The 2025 campaign crowned Cochrane‑Fountain City as conference champions, a feat that carried them all the way to the Division 7 state title game and secured a historic silver medal. Their perfect regular season featured seven shutouts, underscoring a dominant defensive identity that still reverberates across the league.
Champions Return to Lead the Pack
Head coach Jesse Cyrus, who also guided the boys basketball team to a 2025 state title, will again steer the Cochrane‑Fountain City squad. The roster retains key seniors Parker Kujak, the quarterback who threw for 1,440 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Aidan Lisowski, a running back who amassed 1,019 yards and 11 scores. Both earned First Team All‑Conference honors and will anchor the offense once more.
Max Carothers, a returning First Team All‑Conference offensive lineman from Pepin/Alma, headlines a group of standout players poised to influence the competition. Meanwhile, Bo Killian, who rushed for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns for Whitehall, and Isaiah Kleinsmith, who topped Melrose‑Mindoro with nearly 800 yards and nine touchdowns, are expected to carry heavy offensive loads for their respective teams.
Pepin/Alma’s coach Mike Olson sits just four victories shy of 200 career wins, adding a narrative of continuity and experience. Chad Hanson, who has coached Eleva‑Strum in two separate stints, returns to lead a Cardinals squad that finished 7‑4 last season and secured a playoff win over Blair‑Taylor before falling to Lourdes Academy.
Rising Contenders and Rebuilding Efforts
Eleva‑Strum, with a 7‑4 record and a playoff victory, looks to build on its momentum, while Whitehall and Melrose‑Mindoro aim to rebound from missed postseason opportunities in 2025. Whitehall finished 3‑6 and will rely heavily on Killian’s returning production, whereas Melrose‑Mindoro, after a five‑win season, hopes to translate its playoff experience into a deeper run.
Blair‑Taylor and Augusta face significant rebuilding challenges. Blair‑Taylor finished fourth in the conference and must replace key offensive contributors, while Augusta has endured a winless stretch since October 2023, scoring only 26 points in the previous season. Independence/Gilmanton, which defeated Augusta in 2025, has not reached the playoffs since 2018, adding another layer of intrigue to the conference dynamics.
The overall balance of talent across the Dairyland Conference suggests a tightly contested postseason race. With seasoned coaches, proven playmakers, and a blend of established programs and hungry newcomers, the 2026 schedule promises compelling matchups and the potential for unexpected upsets as the race for the state tournament intensifies.