2025 PACKERLAND CONFERENCE PREVIEWPredicted Order of Finish1. Bonduel
2. Kewaunee
3. Southern Door (Brussels)
4. Mishicot
5. Marinette
6. Sturgeon Bay
7. Peshtigo
8. Oconto
Players to WatchBenjamin Backus, RB, Mishicot: Backus is a two-time Second Team All-Conference pick, rushing for a team-high 568 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
Lauden Berg, WR/DB, Southern Door: Berg was First Team All-Conference on both offense and defense last season, catching 38 passes for 854 yards and eight touchdowns, also recording seven interceptions on defense.
Mitchell Boeder, OL/DL, Kewaunee: Boeder was the Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Packerland last year and a two-way First Team All-Conference choice.
Waylon Delain, RB/LB, Kewaunee: Delain was the leading rusher for the Storm a year ago, going for 824 yards and 11 touchdowns as a Second Team All-Conference pick.
Chase MacGregor, RB/LB, Marinette: MacGregor rushed for 954 yards and eight touchdowns to earn Second Team All-Conference recognition last season.
Carter Moesch, RB/LB, Bonduel: Moesch is the leading returning rusher for the Bears and a standout on defense as well at linebacker.
Brett Paulsen, QB, Kewaunee: Paulson threw for 880 yards and five touchdowns last year, with another 516 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Ryan Westrich, TE/DL, Bonduel: Westrich is the league's top player, with nine Division 1 offers as a dominating tight end and defensive end.
2025 Team Previews1) Bonduel was the outright champion of the Packerland Conference last year, going a perfect 7-0 in league play. The Bears continued one of the best seasons in school history, getting all the way to the state semi-finals, including a playoff win over Coleman, a team they'd lost to back in Week 2. The season would come to an end against Grantsburg, however. "We have a solid skill group returning, with the addition of some young offensive line talent," said veteran head coach James Westrich. Among the returnees for the Bears is Ryan Westrich, the son of the head coach and a dominating player on both offense and defense. He's part of 20 returning letterwinners, with five starters back on offense and six on defense. Carter Moesch, Quinn Wesenberg, and Mason Ballwahn are also experienced returnees on offense.
2) Kewaunee finished third in the conference a year ago, as the Storm went 6-3 during the regular season, with losses to Negaunee (MI), Bonduel, and Southern Door. They managed a Level 1 playoff win over Brillion but suffered a blowout loss to Kiel in the second game. The Storm have the kind of group that should push for the league title this fall, with some exciting returnees on offense, including quarterback Brett Paulson, leading rusher Waylon Delain, and top receivers Connor Kilgore and Trevor Gauthier. Up front, Mitchell Boeder is one of the top linemen in the area.
3) Southern Door dropped three straight games to open the 2024 season, but rebounded with six straight wins, finishing second in the Packerland Conference. The Eagles downed New Holstein in Level 1 before going out to a tough Wrightstown team the following week. "We have some playmakers coming back on offense and defense at key positions, but weaknesses are a lack of varsity and starting experience," explained head coach Scott Mallien. Landon Vandertie is one of the league's top linemen, while Lauden Berg is a big-play threat at receiver, averaging more than 22 yards per catch with eight touchdowns.
4) Mishicot went just 3-6 last year, but the Indians still managed to sneak into the regular playoffs for the first time since 2017. "The senior class has gained a large amount of experience over the past two seasons," said head coach Kevin Fix. "Overall, team speed and physicality is good. We have the pieces to compete with the top teams in our conference, and we have high expectations." There are seven starters returning on offense, including quarterback Eli Skarda and experienced running back Ben Backus. The team welcomes back six starters on the defensive side of the ball as well.
5) Marinette went 2-7 overall last year, including a 49-6 loss to rival Menominee (MI) in the famous M&M Game. While the team hasn't made the regular playoffs since 2012, there's a feeling this could be the team to break the streak. "Our strength will be at the skill positions on both sides of the ball," said head coach Nate Anderson. Among seven returning starters on offense is running back Chase MacGregor, who went for more than 900 yards on the ground last season.
6) Sturgeon Bay qualified for the playoffs for a third straight season, though the team would again exit in the first postseason game. The Clippers won three straight to open conference play, but wouldn't find the win column the rest of the way, finishing 3-7 overall. The top offensive weapons from last year are gone, including quarterback Caleb Pizak, leading rusher Patrick Haese, and top receiver Bryce Pizak.
7) Peshtigo was part of a trio of teams that finished just 3-6 overall last year but managed to qualify for the postseason out of the Packerland Conference. Like the others, the Bulldogs' stay in the postseason was short, going out 49-8 to Kiel.
8) Oconto did not win a game last year, as the Blue Devils struggled to be competitive in the Packerland Conference. "We had a young group last year," said second-year coach Jakob Reichow. "On offense last year, we had six out of 11 starters who were freshmen or sophomores. We started three freshmen on offense last year, two on defense. We will have a lot of sophomores and juniors who we will be able to get the ball to through our passing game. We return 19 freshmen who will be sophomores, and have 16 freshmen coming in. Two back-to-back groups with good numbers." There are eight starters returning on offense for Oconto, with seven back on defense.
