This week was a big week in Wisconsin as High School Football returns and we finally got the chance to see some teams practice for real. Each team throughout the season plays nine games and this is really the only WIAA-sponsored sport where not every team makes the postseason after the regular season, but most teams will end up playing more than nine games, below are some of the top teams in each division going into the 2023 season. Lots of teams this year who did not make state last year in their Division is looking good early on and could make a state appearance our goal this season is to have rankings each week.
Division 1 Top Preseason Teams:
- Kimberly (Defending D1 State Champs)
- Arrowhead
- Muskego
- Mukwonago (D1 Runner-Up in 2022)
- Neenah
- Bay Port
- Middleton
- Sussex Hamilton
- Oak Creek
- Verona
WATCH LIST: Franklin, Appleton North, Wisconsin Rapids
Division 2 Top Preseason Teams:
- 1. Kettle Moraine (Defending D2 State Champs)
- 2. West De Pere (D2 Runner-Up in 2022)
- 3. Waunakee
- 4. Kaukauna
- 5. Sun Prairie East
- 6. Badger
- 7. Slinger
- 8. River Falls
- 9. Homestead
- 10. Germantown
- WATCH LIST: Brookfield Central, Pulaski, Waukesha West
Division 3 Top Preseason Teams:
- 1. Onalaska
- 2. Monroe (Defending D3 State Champs)
- 3. Mount Horeb/Barneveld
- 4. New Berlin West
- 5. Port Washington
- 6. Pewaukee
- 7. Notre Dame
- 8. Grafton
- 9. Mosinee
- 10. Wisconsin Lutheran
- WATCH LIST: New Berlin Eisenhower, Kewaskum, and Martin Luther
Division 4 Top Preseason Teams:
- 1. Catholic Memorial (D4 Runner-Up in 2022)
- 2. Columbus (Defending D4 State Champs in 2022)
- 3. Lodi
- 4. Two Rivers
- 5. West Salem (D3 Runner-Up in 2022, moved to D4 due to enrollment)
- 6. Little Chute
- 7. Freedom
- 8. Racine St. Catherines
- 9. Lake Mills
- 10. Edgewood
- WATCH LIST: Evansville, Baldwin-Woodville, and Wisconsin Dells
Division 5 Top Preseason Teams:
- 1. Aquinas (Defending D5 State Champs)
- 2. St. Mary’s Springs
- 3. Saint Croix Falls
- 4. Prairie Du Chen
- 5. Southern Door
- 6. Marshall
- 7. Mayville (D5 Runner-up in 2022)
- 8. Racine Lutheran
- 9. Brodhead/Juda
- 10. Kewaunee
- WATCH LIST: Amherst, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Cedar Grove-Belgium
Division 6 Top Preseason Teams:
- 1. Kenosha St. Joesph
- 2. Regis (D7 State Champs in 2022, moved up to D6 because of Enrollment)
- 3. Stratford (Defending D6 State Champs)
- 4. Mondovi (D6 Runner-up in 2022)
- 5. Darlington
- 6. Bondel
- 7. Luther
- 8. Colby
- 9. Howard’s Grove
- 10. Coleman
- WATCH LIST: Spring Valley, Grantsburg, Shiocton
Division 7 Top Preseason Teams:
- 1. Edgar
- 2. Pepin/Alma
- 3. Hurley
- 4. Cambria-Friesland
- 5. Reedsville
- 6. Potosi Cassville
- 7. River Edge
- 8. Randolph
- 9. Johnson Creek
- 10. Black Hawk/Warren (IL)
- WATCH LIST: Cashton, Assumption, Bangor
DISCLAIMER: In the 2023-24 school year some teams either moved up a division or down because of enrollment size at the school, the enrollment for the Division is taken on the third Friday of September from the previous school year.
Streaming High School Football this year:
WisSports (Thursday Night Throwdown)
Bay Port Radio/New Sports Radio
MaxPreps Wisconsin Radio (GameMic)
WisSports.net Media Sponsors Page
AFTER THE GAME: Football Friday Night airs live on Friday nights from 9:30 pm until 11 pm on the statewide Wisconsin Radio Network. The show is hosted by iHeartMedia’s Chuck Freimund and Dan Pfeiffer (LINK HERE)
WANT A STORY ON YOUR TEAM?: Before the season I will be going to a few football practices to check in on teams, if you would like me to come to your practice please send me an email at matthewpeckbaseball@outlook.com, and I will happily do a story on your team, or you can follow my Twitter as well.
