-7 loss to Green Bay East, and despite a 5-4 overall record, the Golden Raiders did not get into the WIAA playoffs under the new qualification method due to a relatively weak group of wins. Things are pretty open in the middle of the conference, and they should have every opportunity to push for a spot this season. They do have to replace last year’s best player, linebacker Blake Buhr, who was the Defensive Player of the Year in the FRCC-South. Sam Olsen is the top returning rusher for the Golden Raiders.

5) Manitowoc Lincoln has fallen on a bit of hard times of late, as last year’s team lost the first seven games of the year before winning the final two, missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year in the FRCC-South. The good news is the team brings back running back Jaquan Foth, who provided the bulk of the offensive production last year, going for 994 yards on the ground.

6) Green Bay West won a couple of 7-3 decisions over Manitowoc Lincoln and Green Bay East last year, but finished 2-7 overall. As the Wildcats search for their first playoff spot since 1996, they are in one of the best spots to end the streak they’ve had in years. “We have a larger senior class with many having three to four years starting at the varsity level,” said head coach Drew Brusoe, who has brought much-needed stability to the program over the last five years. “Our leadership in the off-season and weight room has been the best since our staff came in back in 2022. Our biggest question mark going into the season will be the development at the offensive and defensive lines. We had made changes in our coaching staff to better allocate resources to help improve those units.” The Wildcats return eight starters on both sides of the ball and 34 letterwinners from last season.

7) Sheboygan South won just one game last year, a 28-12 victory over Green Bay West. “We’re not hiding from last season, but we’re also not defined by it,” said head coach Michael Rank. “This group has attacked the offseason with great energy and accountability. We’ve developed depth, competition, and toughness, and now it’s about translating that work onto the football field.” The Redwings bring back five starters on both offense and defense, including quarterback Austen Decker and leading rusher Jovan Adamavich.

8) Green Bay East got one-score wins over Sheboygan South and Sheboygan North last year, and wasn’t far away from getting into playoff contention, dropping a pair of one-score games to close the regular season. As it is, the Red Devils are still looking for their first playoff appearance since 2007. “We have a vision with what we want to accomplish this season as a team,” said head coach Jashawn Witt. “We are focused, excited, and we are going to be conditioned as a team this upcoming season. We are strong-willed individuals that find ways to make ourselves and our peers around us better people, students, and players.” East returns eight starters on the offensive side of the ball, including quarterback Phixen Chang, with seven back on defense.