It is time to take a look at this week’s Bound Wisconsin Football Coaches Poll. Division assignment this year is based on official WIAA assignments released prior to the start of the season. For more information on the changes to division assignments and the new playoff system for this year, please visit here.
Division 1
Defending state champion Bay Port opened the year with a nice win over Middleton, and occupies the top spot in the rankings this week. Arrowhead’s dominating win over Marquette has the Warhawks second, followed by Sussex Hamilton, Franklin, and Neenah in the top five. Despite early losses, Muskego and Kimberly manage to find themselves ranked in the first poll of the year.
Division 2
Defending champion Slinger is tops to begin the year, with another defending state winner, 2024 D3 gold trophy winner Notre Dame, coming in second. Kaukauna fell in a tough game to Notre Dame to open the season, the Ghosts are seventh this week, the only ranked D2 team with a loss in Week 1.
Division 3
Despite going down to Franklin in Week 1, Catholic Memorial was the overwhelming favorite atop the Division 3 Coaches Poll, receiving all but one first place vote (the other went to Reedsburg). Grafton defeated Mount Horeb/Barneveld to open the season, and the teams are second and third, respectively.
Division 4
Racine St. Catherine’s won the state title in Division 4 last season and with a strong roster back, occupies the number one position to begin the year. Winneconne is second behind a couple D1 talents in Brody Schaffer and Hudson Samolinski. Aquinas, Baldwin-Woodville, and Columbus round out a very strong top five in D4.
Division 5
Stratford has won three consecutive titles, including the D5 crown last year, but the Tigers opened with a loss to Mosinee, and that allows Northwestern to be the top-ranked team in the inaugural Division 5 Bound Wisconsin Coaches Poll. Stratford is second, followed by Lake Country Lutheran, Amherst, and Grantsburg in the top five.
Division 6
Edgar won the championship in D7 last year and bumps up to Division 6 due to the WIAA’s Tournament Performance Factor system, though the Wildcats enter the season number one in the D6 Coaches Poll. Regis is second, followed by Darlington, Mondovi, and Cambridge in the top five. Saint Mary’s Springs and Cedar Grove-Belgium opened with losses but are still in the first Coaches Poll.
Division 7
Potosi/Cassville gets the edge for the top spot in the first Division 7 Football Coaches Poll of the season. Kenosha St. Joseph is second, also receiving a few first place votes. It’s shaping up to be very competitive in D7, especially with two-time defending state champ Edgar bumped up to Division 6, and all of the teams in the first poll of the year won in Week 1.
8-Player
Gilman shutout defending state champion Owen-Withee 42-0 to open the season, and the Pirates begin in the number one spot in the Bound Wisconsin Coaches Poll. Owen-Withee is out of the poll completely. McDonell Central, Oakfield, North Crawford, and Newman Catholic round out the 8-Player Football top five.
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].