Niles football is 31-5 the last 3 seasons. Hall of Fame coach Scot Shaw is externally downplaying expectations. However, his Viking players know the standards have not changed…and that’s just fine with them.

Berrien Springs has made the Michigan football playoffs 12 straight years but they haven’t won a District title since 2016. With 14 returning starters & 14 seniors, the Shamrocks feel this is the year they break through.

Nick File takes over a solid program at Buchanan, with hopes of making it stronger. Players may differ on what makes the team strong, but everyone agrees….it’s time to put some hardware in the trophy case.

Jeff Miller starts season two at Brandywine, still trying to resurrect a program thin on numbers. What he has built with his team is trust, and the Bobcats believe that will start showing with wins.

At SB Washington, the Panthers graduated the NIC MVP. So 11-year head coach Jay Johnson takes a different approach on the field this year while continuing to build a program for off-field success. Washington hosts Hammond Central in week 1.

Andy Barker begins his second season at Triton, continuing to rebuild the culture. He’ll also have to rebuild a squad hit hard by graduation, but the Trojans feel they have speed and defense, which isn’t a bad start. Triton hosts LaVille to open the season.

The Culver football squad has shown gradual improvement under Austin Foust. Now in his fourth season, and with a talented sophomore class, the Cavaliers believe they’re ready for a winning season in 2026.

Head coach Justin Bogunia barely got to Bremen in time for last season and the team still went 6-5. Now with things in place, the Lions have high hopes for 2026. Bremen is on the road at Busco and Triton to start the year.

Griffin Heckaman takes over a Goshen program that has one winning season since 2007. So he’s tapping into the deep history of the program, believing some time-honored concepts will bring back success. Goshen hosts Angola, Washington and Northridge to open the season.

Two years ago, North Judson went to the 1A state finals. Brett Lambert’s squad didn’t make it out of sectional in 2025. Now the Blue Jays have a chip on the shoulder and the talent to possibly make the return trip to state. They start the season with the Starke County showdown against Knox.

The big news for Fairfield football is a new turf field. With the community going all in on supporting his program, Cory Stoner is expecting the same from his team in 2026. The Falcons are at Calumet in week 1.

In his 29 years as the Culver Academies football coach, Andy Dorrel has seen a lot, including two sectional titles. He believes if this Eagles squad follows the plan, they just might compete for another. CMA will host Adams to open the season.

Troy Sausaman returned to head coaching after 22 years because he believes John Glenn football can be great. The Falcons have been far from it the last two years, but do they have the “dudes” to win in 2026? Glenn is on the road for the first two games of the season, at Boone Grove and at Fairfield.

What area football team has the best winning percentage over the last four years? It’s Knox, where the Redskins went 44-10 and played in two semistates. Russ Radtke isn’t “puzzled” how to keep it going….just give the Redskins some time. Knox opens the season against arch rival North Judson.

“The last 2 years have devastated us.”

After just 3 wins in each of the last 2 seasons, Lakeshore is getting a fresh start. With a new coach in Mark Frey, 17 returning starters & 18 seniors, the Lancers are expecting big things in 2026. Lakeshore hosts Wayland to open the season on August 28th then their game at Niles on September 4th will be our Sports Michiana Game of the Week.

Toughness has been a hallmark of the NorthWood football program since its inception. Nate Andrews and his squad renew their commitment to that in 2026…both mentally and physically. The Panthers were 5-5 last season and haven’t had a losing season in all 12 of its seasons under Nate Andrews. NorthWood opens the year at Columbia City.

The St. Joseph (MI) program has recorded 11 straight winning seasons and playoff berths. But after a tough 6-5 record last year, the Bears are hungry for greater success, hoping a veteran group can be playing well into November.

Tippecanoe Valley plans to be burning rubber this fall as veteran coach Steven Moriarty has the fastest team he’s had in Mentone. The Vikings have had eight straight winning seasons but are shooting for their first sectional crown since 1992. They’ll play their first 3 games at home against Plymouth, Rochester and Adams Central.

It wasn’t an easy first year for Ryan O’Shea at New Prairie. The Cougars posted an uncharacteristic 3-7 mark. Now in year two, a young but experienced squad hopes for greater success in the NIC race. New Prairie opens the season hosting arch rival LaPorte.

The Concord football team went to the 5A semistate last season, but lost a ton of seniors. Craig Koehler saw his stadium get rebuilt quickly and expects his team to do the same and have success in 2026. The Minutemen will kickoff of the season by opening up the new Jake Field on August 21st against Elkhart on the Sports Michiana Game of the Week.

Michigan football practices are now underway too. there’s excitement in the Edwardsburg Eddies camp. Dan Purlee has a veteran group with some depth that is ready to challenge for the Wolverine Conference title. Edwardsburg will host McBain to open the season on August 28th.

Luke Amstutz in the the new Northridge football boss. He’s not only changing addresses, he’s hoping to change the culture and fortunes of the a Raider team that has won just 3 games in each of the last two seasons. Amstutz comes to Northridge with a 124-52 record in 17 seasons as head coach at Angola and most recently East Noble. The Raiders open the season at West Noble.

After going 8-2 in 2023, Riley football won 2 games in 2024 & 4 games last season. With 13 starters back & with the addition of star linebacker Kros Jones, Riley believes they can return to that 2023 form. The Wildcats host Hammond Noll to open the season before facing Valpo, Penn & Elkhart in weeks 2, 3 & 4.

Jimtown football is coming off a 2-8 season last year, but half of their losses were by a touchdown or less. Experience, growth and an improved brotherhood could mean a return to success for Cody Vincent’s squad in 2026. Jimtown will host Wawasee to open the season.

The Saint Joseph football team was the feel good story in 2025 going all the way to SemiState. They feel they can make another run but also know they can’t lose sight of all the work it took last year & the challenges their sectional brings. The Huskies open the season at Lakeland.

After playing for a state title in 2024, Warsaw finished 6-4 in 2025. Bart Curtis enters his 36th season as a head coach with a Warsaw football team where nearly every position has competition. If the Tigers can make that same thing happen every game, 2026 could be fun. Warsaw hosts Snider to open the season.

The Penn football squad won its second sectional in the last three years last season. Now the Kingsmen want more. Pete Riordan likes his explosive team, and as always, relies heavily on his senior class. Penn will host Valpo in week 1 and then travel to arch rival Mishawaka for the Backyard Brawl on August 28th on Sports Michiana.

After an NIC Title in 2024, Elkhart was 6-4 in 2025. Coach Travon Curry doesn’t view last year as a setback but a building block for this season. Elkhart opens the season Aug 21 vs Concord on Sports Michiana.

Keith Kinder and his Cavemen are bringing an “attack” mentality into 2026. That includes attacking issues that prevented the Cavemen from reaching their goals last year.  Mishawaka was 10-2 last year but came up short on winning a 4th straight sectional title. The Cavemen open the season against Marian and then host arch rival Penn August 28th on the Sports Michiana Game of the Week.

19 seniors. 15 returning starters. 75 players in the program. After spending the last two seasons as one of the area’s youngest teams, Adams enters 2026 as one of its oldest and most experienced. Following a 4-6 season a year ago, the Eagles believe they’re ready to take a big step forward and compete for a championship. Adams opens the season at Culver Academies on August 21st.

The LaPorte football squad posted its highest win total since 2020 last year. Now Austin Epple’s team needs to improve on the little things and prepare for a new sectional for success in 2026. The Slicers open the season on the road at rival New Prairie.

LaVille football has won two sectional titles in the last three years. Now new coach Matt Thacker brings in the triple option, but while the offense changes, the standard for the Lancers remains high. The Lancers’ quest for a 13th straight winning season begins at Triton on August 21st.

It was a tumultuous offseason for the Plymouth Rockies. Longtime assistant Brent Corbett provides some stability as the head coach for 2026. The players say – no matter what – they love being Rockies and love football! Plymouth was 4-7 last year. They open the season at Tippy Valley.

Joe Calderone takes over as the new head football coach at Marian. From the 1st seconds of his first official practice, he showcased his commanding presence. He’s looking to rejuvenate Marian’s proud tradition with a young team built to grow. Marian was 4-8 last season and will open the season hosting city rival Mishawaka. We’ll see the Knights in week 4 when they face Saint Joe on the Sports Michiana Game of the Week.

It’s a fresh start in Syracuse and there’s plenty of optimism for Wawasee football. New head coach Mark Osmialowski has put in a new offense and defense, and returning players like Kaden Andrew and Max Pena are fired up about improving the Warriors program. Wawasee opens the season at Jimtown.