Fans of Oconto Falls High School’s football team probably noticed a big change in the Panthers’ schedule for the upcoming season.
Instead of past Northwoods Conference matchups with teams like Clintonville, Coleman and Crivitz, the Panthers will now compete in the Packerland Conference, which also includes Bonduel, Oconto, Peshtigo, Southern Door, Sturgeon Bay, Kewaunee and Marinette.
The conference change is for football only, as the Panthers will remain in the North Eastern Conference for all other sports.
Oconto Falls will open the season with nonconference games against Waupaca and Seymour before hosting Oconto on Sept. 4 in the Packerland opener for both teams.
Here’s a rundown on the area’s five 11-player teams:
Oconto Falls Panthers
Packerland Conference
The Panthers capped their final season in the Northwoods Conference last year with a 7-0 mark and a league championship. Oconto Falls’ season came to an end in the first round of the WIAA playoffs with a 27-12 loss to Wrightstown in Division 4.
Like all other teams, coach Mark Jonas has to replace seniors from last year’s 8-2 squad, including Alec Krejcarek, Ethan Hill, Elijah White, Isaiah Radart, Austin Anderson, Magnus Flynn and Cole Judkins.
Krejcarek led the Panthers in receiving yards and tackles last season, while Hill was the team’s leading rusher.
Nathaniel White accounted for 1,549 passing yards and 17 touchdowns through the air as the Panthers’ quarterback last season, while other seniors expected to return include Croix Gardebrecht, Logan Berg, Connor Ingram, Landon Thompson, Dawson Duncan, Levi Mommaerts, Landon Delfosse, Onni Hytinen, AJ Hendricks, Chris Mucha, Evan Dobbratz, Jagger Reed, Jack Ermis, Dominic Treichel, Aiden Cahak and JJ Pytleski.
Bonduel Bears
Packerland Conference
The Bears are coming off of a deep run into the WIAA playoffs last season that saw them fall to eventual Division 6 state runner-up Edgar 8-7 in Level 3.
Bonduel had a 2-2 mark at one point after losses to Wittenberg-Birnamwood in Week 1 and Kewaunee in Week 4, but the Bears regrouped to close out their Packerland schedule with five straight wins and a pair of playoff victories over St. Mary Catholic and Kewaunee.
The Bears finished with a 9-3 overall record that included a 6-1 mark in Packerland games.
Coach James Westrich has to replace several players from last season, including his son, Ryan, now a freshman at Central Michigan, as well as leading rusher, receiver and tackler Beckett Hartlaben, Gavin Hundt, Cory Wussow, Mason Ballwehn and Tucker Hischke.
However, several players who played key roles in the Bears’ success last season as juniors are expected to return, including quarterback Quinn Wesenberg, Malachi Gray, Gage Scholl, Aiden Hillsberg, Carter Moesch, Jack Zernicki, Thomas Vanderzanden, Jayden Popp, Max Huntington, Kash Giese and Ajay Heller.
The Bears will open the season with nonconference games at home against Wittenberg-Birnamwood and at Coleman before opening Packerland play Sept. 4 at home against Kewaunee.
Pulaski Red Raiders
Fox River Classic Conference
The Red Raiders are coming off of a 7-4 record that included a 5-2 mark in the Fox River Classic Conference.
Pulaski opened the WIAA playoffs with a 23-20 win over Milton in Division 2 but ended its season the following week with a 42-21 loss to eventual Division 2 state champion West De Pere.
Although the Red Raiders lost more than 20 seniors from the 2025 team, they do have one of the conference’s leading rushers in senior Bohdan Schmidt. He led Pulaski with 1,471 rushing yards, averaged 8 1/2 yards a carry and scored 18 touchdowns on the ground. He also completed 55 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns.
Other players expected to be back for coach Jerad Marsh include seniors Anthony Ficarri, Braun Wotruba, Garrett Lom, Trentyn Linz, Eli Brancefield, Bruno Gajeski, Keegan Buchea, Bryce Bohm, Lucas Vanhout, Keaton Dauk, Colton Brey, Seth Telford, Christian Reese, Mason Schwartz, Tanner Allen, Cole Nowak, Everett Just, Kanute Lexow, Raphael Fischer, Spencer Berna, Matthew Heck and Carter Tetzlaff.
The Red Raiders will host Appleton East in their season opener Aug. 21 before opening conference play Sept. 4 in Howard against Bay Port.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers
Central Wisconsin Conference-Large
An up-and-down season for the Chargers ended in the second round of the WIAA playoffs with a 35-14 loss to Lake Country Lutheran in Division 5.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood finished in the middle of the pack in the CWC-Large standings tied for fourth place with Weyauwega-Fremont and Marathon with a 3-4 record.
That sub-.500 record and 4-5 regular-season mark was still good enough to qualify for the postseason, and the Chargers handed Brookfield Academy a 42-12 loss in the opening round.
Coach Jason Rieck and his staff lost several seniors from last year, including Kaden Yaeger, Connor Meverden, Tre Mesich, Alberto Sanchez, Colby Wincentsen, Nick Flak, Bryson Schmid, Zandyr Barke, Oliver Fraaza, Eddie Nowinsky, Carson Meverden, Chewy Horacek, Henry Egging, Mason Wierzba, George Seegmiller and Cordell Carlson.
Yeager rushed for 1,093 of the Chargers’ 2,431 rushing yards in his senior season while averaging 13 yards a carry. He also scored 16 rushing touchdowns, caught four passes for touchdowns and returned a kickoff 95 yards for another score.
On the other hand, players expected to be on this season’s roster include seniors Bo Davis, Tommy Gagnon, Braxton Olson, Logan Gibson, Dane Wincentsen, Donald Schwalbach, Andrew Wierzba, Max Kasprak, Kevin Ocampo, Jovani Torres, Slade Wierzba, Mason Fischer and Nick Westover.
The Chargers will open their season Aug. 21 at Bonduel and head to Weyauwega Sept. 4 for the CWC-Large opener against Weyauwega-Fremont.
Shawano Hawks
Bay Conference
Shawano football fans haven’t had much to cheer about lately, as the Hawks haven’t made it to the WIAA playoffs since 2022 and are coming off of a 2-8 season.
On the other hand, the Hawks enter the 2026 season on a positive note after a 39-12 win over Wautoma in an extra game scheduled after the nine-game regular season.
Coach Alan Tomow and his staff have several seniors to replace from last year’s team that tied with New London and Xavier for fifth place in the Bay Conference standings with a 1-6 record.
Those players include Aiden Rasmussen, Robbie Caldwell, Eddie Rubio, Ayden Bystol, Joe Kleinschmidt, Duane Gristeau-Blanche, Brody Madison, Joey Doperalski, Charlie Gajewski, Qwyntin Oliver, Chase Katchenago, Justin Allison and McKinleigh Ross-Pecore.
Seniors expected on this year’s roster include Austin Heling, Elijah Senft, Braxon Beyersdorf, Tristan Lawe, Brayden Lidbury, Mayson DeMoss, Xavier Tourtillot, Micah Welander, Noah Vasquez, Zack Van Westerberg and Branlee Moede.
The Hawks will open the season with nonconference games against Wausau East and Lakeland before opening their Bay Conference schedule Sept. 4 at home against defending Division 4 state champion Winneconne.
Elijah White picks up a first down for Oconto Falls in the first quarter of the Panthers’ Northwoods Conference Oct. 3, 2025, game with Shiocton. Oconto Falls won 28-27. (File | NEW Media)
Carter Moesch returns a kickoff for Bonduel during the Bears’ 2025 season-opening matchup with Wittenberg-Birnamwood. (File | NEW Media)
Bonduel defensive back Quinn Wesenberg breaks up a pass intended for St. Mary Catholic’s Nicholas Campbell on Oct. 24, 2025, in a Level 1 Division 5 playoff game in Bonduel. Wesenberg and the Bears won 49-21 over the Zephyrs. (File | NEW Media)
