SWC 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: Prairie du Chien and New Glarus shared the SWC title with 6-1 league marks last year, though Prairie du Chien did win the head-to-head matchup. River Valley was second, while Platteville, Richland Center, and Lancaster also qualified for the playoffs. New Glarus’ run to the sectional finals was the deepest postseason trip for any league teams.

Note: The SWC is a seven-team league that will play one crossover against the SWAL. New Glarus moves from the SWC to the SWAL this year.

2025 SWC Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Prairie du Chien
2) Platteville
3) Lancaster
4) Richland Center
5) Dodgeville
6) River Valley
7) Brodhead/Juda

Players to Watch:

Grayson Arn, RB, Brodhead/Juda: Arn is a very talented athlete who made a strong showing at off-season camps, coming off a junior season that saw him rush for 906 yards and seven touchdowns.

Brody Digman, QB, Platteville: Digman was the SWC Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 2,123 yards and 20 touchdowns with 947 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

Darian Jackson, RB, Prairie du Chien: Jackson led the Blackhawks with 1,095 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.

Toay Ragatz, QB/LB, Lancaster: Ragatz ran for 878 yards and 17 touchdowns as a Second Team All-Conference pick, and earned First Team All-Conference at linebacker.

Cayden Sutter, QB, Prairie du Chien: Sutter was very efficient as a sophomore starting quarterback last year, completing 55% of his passes for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns, with just one interception.

2026 Team Previews

1) Prairie du Chien started 0-2 against a tough non-conference schedule, but would rally to claim a share of the SWC title in 2025. Taking down Westfield in the first playoff game, they’d drop a tight one against Stratford the next week. “Our team this season will need to find replacements for three offensive linemen,” said head coach Kevin Campbell. “If we can find replacements for a small, but solid departing senior class, we might be able to keep our head above water.” Bringing back starting quarterback Cayden Sutter and 1000-yard rusher Darian Jackson lead five starters returning on offense. The defense also brings back five starters.

2) Platteville lost four games during the regular season, with three of them coming by two or less points. The Hillmen scored a playoff upset over Lodi 37-30 in Level 1, but weren’t able to handle Baldwin-Woodville the following week in a 61-27 loss. The return of All-Conference quarterback Brody Digman, the league’s Offensive Player of the Year, is a big boost for the Hillmen. Last year he threw for 2,123 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 947 yards and 12 scores.

3) Lancaster went just 3-6 during the regular season, but the Flying Arrows still managed to sneak into the playoffs, though they’d fall to Amherst in Level 1. There’s a coaching change this year, with Kyle Stiklestad replacing Jordan Rolland. Toay Ragatz is an outstanding two-way player for the Arrows, rushing for 878 yards and 17 touchdowns last year while earning First Team All-Conference as a linebacker.

4) Richland Center went 4-5 during the regular season, and despite a conference record below .500, the Hornets were able to qualify for the playoffs for a second straight season. They’d fall to Stratford in Level 1. “Richland Center returns a talented and experienced backfield led by a strong junior class that gained valuable varsity experience a year ago,” said head coach Andrew Troxel, a 2003 graduate of the school. “We anticipate making significant strides on both sides of the ball as those players continue to develop within our offensive and defensive systems.” There are ten players back on offense who have seen starting action, and seven on defense. Jayden Schoepp will move from quarterback to receiver this year, and sophomore Bronson Perkins is expected to take on a bigger role as the featured running back.

5) Dodgeville had a lot of close calls in the 2025 season, but unfortunately came out on the short end of the stick too many times, finishing 2-7 overall. “The biggest strengths should be improved continuity in the Wing-T offense, and an offensive line that saw significant varsity snaps last season,” said head coach Matt Staver. “With a full year in the system, we hope to be more efficient offensively and capable of controlling games with our rushing attack. The primary concern remains on defense, where Dodgeville must improve its ability to stop the run and limit explosive plays after struggling against some of the conference's top teams in 2025.” The Dodgers bring back seven starters on offense and seven on defense, with 22 letterwinners returning.

6) River Valley put together a nice run last year, and sat in first place in the SWC late in the season, but back-to-back losses to New Glarus and Dodgeville, by a combined three points, led to a third place finish in the league standings. The late season swoon continued as the Blackhawks fell to Durand-Arkansaw 40-21 in the first playoff game. River Valley was led by a strong Class of 2026, which means the graduation of that group leaves some considerable holes in the lineup this fall. Second-leading Ty Larson is back this year, but they have to replace the quarterback, top rusher, all but one of 92 receptions, and the players that accounted for all 14 All-Conference selections.

7) Brodhead/Juda did not find a path to victory last year, as the longtime co-op program finished 0-9, with a 41-28 loss to Dodgeville the closest contest of the year. On the bright side, the Cardinals do return some experience and talent from last year. That includes dynamic running back Grayson Arn, who rushed for more than 900 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. Quarterback Logan Krupke is also back.