GREEN BAY – Two local rivals from the Fox River Classic Conference will square off in the QB Challenge at halftime of Thursday's Packers-Raiders preseason game at Lambeau Field.
De Pere and Green Bay Notre Dame are two of the top teams in their league and have met nine times since the 2007 conference realignment put them in the Fox River Classic. Notre Dame leads the head-to-head series 5-4, though De Pere won last year, 21-14.
That began a perfect conference-championship season for De Pere, which advanced to the Division 2 playoffs before losing in the second round to end the year with a 10-1 record.
Notre Dame only lost once more in 2015 in going on to in the Division 3 state championship. The Tritons' final record was 12-2, tying for second in the conference at 7-2.
De Pere will bring QB James Zehren along with receivers Jordan Esser and Mitch Anderson. Zehren was the backup quarterback last year, while Esser and Anderson combined for 26 receptions, 277 yards and one TD.
Notre Dame will feature QB Johnny Santaga plus receivers Quinn Snyder and Nate Ihlenfeldt. Santaga's game action last year was actually at receiver, catching seven passes for 214 yards and four TDs, while Ihlenfeldt had 16 catches for 212 yards and three scores.
