2025 EAST CENTRAL CONFERENCE PREVIEW
Predicted Order of Finish1) Port Washington
2) Plymouth
3) Beaver Dam
4) Kettle Moraine Lutheran (Jackson)
5) Watertown
6) KewaskumPlayers to WatchJosh Duba, RB/LB, Kettle Moraine Lutheran: Duba led the team with 902 rushing yards, earning First Team All-Conference recognition, also recording 95 tackles on defense as a Second Team all-league linebacker.
Augie Eigenberger, QB, Plymouth: Eigenberger threw for 954 yards and eight touchdowns last season, adding 335 yards on the ground for the Panthers.
Eli Johnson, WR/DB, Beaver Dam: Johnson will become more involved in the passing game on offense this fall and is a returning Second Team All-Conference pick as a defensive back.
Cal Loose, QB, Port Washington: Loose threw for 1,250 yards and ran for 779, accounting for 27 touchdowns in all. He earned Second Team All-Conference recognition last season as a quarterback.
Kayden Schultz, WR/DB, Plymouth: Schultz led the Panthers in receiving yards and touchdowns last season and was a First Team All-Conference defensive back with six interceptions. He's also a top-level basketball player in the senior class.
2025 Team Previews1. Port Washington finished 8-3 overall last year, dropping games to Grafton, Beaver Dam, and eventual D3 champion Notre Dame. The Pirates bring back a number of skill position players this season, amongst the 30 returning letterwinners, including Second Team All-Conference quarterback Cal Loose, who threw for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also led the team with 779 rushing yards, as second-leading rusher Kiya Sullivan also returns. Two-way standouts Isaih Scheftgen and Garrett Kawczynski are back for head coach John Bunyan, each earning unanimous First Team All-Conference recognition on defense a year ago. Five starters are back on both sides of the ball.
2. Plymouth was a step behind Beaver Dam and Port Washington last year, but rallied to score an opening playoff victory before going out to Grafton in Level 2. "We will be replacing most of our offensive line but returning a quarterback and most skill positions," said first-year coach Mark Vollbrecht, who replaces longtime head man Dan Knaus. "We will be all new across the defensive line, but will be returning two starting linebackers to anchor our defense." The Pirates welcome back six starters on offense, including quarterback Augie Eigenberger as well as top receiver Kayden Schultz, who doubles as a top defensive back in the league. Replacing 1400-yard rusher Brett Shutter will be an important part of the work for this fall.
3. Beaver Dam was the top team in the East Central Conference last year, taking down all of the league schools by at least three scores. The Golden Beavers dropped a tight crossover to Mount Horeb/Barneveld before falling to Kaukauna in Level 2 of the Division 2 playoffs. "Due to graduation of a talented senior class, the 2025 team will lack varsity experience," explained head coach Brock Linde. "Open spots mean competition for quality underclassmen who finished with a combined JV and JV2 record of 15-3." Among the returnees are four starters on both offense and defense, including two-way regulars Parker Blank and Eli Johnson, who is joined at receiver by Honorable Mention choice Ashtyn Seifert.
4. Kettle Moraine Lutheran is the smallest team in the East Central Conference, with an enrollment of less than half of Watertown's. Still, the Chargers were able to sneak into the playoffs last year after a Week 9 win over the Goslings. "We are looking to build off of last season's success, as we led the conference in total rushing yards and yards per game, and return First Team All-Conference running back Josh Duba," said head coach David Kren. "Our size is impressive with an average of 6'2", 250 pounds across the front, including four returning starters on the line and a very large target at tight end in 6'6" John Kruse." Duba went for 902 yards and 11 touchdowns in the team's split back veer offense as a First Team All-Conference choice, also earning Second Team recognition as a linebacker. "With our size, experience, explosive players, and building tradition, we will be a challenge and play everyone tough." Six starters return on both sides of the ball, along with 19 letterwinners. The new playoff qualification and seeding rules will help the Chargers, who are a D4 team in a league with a couple of D2 programs and D3 schools.
5. Watertown finished just 2-7 for a second consecutive season, as the league's biggest school has not made the regular playoffs since 2019. Second-year coach Alex Crogan, a 2013 graduate of the school, says the Goslings are looking to lean on a lot of young experience from last year. "We will have some big holes to fill on both the offensive and defensive line with a good group of juniors coming in," said Crogan. There are six starters returning on offense, led by starting quarterback Davis Cashin and Second Team All-Conference receiver Alex David.
6. Kewaskum went through a number of challenges last season. The Indians did not win a game, and head coach Jason Piitttmann stepped aside mid-season for personal reasons. Heading into 2025, Jeff Rondorf takes over, with previous head coaching experience at Cedar Grove-Belgium and West Bend East. The Indians have a promising young quarterback in Eli Ogi, who gained valuable experience as a sophomore last season.
• The East Central is a six-team league that is paired with the Badger-Small, and all East Central teams will play two crossover games against Badger-Small teams that will count in the standings.
