HILLSDALE COUNTY — Football games start Aug. 28 for Hillsdale County ISD high school teams. Several key athletes return to the gridiron in 2026 looking to improve upon impressive offensive campaigns last fall, including our Hillsdale Daily News 11-player MVP and Offensive MVP winner. More: Our favorite games of Hillsdale County's 11-player football schedule With our returning 11-player MVP, each team has standout athletes looking to make a splash and lead their squads to winning seasons. In the first edition of the Offensive MVP watchlist, we choose one student-athlete from each football program who we believe will be in the conversation for the award when the final whistle sounds on the gridiron in November. Vote at hillsdale.net for which of these eight athletes is your preseason favorite to be the Offensive MVP of 2026. Readers can vote multiple times. The winner of the poll will get an exclusive interview ahead of the 2026 football season. The poll closes Sunday, Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Offensive MVP Watchlist
Brandon Menchaca - Camden-Frontier - Senior ATH After earning all-state in pole vault this past spring, Brandon Menchaca could return to be the main receiving threat for the next RedHawk quarterback that takes over for dream team honoree and 2026 graduate Luis Thilo. Menchaca had 17 receptions for 307 yards and six receiving touchdowns last fall for the RedHawk offense. The RedHawks could look to move Menchaca around the field in 2026. Evan Towne - Hillsdale - Senior QB Senior quarterback Evan Towne made significant strides as a leader and offensive engine for the Hornet football team last fall. As a junior, he passed for 1,149 yards and nine touchdowns whilst adding 946 rushing yards and nine more touchdowns on the ground. Towne lost his primary receiving threat — 2026 graduate and Manchester signee Thayden Welch — but the Hornet signal caller looks to be among the most experienced passers in the LCAA conference this season. John Milks - Jonesville - Senior RB Our returning 11-player and Offensive MVP from 2025, Jonesville senior running back John Milks looks to cement an all-time rushing career at Jonesville with one final season ahead. Milks returns as one of the top running backs (all-state) in MHSAA Division 7 football with two-straight 1,000-yard seasons. The MHSFCA all-region running back ran for 1,623 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2025, averaging 162.3 yards a game and earning eight 100-plus yard performances. He looks to lead Jonesville to back-to-back playoff appearances, and he will likely eclipse 4,000 career rushing yards within the first four weeks of the season. Gavin Gutting - Litchfield - Junior WR Litchfield junior Gavin Gutting turned his first full season of athletics back from open heart surgery into a dominating campaign on the gridiron in 2025. Gutting was an MHSFCA all-region wide receiver for the Terrier offense last season, earning 43 receptions for 715 yards and eight touchdowns. He will be signal caller Caleb Bills' top receiving threat this fall and likely one of the top receivers in MHSAA 8-player football in 2026. Keegan Hull - North Adams-Jerome - Senior ATH Coach Kody Hodshire, in his second year at the helm, will rely on multi-skilled athletes to bring the Rams' offense to life after the departure of senior graduate Conner Arsenault under center. Keegan Hull looks to be one of those athletes for North Adams-Jerome this season. He will look to anchor the offensive side playing a number of positions, including in the backfield, on the line and at tight end. Hull will look to utilize offseason work at blocking to help strengthen the Rams' rushing attack, while he also averaged 4-yards per carry last year when given the opportunity. Hunter Peiffer - Pittsford - Senior QB One of the biggest graduating departures for Hillsdale County ISD football programs this summer was Pittsford quarterback Jacob Drawe, our 8-player Co-MVP and Offensive MVP runner-up in 2025. Hunter Peiffer looks to take over the position his senior season after spending most of his offensive work at running back (358 yards, six touchdowns) last fall but making an impact on defense. Peiffer looks to be the dual threat option Pittsford likes to have as its signal caller, and he will have a core group of returning offensive players including senior running back Ethan Pickford, receiver Brendan Nave and tight end Aiden Jones — all of whom were all-league and dream team honorees at their positions last year. Carter Bassage - Reading - Senior QB The new-look Reading Ranger football program will look to rely on returning senior quarterback Carter Bassage to help lead the way into 2026. After leading the Rangers through a 12-game season in 2024 that included a regional title game appearance, Bassage had his 2025 season cut short due to injury, but he returns as the only Hillsdale County ISD quarterback with a playoff victory to his credit. Isaac Fether - Waldron - Junior ATH/RB With 26 total touchdowns, there wasn't a single 8-player running back that made an impact as great as graduate Troy Shamplo, our 8-player Co-MVP, in the County last fall. The Waldron football team will have to replace 57 total touchdowns of production lost with the departures of Seth Williams ('26 QB) and Shamplo. Looking to hold down the fort offensively will be a number of key returners, including junior running back Isaac Fether. Fether returns having rushed for 445 yards and three touchdowns last fall. Fether will be one of the Spartans' top options in the backfield for opportunities this fall, and behind an experienced offensive line looks like a good pick to be a 1,000-yard rusher. Up Next The Hillsdale Daily News will take a look at some of the top defensive players returning to the gridiron and some of the key storylines ahead of Week 1 games for each team. This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale Daily News 2026 football Offensive MVP watchlist, poll