The 2026 high school football season kicks off Tuesday, Aug. 4, with the first official day of practice across the state, 16 days prior to the first official night of games on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Last season, two Milwaukee-area programs won state titles at Camp Randall Stadium with Grafton’s last-second victory to win the Division 3 state crown, while Arrowhead stole victory from the jaws of defeat in the Division 1 state title game against Bay Port.
To kickstart this season’s preseason coverage, we’ll take a look at some of the top players across the area within each position group heading into the 2026 season. Here’s five of the top wide receivers (plus a two-way tight end to watch), listed in alphabetical order, along with 10 other names to know this campaign.
Max Baehman, sr., Mukwonago
You’re probably thinking: “Mukwonago? A wide receiver to watch?” Believe it or not, yes. It has one, and his name is Max Baehman. As a junior in 2025, Baehman led Mukwonago in catches (41) for 437 yards and seven touchdowns on his way to an all-Classic 8 Conference first-team selection. Mukwonago ran the ball 362 times in 2025, but there was a much bigger sense of offensive balance as quarterback George Molitor completed 64% of his 236 pass attempts. When you possess athletes like Baehman on the perimeter, it can open up the playbook more. Both Luka Tess and Matthew Heard, who combined for 59 catches in 2025, are gone, which makes Baehman an even more important option for the Mukwonago offense this season.
Keegan Degeorge, sr., Waukesha South
There aren’t a ton of programs that throw for more yards than they run for at the high school level, but Waukesha South was one of those teams in 2025. Junior quarterback Jordan Garcia threw for just over 2,000 yards with 19 touchdowns last season and 13 of them went to wideout Keegan Degeorge. As a junior, Degeorge finished 10th in the state in catches (63), 13th in the state in receiving yards (979) and tied for 11th in touchdown catches (13) on his way to an all-Parkland Conference first-team selection. Both Garcia and Degeorge are back in 2026, looking to build on a productive junior campaign together.
Amarion Luna, sr., Milwaukee Washington/Dr. Fuller Academy
There were just two players across the state last season that ranked inside the top five in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. West De Pere’s Judeah Kniskern was one, and Milwaukee Washington/Dr. Fuller Academy’s Amarion Luna was the other. Luna caught 74 balls (3rd) for 1,279 yards (4th) and 19 touchdowns (2nd) with a long of 86 yards as a junior. He was named to the all-Milwaukee City Conference (Blackbourn) first team as a wideout in 2025 in an offense that scored 40-plus points six times, including a stretch of three games where the Purgolders scored 60-plus points in each victory.
Mace Miskel, jr., Whitefish Bay
The youngest of the Miskel stars at Whitefish Bay had a year to remember in 2025. While older sister Sage helped the Blue Dukes win their first state girls basketball title in March, Mace was helping lead Whitefish Bay to magical runs on the gridiron and the hardwood. Before Mace helped the Blue Dukes sweep the D2 state basketball titles a week after his sister, he was a key piece in Whitefish Bay’s run to the D3 state semifinal round in football. Miskel was the Blue Dukes’ leading receiver with 49 catches for 756 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning an all-North Shore Conference second-team selection. He also added 28 total tackles and an interception on defense at cornerback.
Drew Olsson, sr., Sussex Hamilton
The junior duo of Drew Olsson and Alex Restivo combined for 107 of 187 catches for Sussex Hamilton pass-catchers in 2025 for 1,504 yards and eight touchdowns. The versatile Olsson caught 59 balls for 708 yards and four scores, threw a 21-yard touchdown pass and ran back a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown on his way to an all-Greater Metro Conference first-team selection. With Olsson and Restivo both back in the Hamilton offense in 2026, the Chargers will be one of the favorites not only to capture another GMC title, but to potentially end that state appearance drought that dates back to 2000.
Will Schmitzer, jr., Catholic Memorial
Schmitzer could have easily made the list as a linebacker after a strong sophomore season where he registered 78 total tackles (39 solo), 11 tackles for loss, four passes defended, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. However, his impact as a two-way tight end shouldn’t be glossed over. Only Zy’aire Smith (26) caught more balls than Schmitzer’s 25 in 2025 on the CMH roster to go along with six touchdowns, which only trailed Dustin Roach (8) for the team lead in touchdowns. He averaged 12.4 yards per grab and a good portion of his catches felt important in the flow of games. The Crusaders coaching staff has to be ecstatic to have Schmitzer for two more seasons.
Other Milwaukee-area receivers to know in 2026
Corbin Burrell-Warfield, sr., Kenosha Bradford; Ethan Hans, sr., Lake Country Lutheran; Brayden Jahr, sr., Waukesha West; Tolan Johnson, sr., Racine Case; Richard Leckie, sr., Waukesha South; Tre Oiler, jr., Arrowhead; Nick Payne Jr., so., Kenosha Bradford; Alex Restivo, sr., Sussex Hamilton; Brody Schimpf, so., Kettle Moraine; Ethan Webb, jr., Hartford.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: High school pass catchers poised to put up big numbers in 2026
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
