Week 1 Rapid Reaction

Tragically, Alma Center Lincoln senior Adam Massman passed away after an injury that occurred in the Hornets’ game on Thursday night against Turtle Lake, per WEAU. Massman suffered the injury late in the contest, and the game was called after emergency medical personnel began treatment.

Massman was a senior quarterback for Alma Center Lincoln and a multi-sport athlete for the Hornets.

What a matchup it was Friday night between Neenah and Notre Dame, as senior standouts Kingston Allen of Notre Dame and Ashton Van Beek of Neenah put on an incredible display. Notre Dame rallied from a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime, and won it when the Tritons executed a version of the “Philly Special” on their first play of overtime to win a walk-off 56-53 decision.

Allen, the defending WFCA co-Offensive Player of the Year, went off for 458 yards and seven touchdowns on 38 carries, also catching two passes for nine yards. In the loss, Van Beek from Neenah had 154 yards passing and 233 yards rushing (387 total yards) while accounting for seven total touchdowns.

There were some teams that made significant statements right out of the gates in the 2026 season.

In Thursday action, West De Pere won it all in Division 2 last year, and showed they’ll be a contender despite being elevated to D1, as the Phantoms scored a 42-20 road win over Sun Prairie East. After graduating WFCA co-Offensive Player of the Year Patrick Greisen at quarterback, his younger brother Andrew is more than ready to step in, completing 26-of-38 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns.

Bay Port has made it to two straight Division 1 state title games, including winning it all in 2024, and the Pirates proved they’re among the elite once again with a dominating 56-15 win over Middleton. Bay Port rolled up 542 yards of offense in the victory.

Hamilton took down Kimberly for the third time in 12 months, scoring a 27-12 road victory on Thursday. Cole Erdman had 208 yards of total offense and threw for two scores.

Appleton North beat Mukwonago in Week 1 last year, and opened 2026 win a 10-7 win over the Indians, displaying a suffocating defensive unit.

In a matchup of preseason top ten teams in Division 4, Osceola defeated Columbus 35-20 Thursday evening.

Melrose-Mindoro not only defeated Bangor to open the schedule for a second straight year, but the Mustangs shutout the Cardinals in a 23-0 victory on Thursday.

One of the more surprising outcomes of Week 1 was Kenosha Bradford’s 52-12 thumping of Badger on Friday night. The Red Devils got 315 yards and seven passing touchdowns from junior quarterback Nolberto Rosales in the win.

Staying in the Southeast Conference, Racine Case scored its first win over Franklin at least 40 years, taking down the Sabers 20-10. It is a non-conference game after Franklin moves to the Classic Eight Conference this year.

Freedom shocked highly-ranked Lake Mills 40-0 on Friday night, shutting out an L-Cats team that returned All-State quarterback Tyler Wollin and a strong offensive group.

Defending Division 3 state champion Grafton went down in the first game of the year, falling 14-10 to Mount Horeb/Barneveld.

Cuba City has a veteran group coming back this year, and the Cubans went on the road to score a 27-20 win over Potosi/Cassville, rallying from a 13-6 halftime deficit.

Verona opened the new year with a 45-0 win over Oak Creek, leaving no doubt that the Wildcats are the favorites in the Big Eight this fall.

Arrowhead opened its Division 1 title defense with a 35-7 win over Marquette. Senior quarterback Nolan Hanson threw for 181 yards and three touchdowns while junior Devin Nettles and senior Jebari Craig combined for 282 rushing yards.

Wisconsin Lutheran looked very good in a 35-21 victory over Waterford on Friday. Senior quarterback Cooper Sievert had 263 total yards and accounted for four touchdowns.

Muskego won a battle of heavyweights at Inpro Field, as the host Warriors took down the visiting Warriors of Waunakee 24-7.

Grantsburg took down Amery 34-28 behind 470 yards of offense. Senior quarterback Axel Hale threw for 210 yards while senior running back Daxter Schultz rushed for 233 yards and three touchdowns.

Port Washington junior quarterback Jack Bunyan threw for 494 yards and five touchdowns in a 39-20 win over Sheboygan North.

Regis gave a less than warm welcome to defending 8-player McDonell Central as the Macks move up to 11-player, as the Ramblers won 59-12.

A couple lengthy losing streaks came to an end this week. Superior defeated Eau Claire North 58-28 on Thursday night, ending the Spartans’ 29-game losing streak. On Friday, Green Bay Southwest beat Sheboygan South 33-13 for the program’s first on-field victory since 2022.

In a Saturday game, last year’s Division 6 state champion Darlington put a running clock on the host Ledgers of Saint Mary’s Springs in a 35-0 Redbird win.