Wisconsin high school football conference previews: Badger Large

2025 BADGER LARGE CONFERENCE PREVIEW

1. Waunakee

8. Fort Atkinson

DeAngelo Clay, DL, Monona Grove: Clay is a monster up front, earning Badger-Large Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore last season when he recorded 111 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. He was also involved in the running game and could get even more carries this year.

Chuck Farrell, LB, Waunakee: Farrell was a First Team All-Conference choice last year, recording 70 tackles and four interceptions for the Warrriors.

Charlie Fitzke, RB, Milton: Fitzke led the Red Hawks with 750 rushing yards last season, going for 14 touchdowns on the ground as a Second Team All-Conference selection.

Tremayne Habeck, RB, Monona Grove: Habeck ran for 1,435 yards and 22 touchdowns as a First Team All-Conference pick in the Badger-Large last season.

Brady Kaufman, RB, Sun Prairie East: Kaufman is dynamic as both a rusher and receiver out of the backfield for the Cardinals, earning First Team All-Conference recognition after accounting for more than 1700 yards of offense and 24 touchdowns.

McCoy Smith, DL, Waunakee: Smith is one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the state, recording 80 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks for the Warriors last season. He has a preferred walk-on offer from Wisconsin as a fullback.

Van Vogler, WR/DB, Sun Prairie East: Vogler was a Second Team All-Conference pick as a defensive back and will also see his role on offense increase substantially this year.

Isaac Ziegler, QB, DeForest: Ziegler threw for 1,042 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, and the talented thrower could be in line for a big jump in production this season.

1. Waunakee started a new era last season, as Chris Graverson replaced Pat Rice as the team's head coach, and the Warriors maintained a high level of play. The team went undefeated in Badger-Large Conference play to claim the league title, finishing 10-2 overall after a sectional final loss to D.C. Everest in the Division 1 playoffs. "We are excited about the upcoming season," said Graverson. "We lost 10 starters, so we will need some unproven players to step up and play big." Finding new guys to step into bigger roles was the MO for the program for many years, and 2025 should be no different. There are 40 returning letterwinners along with younger players who will be vying for action. The team returns six starters on offense with five on defense. Eli Drangstveit is the top returning rusher for the Warriors, and keep an eye on junior tight end Mac Johnson, who is a promising young prospect. McCoy Smith is a stud on the defensive line, with Luke Hansen, Wyatt Johnson, Wes DuCharme, and Charles Farrell also returning starters on defense.

2. Monona Grove could be ready to push towards the top of the Badger-Large this season, coming off an 8-3 season, as the Silver Eagles dropped a one-point heartbreaker to Rice Lake in the playoffs. "We return a solid core of players with experience, particularly in the skill areas," said head coach Brandon Beckwith. Offensively, they'll have to break in a new quarterback, but they do have an outstanding senior running back in returning First Team All-Conference pick Tremayne Habeck. Like the offense, the defense returns five starters, with some dynamic players returning on that side of the ball. DeAngelo Clay was the Defensive Player of the Year as just a sophomore last season, and is joined up front by emerging strong man Nick Gallagher. Colin Hablewitz provides a tackling machine at linebacker.

3. Sun Prairie East made the postseason and won a playoff game for a seventh straight year (including time as Sun Prairie), but it wasn't quite what we've seen from the Cardinals over the years, as they finished 7-4 overall and exited in Level 2 against a very good West De Pere squad. Veteran head coach Brian Kaminski, who sports a 181-63 record in 23 seasons, returns 28 letterwinners with five starters on both sides of the ball, though they need to replace quarterback Max Raimer and do some work up front on both sides of the ball. Brady Kaufman is as good as they come at running back, with a chance to become the school's all-time leading rusher. Jacoby Moore and Van Vogler are solid at receiver. Vogler doubles as a standout defensive back, while Brady Mellum is the league's top specialist.

4. DeForest snuck into the playoffs last year, but a 56-22 loss to Rice Lake resulted in four consecutive defeats to end the year, as the team finished 4-5 in what proved to be Aaron Mack's last season as head coach. Todd Grundahl takes over this season, looking to get the Norskies back into contention. "We are going to be deep this season but inexperienced," said Grundahl. "We will be athletic at all positions and are going to be a connected group. We have some really good skill players coming back on offense with a talented, but inexperienced, offensive line. Our defense will be fast and physical." DeForest has high hopes for senior quarterback Isaac Ziegler, a talented thrower who could be in line for a big jump in production.

5. Milton was one of the bounce-back stories of the season, winning six of the first seven games and capturing a pair of playoff victories before exiting against Badger in a sectional championship. It was an impressive debut season with the Red Hawks for Dan Prahl, who will look to build on that this year. "We lose four of the five offensive linemen up front, which is going to be our biggest challenge, but we are excited about the underclassmen coming up," he said. "We return a handful of starting skill players for this year. We will rely on their experience and leadership as we start the 2025 season. The defense returns more than the offense, and we feel pretty good about building off of last season." Milton brings back 24 letterwinners, with three starters back on offense and five on defense.

6. Sun Prairie West struggled mightily last season, going just 1-8 overall as the team was outscored 319-80. Head coach Josh O'Connor is looking for improvement behind what should be a more experienced group. "On both sides of the ball, we have experience, with eight starters returning on offense and seven starters returning on defense," said O'Connor. Among the returnees is quarterback Peyton Vander Steeg, as well as versatile two-way standout Nolan Rustler. The defensive back and receiver group is solid, featuring Joc Hamilton, Antonio Jackson, and Jontay Taylor.

7. Oregon has just one playoff appearance since 2019 and none since 2022, as the Panthers finished a distant sixth in the Badger-Large standings a year ago, going 2-7 overall. The team did close on a high note, however, winning the final two games of the year. There is a change coming for 2025, as Matt Weber replaces longtime head man Dan Kissling as coach. Ethan Pagels shared time at the quarterback spot last year and could be in line to take over full-time this fall.

8. Fort Atkinson continues to work on getting back to being competitive in the Badger-Large, as the Blackhawks went 1-8 overall last year and 0-7 in league play, getting outscored 289-37 in conference action. "We're looking to replace a strong senior class with a talented, hungry group of players across all grade levels," said head coach Nick Nelson. "We've got a lot of guys returning to the program, along with some new faces coming out for football for the first time. Fort will have plenty of fresh faces, both on the field and on the sidelines. With the new contact rules in place for the summer, it will be exciting to see how quickly we can get everyone to learn, gel, and grow as a team. With the updated playoff qualifications and us being one of the smallest teams in a larger conference, there's a real opportunity. If we can come out early and surprise a few teams with some of our unknown talent, we just might punch our ticket to the playoffs sooner than expected." The team brings back just six letterwinners from last year, and only three starters.