High school football top 10 area rankings, and 10 more teams to watch
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's top 10 countdown of area high school football programs culminated this past weekend with our No. 1 team entering 2023, Catholic Memorial. Here is a recap of our complete top 10 entering Week 1 of the season, followed by 10 more teams to watch.
Area Top 10
Related: Oak Creek quarterback Cade Palkowski forgoing football to focus on baseball
10 more teams to watch headed into 2023
Germantown: An 0-3 start to the 2022 season for the Warhawks gave way to an impressive 5-1 finish to vault them into the postseason. The defense led by Wisconsin Badgers-offered linebacker Cooper Catalano will have to lead the way once again as Germantown looks to hold serve in a competitive Greater Metro Conference in 2023.
Grafton: The Black Hawks swept the Woodland Conference with a 7-0 record in 2022, finishing 9-2 overall with regular season and playoff losses to Port Washington. Juniors including quarterback Brady Hilgart and running back Tommy Lutz saw their stars emerge toward the latter half of the season, and each project to make a leap in 2023.
Hartford: Revenge games giving and taking away was the theme for the 2022 postseason for the Orioles, who throttled a Nicolet team they dropped a Week 9 contest to in the WIAA Level 1 playoffs before falling to a Homestead team they beat earlier in the season the following week. A talented departing senior class of skill players and linemen gives way to a new crop of players eager to make their own mark in 2023.
Kenosha St. Joseph's: The Lancers bring back a host of talented skill players into 2023, including co-Midwest Classic offensive players of the year in quarterback Eric Kenesie and running back Jayden Gordon. KSJ does have to replace reigning conference defensive player of the year Marco Matteucci, but the Lancers bring back four all-conference players on that side of the ball as well.
Marquette: The Hilltoppers return a pair of All-Greater Metro Conference first-team selections on defense, including defensive back Murphy Monreal and linebacker Mitchell Nigro. The offense is bolstered by the return of all-conference second team receiver Thad Hoffman, as well as the reliable leg of NCAA Division 1-offered kicker Erik Schmidt.
Milwaukee Marshall: Eagles first-year head coach Anthony Dowery led Marshall to a Richardson Division title in 2022. The key to a repeat title lies up front, as the Eagles return all-conference linemen including: Marcus Jamison, Wykhir Jones and Ezekiel Smith.
Milwaukee Pulaski: While Pulaski finished second in the Blackbourn Division of the City Conference in 2022, the talent they bring into 2023 has the Rams looking like a threat to win the City this season. All-conference recognized backs Adrian McMillon and Isaiah Conley-Fuentez return with first team offensive linemen Willie Lipson and Sem Campos leading the way.
Pewaukee: The Pirates return All-Parkland Conference selection Owen Dobberstein at quarterback, but graduated running backs Andrew Jones and Carter Pearson, wide receiver Logan Schill and offensive linemen Ryan Sandvik, Jackson Dillemuth and Brennan Duessler. How the rest of the offense takes shape around their returning signal-caller will go a long way to determining whether they can contend in the conference.
Racine St. Catherine's: The Angels have a bevy of all-conference talent to replace from last year's 10-2 team that finished second in the Metro Classic. Two that return are last season's second-leading rusher for RSC, Jayvion Hunter, as well as second-leading tackler Mariano Talamentez.
Slinger: While the Owls lost leading rusher Avery Kurth and quarterback Tanner Hora to graduation, there is still plenty of talent up front led by 2025 Stanford commit Charlie Hoitink, and on the edge led by returning first team all-North Shore Conference receiver Mark Leidel. The magic number for the defense in 2022 was 24, as Slinger was 7-1 when giving up that many or fewer points defensively last season.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee-area high school football top 10, and 10 more teams to watch
