2025 SWAL CONFERENCE PREVIEWPredicted Order of Finish
1. Darlington
2. Cuba City
3. Belleville
4. Mineral Point
5. Fennimore
6. East Dubuque (Ill.)
7. Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg (Benton)
8. Abundant Life/St. Ambrose Academy (Madison, Wis.)Players to WatchCalum Crist, RB/LB, Darlington: Crist was a First Team All-Conference pick on offense for the Redbirds, adding Second Team laurels on the defensive side of the ball.
Dawson Crubel, QB, Fennimore: Crubel was an Honorable Mention All-Conference pick last year, throwing for nearly 1200 yards with 10 touchdowns, though he'll be looking to cut down on the 14 interceptions from last year.
Parker Mullen, RB, Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg: The Knights tri-op had struggles last year, but Mullen was a standout, rushing for 652 yards with 474 receiving yards, scoring ten touchdowns.
Zander Tierney, RB, Southwestern/East Dubuque: Tierney ran for 754 yards and eight touchdowns as a Second Team All-Conference choice last season.
Zeke Zuberbuhler, QB/DB, Darlington: Zuberbuhler was a Second Team All-Conference pick on both offense and defense last year, accounting for more than 1500 yards of offense in the team's option attack.
2025 Team Previews1) Darlington finished a game off the pace in the SWAL last season, as the Redbirds were second behind Cuba City. They'd move up to Division 5 in the playoffs due to the WIAA's Tournament Performance Factor, falling to Milwaukee Academy of Science in Level 2. They'll drop back down to D6 this season and enter as the favorites in the SWAL behind five returning starters on offense, including a very strong skill position group. Zeke Zuberbuhler is one of those stars coming back, manning the quarterback spot as a sophomore last season when he accounted for nearly 1500 yards of offense. Leading rusher Calum Crist also returns, while Broke Buschor and Dante Glendenning are versatile and talented options. Keep an eye on emerging sophomore Ryder Fitzsimons as well. There are some concerns up front on both sides of the ball, however. "It doesn't matter how good your skill players are; winning starts up front," said head coach Travis Winkers. "This is especially true come playoff time. If finding the right line means moving skill players from years past to line or moving up underclassmen a little earlier than expected, then it is what it is." The defense brings back five starters as the Redbirds look to rise to the top of the standings.
2) Cuba City had a great thing going last year, with a senior-dominated team that featured more than 25 seniors, including every starting position. The Cubans won the SWAL, but a late-season injury to quarterback and league Player of the Year Tyson Richard killed the momentum; however, the Cubans' season came to an end in a 20-7 Level 2 loss to Lancaster, after defeating the Flying Arrows 45-14 earlier in the year. Head coach Guy Kopp, who was recently inducted into the WFCA Hall of Fame, has his work cut out for him, having to replace every starting spot. "This year's strength will be our team speed," said Kopp, who returns 15 letterwinners from a year ago. "Our weakness will be our offensive line, but only because they did not get the reps last season due to a dominant senior class." While they may be a bit inexperienced, there are some nice younger players coming up in the program that should keep the Cubans operating at a high level, who have had a great amount of success in previous years on JV.
3) Belleville lost five straight games on the field to begin the 2024 season, though one was a replacement game that did not count towards playoff qualification. They'd get enough wins the rest of the way to sneak into the playoffs, where they turned out to be the belle of the ball. Seeded eighth, they shut out top-seed Cambridge in Level 1 and advanced all the way to the state semi-finals before seeing their run end against eventual champion Lomira. "Offensively, we should have a ton of depth," said head coach Mike Nolden. "We need to have someone step up and take the reins at quarterback, though. Defensively, we will have a new defensive coordinator, so there will be a bit of a learning curve. Overall, we are looking at having the biggest roster we've ever had for the second year in a row." The Wildcats return six starters on offense, including leading receiver Cooper Nemec, versatile offensive weapon Cayson Helwig, and multi-year starting offensive lineman Garrett Pauli. It is likely that Rayden Taylor steps into the starting quarterback spot. The defense brings back five starters from a year ago.
4) Mineral Point was third in the SWAL last season, a step behind Darlington and Cuba City in the league standings. Speaking of Cuba City, the Pointers went out to their old rivals in Level 1 of the playoffs. "We should have improved depth of athletic ability at our skilled positions on offense and our defensive backs," said head coach Justin Leonard. "We will need to replace four out of five starters on our offensive line and all four defensive linemen." The Pointers have five starters returning on offense with five on defense as well.
5) Fennimore struggled down the stretch, dropping five games in a row to end the season (one a replacement game) and miss out on the playoffs. The team will have one of the more experienced rosters in the conference this fall, however. "Our depth and experience are something that I think we rely on heavily this season," said head coach Tyrell Rosemeyer. "We return 17 players who started at least two games for us last season at the varsity level. Our overall team speed and team strength are at an all-time high because of our hard work in the weight room." The Golden Eagles bring back 24 letterwinners overall, with ten starters returning on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Dawson Crubel leads a strong skill position group that also includes Brody Roth, Jude Kinney, Reece Kelley, and Shawn Jahnke-Fiedler.
6) Southwestern/East Dubuque was good at the beginning and end of the regular season, dropping four games in the middle part. However, it was enough to qualify for the playoffs, though the co-op team was shut out 48-0 by Prairie du Chien in Level 1. The team returns five starters on offense for 2025, with the strength up front. "Offensively, we return experience on the line from last year, so we are looking to build off of the experience we have at the line," said head coach Joe Edler. "We have backs with great speed, so we will look to get them in open space and let them work. We graduated an excellent group of backs, so we will be working hard this offseason to replace them. Defensively, we return a handful of players, so we are looking to build around their experience." The defense brings back six starters.
7) Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg did not win a game on the field last season, with the only victory coming via forfeit against Abundant Life/St. Ambrose. There were plenty of problems on offense, but the defense really struggled, allowing at least 39 points in every game. There's talent on offense, with quarterback Kaden Duerr returning along with Parker Mullen, who had 652 rushing yards and 474 receiving yards.
8) Abundant Life/St. Ambrose will once again play 8-player football, as all SWAL teams will receive a forfeit conference win the week they would have played Abundant Life, with the option to schedule a replacement game.
