2025 LAKELAND CONFERENCE PREVIEWPredicted Order of Finish1. Grantsburg
2. Chetek-Weyerhaeuser (Chetek)
3. Unity (Balsam Lake)
4. Ladysmith
5. Cameron
6. Webster
7. CadottPlayers to WatchAiden Becker, QB, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser: Becker threw for 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns and led the team with 580 rushing yards and 11 more scores.
Ethan Brown, WR/DB, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser: Brown was a First Team All-Conference pick at receiver last year, catching 46 passes for 657 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was also a regular in the defensive secondary.
Isaiah Fugate, QB/DL, Unity: Fugate is receiving college recruiting attention as a defensive lineman, and last year also slid over to quarterback for the Eagles.
A.J. Guerra, QB, Cameron: Guerra had a nice sophomore season, throwing for 702 yards and six touchdowns for the Comets.
Brock Matheny, QB, Grantsburg: Matheny is the favorite for the league Player of the Year honor after throwing for more than 2000 yards with 18 touchdowns a year ago, leading the Pirates to the state finals.
Caden Matheny, TE/LB, Grantsburg: Matheny is a big, talented tight end prospect who caught 29 passes for 428 yards and three scores, also playing a key role on the defensive side of the ball.
2025 Team Previews1. Grantsburg finally broke through for its first-ever trip to the state finals after a decade of close calls and outstanding teams that came up just short. The Pirates won the Lakeland Conference title and took down playoff rival Regis in the sectional championship before defeating Bonduel in a close game at the state semi-finals. The team came up just short of a championship, however, falling 26-19 to Lomira. The Pirates bring back 16 letterwinners from that group, including four starters returning on offense and seven on defense. Brock Matheny is back as arguably the top player in the conference, earning First Team All-Conference recognition after throwing for more than 2000 yards. Tight end Caden Matheny and running back Daxter Schultz are also experienced skill players. "We need to fill a lot of holes up front and replace 1900-yard rusher Ian Burkman and All-State kicker Alex McCormick," said head coach Adam Hale.
2. Chetek-Weyerhaeuser went just 5-5 overall last year and dropped a pair of blowouts against Grantsburg, including Level 1 of the playoffs, but there's a feeling within the league that the Bulldogs could be in line for a jump this season. There's an excellent skill group coming back, led by quarterback Aiden Becker, who threw for more than 1200 yards and 13 touchdowns with another 580 yards and 11 scores on the ground, leading the team. Ethan Brown and Brodrick Olson combined for 77 catches and more than 1100 receiving yards, and both are back this season as well.
3. Unity had some uncharacteristic struggles last season, finishing just 2-7 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010. "I believe we'll be improved from last season," said second-year coach Trent Nyhus. "We're returning a lot of players in key positions and will benefit from another year of experience in our offensive system. While we did lose some important contributors on both sides of the ball, we expect to have around 50 players this year. We'll need some of our juniors to step up and take on bigger roles. One of the most encouraging signs has been our team culture—it's really taken off this offseason, and we expect to see the results of that growth this fall." There are six starters coming back on offense, including Isaiah Fugate, who moved to quarterback mid-way through the season, and doubles as a standout defensive lineman. Josh Pouliot and Brian Bantz are playmakers at the receiver spot, while Adrien Olson is the leader of a defensive group that returns seven starters.
4. Ladysmith made the playoffs against last season, the third consecutive season the Lumberjacks qualified for the postseason. The team nearly knocked off eventual D7 champion Edgar in the first game of the year, and fell to Grantsburg in league play, finishing second. They'd get a tough draw in the playoffs, losing a road game at Luther. "We'll have a very young group returning this season after graduating 13 seniors," said head coach Kirk Yudes. "We'll have seven seniors this season that will set the tone for a team that will start many sophomores." All told, there are just eight returning letterwinners, with three starters back on both sides of the ball.
5. Cameron got hot late in the year, winning five of the last six regular-season games, including the last three, qualifying for the playoffs for a third consecutive season. It was a harsh exit, however, falling to Mondovi 61-6 in Level 1. The Comets return starting quarterback A.J. Guerra, who got his feet wet as a sophomore starter a year ago.
6. Webster found the left column of the ledger just once last year, defeating Cadott 14-12 in mid-September. There is hope for improvement this fall, with 23 letterwinners returning for the Tigers. "Our strengths are experience, teamwork, and grit," said head coach Scott Haskins. "This year, we have 15 seniors and 12 juniors returning. Our weakness is our size." Starting quarterback Jacob Forneng, as well as leading rusher and receiver Ronald Hatch, are among the returnees on offense.
7. Cadott took down Augusta 33-8 to open the season, but unfortunately, it was downhill from there, as the Hornets were not able to find the victory column the rest of the way, despite some competitive games. Cadott returns quarterback Aiden Rykal but has to replace leading rusher Warren Bowe and top receiver Blake Mengal.
