2025 BAY CONFERENCE PREVIEW
Predicted Order of Finish1. Winneconne
2. Seymour
3. Fox Valley Lutheran (Appleton)
4. Xavier (Appleton)
5. New London
6. Waupaca
7. Shawano Community (Shawano)Players to WatchAustin Adamczak, QB, Waupaca: Adamczak threw for 957 yards and eight touchdowns last season, adding 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground as well.
Bryce Jones, RB, Winneconne: Jones was the team's second-leading rusher a year ago with 678 yards and seven touchdowns, earning Second Team All-Conference recognition.
Blessings Kapande, RB, Fox Valley Lutheran: Kapande led the Foxes with 707 yards on the ground and 11 touchdowns.
Matthew Potter, QB, Xavier: Potter did more damage on the ground than through the air last season, rushing for 1,402 yards with 19 touchdowns, as he also threw for 673 yards and six scores.
Hudson Samolinski, OL/DL, Winneconne: Samolinski earned First Team All-Conference recognition on both offense and defense last year, giving a commitment to Illinois State in the off-season.
Brody Schaffer, QB/DB, Winneconne: Schaffer had a combined 3,574 total yards on offense with 48 touchdowns, giving a commitment to Iowa as a receiver.
Xavier Salzman, RB, Seymour: Salzman was a First Team All-Conference pick last year, rushing for 1,087 yards and 10 touchdowns with 227 yards in the receiving game as well.
Carson Staffeldt, WR/DB, Seymour: Carson teamed with twin brother Cayden to form a dynamic passing duo. He caught 29 balls for 808 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning First Team All-Conference on both offense and defense last year.
Cayden Staffeldt, QB/DB, Seymour: Cayden was Honorable Mention All-Conference on both sides of the ball last year, throwing for 1,482 yards with 16 touchdowns, adding in 298 yards and five scores on the ground.
Logan Ten Haken, RB, New London: Ten Haken is another returning First Team All-Conference running back in the Bay, going for more than 800 rushing yards with another 297 yards receiving.
2025 Team Previews1. Winneconne put together one of the best seasons in school history, going unbeaten as the Bay Conference champion, all the way to the state semi-finals, when they finally ran out of steam against Baldwin-Woodville. It was a very young group, actually, with 18 seniors returning this season, including eight starters on offense and nine on defense. Leading the way is one of the most dynamic players in the state, senior quarterback Brody Schaffer. An Honorable Mention All-State pick and the Bay Conference Offensive Player of the Year, he threw for 1,800 yards and 17 touchdowns last year with another 1,774 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground. He's committed to Iowa as a receiver prospect. Another D1 senior is two-way lineman Hudson Samolinski, who is committed to Illinois State. The Wolves are not only a heavy favorite to win the Bay Conference but a significant threat to claim a Division 4 title.
2. Seymour started well in the 2024 season, scoring non-conference wins over Luxemburg-Casco and Two Rivers, along with a victory against Xavier as part of five consecutive victories. They'd fall to Fox Valley Lutheran and Winneconne in conference play, then go out against Prescott in Level 1 to finish 7-3 overall. The Thunder should be one of the league's top programs again in 2025. They bring back an outstanding trio of skill players, including twin brothers Cayden and Carson Staffeldt. Cayden is the quarterback, throwing for nearly 1500 yards with 16 touchdowns, while Carson was his favorite target last year, catching 29 passes for 808 yards and 11 touchdowns. Add in returning 1000-yard rusher Xavier Salzma, and the team has the firepower to put up big numbers.
3. Fox Valley Lutheran continued to be a competitive team in its first season returning to the Bay Conference. The Foxes went 5-4 during the regular season, with a pair of one-point defeats and another by just six points. They did manage to qualify for the playoffs, upsetting Wausau East on the road before going out to Medford. "We have a lot of guys returning with varsity experience," said head coach Set Jaeger. "This includes many guys who rotated frequently on defense as well as our receiving core." Gabe Heiges is expected to take over at the quarterback spot, and the team also returns leading rusher Blessing Kapande, plus experienced pass-catcher Jacoby Dobberstein. The Foxes welcome three starters on offense with four on defense.
4. Xavier extended its playoff streak to 12 years, but it wasn't easy, as the Hawks had to sneak in with a 3-4 league record. Once in the postseason, Xavier scored a victory over Little Chute before losing a competitive Level 2 game to Winneconne. The Hawks bring back their top offensive weapon from last year as they try to make a move up the standings. Matthew Potter was a First Team All-Conference pick, rushing for 1,402 yards and 19 touchdowns from his quarterback spot, also throwing for 673 yards and six scores.
5. New London was more competitive overall last year, but still couldn't quite get over the hump to a playoff spot, finishing 2-7 overall and 2-5 in league play. The head coaching spot will change over, as Bennett Hansen moves over from Waupaca to replace Kyle Collins. "We have returning players with varsity All-Conference recognition at multiple positions," he said. "There will be a drastic change of scheme from Wing-T to the spread option. Depth and numbers overall are a question mark." The team returns four starters on offense, including a pair of solid running backs: Logan Ten Haken and Howie Rohloff. There are six starters returning on defense.
6. Waupaca won three of the final four games of the season, allowing the Comets to qualify for the playoffs despite three straight losses to begin the year. The team would fall to La Crosse Logan in the first playoff game. Tony Altmann, a 2012 Auburndale graduate, takes over for the Comets, replacing Bennett Hansen, who moves over to league rival New London. "We have a lot of athletic depth on this team and a lot of new students joining our team," said Altmann. "We are hoping this brings a newfound energy to our program." Xzaver Pittman graduates after leading the team with 1,219 yards, but quarterback Austin Adamczak returns, combining for nearly 2000 yards of offense a year ago. Four starters are back on offense, with six returning on defense.
7. Shawano opened the season with a non-conference win over Denmark, but struggled to be competitive the rest of the way, dropping eight consecutive games to close the season. The Hawks did not score more than 14 points in any of those defeats, allowing an average of 38 points on defense. The team loses versatile athlete Jerzy Brocker, but does return top receiver Austin Heling from a year ago.
• The Bay Conference is a seven-team league that is paired with the North Eastern, and each team will play one crossover against the NEC.
