Reloading, not rebuilding, is the approach Reedsville is taking to the field in 2026.
The 2020s have been kind to the Reedsville football program, with multiple winning seasons and postseason appearances, culminating in the WIAA Division Seven state football championship in 2021.
That has carried over into other sports for Panther Nation, with the boys’ basketball team winning its first state title in 80 years (1946) and playing its first-ever state baseball tournament this spring.
As the adage goes, that was then, this is now, as the 2026 Panther football team will have to rely on senior leadership to pave the way for a younger wave of athletes to play “the Panther way.”
Head Coach Sam Schafer begins his fifth season in Reedsville, telling seehafernews.com that he’s impressed with the way the boys have come prepared to compete.
“Camp went well with great attitudes all around,” he revealed. “We have some kids that will be playing in different and multiple positions, along with some playing their first year of varsity football. We lost a large senior class, and they have a chip on their shoulders to prove they can carry on the recent string of success. I’m really excited to see what these boys can do.”
Ten seniors have graduated, making up about 90 percent of their production on both sides of the ball.
Translated: several players will have to perform multiple tasks to begin the season.
One of those is senior Connor McDonald, who’ll play wide receiver and cornerback.
He caught 32 passes for over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus he made 27 total tackles (19 solo) while battling a plethora of injuries.
He told us it’s been overwhelming at times, but he says he draws on overcoming adversity to help his teammates persevere.
“I love sports, which inspires and motivates me to work hard to come back and play,” he told SeehaferNews.com. “I hope the younger kids follow us older players as leaders by example and not just by word of mouth. Leading by example is the best way to lead the team.”
Senior Lucas Lodel will also assume a bigger leadership role as he’ll be the Panthers’ starting quarterback, middle linebacker, kicker and punter.
Much like his teammate (McDonald), Lodel welcomes the challenge of leading by example and was asked if winning a state basketball title and playing in the state baseball tournament can help the younger Panthers see what’s possible through hard work and dedication.
“We have players that have experienced deep playoff runs in other players, so we have that experience we can pass on to the younger players that they can hopefully learn and grow from,” he noted.
Junior Zac Prochnow will also step into a more prominent role, especially in the return game where he averaged better than 23 yards per kick return last season.
Beyond that, the experience is relatively thin now, but (Head Coach) Schafer keeps the approach simple as this team matures throughout the season.
“Just going 1-0 every week. We open with KLC (Kohler/ Sheboygan Lutheran/ Christian), and that’s our sole focus,” he explained. “We’ll take it one week at a time, win some games and hopefully make a deep postseason run that will take us to Madison.”
Reedsville opens the season on Friday night in Kohler against Kohler/Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian and hosts Oshkosh Lourdes in their home opener (Friday), August 28th.
The Panthers open Big East Conference play in Mishicot on Friday, September 4th.
