The 2024 Sports Showdown season will kick off in Green Bay on Friday, August 23.
tv32 will broadcast eight high school football games over the course of the nine-game regular season, with playoff games to follow.
The schedule for the season is listed below. Coverage for all games begins at 7:00 p.m. on tv32.
Week 1 - Friday, August 23: Oshkosh West vs Green Bay Preble
The Wildcats showed promise last year, going 4-5 and - even in losses - hanging with some of the top teams in the Fox Valley Association. Their top three rushers, including quarterback Chase Brandl, were all underclassmen, so Oshkosh West has the potential to surprise some people in a top-heavy FVA.
Preble won just one game last season but there is some optimism surrounding the program under new head coach Brad Boockmeier, a former Hornet himself. Boockmeier took over the program in June after the program decided to part ways with Hall of Fame coach Mark Jonas, who was initially hired last winter.
This game will also be the first at Preble’s newly-renovated stadium; turf was installed last year and the project will be completed prior to the start of the season.
Week 2 - Thursday, August 29: Kimberly vs Bay Port
For the second-straight season, these two northeast Wisconsin powerhouses will square off in a non-conference game.
Kimberly won last year’s meeting 17-14 before eventually going on a run to the state semifinals, another standard season for the eight-time state champions. The Papermakers return running back Marcus Doucette, who rushed for 720 yards as a change-of-pace back last season. They will have to replace quarterback Carson Pendleton, leading receiver Bryson Vieth and defensive lineman Sam McGivern, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a program that always reloads rather than rebuilds.
Meanwhile, Bay Port saw a change in leadership over the offseason as former Fond du Lac head coach Steven Jorgensen took over for longtime head coach Gary Westerman. Jorgensen played at Kimberly where his father, Steve, won two state championships as a coach. He was also a member of Bay Port's coaching staff for the past two seasons. The Pirates are in a similar spot to Kimberly: needing to replace several key players all over the field, including dual-threat quarterback Carter Callies and all-conference linebacker Landon Gauthier, who is now at Wisconsin.
Week 3 - NO GAME due to Packers vs Eagles season opener on NBC 26 at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 6
Week 4 - Friday, September 13: Wrightstown vs Luxemburg-Casco
You can’t go wrong with a matchup in the North Eastern Conference, which is one of the best top-to-bottom leagues in the area and sees its teams make deep playoff runs year in and year out. In fact, this matchup pits the only two teams from northeast Wisconsin to make it to the state finals last season. Both the Tigers and the Spartans took home silver balls in 2023.
Luxemburg-Casco is coming off its best year in school history, highlighted by a magical upset win over Catholic Memorial in the Division 4 state semifinals. Now, the future is a bit of a mystery. The loss of all-conference quarterback Max Ronsman hurts, but LC also graduated several of its top players off of a dominant offensive line that paved the way for 3,138 yards last season. Look for running backs Cameron Dorner and Andrew Klass to lead the way in 2024.
While LC’s 3,138 rushing yards were impressive, Wrightstown was among the top teams in the state on the ground with 4,014 yards in 2023. Even better, they return their top two rushers: running back Aiden Humphreys and quarterback Trevor Vande Hey, an outstanding athlete who is committed to play college baseball at Iowa. Much like the Spartans, Wrightstown lost several starters along the line, including all-conference tackle Charlie Garvey who is headed to play collegiately at UW-Stevens Point. Still, with so many skill position players back and other blockers waiting in the wings, Wrightstown could be a threat to make a deep playoff run again this season.
Week 5 - Friday, September 20: Fond du Lac vs Kaukauna
Showdown’s first FVA matchup of the season pits two of the Fox Valley’s top programs against one another.
Kaukauna is coming off one of the best years in program history; the Galloping Ghosts advanced all the way to the state semifinals before falling 24-14 to Waunakee in a game that was featured on Sports Showdown. After losing several key contributors, including star quarterback Finnley Doriot and Division I college players Mitch Verstegen and Carson Van Dinter, head coach Matt Binsfeld acknowledged this could be a rebuilding year for the Ghosts, but added “with 30 seniors we might surprise some people.”
Fond du Lac made one of the more remarkable turnarounds in recent memory last season. After losing their first four games, the Cardinals won six of their next seven and advanced all the way to the state quarterfinals. Like most teams, Fondy graduated several key players but also returns four who earned some type of All-FVA honor last season.
Week 6 - Friday, September 27: De Pere vs West De Pere
The Phantoms have won two of the last three meetings since this crosstown rivalry was renewed in 2021, snapping a 15-year hiatus between the two schools. Both teams advanced to the second-round of the playoffs last year, but both will look different in 2024.
West De Pere loses several key contributors from its high-octane offense, including quarterback Duke Shovald and wide receiver Langdon Nordgaard, who walked on at Wisconsin. Patrick Greisen, the son of Phantoms head coach and former NFL quarterback Chris Greisen, is expected to take over at QB.
The Redbirds, meanwhile, bounced back after dropping their first three games last season to make a run to the postseason. Former Badger Ben Strickland enters his third season on De Pere’s head coach; he has a record of 9-12 but his teams have made the playoffs in both years.
Week 7 - Friday, October 4: Kimberly vs Neenah
This could very well be one of the most marquee games across the entire state all season. Neenah returns most of its top skill position players from a team that went 9-3 and advanced to the state quarterfinals last season.
Two of those three losses came against Kimberly, including a heartbreaking 14-7 season-ending defeat in the playoffs last November when the Papermakers stopped the Rockets inside the 10-yard line as time expired. Neenah star running back/safety Grant Dean, who issued committed to Wisconsin, told NBC 26: “It’s one I have circled on my calendar, for sure."
Week 8 - Friday, October 11: West De Pere vs Bay Port
These two FRCC North rivals will face off on Showdown for the third straight year. The Pirates have won both of those matchups, 45-34 last season and 34-27 in 2022; both of those wins clinched a conference title for Bay Port.
Week 9 - Friday, October 18: Appleton North vs Kimberly
Lightning players no doubt still have the end of last season on their minds. Kimberly beat Appleton North in back-to-back games to close out the year: 14-0 in the regular season finale, and 10-7 in Level 1 of the playoffs.
While the Papermakers have been the cream of the crop in the Fox Valley for the better part of two decades, Appleton North has always given them a good challenge. Notably, the Lightning beat the ‘Makers 21-10 in Level 3 of the playoffs in the 2021 season.
