NEW LONDON FOOTBALL PREVIEW SPOTLIGHT IS SPONSORED BY JEFFERY HANDSCHKE-COLDWELL BANKER REAL ESTATE IN NEW LONDON
The New London Bulldogs enter the 2026 football season believing last year’s record doesn’t tell the whole story. Despite finishing 1-8 in 2025, the Bulldogs were competitive in several games, including a three-point loss to Shawano and a 21-15 road victory over Xavier that proved they could compete with the Bay Conference’s top teams.
Now, head coach Bennett Hansen hopes another year of experience in New London’s spread-option offense will help the Bulldogs take the next step.
Senior quarterback Cory Brooker returns to lead the offense after completing 60 percent of his passes for 355 yards while adding 337 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. His dual-threat ability gives New London flexibility in the spread-option attack entering its second season in the system.
The Bulldogs will also lean on one of the conference’s premier linemen in Preston Krueger. The returning standout finished last season with 34 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks while anchoring both the offensive and defensive lines. Hansen also welcomes back five starters on both offense and defense, providing valuable experience for a team looking to climb the Bay Conference standings.
Last season’s offense struggled statistically, producing just 697 passing yards and four touchdown passes while rushing for 1,076 yards and eight scores. Those numbers will need to improve if the Bulldogs hope to flip some of last year’s narrow defeats into victories.
Defensively, New London showed flashes of promise. The Bulldogs recorded
The New London Bulldogs enter the 2026 football season believing last year’s record doesn’t tell the whole story. Despite finishing 1-8 in 2025, the Bulldogs were competitive in several games, including a three-point loss to Shawano and a 21-15 road victory over Xavier that proved they could compete with the Bay Conference’s top teams.
Now, head coach Bennett Hansen hopes another year of experience in New London’s spread-option offense will help the Bulldogs take the next step.
“We were in a lot of football games,” Hansen has said throughout the offseason, and the emphasis this year is finding more consistency on offense after the Bulldogs scored more than 12 points just once outside of their win over Xavier.
Junior quarterback Cory Brooker returns to lead the offense after completing 60 percent of his passes for 355 yards while adding 337 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. His dual-threat ability gives New London flexibility in the spread-option attack entering its second season in the system.
The Bulldogs will also lean on one of the conference’s premier linemen in Preston Krueger. The returning standout finished last season with 34 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks while anchoring both the offensive and defensive lines. Hansen also welcomes back five starters on both offense and defense, providing valuable experience for a team looking to climb the Bay Conference standings.
Last season’s offense struggled statistically, producing just 697 passing yards and four touchdown passes while rushing for 1,076 yards and eight scores. Those numbers will need to improve if the Bulldogs hope to flip some of last year’s narrow defeats into victories.
Defensively, New London showed flashes of promise. The Bulldogs recorded 61 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, with returning contributors expected to build on that production in 2026.
The schedule presents opportunities early.
New London opens the season with two straight non-conference home games, hosting Denmark on August 21 before welcoming Antigo on August 28. Bay Conference play begins Sept. 4 at Freedom before home games against Shawano and Waupaca. The Bulldogs will also look to repeat last season’s upset when they travel to Xavier on Oct. 2.
2026 New London Schedule
- Aug. 21: vs. Denmark
- Aug. 28: vs. Antigo
- Sept. 4: at Freedom*
- Sept. 11: vs. Shawano*
- Sept. 18: at Fox Valley Lutheran*
- Sept. 25: vs. Waupaca*
- Oct. 2: at Xavier*
- Oct. 9: vs. Seymour*
- Oct. 16: at Winneconne*
*Bay Conference game
LISTEN HERE TO THE LOWDOWN ON THE BULLDOGS
[/vc_column_text]
Comments