North Shore 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: Homestead was the outright winner of the North Shore last year, as the Highlanders were unbeaten to the state semifinals before falling to West De Pere in a one-point thriller. Slinger was second, advancing to Level 2. West Bend West finished third, while Hartford was fourth. Despite finishing 2-5 in league play, both Nicolet and Whitefish Bay qualified for the playoffs, with Whitefish Bay making it to the state semifinals in Division 3.

Note: West Bend West, West Bend East, and Nicolet move from the North Shore to the Glacier Trails. Menomonee Falls joins the conference from the Greater Metro, Waukesha West from the Classic Eight, and Wisconsin Lutheran from the Woodland.

2025 North Shore Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Classic Eight Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Greater Metro Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Woodland Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Homestead
2) Slinger
3) Whitefish Bay
4) Wisconsin Lutheran
5) Waukesha West
6) Hartford
7) Menomonee Falls
8) Cedarburg

Players to Watch:

Lateef Love, RB, Whitefish Bay: Love led the Blue Dukes with 1,402 rushing yards last season, scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground with two more through the air.

Rylan Miller, RB, Homestead: Miller saw a good amount of action for the Highlanders last season, rushing for 556 yards and five touchdowns.

Mace Miskel, WR/DB, Whitefish Bay: Miskel was a Second Team All-Conference receiver, hauling in 49 passes for 756 yards and 10 touchdowns, and is also a standout on the defensive side of the ball.

Jonah Sadler, QB, Wisconsin Lutheran: Sadler led the Vikings in passing and rushing last year, accounting for nearly 1200 yards of offense and 20 touchdowns.

Jamail Sewell, OL, Wisconsin Lutheran: Sewell is a monster up front for the Vikings and has given a commitment to the University of Minnesota.

Peyton Tennies, RB, Slinger: Tennies is the top returning rusher for the Owls, but will be part of a group with big shoes to fill after the graduation of 2000-yard rusher Kobe Hendricks.

Chase Wolter, QB, Whitefish Bay: Wolter threw for 1,811 yards and 19 touchdowns last year as the strong-armed quarterback earned Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Lee Zortman, QB, Homestead: Zortman is back as a returning starting quarterback, throwing for 674 yards and eight scores last year while finishing second on the team with 976 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.

2026 Team Previews

1) Homestead won an outright league title in the tough North Shore Conference, going unbeaten to the state semifinals. There, they’d drop a one-point heartbreaker to eventual state champion West De Pere. “Experience is a strength, especially on the perimeter of both sides of the ball,” said head coach Drake Zortman of his returning group for 2026. “We also bring back five of seven starters on our defensive front. We will add in a nice mix of young guys who look great and gained valuable experience the past couple years in our playoff runs.” Lee Zortman returns after accounting for 23 total passing and rushing touchdowns. Rylan Miller saw time in the backfield as a ballcarrier and returns as well. There are a total of six starters returning on both sides of the ball.

2) Slinger won a state title in 2024, the Owls were solid last fall, but certainly not quite at the same level. They’d finish second in the North Shore Conference, and after an opening playoff win against West Bend West, they’d go out in a shootout to Notre Dame, finishing 8-3 overall. There are just two starters returning on offense, but six on defense. “Strengths will be our perimeter play on both sides of the football,” said head coach Bill Jacklin. “We have speed and athletes that can make plays.” There are a few more concerns up front on both offense and defense, with a relative lack of size compared to previous years and a lot of youth. Replacing 2000-yard rusher Kobe Hendricks will be extra difficult.

3) Whitefish Bay went on quite a rollercoaster ride in 2025. The team opened with a 27-22 win over Madison Memorial, but would win just two more games against a very tough schedule the rest of the regular season. Sitting at 3-6 overall and 2-5 in league play, the team would have been eliminated from the playoffs in previous years, but the new Matrix system put the team in as an eight seed. They’d go on quite the run, beating top seed New Berlin West in the opening playoff game before advancing all the way to the state semifinals where they’d go out against Reedsburg. Five starters are back on both sides of the ball for the Blue Dukes, including the bulk of the skill positions. That includes quarterback Chase Wolter, leading rushers Lateef Love and Kaden Kelly, and explosive receiver Mace Miskel. While most of the big guys up front need to be replaced, Kaben Ziegler returns as one of the best two-way linemen in the state.

4) Wisconsin Lutheran was a little off the pace in the Woodland last year, finishing third behind Grafton and Whitnall. They’d go out to La Crosse Logan in a Level 1 playoff game, but head coach Joel Radue brings back six starters on both sides of the ball and 23 letterwinners. The headliner is Jamail Sewell, a towering offensive lineman who recently gave a commitment to Minnesota. Quarterback Jonah Sadler, who threw for 10 touchdowns and ran for 10 more, is also returning this season. Wisco picked up a transfer from Kendal Toliber, who went for nearly 1000 rushing yards at Saint Thomas More. Things do get tougher for the Vikings this year, as they’ll move to the more challenging North Shore Conference.

5) Waukesha West won just one game in the Classic Eight last year, but non-conference wins over Wisconsin Lutheran and Waukesha North along with a crossover victory against West Allis Hale allowed the Wolverines to qualify for the postseason. Going on the road as a six-seed, they nearly took out third-seeded Union Grove before falling 15-10. “Our offense returns a lot of experience at the skill positions, with guys that are explosive and can make plays from any position,” said head coach Steve Vitale. “The defense will be anchored by our defensive line that has great size and our safeties who have game experience. Overall we had a lot of juniors who saw game action last year and seniors who will be moving into full-time roles.” Vitale anticipates a healthy training camp battle to take over at quarterback for First Team All-Conference pick Jamison Larsen, who moved to Florida. The Wolverines bring back five starters on offense and four on defense.

6) Hartford started last season 1-5, but a furious push late in the year led to three straight victories, allowing the Orioles to qualify for the playoffs for a 10th consecutive year. They’d run out of gas though in a 70-33 loss to eventual D2 champion West De Pere. Head coach John Redders brings back five starters on offense, including a strong group of receivers plus promising sophomore quarterback Braydon Slack. Redders really likes the returning talent on defense, with five starters back as well, including Ashton Grulke and Brady Helms.

7) Menomonee Falls went winless in 2024 and certainly showed improvement last season, qualifying for the playoffs. However, the Phoenix would finish just 3-7 overall after dropping the final four games of the year, including a blowout loss to Homestead in Level 1 of the playoffs. “We need to keep improving and building,” said head coach Bobby Regent-Smith. “Last year, making the playoffs was big for our players and now we need to take the next step.” With seven starters returning on offense and nine on defense, that seems like it could be a possibility for the Phoenix. Among the returning regulars is quarterback Anishka Amarasinghe.

8) Cedarburg managed a 2-7 overall record in 2025, as the team had its share of offensive struggles. Outside of 41 points in a win over West Bend East, the Bulldogs scored more than 14 points just once. Head coach Matt McDonnell enters 2026 with a roster that includes just four returning starters on offense and three on defense. “We are going to be a young team,” McDonnell said. “We have a returning starter that played as a freshman, Brian Ranson, who can be a playmaker.” Speaking of freshmen, Dayton Thielmann saw a little bit of time at quarterback as a freshman and could be a breakout candidate.