Southeast 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: Franklin ran away with the Southeast Conference title once again, and the Sabers advanced to the sectional finals before falling to Bay Port. Racine Case was second, winning a playoff game for a third straight year. Kenosha Bradford and Oak Creek also made the postseason.

Note: Franklin moves out of the Southeast Conference and into the Classic Eight. Milwaukee King joins the Southeast from the Milwaukee City-Richardson.

2025 Southeast Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Milwaukee-Richardson Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Racine Case
2) Kenosha Bradford
3) Oak Creek
4) Kenosha Indian Trail
5) Racine Horlick
6) Milwaukee King
7) Kenosha Tremper
8) Racine Park

Players to Watch:

Trenton Harris, OL, Racine Case – Harris moved around on the offensive line for the Eagles, playing tackle, guard, and even center, displaying outstanding positional versatility. After earning half a dozen D1 offers, Harris gave a commitment to Liberty.

Jay Baylis-Hooker, RB, Oak Creek: Baylis-Hooker was a First Team All-Conference selection as just a sophomore last season, rushing for 924 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Dontarius Johnson, RB, Milwaukee King: Johnson was a First Team All-Conference running back after leading the Generals with 718 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

Amarie King, DB, Racine Case: King is a ball-hawk in the defensive backfield, picking off five passes last year along with eight pass breakups. He also had 44 tackles, earning First Team All-Conference recognition in the Southeast Conference. He gave a commitment to St. Thomas.

Joel Perez, QB, Kenosha Indian Trail: Perez completed 60% of his passes last year for 1,518 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning Second Team All-Conference recognition.

Larenzz Pratt, WR/DB, Kenosha Bradford: Pratt is one of the most explosive athletes in the Southeast Conference, earning First Team All-Conference recognition as a receiver and defensive back. He had 35 catches for 577 yards as well as five interceptions on defense, and has committed to South Dakota State.

2026 Team Previews

1) Racine Case continued their strong recent run, finishing second in the Southeast Conference behind Franklin and winning a playoff game for a third consecutive year. However, they’d struggle with Muskego in Level 2, falling 34-6. Many of the top offensive producers have graduated, but head coach Anton Graham has built the Eagles into a program that is ready to keep things rolling year after year. Linebacker Erik Ynnocencio, linebacker Trent Harris, and defensive back Amarie King are returning standouts on the defensive side of the ball. With Franklin leaving the league, things certainly open up for the Eagles.

2) Kenosha Bradford did a lot of nice things last season, winning five straight to begin the year and finishing 7-2 overall in the regular season. However, after falling to Racine Case in Week 9, the Red Devils would go out again in Level 1 to the Eagles. “Being in my second year, we as a program are looking to take steps and grow,” said head coach Steve Morris. “Still a lot of work to do, but this off-season has been full of strides.” There is a strong group of skill players coming back, including quarterback Nolberto Rosales, leading rusher Gahari Barnes, plus explosive receiver and defensive back Larenzz Pratt.

3) Oak Creek made the playoffs last year, but the Knights finished just 5-4 during the regular season and finished a distant fourth in the Southeast Conference. With rival Franklin gone, things open up in the league, and Oak Creek has the kind of program that should be among those better positioned to fill the void. The running game should be strong, with Jay Baylis-Hooker and Cayson Seabrooks combining for more than 1500 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, both returning this season.

4) Kenosha Indian Trail won four games last year, but it still wasn’t enough to get the Hawks into the playoffs. It marked the second straight year that Indian Trail missed out, after they had nine postseason appearances in the previous 11 seasons. They beat all of the teams on the schedule with a losing record, but lost all five of the games against teams with a winning record. To move up the standings, they will need to find a way to compete better against the stronger teams on their schedule. A key factor for the Hawks this year is the return of quarterback Joel Perez, who threw for more than 1500 yards last season.

5) Racine Horlick won a couple early season games, but dropped six straight to close the year. It was a step back for the Rebels after wining a playoff game in 2024. So now the questions is whether the Rebels can rally in a new-look Southeast Conference that sees a dominant Franklin team move out of the league. Quarterback Nash Darge is back after a junior season that saw him complete 57% of his passes, though he needs to improve on his touchdown-to-interception ratio.

6) Milwaukee King has been one of the most consistent programs in the Milwaukee City Conference for some time, making the playoffs every year since 2009. After making the playoffs last year, the Generals move out of the City Conference and into the Southeast. While some of the Racine and Kenosha schools have had their share of challenges in recent years, it remains to be seen just where King will slot in. They have gone outside the Milwaukee City Conference to test themselves, but it hasn’t always worked out. Last year, they lost close games to Howards Grove, Nicolet, and Wauwatosa East. The Generals do return the components of a strong rushing attack, including backs Dontarius Johnson, Delano Glover, and Tyler Scott. They combined for more than 1900 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground last year.

7) Kenosha Tremper has struggled for some time, as the Trojans once again missed the playoffs, going 2-7 overall. It has been since 2010 that the team made the WIAA postseason, and a new coach will give it a go this year, as Ryan Andersen is replaced by Jim Kenesie, who previously coached at Kenosha St. Joseph. “I think we will be better than what were were previously, but it will probably take some time before we are good,” said Kenesie. There are just two starters returning on offense and four on defense. “We will prioritize our run game and put lot of effort into getting the ball in our playmakers hands, but I am not quite sure who those kids will be,” added Kenesie.

8) Racine Park did not win a game last year, but the Panthers certainly had their share of competitive contests. They had three, one-score games plus two others decided by two scores. The Panthers haven’t made it into the playoffs since 2022. They’ll need to replace starting quarterback Jalen Vaughn, along with leading receiver Jwan Eastland.