Ridge & Valley-8 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: North Crawford was the champion of the Ridge & Valley-8, going undefeated during the regular season. The Trojans were dominant, winning every game by multiple scores. They’d advance to the sectional finals before going out to Gilman. Belmont was second, qualifying for the playoffs along with De Soto and Highland.

2025 Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Belmont
2) North Crawford
3) De Soto
4) Highland
5) Kickapoo/La Farge
6) Wisconsin Heights
7) Monticello (canceling varsity season)
8) Wonewoc-Center (canceling some or all of season)

Players to Watch:

Tanner Degenhardt, OL/DL, Highland: Degenhardt was one of the top linemen in 8-player football last season, earning First Team All-Conference on both sides of the ball.

Brady Nankey, RB, Highland: Nankey rushed for 779 yards and seven touchdowns last year, earning Second Team All-Conference recognition.

John Saegrove, OL/DL, De Soto: Saegrove was a First Team All-Conference pick on both offense and defense last year.

Landry Stluka, RB/LB, North Crawford: Stluka was second on the team with 786 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the Trojans with 18 receptions for 443 yards and four scores.

Wyatt Temperly, QB, Belmont: Temperly had an outstanding sophomore season for the Braves, completing 66% of his passes for 1,621 yards and 28 touchdowns.

2026 Team Previews

1) Belmont was second in the Ridge & Valley-8 a year ago, finishing behind North Crawford. They’d beat De Soto in the first playoff game before going out against Oakfield the following week. “This upcoming season we look to build on what our group earned last season,” said head coach Brandon Wiese. “We return a large portion of our team, however, we do graduate some valuable leadership so that will be an area of growth for our group to take on this season.” There are 13 letterwinners back and five starters on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Wyatt Temperly leads a solid skill position group, while Bradley Lancaster and Cayden North are the top returning tacklers.

2) North Crawford went unbeaten during the regular season, capturing the Ridge & Valley-8 Conference title. A pair of playoff victories advanced the team to a sectional final, where they’d go out against a very good Gilman team. Head coach Jeremy Fradette brings back 10 letterwinners, with four starters returning on both sides of the ball. “We have good team speed and have a lot of guys who have logged a lot of varsity minutes,” said Fradette. “We will struggle with size.” Look for Zack Bender to make the move from receiver to quarterback, while Sawyer Stluka and Landry Stluka are key skill players for the Trojans.

3) De Soto qualified for the playoffs last year, marking the second postseason appearance for the Pirates in 8-player football to go with 37 in 11-player football. After a third place finish in the Ridge & Valley-8, they’d fall to Belmont for a second time in the opening playoff game. Veteran head coach Ev Wick sports a 162-70 record at the school, and returns three starters on both offense and defense. The Pirates lost five key seniors off last year’s squad, but do have good experience up front on both sides of the ball. John Saegrove is a two-way standout up front, while the return of Keagan Kolden, who missed last year with injury, will be a big help at running back.

4) Highland played well early in the year, five of the first six games in 2025. They’d drop the last two games of the year to North Crawford and De Soto, then dropped a playoff game to North Crawford right away. “We will be a young team this season,” said head coach Jasen Scanlan. “Will need some younger players to step up into varsity roles. We will not have a lot of depth, with a small roster of players. Our top athletes will be as good as any player in the conference. How quickly we can develop the supporting cast of players will determine our success.” Four starters are back on offense, including standout lineman Tanner Degenhardt and leading rusher Brady Nannkey.

5) Kickapoo/La Farge scored wins over Monticello and Wisconsin Heights last year, but that was it, as they struggled against their traditional Ridge & Valley opponents, including a 55-8 loss to rival North Crawford to close the season. “We graduated five seniors who all gave big contributions to the team last season,” said head coach Justin Goodrich. “Our biggest weakness is that we graduated our starting offensive line so we will need young players to step up. A key strength is that we had some freshmen that had to play quite a bit last season so they gained a lot of game experience and they should be ready to step into a leadership role this fall.” There are three starters back on both sides of the ball, with nine letterwinners returning overall.

6) Wisconsin Heights struggled last year, scoring just one victory, a 62-32 win over Monticello late in the year. The good news is the Vanguards are likely to get two wins before the season even starts, via forfeit. They’ll need to replace quarterback Quinn Payne and highly-productive receiver Zach Sander, but leading rusher Evann Cribbs does return.

7) Monticello is canceling its varsity season and playing a JV only schedule.

8) Wonewoc-Center has already canceled some of its varsity schedule, and it remains to be seen if they’ll play this year. The school separates from its co-op partner Weston and is a standalone program this year.