Here's a look at southern Wisconsin head football coaching changes for the upcoming 2019 season, which kicks off on August 22.
You can see a statewide list of changes at WisSports.net by clicking here.
In the Big 8, Rodney Wedig exits at Beloit Memorial after five seasons, going 6-41 with the Purple Knights (with five of those wins coming in the past two seasons). Wedig will head to Milton (see below). Ken DuBose takes over as head coach at Beloit Memorial after a season as South Elgin's defensive coordinator, in which the IHSA playoff qualifier had seven shutouts in 2018. DuBose previously coached at three different colleges as an assistant, and was the head coach at Rockford Jefferson in 2015 and 2016, going 4-13 in two seasons.
At Middleton, last year's co-head coaching arrangement allowed Jason Pertzborn to gradually step into a big role for the Cardinals, as he takes over for Tim Simon, who exits after 15 years and 118 victories at the helm of the Middleton program. Pertzborn has been the offensive coordinator since 2012, and was a standout athlete at Middleton (1990). The Cardinals went 6-4 in 2018, falling to Sun Prairie in a wild Level 1 playoff game 42-36.
There was only one coaching change in the Badger North. After Scott Schutt's head-coaching reprisal on an interim basis for two seasons while the school sought a long-term coaching solution after the abrupt departure by former coach Scott Mirkes just before the 2017 season, former Mukwonago and Pewaukee head coach Clay Iverson will now coach the Eagles. Iverson made 10 combined playoff trips in his 13 seasons as a head coach prior, and he'll try to take Sauk Prairie back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
On the Badger South side, Milton replace Matt Lee, who went 3-6 in each of his three years as head coach, with Rodney Wedig, who last coached at Beloit Memorial. Wedig led Big Foot to the 2009 Division 4 state championship. Wedig was the latest in a long line of coaches attempting turn around the Beloit Memorial program, and picked up five wins in the past two seasons after just one win in his first three with the Purple Knights. All-time, Wedig is 147-107.
In the Rock Valley, veteran coach Greg Enz (who spent the past five years at Big Foot after coaching at Little Chute for 12 seasons) moves on to Manitowoc Lincoln. Enz compiled a 24-25 record as head coach of the Chiefs, and is 92-84 in 17 seasons as a head coach. Stepping now to coach at Big Foot is Michael Welden, who spent the last 10 years as an assistant coach at Grafton, most recently as defensive coordinator. He'll inherit a program that rang up 14 straight playoff appearances, including a state title in 2009, from 2003 through 2016, but has missed the postseason the last two years.
Over at Whitewater, athletic director Jim Pease stepped full-time into his AD role, and assistant coach Jason Bleck was promoted to take over as the third head coach in the past four years for the Whippets. Pease guided Whitewater to a 3-15 record in the past two seasons, as the program has added a win in each of the past two seasons. Bleck, who has been a Whitewater assistant for the past two years, also coached football and basketball in Watertown after graduating from UW-La Crosse. Bleck, a Whitewater grad (2006), follows in the footsteps of his father, who coached at Whitewater.
There are no coaching changes in the rock-solid Capitol North from a season ago, and only one change in the Capitol South: Waterloo's Aaron Erickson recently stepped down to take a teaching position in Jefferson, so the Pirates football gig is open just a few weeks ahead of training camp (as of this writing).
Some of the other changes in southern Wisconsin: At Fall River, athletic director Cody Schultz will assume the mantle as head football coach, taking over for Joe Zander, who stepped down after four seasons, compiling a 27-15 record and a trip to Level 4 in 2017. Schultz has been an assistant for the past two seasons, and had four previous stops (three in college) as an assistant coach. Fall River will co-op with Rio in 2019 and beyond, and assume the Rebels nickname they held in a previous co-op arrangement.
There are also changes in several schools in southwestern Wisconsin, including at Platteville, Iowa-Grant, Riverdale, Southwestern, and Wisconsin Heights.At the time of this writing, the vacancies at North Crawford and Kickapoo/La Farge have not been filled. Both programs are set to play 8-player football beginning in 2020.