The high school football season kicks off Thursday, Aug. 20, the first step on a journey each program hopes ends with a playoff berth and a state championship.
There are several great players to watch in the Green Bay area between now and November. Here are 32 of them, although the list of talent is much longer.
Kingston Allen, sr., Green Bay Notre Dame
The University of Wisconsin commit set the state’s single-season record with 3,436 rushing yards and 57 touchdowns in his first season as a starter in 2025.
He rushed for 200 or more yards in 10 of 13 games, helping lead the Tritons to the WIAA Division 2 state title game.
One of Allen’s goals during the offseason was to get bigger. He entered training camp at, or a little more, than 200 pounds. It’s at least 10 pounds heavier than his listed weight last season.
Wyatt Bieber, sr., Coleman
The Cougars are the favorite to win the Northwoods Conference championship after reaching a D4 quarterfinal playoff game and finishing runner-up in league play to an Oconto Falls team that is now in the Packerland.
Bieber played a big part in the success, rushing for 866 yards and eight TDs while averaging 7 yards per carry.
He had 48 total tackles at linebacker.
Cooper Borowicz, sr., West De Pere
A first-team all-conference defensive back in the Fox River Classic-North for a Phantoms squad that won the D2 state title.
Borowicz had 87 total tackles and four interceptions and earned a scholarship to NCAA Division II Northern Michigan.
Blake Bortolini, sr., Kewaunee
Helped the Storm win the Packerland Conference last season and will make them a top contender again in 2026.
The defensive lineman was a first-team all-conference selection, finishing with 36 tackles and one sack.
He also helped power an impressive offensive attack as an offensive lineman. Kewaunee threw for 2,165 yards and rushed for 2,095, combining for 57 TDs.
Diesel Bosdeck, jr., Kewaunee
A three-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball.
Bosdeck was a key part in the Storm’s offensive attack at wide receiver last season after catching 30 passes for 494 yards and six TDs. He was one of only two sophomores to be named to the league’s all-conference first team.
He also had 38 total tackles and four sacks as a defensive back.
Marcus Brezgel, jr., Shawano
Had a breakout sophomore season at running back, finishing third in the Bay Conference with 664 yards while adding four TDs.
He was a second-team all-conference selection.
Cayden Cavanaugh, sr., De Pere
The linebacker has been one of the most prolific tacklers in the state since his sophomore season.
He had 112 total tackles as a junior and was second on the team with three interceptions, two of which he returned for TDs.
Entering his final prep season, the team captain has piled up 255 career tackles along with nine forced fumbles and six interceptions.
Cavanaugh’s role expanded to the offensive side of the ball last season. He had 18 receptions for 166 yards and three TDs at tight end.
Committed to DII Ferris State University in July.
Eli Derenne, sr., Luxemburg-Casco
Won the starting quarterback job entering last season – replacing his older brother, Landon, who graduated in 2025 – and lived up to expectations in leading the Spartans to the playoffs.
Derenne was the best signal caller in the North Eastern Conference, throwing for 1,598 yards and 17 TDs while completing 59.6% of his pass attempts.
He added 289 yards rushing and three scores.
The L-C passing attack should be in good shape with Derenne and the return of wideout Tatem Klaubauf, who caught 36 passes for 552 yards and seven TDs as a junior.
Isaac Feske, sr., Seymour
The Thunder lost several standouts from a team that finished runner-up to Winneconne in the Bay last season, but Feske will provide new coach Jeff Marsh with an experienced veteran.
Feske was one of the team’s top defenders as a junior. The defensive lineman had 43 total tackles, including 14 for loss, and four sacks.
He was a first-team all-conference pick.
Richie Flanigan, sr., Green Bay Notre Dame
The offensive lineman-defensive lineman is one of the state’s best two-way players, which helped him earn a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.
Flanigan was named the offensive and defensive lineman of the year in the Fox River Classic Conference-South last season.
He played a big role in Allen having the most prolific season of any running back in state history and was just as dominant on the other side of the ball.
Flanigan had 42 total tackles, including seven for loss, along with four sacks.
Rex Helms, sr., Bay Port
The defensive back was a big play waiting to happen last season. He was tied for fourth in the state with eight interceptions, including a stretch of five straight games with a pick.
It included a spectacular one-handed interception at Milwaukee Reagan in the second round of the D1 playoffs.
Helms holds an offer from Northern Michigan.
Landon Kibbe, sr., West De Pere
The Phantoms lost star wideout Judeah Kniskern to graduation, but they still have plenty of talented pass catchers.
Kibbe was second to Kniskern with 10 TD catches while finishing with 35 receptions for 616 yards and averaging a team-high 17.6 yards per catch.
His big-play talent was on display in the state title game win over Notre Dame after he caught a 47-yard TD that represented the only points scored by either team in the second half.
Liam Letizia, sr., Green Bay West
The wide receiver-defensive back recently became the first West player in the five seasons of the Drew Brusoe era to earn a scholarship when he committed to Northern Michigan.
Letizia has been a huge bright spot for the Wildcats on both sides of the ball.
He had 61 total tackles and two interceptions last season while catching 30 passes for 409 yards and a score.
Joey Massey, sr., Green Bay Notre Dame
The Iowa State commit played a key role at tight end for the Tritons last season even though the team only attempted 97 passes in 14 games.
Massey caught 16 passes for 352 yards and three TDs, but he also was asked to help block for a dominant Notre Dame rushing attack that piled up 4,769 yards and scored 77 TDs while averaging 8.6 yards per carry.
He also was a major disruptor as one of the best defensive ends in the area. Massey finished with 48 total tackles, including a team-high 17 for loss, and matched Flanigan with a team-high four sacks.
Jonah Marzec, sr., Green Bay Notre Dame
The defensive back was one of the Tritons’ best players, making his presence felt in multiple ways.
He was second on the team with 60 tackles and had three interceptions, including a pick-six.
Seneca Nooyen, sr., Ashwaubenon
The Jaguars beat Green Bay Southwest and Green Bay Preble in the final weeks of the season to make the playoffs in 2025, and Nooyen played a big part.
The defensive lineman had five tackles, including three for loss, against the Trojans and added six tackles against the Hornets.
Nooyen had 42 total tackles last season. He led the FRCC-North with six sacks and was tied for second with 13 tackles for loss.
Jackson Otradovec, sr., Bay Port
The Pirates lost several stars from a team that made the D1 state title game last season, but they still have a trio of experienced receivers in Otradovec, Ethan Orlando and Owen Sartorelli.
Otradovec led Bay Port in receptions (37), yards (677) and TDs (7) while averaging 18.3 yards per catch. He also rushed 17 times for 190 yards and two scores.
Kolton Peters, sr., Coleman
There were plenty of good players in the Northwoods last season, but none was better than Peters.
He dominated at running back. He dominated as a defensive back.
Peters was the league’s co-offensive player of the year after rushing for 1,395 yards and 17 TDs and catching 16 passes for 359 yards and four scores.
He was the co-defensive player of the year after finishing with seven interceptions and 48 total tackles.
Peters enters his final season with 2,944 career rushing yards and 40 TDs along with 13 interceptions.
David Provost, sr., West De Pere
The Northern Illinois commit and standout offensive lineman was a first-team all-conference selection last season and is one of the best tackles in the state.
He will pair with Western Michigan commit Sam Schmidt on a line that will help protect a first-year quarterback after the graduation of Patrick Greisen.
Isaiah Reyna, sr., Green Bay East
The defense lineman was one of the best at his position in the FRCC-South as a junior.
Reyna had 48 total tackles, four sacks and three forced fumbles and was instrumental in both of East’s wins against Sheboygan South and Sheboygan North when he made eight tackles in each game.
Luke Rissling, sr., Green Bay West
A first-team all-conference selection at linebacker in the FRCC-South, Rissling has been a rock for the Wildcats since his freshman season.
He led them in total tackles (92), solo tackles (41) and tackles for loss (15) in 2025 and is being looked at by several DIII schools.
Although he’s had a role at running back in recent years, Rissling might only be sprinkled in on offense in order to help keep him fresh on defense.
Bohdan Schmidt, sr., Pulaski
He was a first-team all-conference pick at running back in the FRCC-North, but Schmidt really served as a dual threat in the backfield as the starting quarterback.
Schmidt completed 63.2% of his passes for 515 yards and four TDs while rushing for 1,471 yards, 18 scores and averaging 8.5 yards per carry.
He ranked third in the league in rushing yards behind former Bay Port star Brady Moon and West De Pere standout Ryan Lutz and will be the biggest factor in the Red Raiders competing for one of the top three spots in the league.
Bryce Seefeldt, sr., Coleman
The co-offensive lineman of the year in the Northwoods helped pave the way for the Cougars to rush for 3,465 yards and 46 TDs while averaging 7.1 yards per carry.
But his impact went far beyond the offensive side of the ball.
Seefeldt was dominant on the defensive line, finishing with 91 total tackles, including 10 for loss, and two sacks.
Harrison Selk, sr., Green Bay Preble
The Hornets were in playoff contention for much of last season and were 4-3 before losing their last two games. Selk had a solid season as a sophomore quarterback in 2024 while appearing in six games and took a step forward as a junior.
He completed 61.3% of his passes for 1,546 yards and 12 TDs while scoring twice on the ground. Selk’s most notable game came against Pulaski in Week 8, when he threw for a career-high 373 yards and two TDs.
If the Hornets want to make the postseason for the first time since 2019, their veteran signal caller must play a big role.
Braylon Stegall, sr., West De Pere
He wasn’t on the all-conference team, but there weren’t many linebackers better than him in the FRCC-North last season.
Stegall finished second in the league with 104 total tackles, was tied for seventh with 10 tackles for loss and added 2½ sacks. He added a pick-six during a Week 4 game at Green Bay Preble.
Stegall even contributed to a high-powered offense, catching 16 passes for 228 yards and eight TDs.
Andrew Stiles, sr., De Pere
The Redbirds will be a playoff contender, and the defense likely will lead the way.
Stiles was a second-team all-conference pick in the FRCC-North at linebacker last season, finishing with 74 total tackles and two sacks and helping De Pere allow 14 or fewer points six times, including a 17-14 upset win over No. 3 seed Hudson in the second round of the D1 playoffs.
Sawyer Vande Hey, sr., Wrightstown
One of the top two-way players in the North Eastern as a junior after being selected first-team all-conference as a defensive lineman and making the second team as an offensive lineman.
Vande Hey had 54 total tackles and 1½ sacks while recovering two fumbles and forcing one.
Jordy Walker, sr., Bay Port
The linebacker was a unanimous first-team all-conference pick in the FRCC-North.
Walker had 47 total tackles and two fumble recoveries and helped the Pirates hold opponents to 18 or fewer points nine times in 14 games.
Nathaniel White, sr., Oconto Falls
The quarterback was instrumental in leading the Panthers to a Northwoods championship last season and will again be a key now that they are in the Packerland.
He was a first-team all-conference pick after throwing for 1,549 yards and 17 TDs and guided an offense that scored 32 or more points four times.
Jack Whitehouse, sr., Green Bay Notre Dame
His work in the backfield is overshadowed by the top running back in the state in Allen. But Whitehouse doesn’t mind making blocks to help spring his teammate and is the best fullback in the FRCC-South.
He’s also really good on defense, being named a first-team all-conference pick at inside linebacker after finishing with a team-high 72 total tackles. He added two fumble recoveries.
Taft Wojciechowski, jr., West De Pere
Had a breakout sophomore season in his first year as a varsity starter.
The defensive lineman had 52 total tackles and a team-high four sacks while recovering two fumbles and forcing one.
Wojciechowski was the only freshman or sophomore to be named a first-team all-conference pick in the FRCC-North.
Braun Wotruba, sr., Pulaski
He’s arguably the best baseball player in the area, but Wotruba isn’t too shabby on the gridiron.
The defensive back had a dominant junior season in helping lead the Red Raiders to the playoffs. He had 61 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass defensed.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Here are 32 of the best high school football players in the Green Bay area
Reporting by Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
