The 2026 high school football season gets underway Thursday, Aug. 20, for teams throughout the state.
The Week 1 slate of games in the Appleton area is filled with matchups of state powerhouses, local rivals and teams that expect to finish their season on the Camp Randall turf in November.
Here’s a look at eight must-see games, including our predicted winners in each of those games, and the rest of the Week 1 schedule. All games are 7 p.m. Friday unless noted.
Mukwonago at Appleton North (Thursday)
Appleton North and Mukwonago meet in the season opener for the third year in a row. The Lightning beat Mukwonago 21-6 last season at Mukwonago as part of a 4-1 start. North went 1-4 over the last five games to finish with a 5-5 record, including a 41-6 loss to eventual Division 1 state runner-up Bay Port in the first round of the playoffs. North, which is ranked No. 4 in the Post-Crescent’s preseason area rankings, features a big and experienced offensive line and returns a number of starters on the defensive side of the ball. … Mukwonago, which beat North 20-10 in the 2024 season opener in Appleton, competes in the stacked Classic 8 Conference. Mukwonago went 5-2 in the conference last season and was 7-4 overall. It lost to Waunakee 20-0 in the second round of the Division 1 playoffs. Mukwonago returns several key skill position players on offense, including quarterback George Molitor, but must replace seven all-conference players from the defense. Mukwonago is ranked 12th in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s preseason rankings of area teams.
Prediction: Mukwonago 20, Appleton North 17.
Sussex Hamilton at Kimberly (Thursday)
The Chargers won twice on their home field last season against the Papermakers, winning 42-21 in the season opener and then knocking Kimberly out of the Division 1 playoffs with a 35-10 victory in the second round. Hamilton lost to eventual D1 state champion Arrowhead 34-24 the next week, blowing a 21-0 lead to finish with a 9-3 record. The Chargers are led up front by brothers Hunter and Reece Mallinger, who are University of Wisconsin commits. Hamilton is ranked third in the Journal Sentinel’s preseason Milwaukee-area rankings. … Kimberly is ranked No. 3 in the Post-Crescent’s preseason top 10. The Papermakers shared the Fox Valley Association title last season with Neenah with a 6-1 record and finished 8-3 overall. Kimberly doesn’t return a lot of starters on either side of the ball, but coach Chad Michalkiewicz says this is a typical Kimberly squad that only needs to reload, not rebuild, led by talented and versatile senior Maddux Hermus.
Prediction: Sussex Hamilton 24, Kimberly 21.
Kewaunee at Fox Valley Lutheran
The Storm won the Packerland Conference last season with a 7-0 record and is a top contender to repeat. It went 9-2 overall a year ago, with a 33-30 loss to Racine Lutheran in the season opener and a 37-36 loss to Bonduel in the second round of the Division 6 playoffs. Kewaunee returns several top two-way players, including senior lineman Blake Bortolini and junior receiver/defensive back Diesel Bosdeck. … Fox Valley Lutheran is ranked seventh in the Post-Crescent’s preseason top 10. The Foxes were 4-3 in the Bay Conference last season and 6-4 overall. They lost to Luxemburg-Casco 38-36 in the first round of the Division 3 playoffs. Seniors Braden Heiges and Jacoby Dobberstein are top returning players for FVL.
Prediction: Fox Valley Lutheran 20, Kewaunee 16.
Lake Mills at Freedom
The L-Cats finished 4-2 in the Capitol Conference last season and were 8-3 overall. They won their first five games of the season before going .500 the rest of the way, including a 12-6 loss to Racine St. Catherine’s in the second round of the Division 4 playoffs. Senior quarterback Tyler Wollin is one of the best in the state and threw for 2,625 yards and 38 touchdowns last season. He has committed to Division II Winona State. … Freedom, which is ranked fifth in the Post-Crescent’s preseason top 10, went 6-1 in the North Eastern Conference last season and was 10-2 overall. The Irish lost to eventual Division 4 state champion Winneconne 31-15 in the quarterfinals. Freedom returns several offensive weapons including quarterback Owen Henkel and running back Axzil Eggert, along with talented two-way lineman Cody Scheibe and Mason Van Groll.
Prediction: Freedom 27, Lake Mills 22.
Plymouth at Menasha (Banta Bowl)
The Panthers went 7-0 to win the East Central Conference last season and finished 11-1 overall. The only loss was a 28-7 season-ending defeat to eventual Division 3 state champion Grafton in the quarterfinals. Plymouth opened last season with a 38-12 victory over Menasha. The Panthers also beat Menasha 34-18 in the 2024 opener. Plymouth returns a talented offensive group up front along with senior Cole Kuhn, who was the ECC defensive player of the year last season. … Menasha, which is ranked sixth in the Post-Crescent’s preseason top 10, was 5-2 in the Fox River Classic Conference-South last season and 6-4 overall. The Bluejays lost to La Crosse Central 38-20 in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs. Menasha returns talented offensive weapons in quarterback Paul Schmolinske and running back Keonte Thigpen, while defensive back Shamir Senyange and Thigpen at linebacker should lead the defense.
Prediction: Plymouth 21, Menasha 20.
Green Bay Notre Dame at Neenah
The Tritons enter the new season with a 25-game regular-season winning streak. They won the Division 3 state title in 2024 and lost to West De Pere in the D2 state title game last season. Notre Dame is loaded with talent, including three Division I commits in running back Kingston Allen (Wisconsin), two-way lineman Richie Flanigan (Notre Dame) and defensive end/tight end Joey Massey (Iowa State). … Neenah, which is ranked No. 2 in the Post-Crescent preseason top 10, shared the Fox Valley Association title with Kimberly last season at 6-1 and finished 7-3 overall. Neenah’s season ended with back-to-back losses to Hortonville (17-14) in the regular-season finale and to De Pere (28-27) in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs. Neenah returns FVA offensive back and offensive player of the year Ashton Van Beek at quarterback and standout linebacker Connor Stuckel.
Prediction: Notre Dame 28, Neenah 24.
Wrightstown at Winneconne
The Tigers, who are ranked ninth in the Post-Crescent’s preseason top 10, have been remarkably consistent with 31 consecutive seasons making the playoffs. They were 4-3 in the North Eastern Conference and 7-4 overall last season. They lost to Freedom 27-13 in the second round of the Division 4 playoffs. Wrightstown returns three starters on each side of the ball, but two-way linemen Sawyer Vande Hey and Jackson Ervin and linebacker Isaac Hendricks are returning standouts. … Winneconne is ranked eighth in the Post-Crescent’s preseason top 10. The Wolves went 14-0 last season, are 26-1 over the last two seasons and beat Little Chute 28-22 to win the Division 4 state title last season. Receiver Ryan Quigley, running back Mason Mathe and lineman Baylor Van Bommel are a few players to watch on offense, while linebacker Ethan Duel is a top returnee on defense.
Prediction: Winneconne 23, Wrightstown 20.
Little Chute at Xavier
Little Chute, the top-ranked team in the Post-Crescent’s preseason top 10, played in the Division 4 state title game last season, losing to Winneconne 28-22 at Camp Randall Stadium to finish the season with a 12-2 record after winning the North Eastern Conference with a 7-0 record. Little Chute returns a bevy of key contributors from last year’s squad, led by North Eastern Conference defensive player of the year and offensive player of the year Reece Joten. … Xavier is coming off a rare down season, finishing 1-6 in the Bay Conference and 2-7 overall after injuries hit some key positions. Derek Seidler at offensive line and Osaze Fournillier at defensive back earned second-team all-Bay honors a year ago.
Prediction: Little Chute 30, Xavier 16.
Other Week 1 games in the Appleton area
Thursday, Aug. 20 – Sturgeon Bay at Brillion, Chilton at Crivitz, Manawa at Stevens Point Pacelli.
Friday, Aug. 21 – Green Bay East at Appleton West, Weyauwega-Fremont at Berlin, Amherst at Clintonville, Hortonville at Greenfield, Denmark at New London, Appleton East at Pulaski, Hilbert at St. Mary Catholic, Waupun at Seymour, Shiocton at University School of Milwaukee, Oconto Falls at Waupaca, Kaukauna at West Allis Hale.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: High school football returns with eight big games in Week 1
Reporting by Mike Sherry, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Sherry, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
