Woodland 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: Grafton dominated the Woodland Conference last season and would not stop there, advancing to Madison to claim the Division 3 state title. Whitnall was second, getting to Level 2. Wisconsin Lutheran and Greenfield also qualified for the postseason.

Note: The Woodland is a seven-team league that is paired with the Parkland for one crossover game. Grafton moves from the Woodland to the Glacier Trails this year. Wisconsin Lutheran moves from the Woodland to the North Shore. Shorewood/Messmer/Dominican moves from the Woodland to the Metro Classic. West Allis Central joins the Woodland from the Parkland. West Allis Hale joins the Woodland from the Greater Metro.

2025 Woodland Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Parkland Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2025 Greater Metro Season Information:
Standings
Stats
All-Conference

2026 PREVIEW:

Predicted Order of Finish:

1) Whitnall
2) Greenfield
3) Greendale
4) West Allis Hale
5) Milwaukee Lutheran
6) West Allis Central
7) South Milwaukee

Players to Watch:

Jose Garcia, RB, Greenfield: Garcia went for 921 yards and eight touchdowns on 130 carries last year, averaging 7.1 yards per rush to earn Second Team All-Conference recognition.

Joel Heidenreich, OL, Greendale: Heidenreich is the only returning First Team All-Conference offensive lineman in the Woodland Conference.

Luke O’Brien, QB, Greenfield: O’Brien completed 56% of his passes for 1,125 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Hustlin’ Hawks.

Will Picago, TE/LB, Greendale: Picago was First Team All-Conference as a linebacker and earned Second Team recognition on offense.

Bryce Plennes, QB, South Milwaukee: Plennes was a Second Team All-Conference quarterback for the Rockets last season.

Will Williams, Jr., WR, Whitnall: Williams, Jr. was an Honorable Mention All-Conference pick as a utility player last year and will be a significantly bigger piece of the offense in 2026.

2026 Team Previews

1) Whitnall finished second in the Woodland behind Grafton last year, which means the Falcons are the highest finisher in the league coming back for 2026. It should be noted, Whitnall didn’t just make the playoffs last year, but defeated McFarland 42-0 in Level 1 before getting upset by Martin Luther in Level 2. The Falcons relied on a prolific offense the last couple years, led by Tanner Effertz, who threw for more than 2000 yards in multiple seasons and accounted for a total of 42 touchdowns last season, but has graduated. Top receivers Cooper Markee and Max Palmtag and running back Isiah Morehouse also move on. “We have to replace a lot of firepower from last season,” said head coach Robb Widuch. “We have multiple hungry and talented play-makers looking to step up.”

2) Greenfield was a playoff team last year, but after a hot start to the season, the Hustlin’ Hawks drop four of the final five games, including a 77-32 loss to Notre Dame to open the playoffs. Drew Morris, formerly the school’s offensive coordinator, takes over for Mike Kubes as the head coach this season. “We have a very strong core of contributors on both sides of the ball,” Morris said. “We expect to very senior-heavy across the board with over 30 seniors in this graduating class.” The Hawks bring back five starters on offense and six on defense. The offensive nucleus of quarterback Luke O’Brien and Second Team All-Conference running back Jose Garcia is among the best in the league.

3) Greendale went just 2-7 last year on the field, as the Panthers failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. There’s a change at the top this season, as former Oak Creek quarterback Jakup Sinani replaces Jermaine Murry as the head coach. “We have a great group of seniors that have been able to help rebuild the program as I started June 1st,” said Sinani. “We have speed on the outside on offense and they are able to make plays when the ball is in their hands. The mindset of the program is to get the Greendale program back to where it once was.” The Panther return 19 letterwinners this year, including five starters on offense and six on defense. Grady Smith will be making the switch from quarterback to receiver, with talented junior Collin Lopez poised to take over as the signal-caller. Joel Heidenreich is arguable the top offensive lineman in the league, while Will Picago is a versatile two-way player.

4) West Allis Hale began the year on a high note, winning non-conference games over West Allis Central and Milwaukee Riverside, but in the tough Greater Metro Conference, Hale couldn’t get in the win column the rest of the year. There has already been some turbulence at Hale, as head coach Scott Pritzl and several other coaches left in the last couple weeks. Cody Schumitsch will serve as an interim coach for this year. Coleton Cohen is back at quarterback this fall.

5) Milwaukee Lutheran enters its second year under head coach Anthony Dowery, coming off a season where they won one game on the field, a 50-30 decision over South Milwaukee to close the year. “With us being a very young team last season, we return a lot of downs from last year’s team,” said head coach Anthony Dowery. “We will look to rely on experience to remain disciplined and make plays when we need it.” There are eight starters returning in the team’s Wing-T offense, though they do have to replace leading rusher Marcellis Cotton-Sharp.

6) West Allis Central went 1-8 last year, but the Bulldogs enter this year with heavy hearts after the recent passing of head coach Stevie Calvin. Charles Leach will take over as they try to honor Calvin and move the program forward. The Bulldogs bring back seven starters on offense and five on defense, as Leach likes the underdog mentality of the group, but they’ll be low on numbers.

7) South Milwaukee did not win a game on the field last year, as the only victory on their record was via forfeit against Shorewood/Messmer. “This year we have completely flipped the culture and have ‘yes sir, no sir’ kids as well as now are recording all practices, lifting program up and running, and have a toughness we did not have last year,” said second-year coach Dylan Nimmer. “Our weakness will be our youth at key positions and loss of key veterans, but overall I expect this team and program to take a step forward and continue to lay the foundation of what this program now is and will continue to be.” There are just two starters returning both sides of the ball, however, with only seven letterwinners back. Quarterback Bryce Plennes is one of the starters back.