Annawan-Wethersfield Titans Football: 2026 Schedule and Results
Latest result — Week 3, Friday September 4: lost 40-21 at Farmington. Now 2-1. Next: at Rushville-Industry, Friday September 11, 7:00.
2026: 2-1 · Coach: Tony Gripp · Division: Lincoln Land North
The best football team in the Lincoln Land North division, and it is not especially close.
2025: eleven wins, and a loss to the eventual state champion
Annawan-Wethersfield went 11-1, unbeaten through the regular season and 8-0 in conference play, and earned the No. 2 seed in Class 1A.
They beat Stark County 31-8 in the first round and Deer Creek-Mackinaw 33-26 in the second. Then they ran into Lena-Winslow in the quarterfinals and lost 42-20 — to the team that went on to win the state title 58-13.
The two seasons before: 6-4 and 10-2.
2026 so far
- Aug 21 — beat Elmwood/Brimfield 36-0 at home
- Aug 28 — beat Abingdon-Avon 22-14 at home
- Sept 4 — lost at Farmington 40-21. The first defeat of the season, and a heavy one, against a Farmington side that moved to 2-1. Ignore a ScoreStream page showing Farmington winning 8-6 — that is a prior season.
Four straight home wins going back to last season.
2026 schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21 | Elmwood/Brimfield | Home | W 36-0 |
| Aug 28 | Abingdon-Avon | Home | W 22-14 |
| Sept 4 | at Farmington | Away | — |
| Sept 11 | at Rushville-Industry | Away | — |
| Sept 18 | Knoxville † | Home | — |
| Sept 25 | at Stark County † | Away | — |
| Oct 2 | at Princeville † | Away | — |
| Oct 9 | Bureau Valley † | Home | — |
| Oct 16 | ROWVA/Williamsfield † | Home | — |
† Lincoln Land North. All 7:00 p.m.
Two schools, one football team
Annawan and Wethersfield are separate high schools that co-op for football — and for most sports. But not all of them.
They play each other in volleyball and basketball. The volleyball meeting this season is October 5.
Annawan is in Henry County, population 884, with an IHSA enrollment of 94 — among the smallest schools in the region. The Braves and Bravettes wear maroon and white.
Wethersfield sits in the southern half of Kewanee, sharing a city of 12,509 with Kewanee High School. Enrollment 138. And it has one of the best nicknames in Illinois high school sport: the Flying Geese.
Trophies in the cabinet
- Wethersfield football, 2001 Class 1A state champions — 12-1 under Tom Buck, beating Monmouth 27-12 in the final
- Annawan girls basketball, 2014 Class 1A state champions — 30-4, beat Carrollton 59-23
- Annawan girls basketball, 2017 Class 1A state champions — 28-8, beat Mendon Unity 39-37
- Annawan-Wethersfield baseball reached its first state finals in 2024 at 20-6-1
- Wethersfield won the 2024 Lincoln Trail volleyball title, beating Knoxville in three sets in the final week
Volleyball, 2026
Wethersfield is 3-1 to start the season. Annawan is 0-3. They meet October 5.
Notable alumni
Dennis Nelson (Wethersfield) played eight seasons as an NFL offensive tackle with the Baltimore Colts and Philadelphia Eagles, from 1970 to 1977 — the only NFL player produced by any school in this division.
Two towns, two schools, one team sheet
Annawan sits in Henry County with 884 residents and an IHSA enrollment of 94 — among the smallest high schools competing anywhere in Illinois. Its graduation rate, 96 percent, runs eight points above the state average.
Wethersfield occupies the southern half of Kewanee, a city of 12,509, and shares it with Kewanee High School — two separate districts inside one town. Enrollment 138.
Combined, the football co-op draws from 232 students. That is fewer than Bureau Valley alone, and they went 11-1.
Where the season goes from here
The Titans open division play at home to Knoxville on September 18, then host Stark County on the 25th in what is likely the game that decides Lincoln Land North.
Their two non-conference tests come first: at Farmington on September 4 and at Rushville-Industry on the 11th. Farmington went 11-1 last season and won the old Large division outright.
A note on the co-op
Annawan and Wethersfield share football, and most other sports. They do not share volleyball or basketball, which means the same students who block for each other on a Friday line up against each other in a gym in October.
The volleyball meeting this year is October 5. It is one of the stranger fixtures in Illinois high school sport, and worth the drive.
One name to know
Dennis Nelson came out of Wethersfield and played eight NFL seasons as an offensive tackle — with the Baltimore Colts from 1970 and later the Philadelphia Eagles, retiring after the 1977 season.
Per Pro-Football-Reference, he is the only NFL player produced by any school in the Lincoln Land North division.
The 2025 run, game by game
Annawan-Wethersfield’s 11-1 season deserves the detail. They went unbeaten through nine regular-season games and 8-0 in conference to earn the No. 2 seed in Class 1A.
In the first round they beat Stark County 31-8. In the second they came through a genuine test against Deer Creek-Mackinaw, 33-26. The quarterfinal against Lena-Winslow ended 42-20 — and Lena-Winslow went on to win the championship 58-13, which puts the defeat in its proper light.
The two seasons before that: 10-2 in 2023, 6-4 in 2024.
Baseball, and a first
In 2024 the Annawan-Wethersfield baseball team reached the state finals for the first time in programme history, finishing 20-6-1 after winning its second Class 1A sectional in four years with a 4-2 victory over St. Bede.
Volleyball, and the fixture that splits the co-op
Wethersfield opened 2026 at 3-1 — a three-set win at Putnam County, a loss to Mercer County, then straight-sets wins over Alleman and Monmouth-Roseville. Annawan is 0-3, having lost to Alleman, Morrison and Galena.
Wethersfield also won the 2024 Lincoln Trail volleyball championship, beating Knoxville in three sets in a regular-season finale with both teams tied at the top.
Annawan is one of the few schools in the region already fielding girls flag football, newly sanctioned by the IHSA.
The venue note
Because two districts share one football team, the Titans’ home games are worth checking before you drive. Annawan and Kewanee are about nine miles apart, and the co-op’s arrangements have shifted over the years. All four of the Titans’ remaining home dates — Knoxville on September 18, Bureau Valley on October 9 and ROWVA/Williamsfield on October 16 — are listed at 7:00 p.m.
Send us results
We cannot be at every stadium. If you have a score, a stat line or a photo from this program, send it in — we post them as they come and correct errors the same day.
Records via IHSA, MaxPreps and local reporting. Lincoln Land North standings →
