Packerland 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: Kewaunee won an outright Packerland Conference title last season, finishing a game ahead of Bonduel. After the Storm won the regular season battle, Bonduel did nip them in the playoffs 37-36, before the Bears fell the following week. Marinette and Mishicot also made the postseason.

Note: Mishicot moves from the Packerland to the Big East this year. Oconto Falls moves into the Packerland from the Northwoods.

2025 Packerland Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Northwoods Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Bonduel
2) Kewaunee
3) Oconto Falls
4) Southern Door
5) Marinette
6) Oconto
7) Peshtigo
8) Sturgeon Bay

Players to Watch:

Diesel Bosdeck, WR, Kewaunee: Bosdeck finished second on the Storm in receiving last year with 494 yards and six touchdowns, hauling in 30 passes.

Dane Harrell, TE, Kewaunee: Harrell is an emerging junior tight end who has drawn interest from a host of Division 1 schools already. Last year he caught 31 passes for 433 yards and three scores and showed a strong ability as a blocker in the run game as well.

Carter Moesch, RB/LB, Bonduel: Moesch was outstanding as a multi-dimensional offensive weapon last year, leading the Bears with 1,504 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns as well as 20 catches for 424 yards and six scores. He was First Team All-Conference on both offense and defense.

Jayden Popp, OL/LB/K, Bonduel: Popp was First Team All-Conference as an offensive lineman, linebacker, and kicker for the Bears last year.

Quinn Wesenberg, QB/DB, Bonduel: Wesenberg was very efficient throwing the ball last year, completing 55% of his passes for 990 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn Second Team All-Conference. He was First Team on the defensive side of the ball.

Nate White, QB, Oconto Falls: As a First Team All-Conference pick in the Northwoods last year, White threw for 1,549 yards and 17 touchdowns.

2026 Team Previews

1) Bonduel dropped a couple tough regular season games to Wittenberg-Birnamwood and Kewaunee, but rallied to share the Packerland Conference and title and pushed into the sectional finals, including a one-point win over Kewaunee, before dropping an 8-7 decision to Edgar. Despite losing two-way All-State selection Ryan Westrich, the Bears will be back among the state’s top Division 6 programs behind some talented skill players. Quarterback Quinn Wesenberg enters his senior year as a multi-year starter, while Carter Moesch led the team in rushing (1,504 yards) and receiving (424 yards) last year. Malachi Gray and Jack Zernicki are also back in the backfield, while Jackson Krause and Jayden Popp are two of the top linemen in the league.

2) Kewaunee took home the Packerland Conference title last season, but after a tough win over Bonduel in the regular season, they’d fall to the Bears in Level 2 of the playoffs. The return of First Team All-Conference linemen Gregorio Medina and Ben VanGoethem will help ease the loss of most of last year’s offensive production, including First Team All-Conference quarterback Brett Paulsen and running back Waylon Delain.

3) Oconto Falls won the Northwoods Conference in its final season in the league, going 7-0 and 8-1 overall in the regular season. They’d fall 27-12 to Wrightstown in the opening playoff game, however. The Panthers slide over to the Packerland Conference this year, and enter as a bit of an unknown in terms of where they’ll fit in to the league standings. Head coach Mark Jonas, who is just six away from 200 wins in his career that also included stints at Hilbert, Kaukauna, and Southern Door, has 38 returning letterwinners this season, including seven starters back on offense and six on defense. “We have some good line dudes and good skill kids, including a returning First Team All-Conference quarterback, Nate White<” Jonas said. “We do need to replace a really good, but small senior class.”

4) Southern Door finished out of the playoffs last year, going 3-6 overall. Points were hard to come by against the better teams in the league, as they scored just 36 in five Packerland Conference defeats. The Eagles played both Talon Mueller and Caleb Delwiche at quarterback last year, and Delwiche is back for his senior campaign. Leading rusher Raymond Paye is also back, though big-play receiver Lauden Berg moves on.

5) Marinette went 6-3 in the regular season, and it was enough for the Marines to get into the regular playoffs for the first time since 2012. Head coach Nate Anderson has a nice group of returning linemen, but all of last season’s skill players graduate. While 28 letterwinners are back, just four starters return on offense and defense.

6) Oconto won a couple games in the middle of the year, but that was it for the Blue Devils in 2025. There’s reasons for optimism moving forward, however. “This will be the first time since 2023 that we have all juniors and seniors starting,” said head coach Jakob Reichow. Oconto brings back nine starters on offense, as well as Aidan Hagel, who was projected to be the quarterback prior to an injury that cost him his junior season. Eight starters are returning on defense. The Blue Devils won’t have as much size as others in the league, however.

7) Peshtigo went 3-6 overall last year and 2-5 in the Packerland Conference, but struggled offensively against the better teams on its schedule. The Bulldogs scored single-digits in five of the six defeats, which all came against playoff teams. They’ll hope to be more competitive against the tougher opponents this year, though the Bulldogs do have to replace the players that accounted for all seven of the All-Conference selections. Quarterback Jordan Tirpik did some nice things as just a freshman last year and is back to try to take the next step for the Bulldogs this season.

8) Sturgeon Bay struggled to a winless 2025 campaign, as the Clippers lost every game by at least 30 points, scoring just 28 points all season. They relied a lot on young players last year, and the hope is those athletes will be a year older, bigger, and more experienced to put together a more competitive season in 2026. Quarterback Trygg Stuth, leading rusher Shaun Estrada, and top receiver Alex Boden all return for Sturgeon Bay this fall.