DE PERE (NBC 26) — West De Pere football has a new look heading into the 2026 season.
The Phantoms are coming off a Division 2 state championship, but this year's team will face a much different challenge. There is a new head coach, a new division, a new quarterback battle and several new players stepping into bigger roles.
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But inside the program, the message has stayed the same: the standard remains championship-level.
"We're not defending anything," new head coach Keegan Wirtz said. "We're hunting. We're attacking. We're going to get ourselves a Division 1 state championship."
Wirtz knows exactly what that standard means.
The West De Pere alum takes over a program he helped build, first as a player and later as an assistant coach. He has been part of all three of West De Pere’s state championships, both as a player and as a coach, before being named the program's next head coach.
For Wirtz, the opportunity is about more than just football.
"Being an alumni of the school, it's a dream come true," Wirtz said. "Following in the footsteps of a lot of great coaches, some Hall of Fame coaches, it's a real honor to take over and just live up to the standard that's been set already."
The support from the West De Pere community was immediate. Wirtz said the reaction after he was hired was unlike anything he had experienced before.
"I had 10 times more texts than any other life event I've ever had when I became head coach," Wirtz said. "It's people 10 or 15 years I haven't talked to that were reaching out. The support from everyone in the community, our administration, community members, it's been very overwhelming."
While the coaching transition brings change, Wirtz said there has been plenty of consistency as well. The Phantoms were able to retain most of their coaching staff while adding a few new faces. Players say that familiarity has helped make the transition smooth.
"It's awesome," senior left tackle Sam Schmidt said. "He knows what it takes to win state. He's been a part of all three state championships as a coach and as a player."
The biggest change on the field comes with West De Pere's move from Division 2 to Division 1.
After winning the Division 2 championship last season, the Phantoms are no longer focused on defending that title. Instead, they are looking at the move as an opportunity to challenge themselves against some of the state's top programs.
"Nobody wants to play bad teams," Wirtz said. "Everybody wants to play the best, and we want to be able to prove that we're the best."
Senior linebacker and fullback Braylon Stegall said the move gives the team a fresh perspective.
"It kind of feels like we're back at the bottom hunting everybody else," Stegall said.
The jump in competition comes while West De Pere replaces several key contributors from last year's championship team, including standout quarterback Patrick Greisen.
The Phantoms have not yet named a starter, with a quarterback competition featuring multiple candidates, including Greisen's younger brother Andrew, senior Morgan Mertens and sophomore Harrison Seaborn.
Wirtz said the competition has been valuable because each quarterback brings something different.
"They all have a different skill set," Wirtz said. "It's been fun to watch this battle and it'll be fun to watch this battle throughout August."
Even with the losses from last year's team, West De Pere believes it has enough experience to reload.
Wirtz said more than 50 players saw action in varsity games during the championship season, giving younger players a chance to learn from the players who helped bring home the title.
"The cupboard is not bare," Wirtz said. "We've got guys that are going to be asked to do more, but they've got experience. We've got guys that we've relied on in the past that are going to have to take a bigger role, but I'm excited to see them take that role."
That excitement has carried into the offseason.
The Phantoms had more than 100 players participate in workouts this summer, the largest turnout in program history.
"The energy's been really good," Schmidt said. "We have over 100 kids, so that's actually a program high. We've never had over 100 before."
The names may be different, but the expectation inside West De Pere remains unchanged.
"We know what it takes," Schmidt said. "As a staff and as a group of guys, as players, we know what it's going to take to win."
For the Phantoms, the next challenge is clear: prove last year's championship was not the end of a run, but the beginning of another one.
