The Shawano High School Football Preview Spotlight is presented by Bay Bank with locations in Keshena and Green Bay and sponsored by Raddant Electric
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The Shawano Hawks enter the 2025 season looking to turn the page after a frustrating campaign last year, where an opening-night victory was followed by a string of losses. Head coach Al Tomow points to early-season injuries to key players as a major factor in the team’s struggles. “We had the wrong guys get injured,” Tomow said. “Once that happened, we never really got back on track, and we were moving guys around all season.” That disruption, he added, kept the Hawks from playing to their own high standards.
Since then, Tomow says his players, especially the senior class, have committed to putting in the work to make sure last year’s results are an outlier. The offseason focus has been on strength training, leadership development, and bringing younger players into the fold. “Our seniors really want to change things this year,” he said. “We’ve evaluated everything, how we practice, how we scheme, and we think we have some kids who people in our league don’t know much about yet, but will soon.”
At the skill positions, the Hawks will lean on three key playmakers. Austin Hayling, a second-team all-conference wide receiver last season, returns bigger, stronger, and ready to be a top target. Ayden Bystol, also a former second-team all-conference pick, is finally healthy after gutting out the end of last season at less than 100 percent and is expected to contribute heavily on both sides of the ball. Aiden Rasmussen takes over at quarterback, bringing speed and athleticism that Tomow hopes to feature in a more balanced, ball-control offense designed to complement an aggressive defense.
The running game, a trouble spot in recent seasons, could also see improvement. Bystol’s return and the continued development of Marcus Brezgel, who started as a freshman last year, should give Shawano more consistency in the backfield. Tomow says the goal is to establish a ground attack that keeps the offense on schedule and opens up playmaking opportunities for his versatile quarterback.
In a Bay Conference known for dual-threat quarterbacks and high-scoring offenses, Tomow believes Rasmussen has the tools to join that conversation. “He’s shown flashes over the last two years,” the coach said. “Now we want to put him in a position to do those things consistently.”
With the WIAA’s updated playoff format, Tomow knows there’s no room for slow starts. “You have to play good football from week one all the way through week nine, every game matters,” he said. For Shawano, that means staying healthy, finding stability on the offensive line, and building week-to-week consistency. The ultimate goal? Earn that “tenth game” in the playoffs.
“If we just put our heads down and work,” Tomow said, “we can get there.”
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