Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Week 1 WisSports.net Coaches Poll

Please note, divisional placement in our poll is based on our Enrollment Projections done earlier this year. Divisional placement in the WIAA playoffs is not determined until after the season and these projections can and will be different than the divisions at the end of the year.

Defending champion Muskego is atop the Division 1 poll, but perhaps surprisingly, the margin between the Warriors and second-place Kimberly is razor thin. Fond du Lac sits third after a nice win over Franklin to open the year, with Bay Port and Arrowhead rounding out the top five. Marquette comes in sixth after a tough loss to Muskego in Week 1, while Madison Memorial's victory over Sun Prairie has the Spartans seventh.

Waunakee demolished a very good Monona Grove team on Friday and is rewarded with the top spot in the Division 2 poll to start the year. The Warriors narrowly edge out defending champion Homestead, who looked dominant as well in Week 1. Brookfield Central is third, while last year's Division 3 runner-up West De Pere is currently projected to move to D2 and sits at number four.

Defending state champion Catholic Memorial is a unanimous top choice in the Division 3 WisSports.net Coaches Poll. With last year's runner-up, West De Pere, projected to move up to Division 2 currently, New Berlin Eisenhower occupies the second spot, followed by Notre Dame, Menasha, and Grafton. Greendale's opening loss to Badger leaves the Panthers narrowly in the rankings at number nine, while Reedsburg is a surprise entrant in the rankings at number ten.

Defending state champion Racine St. Catherine's opened the season with a dominating 74-0 win over a much larger West Allis Central program, and the Angels are a strong favorite in the first Coaches Poll of the year. Wrightstown is second, followed by Martin Luther, Lakeside Lutheran, and River Valley. Kiel (over Kewaunee) and Edgerton (over McFarland) had impressive wins to open the year but couldn't quite crack the top five. Lake Mills is the only ranked team with a loss, as the L-Cats dropped a game against D2 #7 Menomonie.

Division 5 appears to be loaded this season, with some elite teams in the first Coaches Poll of the year. Stratford debuts at number one after a 41-0 shellacking of Spencer/Columbus Catholic in a state semi-final rematch. Speaking of rematches, Lake Country Lutheran edged out Saint Mary's Springs on Saturday, and the Lightning are second in the poll, followed by Springs. Of note, third-ranked Saint Mary's Springs welcomes in fourth-ranked Amherst this week. Lancaster is fifth, while Spencer/Columbus Catholic, a semi-finalist last year is out of the rankings completely.

A shocking opening loss by defending champion Iola-Scandinavia to Montello/Princeton/Green Lake leaves some uncertainty at the top of Division 6, as the T-Birds are sixth in the first WSN Coaches Poll of the year. Regis was a majority choice for the number one position, with Racine Lutheran following close behind. Mineral Point, Abbotsford, and Spring Valley round out the top five.

There was some uncertainty to which division defending state champion Black Hawk would be in with the addition of Warren (IL) as a co-op, and they originally were slated for Division 6. However, after this week's voting was conducted, we received clarification from the WIAA that their combined enrollment is 187 and they will be in D7 going forward. For now, Bangor gets an ever-so-slight edge over Edgar for the top spot in Division 7. 

Defending 8-Player champion Sevastopol went down in Week 1, leaving things wide open at the top of the division. Not surprisingly, Luck is the top-ranked team to begin the year, with Newman Catholic close behind. Sevastopol is tenth, while the team they lost to, Suring, enters its first-ever 8-Player season ranked number five.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.