Prep Mania

Wisconsin high school football is officially underway! 🏈

Riley Jauch and the Dean of Madison Area High School Sports, Dennis Semrau, are back for another episode of Zimbrick Honda's PrepMania Weekly, breaking down the biggest storylines from Week 1 across Madison and Wisconsin high school sports.

This week, we recap two of the biggest PrepMania Games of the Week, including West De Pere vs. Sun Prairie East and Verona vs. Oak Creek, before diving into the latest ESPN Wisconsin Power Rankings powered by Pizza Hut.

Plus, Monona Grove head coach Brandon Beckwith joins the show to discuss his team's season opener and look ahead to Thursday night's huge matchup against Madison La Follette and new head coach Toren Young.

On this week's PrepMania Weekly:

🏈 Week 1 Recap: West De Pere takes down Sun Prairie East

🏈 Verona vs. Oak Creek: Is Verona back on top of the Big 8?

📊 ESPN Wisconsin Power Rankings: Who moved into — and out of — the Top 10?

🎙️ Brandon Beckwith Interview: The Monona Grove head coach previews the matchup with La Follette

🔥 PrepMania On-Deck: Previewing Monona Grove vs. Madison La Follette and more upcoming Wisconsin high school football

Subscribe to ESPN Madison for the latest Wisconsin high school sports coverage, game highlights, interviews, rankings and analysis from PrepMania.

West De Pere hits the road to take on Sun Prairie East LIVE on Zimbrick Honda's Presentation of PrepMania! Watch the 2026 Wisconsin high school football season opener Thursday, August 20, on ESPN Madison.

Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 PM CT with kickoff at 7:00 PM CT. Jesse Nelson and Dennis Semrau are on the call as the West De Pere Phantoms visit the Sun Prairie East Cardinals.

🏈 West De Pere at Sun Prairie East

📅 Thursday, August 20, 2026

⏰ Pregame: 6:30 PM CT | Kickoff: 7:00 PM CT

🎙️ Jesse Nelson & Dennis Semrau

Catch PrepMania and Wisconsin high school football coverage all season long on ESPN Madison.

Subscribe to ESPN Madison on YouTube for more Wisconsin sports coverage and listen live on the ESPN Wisconsin App.

Madison Memorial Basketball begins a new chapter.

In this exclusive interview with ESPN Madison's Prep Mania, new Madison Memorial head basketball coach Billy Wilson discusses taking over one of Wisconsin's most respected high school basketball programs following the retirement of legendary coach Steve Collins.

Wilson shares what he learned from coaching alongside Collins, his vision for the Spartans, why relationships matter more than wins, and the culture he hopes to build as Memorial enters a new era.

The conversation also covers Wilson's own playing career at Memorial, coaching at his alma mater, developing student-athletes, multi-sport participation, and the emotional journey of helping lead the team following the passing of teammate Trey Von Harris.

Topics include:

Taking over for legendary coach Steve Collins

Billy Wilson's coaching philosophy

Building culture through accountability and relationships

Changes coming to Madison Memorial Basketball

Man-to-man defense and playing a faster style

Coaching at his alma mater

The importance of teacher-coaches

Encouraging multi-sport athletes

Lessons from Memorial's state tournament runs

Leading through adversity after the loss of Trey Von Harris

What success looks like in Year 1

Whether you're a Madison Memorial fan, Wisconsin high school basketball supporter, coach, parent, or player, this conversation offers an inside look at leadership, culture, and the future of one of the state's premier basketball programs.

The Wisconsin Badgers are building one of the nation's top recruiting classes—and Badger247 recruiting insider Nick Osen joins to explain why.

In this episode of Prep Mania, Riley Jauch and Dennis Semrau sit down with Nick Osen of Badger247 (247Sports) to discuss Wisconsin football recruiting, Luke Fickell's momentum on the trail, the rise of in-state talent, and why the 2027 recruiting class could become one of the best in recent Badgers history.

The conversation also dives into Wisconsin basketball recruiting, Greg Gard's recruiting success, NIL, the transfer portal, and several future Badger stars that fans should keep an eye on.

Topics include:

Wisconsin Football's Top-25 2027 recruiting class

Luke Fickell's recruiting strategy

Why Wisconsin is producing more Division I talent

Keeping top in-state recruits home

NIL and transfer portal impact on recruiting

Wisconsin Basketball recruiting update

Greg Gard's latest recruiting wins

Players to watch for the Badgers

Recruiting misconceptions every fan should know

Players discussed:

Cole Ryder • Coors Loken • Kingston Allen • Isaac Miller • Richie Flanagan • Jalen Brown • Babukar Ann • Jack Thielen • Ian Elmer • Emmett Bork • Cairo Skanes • Abu Sama • Darion Dupree • Nate Palmer

If you're a Wisconsin Badgers fan looking for the latest recruiting news, football updates, basketball recruiting analysis, and insider coverage, this interview is for you.

Sun Prairie East vs Sun Prairie West LIVE — it’s a **cross-town rivalry with everything on the line**. The Cardinals and Wolves meet in a high-energy **Battle for Sun Prairie**, bringing intensity, pride, and Big Eight Conference implications to the field.

Watch every moment with **LIVE play-by-play coverage**, featuring key at-bats, pitching duels, and the momentum swings that make rivalry baseball different. Sun Prairie East’s championship pedigree meets a hungry Sun Prairie West team eager to prove itself in one of Wisconsin’s most competitive conferences.

This is Wisconsin high school baseball at its best — fast, physical, and fueled by rivalry.

Baseball season is here — and teams are already starting to separate.

Tonight on PrepMania Weekly, Hunter Vaughn and Dennis Semrau break down the start of the high school baseball season, highlighting which teams are playing the best baseball early and what trends are emerging across the area.

We also react to the news of the Marquette University baseball head coach stepping down, discussing what it means for the program and the local baseball landscape.

⚾ Special Guest

Sun Prairie East head coach Jack Marchese joins the show ahead of a big cross-town rivalry series against Sun Prairie West. We’ll talk about his team’s start, what to expect in the matchup, and what it takes to win in a rivalry setting.

📅 PrepMania On Deck

We wrap the show by looking ahead to the best upcoming games in the area, including key matchups and teams to watch as the season continues to unfold.

Hosted by Hunter Vaughn and Dennis Semrau.

Join the conversation live and subscribe for weekly high school sports coverage on PrepMania.

PrepMania heads to the diamond.

Join us for a high school baseball showdown as Monona Grove takes on Kettle Moraine — live from Lake Country DockHounds Stadium.

🎙️ On the call: Hunter Vaughn & Dennis Semrau

🕓 Pregame coverage: 4:15 PM

📍 Lake Country DockHounds Stadium

🎥 Zimbrick Honda’s Presentation of PrepMania

📺 Streaming on the ESPN Wisconsin App & ESPN Madison YouTube Channel

🦅 Monona Grove Silver Eagles

A veteran-heavy roster led by senior standout Cal Moreau, who:

Hit .464 with a team-high 39 hits

Anchors the staff with a 0.83 ERA

Monona Grove brings experience across the lineup and production at the plate, including key contributors like:

Luke Chynoweth (.464 AVG) – table-setter

Eli Bauler (26 RBI) – run producer

Balanced lineup with proven production and a top-end arm.

🔵 Kettle Moraine Lasers

Led by first-year head coach Matt O’Sullivan, the Lasers bring a mix of high-level talent and upside.

Top players include:

Chace Staude (.583 AVG last season, Notre Dame commit) – elite all-around player

Sam Scaffido – top pitcher and defensive anchor

Jimmy Angle – power bat in the middle of the lineup

On the mound:

Nick Sievert (LHP) – deceptive arm slot, mixes fastball/slider

Kettle Moraine emphasizes balance — with speed, power, and developing pitching depth.

🔥 Game Storylines

• Early-season matchup at a pro-level ballpark

• Veteran lineup vs high-upside talent

• Pitching vs power

• Classic Eight vs Big Eight caliber competition