2025 Outlook

Coach: Max Fransen (4th season)

Career Record: 6-21

Conference: Vermilion Valley

Last Playoff: Class 2A Second Round, 2019

Best Playoff: Class 2A State Semifinalists, 1974

2024 record: 3-6 (3-6)

After consecutive one-win seasons in 2021 and 2022, Watseka increased up to two wins in 2023 and then finished 3-6 a season ago. Looking to continue improving in 2025 under fourth-year head coach Max Fransen, the Warriors have a small but very experienced team set to take the field.

“We’ve got a good group of kids that come out every day ready to work,” Fransen said. “Our numbers are small, but our hearts are big. I think that’s one thing that really stands out about this group. Football is hard, so it’s easy to stay home, it’s easy to run around and do other things. But these guys show heart and I can’t say how much that means to me.”

A place where heart will always be needed in a football game is in the trenches. Helping to anchor the experienced returning group for the Warriors is a set of players on the offensive and defensive lines that have been going to battle together for quite a while.

“The people I always highlight are my line, and they have a whole bunch of experience coming back,” Fransen said. “We’ve got Justin Covarrubias, who’s a junior, and the rest are seniors. We’ve got Kayden Brault, we’ve got Pete Jeglinski, we’ve got Zach Wichtner and we’ve got Noah Hanson, and all five of them come with a lot of experience playing, some of them three but all of them at least two years.”

On the offensive side, this unit will be blocking for another group of experienced returners. Austin Morris boasts most of that experience as a senior, but is moving from running back to quarterback this fall.

“He’s been a phenomenal leader for us and I’m really happy with his growth,” Fransen said.. “I always tell everyone that it’s really good when your best leader is under center, and that’s what we have this year.”

Fellow senior Dennis Goodman is back as the primary running back while junior Frankie Shervino will be in the fold as a big, exciting prospect.

Returning seniors Dale Hebert and Lucas Shoemaker figure to factor in once again as tight ends. Some newcomers can be expected to see some meaningful playing time as well, starting with senior Payton Schaumburg, who will be donning the shoulder pads for the first time. Another fresh face to look for is sophomore Brayden Lease, who Fransen said will bring a lot of strength and physicality to the field.

The Warriors will just look to keep heading in the right direction in 2025. They made four consecutive playoff appearances from 2016 through 2019, but haven’t been back since. They opened last season with three wins in a row, including a Week 3 win over an Oakwood team that finished with a winning record and a spot in the playoffs.

“You just want to see them grow every day and continue to take the right steps,” he said. “That’s something we talk about regularly, and not focusing on week nine. We’re focusing on what’s important right now, and right now it’s getting better each and every day.”