Southeast-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: Oakfield captured the Southeast-8 title last year, and the Oaks made it all the way to the state semifinals before going out to Gilman. Valley Christian was second, followed by Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah.

Note: Valley Christian and Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah move from the Southeast-8 to the Across the Bay-8. Abundant Life/St. Ambrose joins the Southeast-8 after playing as an 8-player independent last year. Palmyra-Eagle joins the Southeast-8 after playing 11-player football as a member of the Trailways last year.

2025 Southeast-8 Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Trailways Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Oakfield
2) Abundant Life/St. Ambrose
3) Palmyra-Eagle
4) Princeton/Green Lake
5) Williams Bay
6) Wayland Academy
7) St. John’s Northwestern Academies
8) Montello

Players to Watch:

Mo Aeschlimann, WR, Abundant Life/St. Ambrose: Aeschlimann hauled in 35 passes for 637 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

Jeremiah Ethen, WR, Abundant Life/St. Ambrose: Ethen caught 38 passes for 653 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025.

Austin Harmsen, QB, Oakfield: Harmsen was the Player of the Year in the Southeast-8 last season, throwing for 1,662 yards and 28 touchdowns, adding 360 yards and six scores on the ground as well.

Kayn Kim, RB, Wayland Academy: Kim shared carries with Regan Richardson last year but still managed to go for 597 yards and five touchdowns.

Xavier Mielke, RB, Oakfield: Mielke didn’t get a ton of action as a sophomore last year, but showed a lot of potential, and is poised for a breakout campaign in 2026.

2026 Team Previews

1) Oakfield captured the Southeast-8 Conference title last year, and advanced to the state semifinals before falling to Gilman in a competitive contest. There will be a number of changes for 2026. “We graduated 11 seniors, which accounted for 14 of 16 starting positions,” said veteran head coach Corey Rickert. “We do have players that have played a lot, but we will be fielding a new offensive line and defensive line.” One of the few experienced players returning is quarterback Austin Harmsen, an All-Conference performer. Keep an eye on Xavier Mielke as well, who should see his role increase quite a bit.

2) Abundant Life/St. Ambrose dropped its 11-player schedule in the SWAL to play an independent 8-player schedule last year, going 3-6 in games played. They had a solid offensive group last year, but graduate quarterback Anthony Ellingson, who threw for more than 1200 yards and led the team in rushing as well with 273 yards. However, explosive receivers Jeremiah Ethen and Mo Aeschlimann are back. Juniors Maxwell Voeltner and JD Highman both saw some reserve time at quarterback, and could be in the mix for this year.

3) Palmyra-Eagle makes the switch from 11-player to 8-player this year, as the Panthers are coming off a playoff appearance in its final season of 11-player in 2025. The team won the first three games of the year, but lost the final six games of the year, including a 55-6 defeat against Kenosha St. Joseph in the first playoff game. “We are brand new to 8-player football and it will be a learning curve getting used to the flow of the game,” said head coach Brandon Wilde. We have good numbers in the youth that we can build on for the future.” The team brings back three starters on offense and four on defense.

4) Princeton/Green Lake lost the first three games of the year, including a forfeit to Oakfield, but did win three the rest of the way (one via forfeit), and it turned out to be enough to get the Tigersharks into the playoffs. They’d fall to Lena/St. Thomas in Level 1. “We will be looking to build on a successful year,” said head coach Dakota Draheim. “We are returning over half our starters plus others that saw a lot of reps on both sides of the ball. Our weakness will probably be in learning new playbooks on offense and defense. I expect some assignment breakdowns early, but the chemistry the players have with each other will hopefully allow us to get through those early hiccups.” The Tigersharks have five starters returning on offense, including quarterback Jamison Luepke. Top rusher Leo Jachthuber is also returning.

5) Williams Bay finished 3-5 during the regular season, but it was enough to get the team into the 8-player playoffs for the first time ever, and the first postseason appearance of any kind since 2014. The Bulldogs would get beaten by Oakfield 55-0, after previously falling to the Oaks 71-0 during the regular season. They team had four different players throw at least 20 passes, with Ethan Welsh and Donald Van de Bogart returning from that group. Leading receiver Jacob Haynes is also returning for Williams Bay.

6) Wayland Academy was 3-5 last year, with a couple of the losses coming via competitive conquests. The Big Red relied heavily on quarterback Regan Richardson on offense, as he threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns but also ran for a team-high 1,305 yards and 14 touchdowns. His graduation leave a considerable hole in the production area. Kayn Kim does return after finishing second on the team in rushing a year ago.

7) St. John’s Northwestern Academies lost the first six games of the season, including a forfeit against Princeton, but did rally to defeat Williams Bay the next week. Second-year coach Justin Ramon brings back six starters on both sides of the ball this year. “Another year in the system with all the returning players will help with the team being consistent on all phases of the game,” Ramon said. “We’re still a young team, with only three players being in the system for at least three years. Robert Chapman is returning with experience at the quarterback spot.

8) Montello opened the year with a 14-12 win over St. John’s Northwestern Academies, but lost the next seven games, finishing 1-7 overall. Monty Jennings replaces Bernie VanRossum as the team’s head coach. The Hilltoppers bring back leading rusher Ole Sterregaard and Ethan Skramstad , while having to replace Kaleb Schumann at the quarterback spot.