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: Wabeno/Laona was the champion of the Northeast-8, going unbeaten in the regular season before falling to Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas in a sectional final. Niagara was second, followed by Three Lakes/Phelps and Florence.
Note: The Northeast-8 is a seven-team league that is paired with the Across the Bay-8 and plays one crossover contest. Wabeno/Laona, Three Lakes/Phelps, and Elcho/White Lake move to the Northwoods-East this year. Faith Christian did not field a team a year ago and will not this season. Pembine/Goodman canceled all games last year but is on the schedule for this season. Gillett, Suring, and Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas move from the Across the Bay-8 to the Northeast-8 this year.
2025 Northeast-8 Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference
2025 Across the Bay-8 Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference
2026 PREVIEW:
Predicted Order of Finish:
1) Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas
2) Suring
3) Niagara
4) Florence
5) Gillett
6) Wausaukee
7) Goodman/Pembine
Players to Watch:
Taylor Booth-Stoffregen, QB, Suring: He threw for 780 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, with 237 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Wyatt Dunkes, RB/LB, Niagara: Dunkes was a First Team All-Conference selection as a running back, but did his damage as a receiver, catching 33 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns. He was First Team All-Conference on both sides of the ball.
Jake Farley, QB/DB, Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas: Farley was second on the team in rushing last year with 667 yards and 10 touchdowns, though he didn’t throw it much with just 32 attempts (though for 239 yards and five touchdowns). He was Honorable Mention All-Conference on defense.
Kroix Kempka, RB/LB, Suring: Kempka rushed for 1,227 yards and 12 touchdowns and also led the team with 21 receptions for 420 yards and five scores. He was First Team All-Conference on both sides of the ball last season.
Mason Koski, QB, Florence: Koski was First Team All-Conference as a utility player after leading the Bobcats in passing, finishing third in rushing, and second in receiving.
2026 Team Previews
1) Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas took home a state runner-up finish in 2024, and the co-op program advanced to the semifinals last season, falling to eventual champion McDonell Central. It capped another strong year, as the Titans went 11-1 overall. Leading rusher Max Peterson departs, but quarterback Jake Farley does return after finishing second on the team in rushing a year ago. The team makes the move from the Across the Bay to the Northeast-8 this season.
2) Suring was an improved team last year, finishing 5-3 during the regular season and qualifying for the 8-player playoffs for the first time since 2019. They’d exit in Level 1 to Sevastopol, but longtime coach Mitch Taylor has a nice group returning as they move into a new league this fall. There are six starters back on both offense and defense, who have played a lot of football the last couple seasons. Quarterback Taylor Booth-Stoffregen, running back Grant Thomson, and 1200-yard rusher Kroix Kempka, who doubled as the team’s leading receiver, all return for 2026.
3) Niagara qualified for the 8-player postseason for the first time ever, going 6-2 officially during the season, though two of those were via forfeit when they lost the replacement game in the same week. They’d get running clock’ed in Level 1 by Athens 46-0. Head coach Ben Laarman, a 1999 graduated of Appleton East, has 19 letterwinners back this year, with five starters returning on offense and five on defense. “We have a senior class that has a lot of experience,” Laarman said. “It will be their second year in our system, so hopefully we'll be better at it this year.”
4) Florence was the 2023 8-player state champion, but the Bobcats have not been able to make it back to the postseason since that magical run. Despite getting a pair of forfeit victories last year, Florence was not able to secure a postseason spot in 2025. It was a young group, and the team should be improved in 2026. Both Mason Koski and Luke Deterville played at quarterback last season and return, with Deterville leading the team in rushing and receiving as well.
5) Gillett did not win a game last season, losing every contest via a running clock. They move from the Across the Bay-8 to the Northeast-8 this season.
6) Wausaukee won just two games on the field last year, with two other victories coming via forfeit. It still wasn’t quite enough to get into the postseason for the Rangers, however. Unfortunately we did not receive any stats or information from Wausaukee.
7) Pembine/Goodman did not field a varsity team last year.
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].
