The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is counting down our top 10 Milwaukee-area football programs entering the 2026 season with analysis and reporting from preseason practice visits. These stories will release one per day leading up to kickoff of Week 1 of the WIAA high school football season.
Follow prep sports reporters Zac Bellman (@ZacBellman_WNY) and Michael Whitlow (@couldbelikemike) on X for hints on upcoming teams in the countdown.
No. 4 Grafton
2025 finish: 14-0 (7-0, won the Woodland Conference), won the 2025 WIAA Division 3 state title with a 17-15 victory over Reedsburg.
Key losses: QB/DB Nicholas Schiller, WR/DB Tyler Deer, TE/DL Ian Cornelius, LB/TE Tyler Heinle, OL Noah King, DL/OL Miles Muilenburg, DL/TE Max Glab, DL/OL Colton Boehlke, DL/OL Caleb Ernst, LB Jayden Smith-Kaylor, LB Peyton Wissmueller, DB/K Grayson Bollech.
Key returners: QB Hunter Klippel, RB Jack Nelson, RB Owen Deer, WR Parker Shaw, WR Malik Cane, TE Hudson Miller, TE/DE Hank Doyle, OL/DL Sam Heerey, OL/DL Spencer Shoemaker, OL/DE Khaleb Drake-Gray, LB Cooper Ehr, DB Jackson Meyer, DB/WR Vince Schiller.
Visit takeaways
Biggest question
The motto is Pound the Rock, but will there be a bigger sense of balance on offense in 2026?
Grafton’s offense ran 651 total offensive plays in 2025 and 60% of the time (391 attempts) the Black Hawks ran the football. Out of those 391 attempts, 265 of them went to Jack Nelson. Tyler Deer caught 80 of Nicholas Schiller’s 151 completions in 2025. The question isn’t necessarily will Grafton throw the ball more under new offensive coordinator Riley Hill, but how will the offense look in terms of spreading the wealth? Klippel and Nelson are true weapons with their legs on the ground and could easily score at least 25-30 times this season (Nelson scored 26 times in 2025 on the ground alone), and there’s nothing more that Norris loves than his offensive line dominating teams by running the ball down a defense’s throat. However, with talented perimeter options entering the fold into bigger roles, will there be a more balanced touch count throughout the offense? It’s a solution that could lighten Nelson’s workload and keep him fresher for the colder days of the playoffs where he was the difference maker for Grafton in its title run with his toughness and power as a three-down back with 91 total carries across the sectional final, state semifinal and state title rounds. The follow-up question for the Black Hawks is an obvious one: Who can attempt to replace the amazing defensive production from such a senior-heavy defense led by Tyler Heinle and Max Glab last season?
They said it
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grafton football retools in hopes of another state title run
Reporting by Michael Whitlow, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Michael Whitlow, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
