HORTONVILLE FOOTBALL PREVIEW SPOTLIGHT IS PRESENTED BY BAY BANK
After enduring an 1-7 start last season, the Hortonville Polar Bears refused to quit.
Instead, they closed the year by upsetting rival Neenah in the regular-season finale, a win that head coach Nick Reichert believes has completely changed the mindset inside the program heading into 2026.
“I think it changes a lot in terms of the guys’ confidence and motivation to attack the offseason,” Reichert said. “It brought some life back into the program after struggling for the first seven weeks. I give credit to the guys that didn’t stop competing all the way through.”
Now, Hortonville returns an experienced core on both sides of the football and believes it has the pieces to compete in one of Wisconsin’s toughest conferences.
Leading the offense is returning quarterback A.J. Pheifer, who Reichert says made significant strides as the season progressed.
“He really started to play well toward the end of the year,” Reichert said. “He protected the football and made good decisions.”
The Polar Bears also bring back a talented backfield featuring Tristan Berrens, a three-year contributor who started as a sophomore, and Jack Holdren, who stepped into the lineup after an injury and helped keep the running game rolling.
“We really didn’t miss a beat running the football,” Reichert said.
Hortonville’s receiving corps will feature senior targets Connor Christensen and Greyson Rankin, while Keaton Foster has impressed the coaching staff as a junior throughout the offseason.
Perhaps the player Reichert is highest on is fullback Jon Englebert.
“I actually think we have one of the better fullbacks in the state,” Reichert said. “He’s an extremely athletic kid with a great build and I think he’s going to have a phenomenal season.”
The offensive line also returns valuable experience with Archer Baseman, Henry Huza, and Nathan McHugh back in the trenches.
Hortonville dropped several competitive games in the Fox Valley Association last season, including narrow losses to Appleton East and Fond du Lac.
Reichert believes the difference this year comes down to execution.
“For us, it’s all about execution,” he said. “Last year we were too inconsistent. We didn’t create enough takeaways on defense, and offensively we gave the football away too easily. If you do that in this conference, you’re not going to win.”
Instead of focusing on opponents, Reichert wants his players concentrating on their own assignments.
“It’s not about who we’re playing,” he said. “We have to focus on our jobs, pay attention to detail, and trust each other to get those jobs done.”
The Polar Bears begin the season with two challenging non-conference games, opening at Greenfield before hosting Pulaski.
Both opponents reached the playoffs a season ago, giving Hortonville an early measuring stick before FVA play begins.
Reichert says success in those games won’t necessarily be measured by the scoreboard alone.
“I want to see us execute well,” he said. “I want to see us protect the football and I want to see us take the football away.”
He believes those habits established in August could pay dividends once postseason football arrives.
Beyond wins and losses, Reichert says the program continues to build toward a larger goal.
“We’re trying to build a brand where we’re one of the highly competitive teams in the state of Wisconsin,” he said. “We’ve got some of the hardest-working kids in the state, and I’m excited for what we’ve got this upcoming season.”
2026 Hortonville Football Schedule
- Aug. 21: at Greenfield – Hall of Fame Ceremony
- Aug. 28: vs Pulaski
- Sep. 4: at Appleton North*
- Sep. 10: vs Oshkosh West*
- Sep. 18: vs Kimberly*
- Sep. 25: at Appleton East*
- Oct. 2: vs Kaukauna*
- Oct. 9: at Neenah* – Homecoming
- Oct. 16: at Fond du Lac*
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