2018 Prep Football Preview by Madison.com

KICKOFF A CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS PUBLICATION

2018

Centers and guards and tackles, oh my! Every position on the O-Line has its own nuances PAGE 6

NOT ALL BEHEMOTHS Many O-linemen are undersized, playing in the trenches because it’s what’s best for the team PAGE 8

Also inside Profiles of some of the area’s top players, plus a fun word search puzzle

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018 |

KICKOFF 2018 TEAM PREVIEWS Badger North Conference Baraboo Thunderbirds Beaver Dam Golden Beavers Portage Warriors Reedsburg Beavers Sauk Prairie Eagles

12-15 16-19 20-23 24-25 26-28

Capitol North Conference Columbus Cardinals Lodi Blue Devils Poynette Pumas

29-31 32 33-34

East Central Conference Waupun Warriors

35-37

Flyway Conference Mayville Cardinals

Scenic Bluffs Conference Wonewoc-Center/Weston Wolves Necedah Cardinals New Lisbon Rockets Royall Panthers

SEAN DAVIS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS

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Ryan Schultz and the Portage Warriors — Page 20

South Central Conference Mauston Golden Eagles Westfield Pioneers Wisconsin Dells Chiefs

43-45 46 47-49

Trailways Large Conference Dodgeland Trojans Horicon/Hustisford Markesan Hornets Montello/Princeton/Green Lake Phoenix Pardeeville Bulldogs

50 51 52 53 54

Trailways Small Conference Cambria-Friesland Hilltoppers Fall River Pirates Randolph Rockets Rio Vikings Beaver Dam Wayland Big Red 00 1

55 56 57 58 59

TRAVIS HOUSLET, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS

Tyler Kowald and the Pardeeville Bulldogs — Page 54 ON THE COVER Featured on the cover is Fall River senior Keegan Wodill, who was the Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Trailways Small Conference last season. Photo illustration by Dan Larson and Emily Shullaw.

SEAN DAVIS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS

Head coach Brian Brewer and the Rio Vikings — Page 58

PLAYER PROFILES

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

CADEN BLUM | BARABOO ‌Year in school: Senior. Twitter handle: @CadenBlum. Positions: Tight end, outside linebacker. Sports played: Football, basketball, baseball. Favorite school subject: Science. Favorite teacher: Mr. Roth. Plans for after high school: To serve my country and play football at the United States Air Force Academy. This summer, I: went to multiple schools and spent time with my family, as well as my fellow classmates. I got my start I sports: At the civic center for Saturday morning basketball. I wish I could play: Hockey. My most memorable sports moment: Beating into the person I am today. Reedsburg last year for the Favorite athlete: Greg Old River Jug. My role models: Both my Olsen. Favorite opponent: parents, Gordon and Chris Reedsburg. Blum. They have turned me

Favorite movie: I love a lot of movies. My favorite at the moment is “Shutter Island.” Favorite TV show: It’s

CASEY CAMPBELL | REEDSBURG ‌ ear in school: Junior. Y Nickname: CC. Twitter handle: @Campbell102342. Position: Running back. Sports played: Football, track and field. Favorite school subject: History. Favorite teacher: Mrs. Fish. Plans for after high school: College. This summer, I: hung out with friends. I got my start in sports: in 4th grade. My most memorable sports moment: Packers winning the Super Bowl. My role models: Dad and Grandpa. Favorite athlete: Melvin Gordon. Favorite opponent: Baraboo. Favorite movie: “Remember the Titans.” Favorite TV show: “Friday

Night Lights.” Favorite place to eat out: Panera Bread. Favorite food: Chicken. Favorite website: ESPN.com. Favorite superhero: Ironman. I drive: A Mazda. My dream car: Audi R8. I wish I could meet: Melvin Gordon. Hobbies: Lifting, hanging with friends. Gameday superstition: I always have my hood up. Most underrated teammate: Danny Kast. Team goal: Playoffs. NFL or college player that is most similar to me: Tarik Cohen. Who will win the next Super Bowl? Green Bay Packers. Who will win the next College Football Playoff? Wisconsin Badgers. My advice to young kids involved in sports: Enjoy it, because time flies.

cliché, but “The Office” for sure. Most-played song on my iPod: “First Day Out” by Tee Grizzley. Favorite place to eat out: Locally, Taco Bell. I like to find Thai restaurants when I am not in Baraboo. Favorite website: 247Sports.com. Favorite superhero: Hulk. I drive: A ’97 CR-V (Hoping for an upgrade soon). My dream car: G-Wagon. I wish I could meet: Martin Luther King Jr. Hobbies: Doing things outside with friends. Most underrated teammates: Gabe Larson and Brady Quinn. Gabe is one of the best players on our team, and is slightly undersized, but is tough as nails. Brady is a high-energy guy who is a great leader and always works as hard as he can. Team goal of the season: Make ’em believe.

ALEX HORN | PORTAGE ‌Year in school: Senior Nickname: Horn Diggity Position: Linebacker, running back Sports played: Football, track and field Favorite school subject: History Favorite teacher: Marsh Plans for after high school: College and eventually social studies teacher This summer, I: Lifeguarded, lifted weights, and played football I got my start in sports: Playing T-ball I wish I could play: Water polo My most memorable sports moment: Earning my wings freshman year My role models: My dad, Coach Edwards and Bill “Doc” Austin Favorite athlete: Aaron Ripkowski Favorite opponent: Reedsburg Favorite movie: “Talladega Nights” Favorite TV show: “Mountain Monsters” Most-played song on my iPod: “Man’s Not Hot” by Big Shaq

Favorite place to eat out: Buffalo Wild Wings Favorite food: Brats Favorite website: YouTube Favorite superhero: Hawkeye I drive: 2004 Chevy Impala My dream car: 2018 Dodge Demon I wish I could meet: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Hobbies: Hunting and Fishing Gameday superstition: Footlong steak and cheese with BBQ and mayo from Subway Most underrated teammate: Jackson Syens Team goal for the season: Make the playoffs NFL or college player that is most similar to me: T.J. Watt Who will win the next Super Bowl? Jacksonville Jaguars Who will win the next College Football Playoff? Clemson Tigers My advice to young kids involved in sports: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard

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PLAYER PROFILES

TRENT CASPER | COLUMBUS

KAYLEB GALLOWAY | WISCONSIN DELLS

‌ ear in school: Senior. Y Twitter handle: @ trentcasper22. Position: Wide receiver. Sports played: Football, basketball, baseball. Favorite school subject: Math. Favorite teacher: Mr. Zahn. Plans for after high school: Undecided. This summer, I: played sports, played Fortnite and hung out with friends. I got my start in sports: At 5 years old playing soccer and T-ball. I wish I could play: Hockey. My most memorable sports moment: Being conference and regional champs for baseball my junior year. My role models: My parents and my sister. Favorite athlete: LeBron James. Favorite opponent: Lodi. Favorite movie: “Home Alone.”

‌ ear in school: Senior. Y Position: Linebacker, running back, offensive line. Sports played: Football, wrestling, track and field, swimming. Favorite school subject: Math. Favorite teacher: Mr. Braun. Plans for after high school: Attend a college and play football there. This summer, I: worked, swam and went to strength and conditioning. I got my start in sports: I’m not sure where. I can’t remember a time I haven’t played. I wish I could play: The ukulele. My most memorable sports moment: Winning our first football game in overtime against Thorp last year, or in wrestling, winning conference (as a team) for the first time in 32 years. My role models: Grandpa and my mom. Favorite athlete: Russell Wilson. Favorite opponent: Mauston. Favorite movie: “All

Favorite TV show: “Last Chance U.” Favorite place to eat out: Buffalo Wild Wings. Favorite food: Cheeseburger. Favorite superhero: Superman. I drive: Nissan Altima. My dream car: Corvette. I wish I could meet: Tom Brady. Hobbies: Sports. Gameday superstition: Going to Subway before the game with the team. Most underrated teammate: Joe Morris. Team goal for the season: Playoffs. NFL or college player that is most similar to me: Jordy Nelson. Who will win the next Super Bowl? Green Bay Packers. Who will win the next College Football Playoff? Wisconsin Badgers. My advice to young kids involved in sports: Keep working hard.

Things Fall Apart.” Favorite TV show: “A Football Life.” Favorite podcast: None. Most-played song on my iPod: “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. Favorite place to eat out: Monks. Favorite food: Pasta. Favorite website: Hudl. Favorite superhero: The Hulk. I drive: 2011 Ford Escape. My dream car: Ford Mustang. I wish I could meet: Russell Wilson. Hobbies: Play football, cut and split firewood. Gameday superstition: None. Most underrated teammate: Luke Hilliard. Team goal for the season: Win a conference championship. NFL or college player that is most similar to me: Luke Kuechly. Who will win the next Super Bowl? Green Bay Packers. Who will win the next College Football Playoff? Wisconsin Badgers.

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BRYANT SCHAAF | SAUK PRAIRIE‌ Year in school: Senior. Nickname: Captain Schaaf. Position: Running back, linebacker. Sports played: Wrestling, baseball, football. Favorite school subject: Math. Favorite teacher: Mr. Brager. Plans for after high school: Attend Lakeland University to study business and play football or baseball. I got my start in sports: Because of my brother. I always wanted to play everything he did. I wish I could play: Volleyball or golf. My most memorable sports moment: Beating Baraboo at Homecoming last year and bringing the Megabowl trophy back. My role models: My brother, my dad and both of my grandpas. Favorite athlete: (U.S. gold medal-winning wrestler) Kyle Snyder. Favorite opponent: Baraboo. Favorite movie: “The Waterboy.”

Favorite TV show: “Hawaii Five-O.” Most-played song on my iPod: “Here Comes the Boom” by Nelly. Favorite place to eat out: Dorf Haus Supper Club Favorite food: Macaroni and cheese. Favorite superhero: Captain America. I drive: 2006 Chrysler Town and Country. My dream car: 2017 Ford F 150 Lariat Black Ops. I wish I could meet: Jordan Burroughs. Hobbies: Hunting, hanging with friends. Gameday superstition: Listen to music and eat a Cenex 6-inch sub. Most underrated teammate: Lance Bauernhuber. Team goal for the season: Playoffs. NFL or college player that is most similar to me: Brian Bosworth. Who will win the next Super Bowl? Jacksonville Jaguars. Who will win the next College Football Playoff? Wisconsin.

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

OWEN KATTENBRAKER | MAUSTON ‌Year in school: Senior. Nickname: Big O. Positions: Center, defensive end. Sports played: Football, basketball. Favorite school subjects: Business management, marketing. Favorite teacher: Too many; I can’t pick just one. Plans for after high school: Go to college and possibly law school. This summer, I: watched a lot of old Wisconsin football games. I’m kind of obsessed with the Badgers. My role models: My parents. Favorite athlete: Montee Ball. Favorite opponent: I don’t like any opponents. Favorite movie: “Napoleon Dynamite.” Favorite TV show: “Family Guy.” Favorite podcast: Who listens to podcasts? Most-played song on my iPod: “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2.

Favorite food: BBQ chicken pizza. Favorite superhero: Tie between Spider-Man and Iron Man. I drive: Lincoln Town Car (Grandma Car). My dream car: Lincoln Town Car (Grandma Car). I wish I could meet: Mark Wahlberg. He has awesome movies! Hobbies: Watching sports, lifting weights and hanging out with my friends and family. Gameday superstition: Not wearing deodorant. Just kidding; I don’t really have one. Most underrated teammate: Rayn Vang. Team goal for the season: Get better every day. Who will win the next College Football Playoff? Is this even a question? The Wisconsin Badgers. My advice to young kids involved in sports: Have fun and work hard. Sports go by quickly.

MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Beaver Dam center Brett Mahnke, left guard Ramiro Vasquez and left tackle Zach Schoenburger get off the line of scrimmage after the ball is snapped during a recent practice.

Central service system Unsung offensive linemen provide foundation for success MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com‌

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he human brain is a vital organ that allows a person to function efficiently only when its three parts — cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem, all with specific individual roles — are working together. Similarly, an offensive line is a vital unit that allows a football team to be effective when its three parts — center, guards and tackles, all with specific, dedicated responsibilities — are working in tandem. “I preach to the kids all the time that the sum of the individual parts is more important because you get those five guys plus the tight ends all working together,” Mayville head coach Tom Noennig said. “They’re all going in differ-

ent directions in many cases. They all got different rules and responsibilities to accomplish. “It takes a while to get the offensive line to jell.” Like the brain, the offensive line needs its moving parts to work in unison for the offense to have success. “Just in general, we see the offensive line as a cohesive unit like a family. In a team such as football, which is the ultimate team sport, you want everybody to be together and be one the same page,” Beaver Dam head coach Steve Kuenzi said. “The offensive line is a team within a team. They have their own dynamics, their own lingo, their own identity. “The teams that are championship teams across the board, whether it’s

youth football all the way through the NFL, they have dynamic offensive lines that are just top-notch. They’re on the same page; they’re one big unit. That’s what every team strives to have with their offensive line.” It’s why in many coaches’ minds, the offensive line is considered the most vital component to an offense. “When the kids come to (youth) camp, I preach to them that the most important position is the offensive line,” Lodi head coach Dave Puls said. “Some kids say quarterback and others say running back, and while everybody is important and has their role, the offensive line is the most important position in football.” Please see LINEMEN, next page

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

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Linemen From previous page

Importance of cohesiveness‌ Kuenzi knows the importance of his offensive linemen’s chemistry. When they trust one another, the play is crisp; holes are opening up on running plays and no one is touching the quarterback on passing plays. “But it really comes down to also that team chemistry where they’re buddies,” Kuenzi said. “They hang out. We’d love to have our offensive line hang out and go out and do things after games. Go out to some buffet and eat down the place — stuff like that where they’re constantly with each other. “Those championship proSEAN DAVIS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌ grams, not only do they have an offensive line that’s pretty tight- Portage senior Clayton Kapel looks to make a block on junior Matthew Miles during an offensive drill during the knit, but they’re embraced by team’s practice on Aug. 2. Kapel earned All-Badger North Conferece honorable mention honors last season. their quarterbacks, their running backs, their receivers, and so they understand each other and like each other.” A close relationship within the offensive line usually brings with it a high level of trust between each member that the player beside him will know how to do his job. That’s why coaches want players who have played together for a long time, because they are comfortable with one another. “Absolutely, and they do it as a unit. That’s what I think is fun about playing on the offensive line,” Portage head coach Bob Hepp said. “It’s a tight group mentality; they all succeed together or fail together, and I think you become tight as you go through the season. After the season, it’s like a bond and a brotherhood.”

Captain of the line‌

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Widely considered the most important on the offensive line, the center starts every play with the ball in his hands. Then immediately after the snap, he must defend himself from oncoming defenders. Snapping may seem simple, but with more and more teams employing shotgun formations — including Beaver Dam — the center’s

MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Fall River’s Keegan Wodill blocks to his right during the team offense portion of practice earlier this month. handiwork must be precise. “That ball has to be perfect every time, in the quarterback’s hands at right about in the midsection,” Kuenzi said. “If it’s off a little bit, up high or down low, then that means the quarterback has got to bend and move or whatever and keep his eye on the ball

vs. keeping an eye on what he sees out there.” The snap is like keeping the posture for any human. If the snap is off by a hair in shotgun or is fumbled when the quarterback is under center, then it’s like the offense wobbling back and forth. But that’s just one of the re-

sponsibilities for the center. In Beaver Dam’s shotgun offense, the center also has to be able to read defensive alignments to help the rest of the offensive line understand where they’re going. In the Golden Beavers’ case, junior Brett Mahnke is a returning starter at center who understands

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

when there is an even or an odd front due to experience. “They’ve got to be a lot of crazy and very confident because in a lot of situations, not only is he centering the ball, but he might have stud lineman right over the top of him,” Kuenzi said. “At the same time he’s snapping the ball, he’s got to get himself in position to defend himself and defend the play behind him, and they have to move.” Because the center is yelling out pre-snap calls that tell where the other linemen are going in every play, he is widely considered the captain of the offensive line, a role Kuenzi said Mahnke has flourished in this past offseason. “He had great leadership this offseason in the weight room,” Kuenzi said. “He participated in different camps. He’s really emerging as one of the better linemen out there.”

Directional duties‌

The guards on the offensive line usually dictate where the offense is heading. In most types of offenses, the running backs are taught to run between the tackles by finding space between two linemen in the trenches. However, when a run play is called to the outside, guards will often pull to the outside of the line to find defenders to block downfield. Running backs are then taught to follow them. When Fall River running back Davyn Braker runs a play designed to run to the left, he’ll often be following bruising right guard Keegan Wodill, the 2017 Trailways Small Conference Lineman of the Year. “I wouldn’t say you have to be more athletic because all the linemen, we’re all usually pretty athletic, but you have to be quicker and faster to get out of your stance to pull around the corner or trap the guy, or pull around the end to hit a linebacker,” Wodill said. Many linebackers are taught to follow the guards, because more times than not, it will lead them to the ballcarrier. It’s the guard’s responsibility to block said linebacker. Please see LINEMEN, Page 10

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Horicon/Hustisford guard Ethan Budnik (55) pulls to the left and and looks downfield for a Plainfield Tri-County player to block during a scrimmage at Cambria-Friesland last Friday. DAN LARSON dlarson@wiscnews.com‌

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icture an offensive lineman. Now picture this: Philadelphia Eagles scatback Darren Sproles at right guard, hand in the grass, ready to pull to his left or chip to his right or do whatever anonymous task that offensive linemen are called on to do, play in and play out. That would never happen in the NFL, of course. But in prep football it happens all the time. Maybe not with players as lightning fast as Sproles, it doesn’t. But on Friday nights, players built like him — 5-foot-6, 190 pounds dripping wet— can often be found in the trenches. “You want to get your 11 best athletes, 11 best players on the field, so we might talk to a kid and tell him ‘I don’t think you’re

ALL SIZES

FIT ONE JOB Putting O-line puzzle together often requires calling on smaller players

going to start at tight end, but if we move you to guard, there’s a good chance you can start,’” said Poynette head coach Greg Kallungi, who was the offensive line coach before taking the helm three years ago. “Most guys just want to be on the field, regardless of what position they play.” Added Lodi head coach Dave Puls, who has amassed a 124-36 career record in 14 years with the Blue Devils, culminating in a WIAA Division 4 state championship last season: “In 2004, I had to take my two best fullbacks and turn them into offensive guards. We had no choice — we had to put our best athletes at guard. One was 185 pounds, the other was 175 pounds, and one of them ended up being first-team all-conference.” Please see PUZZLE, next page

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Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Puzzle From previous page

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Such is life for a lot of the Division 4 and smaller programs across the state these days, especially as a variety of factors are causing a decrease in numbers across the board. But in high school football, the size of the dog in the fight isn’t anywhere near as important as the size of the fight in the dog — most of the time, anyway. Coaches will take guys like Portage junior Jonah Stout (5-10, 185) every day of the week. Stout is “an undersized guy, but he’s tough as nails. He goes in there, sticks his nose in there and if something (bad) happens, he comes back the next play,” Warriors head coach Bob Hepp said. Stout’s teammate on the line, senior Sam Bleich (6-foot, 160), is the same way. So are Horicon/Hustisford senior Ethan Budnik (5-9, 165) — a second-team All-Trailways Large Conference pick last year — and sophomore teammate Josh Thomsen (5-7, 155). Budnik is from the Hustisford end of the co-op, while Thomsen is from the Horicon end, and both are fit for the job. They’re “very fast with a low center of gravity and can (easily) get lower than their opponent. We use these two to pull around the edge and trap block due to their quickness,” said H/H head coach Shannon Mueller, whose third-year co-op has made the playoffs both of the last two years to end postseason droughts that for Hustisford dated to 2009 and for Horicon dated to when it made the Division 5 state quarterfinals in 2006. Rio’s Kevin Xiong (5-9, 170) and Steven Hoene (5-11, 170) — a former running back — are guys just like those other four. So are Mauston seniors Rayn Vang (5-7, 170) and Clayton Walsh (5-11, 195), who have made the move to the offensive line from running back and tight end, respectively, out of necessity after a few other players who were expected to play on the line chose not to go out for football this fall.

MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Horicon/Hustisford’s Josh Thomsen (right) blocks against Plainfield Tri-County during a scrimmage at Cambria-Friesland last Friday. “And they’ve done an awesome job,” said Golden Eagles head coach Roland Lehman, who does have 6-foot, 280-pound senior Dom Meurett on the line. “So we’re not going to be big up front — Dom is a pretty goodsized kid — but we’re going to be pretty athletic.” The reality is, guys like Vang and Walsh and all the others already mentioned are more and more becoming the prototypical high school lineman. And that’s not necessarily a problem in terms of Xs and Os. “You can take quite a few guys and make them a lineman. It’s just about whether or not they want to do it,” Rio head coach Brian Brewer said.

Overcoming small size‌

Getting guys to “do it” usually isn’t much of a problem, though. Just ask Tom Noennig, who has lived it both as a player in the early 1980s at Wisconsin Lutheran and now as the head coach at Mayville. “This was the story of my high school career,” he said. “My sophomore year, I was the starting fullback and also had to work in the offensive line due to depth. Usually by the second quarter of every game, I would have to go change jerseys from an eligible number to a lineman number and finish the game at guard. “After that season, I never got into the backfield again and I was a full-time offensive lineman. This was a difficult time, but I grew

to love the offensive line and it was a great lesson that I share with many high school players. I needed to sacrifice my ‘want’ for the ‘need’ of the team.” Because of his experience, Noennig also knows that size is pretty far down the list as far as what it takes to be a successful offensive lineman. “I’ll take five tough, hardworking guys who bring their hard hat to work every day,” he said. “We can make a solid unit of guys like that, regardless of size.” That description — hardworking, brings his hard hat— certainly fits Baraboo senior center Brady Quinn, who’s tall (6-1) but at a lean 200 pounds still would be considered undersized for the

position, especially in the Badger North Conference. Regardless, he’s the Thunderbirds’ best lineman thanks to a fine attention to detail, a great work ethic and quick feet that allow him to effectively get to the second level in time to block linebackers. “He has an ‘I’ll do anything to help the team win’ mentality, which is all I care about as far as finding starters for Friday nights,” Thunderbirds head coach Steve Turkington said. “We won’t win games with selfish kids — this game is about developing team (and) Brady Quinn is a team player.” Please see PUZZLE, Page 10

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Linemen From Page 7

Tough on the edges‌

The tackles are lined up on the outside and are what many consider to be the protectors of the quarterbacks. Depending on which side the quarterback throws, the opposite tackle will protect his blind side. These linemen make sure the quarterback doesn’t get smacked in the back. It’s their job to keep opposing pass rushers away from their quarterback and make sure their signal-caller is standing upright with a clean jersey at the end of the play. “They’re protecting the edge,” Kuenzi said. “They’re usually the bigger guys that have pretty good range and a pretty big body. They might not move as fast as the guards do, but they’re just space takers that are going to control the edge of the line.” Portage’s Clayton Kapel is someone whom Hepp sees big possibilities with as a tackle because of his size at 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds. “He’s got good size, he’s got tremendous athleticism, very good feet, and he can be a very dominant pass and run blocker for us,” Hepp said. At Mayville, Noennig runs a pistol offense where the tackles need to know how to hook block, requiring good footwork in order to seal the defensive end inside.

Puzzle From Page 9

There are also some other factors that help teams overcome being undersized on the offensive line in addition to there being a lot of fight in the dog. For example, offensive linemen are generally thought of as being among the smarter players on the team — a job requirement due to the number of different blocking responsibilities from play to play and the number of different defenses to diagnose in order to execute those blocks. “During the game, they have

MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Beaver Dam’s Brett Mahnke finds his assignment to block during team offense when the entire team practices their playbook. “Now the defensive end is taught to never get hooked,” Noennig said. “That’s one of those big battles you try to deal with. In my scheme if you have tackles that can hook some defensive ends, we’ve got a pretty good opportunity to have a pretty good offensive day. When we struggle hooking when we play some of

those pretty good defensive ends and have a hard time, that changes the complexion of a lot of things we try to do.”

an ability to problem solve and fix things that happen play to play,” Kallungi said. They have to be able to “think on their feet, as assignments can change very quickly,” Noennig added. And what a player may lack in size can easily be made up for with A-plus execution. “I think their footwork, taking the right steps, delivering a blow, using their hands, all those things — being technically sound — is more important if you’re an undersized type of guy,” Pardeeville head coach Tyler Johnson said. “Using your strengths, like your quickness and your feet are some

things that benefit those types of guys.” “We’ve made a living on some of the smaller, quicker guys that understand leverage — they understand footwork,” Beaver Dam head coach Steve Kuenzi added. “We can get by with those types of concepts.”

Combo blocking‌

In Noennig’s pistol offense, the guards and tackles are working together a lot on running plays. For a running play that’s di-

Inexact science‌

Kuenzi knows firsthand that asking players to move from the backfield or tight end to the offensive line doesn’t always work out. “When I was coaching at the college level, we had a fullback that was just getting caught in the numbers, wasn’t going to emerge.

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

rected to the right and a defensive tackle is lined up on the outside shade of the right guard, Noennig said it’s important for the him to use what’s called a twohand shiver technique where the right tackle will help the guard on a double team. Once the guard overtakes the defensive tackle, the right tackle will then release to the linebacker in the second level of the defense. “This is very effective when executed well, but is very difficult and time-consuming where you have many players going both ways and have limited practice time,” Noennig said. In Baraboo’s zone-blocking scheme, the Thunderbirds have tackle Matt Gust (6-foot-2, 270 pounds) and guard Joe Schick (6-2, 260) on one side of the line. These two will be working on presnap calls the team has created to tell each other what they will be doing on any given play. “In a zone scheme, (Gust and Schick) will be working in tandem on double-team blocks, which should clear the way for our running game,” Baraboo head coach Steve Turkington said. In some cases, combo blocking is crucial to help out a smaller or weaker offensive linemen because of their height, weight or knowledge of the position, such as Mauston’s Rayn Vang and Clayton Walsh, who have made the switch to offensive line from tight end. “Even moving those two tight end-type guys to O-Line, they

Having quick feet and being athletic are just two traits all linemen should have, but strength and the right attitude are also required in order to be a good lineman. “I think a lot of those intangibles — the work ethic, being mentally tough and having that grit,” Hepp said. “That combined with the athleticism, that’s what you want.” Most offensive linemen are aware they aren’t going to be recognized as often as some of the skill position players. “They control whether you’re going to score or not, whether your defense is on the field or not, and we praise the heck out of our offensive linemen,” Puls said. “It’s one of those things where they’re very proud and honored to be offensive linemen, and we’re making sure the running backs are always talking and thanking the big boys up front. “Without them doing the job up front, they don’t get all their accolades.”

So we (said), ‘Why don’t you try playing guard?’ “He ended up quitting, (so) sometimes that can backfire on you.” But most of the time it won’t. And Dodgeland senior guard Ryan Neu — all 6 feet, 185 pounds of him — is a classic example. When Neu — the reigning 170-pound state wrestling champion in Division 3 and the “toughest kid on the field,” according to Trojans head coach Doug Miller — signed up to play football for the first time last year as a junior, all he wanted to do was buckle up his chin strap and get after it.

He didn’t care where. “You could play him in a number of spots, (but) last year when he came out I needed another lineman. I wasn’t sure what he was hoping to play and I asked him, and he said, ‘Put me wherever you want, I just want to hit some people,’” Miller said. “You can call him undersized, but every year, I learn about those 180-pound kids who can run and can hit you. “There’s never been a time in 30-some years of head coaching where we haven’t run into those kinds of kids, where you wished they were playing for you. And now I’ve got one.”

picked up the blocking scheme really quick,” Mauston head coach Roland Lehman said of Vang and Walsh. “We use a lot of combination blocking. We’re not real big, so a lot of times we’re not just iso-ing up a guy on a guy and have him try to move him somewhere. We try to get a lot of double teams and use our quickness in those double teams to our advantage.”

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‌ 017 WIAA STATE 2 CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

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‌DIVISION 7

D ‌ IVISION 4

‌BANGOR 37, BLACK HAWK 14

‌LODI 17, ST. CROIX CENTRAL 10 (OT)

Bangor 16 0 7 14 — 37 Black Hawk 8 0 6 0 — 14 B — Luke Reader 57 run B — Carson Horstman 52 run (Luke Reader run) BH — Michael Flanagan 1 run (Jett Rufenacht pass from Michael Flanagan) BH — Brody Milz 1 run B — Carson Horstman 16 run B — Carson Horstman 25 run B — Luke Reader 9 run (Luke Reader run)

St. Croix Central 0 7 3 0 0 — 10 Lodi 7 0 0 3 7 — 17 L — Jacob Heyroth 6 run (Savannah Curtis kick) SCC — Collin Nelson 8 run (Derek Myer kick) SCC — FG Derek Myer 28 L — FG Savannah Curtis 30 L — Ben Rashid 1 run

‌TEAM STATISTICS First downs — B 23, BH 13. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) — B 57-423, BH 30-178. Passing yards — B 65, BH 104. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) — B 3-5-0, BH 11-20-3. Fumbles-lost — B 0-0, BH 0-0. Penalties-yards — B 2-20, BH 3-40.

‌INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: B, Reader 26-185. BH, Milz 15-117. Passing: B, Johnson 3-5-0-65. BH, Flanagan 11-20-2-104. Receiving: B, Miedema 2-55. BH, Treuthardt 2-34.

D ‌ IVISION 6 ‌FOND DU LAC ST. MARY’S SPRINGS 35, IOLA-SCANDINAVIA 12 Iola-Scandinavia 6 6 0 0 — 12 Fond du Lac St. Mary’s Springs 7 7 14 7 — 35 IS — Bryce Huettner 1 run FDLSMS — Christensen 39 pass from Waechter IS — Bryce Huettner 7 run FDLSMS — Christensen 7 pass from Waechter FDLSMS — Waechter 5 run (Cade Sabel kick) FDLSMS — Schueffner 5 run FDLSMS — Waechter 38 pass from Christensen (Cade Sabel kick)

‌TEAM STATISTICS First downs — SCC 19, L 13. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) — SCC 61-236, L 44-154. Passing yards — SCC 25, L 17. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) — SCC 2-7-0, L 2-5-0. Fumbles-lost — SCC 2-2, L 1-1. Penalties-yards — SCC 6-59, L 4-20.

‌INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: SCC, Larson 33-147. L, Heyroth 35-151. Passing: SCC, Nelson 20-6-0-25. L, McDonald 2-5-0-17. Receiving: SCC, Larson 1-15. L, Rashid 1-9.

‌DIVISION 3 ‌RICE LAKE 25, NEW BERLIN EISENHOWER 3 Rice Lake 6 6 7 6 — 25 New Berlin Eisenhower 0 3 0 0 — 3 RL — Billy Brown 6 run (Sam Bliese kick) RL — Brandon Sutton 2 run NBE — FG Bryce Miller 33 RL — Averie Habas 18 pass from Peyton Buckley (Sam Bliese kick) RL — Billy Brown 5 run

‌TEAM STATISTICS First downs — RL 26, NBE 8. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) — RL 68-325, NBE 17-76. Passing yards — RL 71, NBE 68. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) — RL 6-7-0, NBE 6-12-1. Fumbles-lost — RL 0-0, NBE 0-0. Penalties-yards — RL 3-30, NBE 5-61.

‌INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: RL, Sutton 23-107. NBE, Belongia 7-47. Passing: RL, Buckley 6-7-0-71. NBE, Miller 6-12-1-68. Receiving: RL, Habas 4-53. NBE, Belongia 2-30.

‌TEAM STATISTICS

D ‌ IVISION 2

First downs — IS 16, FDLSMS 21. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) — IS 49-248, FDLSMS 45-262. Passing yards — IS 33, FDLSMS 180. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) — IS 2-6-0, FDLSMS 9-13-0. Fumbles-lost — IS 2-1, FDLSMS 0-0. Penalties-yards — IS 1-10, FDLSMS 4-37.

‌WAUNAKEE 14, BROOKFIELD CENTRAL 13

‌INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: IS, Huettner 33-213. FDLSMS, Orlandoni 11-77. Passing: IS, Kurki 2-6-0-33. FDLSMS, Waechter 8-12-0-142. Receiving: IS, Cady 1-24. FDLSMS, Christensen 3-78.

‌DIVISION 5 ‌AMHERST 28, HARTLAND LAKE COUNTRY LUTHERAN 21 Amherst 7 7 7 7 — 28 Hartland Lake Country Lutheran 0 14 7 0 — 21 Am — M. Glodowski 1 run (Carter Zblewski kick) HLCL — Michael Schumacher 15 pass from Ethan Wilkins (Matt Reilly kick) Am — M. Glodowski 27 run HLCL — Dane Vance 3 run HLCL — Michael Schumacher 12 pass from Ethan Wilkins (Matt Reilly kick) Am — M. Glodowski 3 run (Carter Zblewski kick) Am — M. Glodowski 5 run (Carter Zblewski kick)

‌TEAM STATISTICS First downs — Am 26, HLCL 14. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) — Am 61-415, HLCL 23-81. Passing yards — Am 49, HLCL 199. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) — Am 3-8-1, HLCL 16-26-1. Fumbles-lost — Am 1-0, HLCL 0-0. Penalties-yards — Am 4-25, HLCL 9-45.

‌INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: Am, Glodowski 32-269. HLCL, Vance 16-67. Passing: Am, Glodowski 3-8-1-49. HLCL, Wilkins 16-26-1-199. Receiving: Am, Zblewski 2-41. HLCL, Vance 5-89.

Brookfield Central 6 7 0 0 — 13 Waunakee 0 0 0 14 — 14 BC — Drew Leszczynski 9 run BC — Zach Heckman 20 pass from Drew Leszczynski (Rade Latinovich kick) W — Javian Dayne 3 run (Reese Marek kick) W — Javian Dayne 1 run (Reese Marek kick)

‌TEAM STATISTICS First downs — BC 20, W 10. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) — BC 50-204, W 35-97. Passing yards — BC 106, W 115. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) — BC 10-24-0, W 8-21-0. Fumbles-lost — BC 1-1, W 0-0. Pen.-yds — BC 6-51, W 8-55.

‌INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: BC, Heckman 29-186. W, Dayne 29-107. Passing: BC, Leszczynski 9-23-0-98. W, Carter 8-21-0-115. Receiving: BC, Banda 5-62. W, Maly 3-64.

D ‌ IVISION 1 ‌KIMBERLY 27, SUN PRAIRIE 7 Kimberly 0 7 14 6 — 27 Sun Prairie 7 0 0 0 — 7 SP — Cooper Nelson 18 pass from Jack Zander (Alex Oakley kick) KIM — John Nett 25 run (Owen Johnson kick) KIM — Alec Rosner 50 run (Owen Johnson kick) KIM — D.J. Stewart 25 run (Owen Johnson kick) KIM — D.J. Stewart 3 run (Owen Johnson kick)

‌TEAM STATISTICS First downs — KIM 17, SP 13. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) — KIM 49-355, SP 31-182. Passing yards — KIM 39, SP 78. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) — KIM 3-12-0, SP 8-27-2. Fumbles-lost — KIM 1-1, SP 0-0. Penalties-yards — KIM 1-10, SP 6-45.

‌INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: KIM, Stewart 34-189. SP, Peeples 19-127. Passing: KIM, Rosner 3-12-0-39. SP, Zander 8-27-2-78. Receiving: KIM, Dietzen 1-20. SP, Nelson 5-61.

12 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

BARABOO

T-Birds locked in on playoffs goal

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 MONONA GROVE Aug. 24 at Stoughton Aug. 31 BEAVER DAM Sept. 7 PORTAGE Sept. 14 at Mt. Horeb/ Barneveld Sept. 21 at DeForest Sept. 28 SAUK PRAIRIE Oct. 5 at Waunakee Oct. 12 at Reedsburg Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

T-Birds at a glance Coach: Steve Turkington, fifth season (7-30) CHRIS FLORES, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Baraboo coach Steve Turkington talks with his players after a practice earlier this month.

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‌It’s a “playoffs or bust” mentality for the Baraboo High School football team this fall. It’s been 12 long years since the Thunderbirds have played in the postseason, a drought that has proven to be difficult to end in the always-tough Badger North Conference. Fifthyear coach Steve Turkington said the T-Birds are hungrier than ever before to snap the skid. “I’ve been telling the guys, we’ve got to make the playoffs. We just have to. That’s our mission,” Turkington said. “Obviously we want more than that, but as a program, it’s time. We have to do it. So the pressure is on.” Please see T-BIRDS, Page 13

On offense: Steve Considine, in his first year as Baraboo’s offensive coordinator, is looking to speed up the offense this fall. It starts with Mike Wech, a senior running back who will move around the formation in order to get the ball in his hands. Wech will be joined in the backfield by senior Joe Zemanovic and junior Tyson Fry, while senior quarterback Brock Turkington is entering his second season leading Baraboo’s offense. Senior receivers Alex Brown and Caden Carpenter will look to create space on the outside, while senior tight Caden Blum will draw a bulk of the attention from opposing defenses. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Air Force Academy commit will look to relieve Turkington in the passing game while also helping the veteran linemen group that includes seniors Matt Gust, Brady Quinn, Joe Schick and Colton Terry. After a tough 2017 season, Baraboo’s linemen will run a zone blocking scheme in the hopes of being more

uniform up front. When the drive ends, the T-Birds will turn to junior kicker Graham Langkamp for the second straight year. On defense: Size will be a strength for Baraboo’s 3-4 base defense this fall, with 260-pound lineman Matt Gust, 250-pound lineman Joe Schick and 370-pound lineman Armando Martinez leading the way up front. Senior inside linebacker Gabe Larson, a 2017 honorable mention All-Badger North Conference pick, returns after recording the second most total tackles on the team last season with over 85. Senior linebacker Joe Zemanovic also returns with over 60 tackles last year. Bottom line: For teams typically at the bottom of the Badger North, the goal is always to finish .500 in the conference and reach the WIAA playoffs. To do so, the Thunderbirds will look to be aggressive on both sides of the ball. The T-Birds will figure out what they have early on, as Badger South opponents Monona Grove and Stoughton prove difficult non-conference tests in the first two weeks of the season. Turkington thinks they’ll be ready to go, as he has a motivated group of seniors that has worked hard in the offseason to make sure another 1-8 season doesn’t happen this fall.

Did you know? With last year’s 17-14 win over Reedsburg, Baraboo evened the overall series between the two teams at 62-62-6. The 2018 season will bring the 131st meeting between the teams, making it among the state’s oldest football rivalries.

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BARABOO

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

T-Birds From Page 12

So what has changed since last year’s 1-8 campaign? For starters, the team has taken advantage of a brand new weight room at the high school. The twostory facility, which opened in early June, features everything a football team needs, including open floor space, 19 racks, dumbbells, weight machines and various cardio equipment. “It’s a luxury to have something like that,” Turkington said. “It’s more bodies at once; you can increase the intensity, and have less rest time.” But while the physical space is one thing, Turkington said the dedication and results from the workout program he implemented four years ago is another. “This senior class is the first class that’s gone through the program that we wanted to have in place for four years,” Turkington said. “Our numbers are off the charts. We’ve got 1214 guys under a 5(-second) 40-yard dash. It’s just unbelievable. And then we’ve got four kids that are right around 300 pounds on the bench press, our squats are between 300-400 pounds — just incredible numbers. “So has it been the new weight room? Kind of, but it’s really been the result of four years. And there’s some pride of having been in that small weight room. But we’re not going to turn

CHRIS FLORES PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Returning quarterback Brock Turkington (center) high-fives a teammate after practice earlier this month. Camaraderie and physical touch are points of emphasis for the Thunderbirds every practice. our backs on the new one. It’s phenomenal.” Baraboo had to do some retooling last year, after the Thunderbirds lost their veteran quarterback along with their leading rusher and receiver following the 2016 season. While this year’s squad also must replace its leading rusher in Evan Vodak, it returns plenty of experience, including 19 letterwinners. While last season was mostly dismal for the T-Birds, it was highlighted by a 17-14 victory over Badger North rival Reedsburg in Week 9. Not only did the win prevent the team from going winless on the year, it also snapped a five-year losing skid to the Beavers. “There’s no question

that was a huge piece of our season,” Turkington said. “You could probably win eight games and then lose to Reedsburg and it’s going to be viewed as a losing season. So yeah, we’ve got to win that game, and I’m sure they feel the same way. We want to hold onto the (Old River) Jug. It’s a lot of motivation going into the offseason. It really kind of saved us going into the offseason, because we finished strong.” Baraboo has the same schedule as last year, only the home and away games are flipped. The T-Birds will have some grueling opponents once again, including a season opener against reigning Badger South Conference champion Monona Grove, followed by a road

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

trip to Badger South runner-up Stoughton. And Baraboo will have a road game late in the season against defending WIAA Division 2 state champion Waunakee. “Every year we’ve played a crossover game, except maybe one, we’ve played the Badger South champion,” Turkington said. “Last year, we played the champion and the runner-up in Monona Grove and Stoughton, and they’re both going to be good again. So I think when we find out how we match up with those really good teams in the South, it will tell us a lot on how we’re going to play this season.” The most difficult stretch last season was the Mt. Horeb/Barneveld, DeForest, Sauk Prairie and Waunakee gauntlet. Taking out the 30-14 loss at Sauk Prairie, Baraboo was outscored 148-0 by Mt. Horeb/Barneveld, DeForest and Waunakee — the three teams that finished atop the Badger North. In the end, Turkington feels confident the program will reach a new level this fall. “We have a large senior class that has put in years of hard work in the weight room,” he said. “They have the potential to be one of the better teams we have had in recent years, depending on how they come together as a team. We could challenge for a spot in the middle of the Badger North standings and compete for a spot in the WIAA playoffs.”

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Offense kicks into high gear T-Birds speeding it up, adopting zone blocking scheme BROCK FRITZ bfritz@wiscnews.com‌

The Baraboo football ‌ team is picking up the pace in 2018. The Thunderbirds coaching staff is looking to speed up the offense after it was bogged down for much of a 2017 season that saw Baraboo compile a 1-8 record. The T-Birds opened the

2017 season with a 49-19 loss at Monona Grove and eventually lost their first eight games. A last-gasp 17-14 win over Badger North Conference rival Reedsburg in the final game brought Baraboo’s season averages to 10.7 points scored per game and 35.1 points allowed per game. Those offensive numbers need to improve for Baraboo to take a step forward this season. The T-Birds struggled to Please see OFFENSE, Page 14

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Baraboo senior running back Mike Wech carries the ball during practice earlier this month.

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14 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

BARABOO

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Offense

season out for football, while Joe White Eagle, Pablo Ramirez, Ryan Gehin and Sam Brewer will also see time out wide.

From Page 13

sustain offensive possessions last season, consistently leaving their defense in tough situations. The fix? Offensive coordinator Steve Considine and the T-Birds are going to speed things up. “We want to be versatile and we want to play really fast,” Considine said on Aug. 1, the second day of practice. “We want to kind of shock teams with our pace and how fast we do things. ... We’re preaching make mistakes, just make them fast.” Considine, who served as Baraboo’s defensive coordinator last season, is switching over to the offensive side of the ball while head coach Steve Turkington is overseeing the defense. Considine and the T-Birds jumped into the new game plan when practice opened on July 31. “In a team session when we’ve got 20 minutes, our goal is basically one play every 12 seconds,” Considine said. “We want to get 100 plays in. We threw that at them right away and they responded really well, but it’s really fast.” Fortunately for the T-Birds, they bring back a senior-laden offensive group that should have the experience to adapt to the new system. “The cool thing is we’re senior-dominated on the offense and that’s always a good recipe,” Considine said, noting that the players have a sour taste in their mouths from last season. “They’ve had success almost every year: Their freshman year they had a winning team; JV they had a winning team. Last year was their first taste of not winning and I think it really got to them a little bit. They said, ‘We’re not doing this our senior year.’” If a play doesn’t go the way the coaches drew it up, Considine wants his guys to shake it off and move on to the next one. At least while the T-Birds are on the field. “One of our culture shifts is we’re doing more teaching in the classroom and less teaching on the field,” Considine said. “We can’t stop it and explain it in a game, so we’re just going to keep going. ...

O-line improvement banked on‌

CHRIS FLORES PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Baraboo’s Pablo Ramirez goes up for a catch during a practice earlier this month.

Baraboo senior Joe Zemanovic carries the ball at practice earlier this month. Move to the next one because the “He tested unbelievable,” next play is coming in already.” Considine said of the 5-foot-9 Wech’s early-season workouts. Wech to be featured‌ “He benched over 300 pounds and When the play does come in, there aren’t many running backs senior running back Mike Wech in the state that can do that. He’s will be a focal point of the attack. going to get the ball; we’re not goWith the graduation of leading ing to hide that. Where we put him rusher Evan Vodak, Wech will see in formations and how we get him an increased role after rushing for the ball is kind of on the coaching 424 yards and four touchdowns staff to get creative.” last season. Joe Zemanovic also returns in

the backfield after a productive junior season, while junior fullback Tyson Fry will also help create running lanes. The backfield should have the versatility to provide more receiving targets for senior quarterback Brock Turkington. Last season, Turkington completed 43 of 116 passes for 477 yards, three touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The receiving options start with tight end Caden Blum, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound senior who has committed to play NCAA Division I football at the Air Force Academy next season. Blum had 10 catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns in a struggling offense last season. “We’re excited to see what he can do,” Considine said. “We’re expecting teams to key on him, so we’re going to use that to our benefit. I think he has worked hard enough and he’s put himself in a position where he should be a dominant part of our offense, even when the ball’s not in his hands. ... We think he can dominate blocking, but we’re also going to throw the ball up to him sometimes.” Blum’s ability should create favorable situations on the edge. That’s where the receivers, including seniors Alex Brown and Caden Carpenter, will need to win. Senior Zach Kargel has also impressed Considine in his first

But everything starts up front and that’s where the Baraboo offense is undergoing the most change. The faces on the offensive line are the same, as seniors Brady Quinn (6-foot-1, 200 pounds), Colton Terry (6-3, 230), Matt Gust (6-2, 270) and Joe Schick (6-2, 260) are all returning. The style will look different, with the T-Birds moving to a zone blocking scheme after they struggled to open holes last year. “They didn’t play well last year, but they have experience and they really worked hard this offseason, so we think there’s going to be a huge jump,” Considine said. “We’re going to be simple with the line and everything they do so that we can be really good in our blocking scheme. … Then if the line takes care of the first level, everything else is on the backfield.” With their size and experience, Gust and Schick will be relied upon to open up holes. “They both have potential to be as good as anyone in the state at their position. Now it is up to them to do it,” Steve Turkington said. “In a zone scheme, they will be working in tandem on double-team blocks, which should clear the way for our running game.” The new-look attack will be tested right away, as Baraboo will host Monona Grove (11-1 last season) on Aug. 17 before visiting Stoughton (9-2) on Aug. 24. The T-Birds struggled against the Badger South opponents last season, suffering a 49-19 loss at Monona Grove and a 33-14 home loss to Stoughton. “It’s one of those great measuring sticks,” Considine said. “If we want to play at an elite level — which these players talk about; they’re saying ‘Make ’em believe’ — we’ve got to compete with those first two teams. Not that it gets easier after that, but if we can show up those first two weeks, we’ll know where we are.” 001

BARABOO

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Improved physicality lifts confidence Baraboo defense looking to capitalize on size, experience CHRIS FLORES cflores@wiscnews.com‌

‌Baraboo isn’t usually known for producing sizable athletes. Whether it’s football, basketball or hockey, the Thunderbirds typically have to rely on speed and agility to get the job done, rather than sheer size and strength. But thanks to a well-attended offseason workout program in Baraboo’s new weight room, along with some younger athletes that simply have bigger frames than most, the T-Birds are going to have some size on both sides of the ball this fall. While the offensive and defensive lines are doing a bit of reshaping, so is the coaching staff. Baraboo head coach Steve Turkington, who has served as the team’s offensive coordinator for the past four years, swapped places with Steve Considine, who ran the defense. Turkington, who helped run a reliable 3-4 base defense as an assistant coach in Verona for 14 years, is excited to get back to his roots. “I was just itching to get back to it, and Steve (Considine) said, ‘Hey, I’ll do the offense,’” he said. “I went through some offensive systems, similar to what we did against Reedsburg last year, and said this is what I want to do. I researched it, and had some help. Robb Koseor, who is a coach on

CHRIS FLORES PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Baraboo sophomore Campbell Koseor (right) denies a Baraboo’s offensive and defensive lines have some size to play with this fall. pass attempt during practice earlier this month. our staff, researched a bunch of it and helped me out, and Steve is all for it, so he’s implementing it. He’s got great ideas on how he wants to do it, so I kind of laid the framework out and he’s taking it and running with it. And it fits our personnel really well and the kids we have in Baraboo.” Defensively, the Thunderbirds lost their leading tackler in Alex Statz but return 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior linebacker Gabe Larson, who was second on the team with 85 tackles last year. Senior linebacker Joe Zemanovic (59, 175) will also be relied upon, as he amassed over 60 tackles. Linebacker Tyson Fry, a 200-pound junior, will also be in the mix. The Thunderbirds will feel the

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loss of graduated senior Brandon Barbour, who made more than 65 tackles, but Turkington said he’s more than confident with some new, big bodies in the tackle and defensive end positions. “On the defensive line, we’re going to rotate some guys,” he said. “Matt Gust, Joe Schick, both of those guys are 270 pounds. We’ve got Armando Martinez, who’s going to be a junior and is 370 pounds. So we’ve got some big guys up front. Colton Terry, Brady Quinn, those guys are seniors. Quick, slant runners, that kind of stuff. “And then you look at Caden Blum; he’s a returning starter who’s going to play outside linebacker. He’s going to be good for

us. Joe Zemanovic’s been a starter on outside linebacker for the last two years; he’s quick. And then Gabe Larson, who was honorable mention all-conference last year; he’ll be an inside ’backer for us. And talking about the weight room, too; his progression has been really good.” As a team, the T-Birds allowed 316 points last season, an average of 35 points per game. Turkington said those numbers will likely go way down this year. “The problem was offensively and defensively, we couldn’t find the scheme that fit our kids, and the one thing we do have now is we’ve got some big kids walking the hallways,” he said. “We’re pushing really hard; we’ve got

some really high standards in place with our day-to-day process that the kids have to follow. So everything is just getting better.” In the backfield, Baraboo returns a couple of quick senior safeties in Pablo Ramirez (5-9, 170) and Caden Carpenter (5-10, 190), while 6-1 senior Alex Brown returns as the team’s top cornerback. Also in the mix will be senior Zach Kargel, Mike Wech and 6-5 sophomore Jake Schaefer. “He’s got these long levers, so he can lock a guy out and they can’t move him,” Turkington said of Schaefer. “So we’ve got some good, young depth and some good senior leadership (with) senior guys in every position of the group.” Besides defending state champ Waunakee, a team that defeated Baraboo 62-0 last year, Turkington said DeForest will be another squad that will be hard to defend against. “They’re just reloading,” he said. “They’ve had good freshmen and JV teams too, so I think they’re going to be the team that’s going to be tough to stop. And they’re in a spread system just like everybody else.” Turkington said the best quality of his squad is the never-give-up attitude, which was displayed in last year’s Week 9 win over Reedsburg. “One thing I feel really good about is our kids never quit,” he said. “It’s very common for teenagers to say, all right, I’m moving on to basketball or wrestling or whatever it is.”

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| THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 at Watertown Aug. 24 FORT ATKINSON Aug. 31 at Baraboo Sept. 7 MT. HOREB/BARNEVELD Sept. 14 REEDSBURG Sept. 21 at Portage Sept. 28 DEFOREST Oct. 5

at Sauk Prairie

Oct. 12 WAUNAKEE  Home games in BOLD CAPS  Games are at 7 p.m.

Golden Beavers at a glance Coach: Steve Kuenzi, fifth season (12-25) On offense: There are a lot of unknowns for Beaver Dam on offense. The only sure things are quarterback Kendric Jimenez and center Brett Mahnke. Both are two-year starters who will be counted on to help the new starters around them. Running backs James Brown and Parker Leisses should fill the void of Blaiz Firari in the backfield while James Fletcher will be asked to take over for stud receiver Dillon Livingston. On defense: Leisses and second-team all-conference performer Adam Bird return to man the secondary. Booth will make the switch from defensive line to linebacker, and will be vying for playing time with Andrew Rosado, Taylor Stobbe and Colton Parsons. Their main job will be trying to fill in the huge hole left by graduated star Mateo Ramirez. Bottom line: Beaver Dam isn’t necessarily less talented than they were a season ago. They just don’t have enough experience. If the Beavers want to make it back to the playoffs, they will have to learn quickly and play fast.

Did you know? The Golden Beavers have a 5-8 postseason record. Their best playoff showing came in 2007, when they went 2-1.

MARK MCMULLEN PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS

Beaver Dam’s James Brown (left) runs through a teammate during the team offensive portion of a recent practice.

Questions abound for Golden Beavers Beaver Dam stocked with unproven talent MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com

The 2018 season for the Beaver Dam prep football team has a multitude of question marks going in. There are only two returning starters on offense and two on defense, with 18 other slots open. But regardless of what the Golden Beavers will look like Friday when they stroll into Watertown to open up the season, head coach Steve Kuenzi feels his team is ready. “The names and faces are different, but it’s the same style of what we’re playing on offense and defense,” Kuenzi said. “Having a returning quarterback is key. That makes it so much more helpful. Even though we only had two starters returning on either side of the ball, we still had a lot of

mention All-Badger North Conference honors in Beaver Dam’s first season in the league after throwing for 1,134 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions in the Golden Beavers’ option-style offense. He was also a threat to run the ball, tallying 152 rushing yards and one touchdown. With a year of experience, Jimenez’s understanding of the offense has been instant. “It helps out a lot. I’m able to help out kids when they don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “I can put them in the right place — stuff like that.” He will need to help his Beaver Dam quarterback Kendric Jimenez warms up before he starts an teammates because Beaver Dam has no other skill position players individual quarterbacks drill during a recent practice. returning on offense. The Golden people who got a lot of experi- juniors that we’re going to count Beavers lost their biggest threat in ence last year who played a lot of upon that played a significant role receiver Dillon Livingston, who football last year. We have some on the JV team last year.” led the team with 45 receptions for seasoned veterans. Everybody Kuenzi is thrilled to have senior 720 yards and three touchdowns. who we’re counting on played last Kendric Jimenez back at quarteryear at some level. We have a lot of back. Jimenez earned honorable Please see BEAVERS, Page 18 00 1

KICKOFF 2018 | Thursday, August 16, 2018 | 17

Good Luck to Our Golden Beavers

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Beaver Dam right guard Eli Booth looks for someone to block during the team offense All those guys won’t be portion of a recent practice. able to do their jobs until Kuenzi and the coaching this offseason,” Kuenzi said. understood there was a lot of backer. staff figure out what they “He’s done a great job as a competition,” Steve Kuenzi “Taylor Stobbe has have on the offensive line. center for us last year as a said. “They prepared well missed a whole year of footKuenzi said an automatic true sophomore. He’ll re- in the offseason, some more ball,” Kuenzi said. “He had starter was junior Brett turn. That center position is so than others. We had a few some shoulder issues a couMahnke, who did a fantastic so important in getting that nice surprises, but at the ple years ago and had to miss job as a sophomore at center. snap down and we’re getting same time, we’ve had a lot all sports. He’s back and “He’s done a great job the shotgun every down. of healthy competition. It’s really looking good. … AnHe’s looking automatic.” just made everybody better.” drew Rosado has been a solid Senior Eli Booth was a Kuenzi, who also serves as linebacker all throughout starter heading into last the team’s defensive coordi- his career moving up. He’s season before he was lost nator, tries not to use the of- doing what we’re expecting to a knee injury. He has re- fensive lineman on defense he’s going to do. Colton Parclaimed a starting spot on because he wants them on sons is going to vie for some the line, settling in at right the sidelines to relax and playing time at linebacker. guard. Junior Keagan St- talk about what they’re “Our defense is really offlet and Walker DeJager seeing on the field. How- centered around our lineare battling for the left tackle ever, Booth has emerged as backers and what they can position, while at left guard, a strong middle linebacker do. From there, we branch Kuenzi’s son, Anthony, and for the Golden Beavers and out. They’re all linebackers Ramiro Vasquez are vying could get playing time. and they’re all going to be for playing time. Junior Zach “He’s doing a nice job,” first-year starters. Any one Schoenburger is the favorite Kuenzi said. Senior Taylor of those four are going to be to start at right tackle. Stobbe and juniors Andrew starters (in our 3-3 defensive “We have a lot of names Rosado and Colton Parsons scheme).” on paper and a lot of kids will also see time at lineThat’s different from the

last few years when Beaver Dam had depth and experience at linebacker. “Every year, we’ve had the luxury of having numerous guys returning,” Kuenzi said. “We’ve had a solid linebacking corps returning year after year after year and we’ve had a lot of depth. It’s going to be hard to replace a guy like Mateo Ramirez. He was all over the place and understood how to play the linebacker position. He understood physicality and leverage. “That’s probably the biggest mystery is trying to find replacements.” The Golden Beavers’ only returning starters on defense are defensive backs Adam Bird, a second-team all-conference pick, and Leisses. Bird finished with 50 total tackles, two for loss and led the Beavers with five interceptions. Leisses finished with 41 total tackles and had two sacks. Kuenzi said those two could be joined in the secondary by senior Neil Braker and junior Ian Wendt-Utrie, who split time between varsity and JV last year. Kuenzi said he likes the overall talent on this year’s team. “Every one of these kids we mentioned, we’d be comfortable putting them out there offensively or defensively,” Kuenzi said. “There’s a lot of all-around talent. Even our linemen are more athletic than we’re used to seeing. They’re a little bit bigger than what we’re used to having.”

18 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

Beavers From Page 16

The next closest receiver was Marshall Goodrich with 16 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns. But Jimenez still likes what he has coming in on offense. “I’m excited,” he said. “I think we’ve got a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, especially offense. We’ve got a lot of skilled players coming in. I’m looking forward to this season. It should be fun.” Senior Parker Leisses and junior James Brown will split time at running back. Leisses didn’t play much on varsity last season, but Kuenzi said Brown played well for the JV team. “Take a look at a running back like James Brown,” Kuenzi said. “We knew James has a lot of potential. We didn’t know how good he could be. He’s living up to the billing right now. He’s

really working hard and he looks really good. He’s really smooth. “He and Parker Leisses are doing a nice job. Not only are they good as running backs, but we can swing them out on the pass routes as well. They’ll do a nice job as our weapons.” Unheralded senior James Fletcher will replace Livingston at wideout. “James Fletcher has really emerged and has done a nice job as a receiver,” said Kuenzi, who will also give Fletcher a chance to show what he can do on defense this season as a defensive back. MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

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BEAVER DAM

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Sustained success tops priority list Beaver Dam wants to keep its spot in top half of Badger North MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com‌

00 1

‌When practice started for the Beaver Dam prep football team earlier this summer, head coach Steve Kuenzi told his players he didn’t want last season to be a fluke. For the first time since 2014, the Golden Beavers qualified for the WIAA postseason after finishing 4-5 overall and 4-3 in their first year in the Badger North Conference, good enough for fourth place in the eight-team league. “I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder,” Kuenzi said. “You make the playoffs, you’re top four and everything is good, and then you rest on the laurels of what you accomplished. We want to look ahead and not look back. Not look back at what we’ve done, but what look ahead of what we can do and what we should do. “That’s really why we said that. I wanted us to appreciate and respect what we accomplished of what those seniors did last year, but be hungry for a new team and a new opportunity.” Beaver Dam wanted to make a statement in its Badger North debut after coming over following the dissolution of the Little Ten Conference. Kuenzi felt his team did that with a 30-20 midseason victory over perennial playoff team Reedsburg. “We felt like coming into the Badger, we would’ve had a shot,” Kuenzi said. “We felt that we could maybe fit into that No. 4, No. 5, No. 6 spot (in the standings). That’s kind of where I thought we’d be. We could sneak into the No. 4 spot. “We’d have to take down one of the top teams. Reedsburg has been a perennial contender for years. Even at the Division 3 level, they’ve gone to the state championship not too long ago. We kind

MARK MCMULLEN PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Beaver Dam offensive coordinator Brock Linde talks to the team before a recent practice.

Beaver Dam running back Ian Wendt-Utrie practices blocking during an individual drill at a recent practice. RIGHT: Beaver Dam’s Tyson Eheler makes a grab over a teammate during a receivers drill at a recent practice. of stunned them, I think. They just didn’t have a solid year, according to their standards.” Beaver Dam earned a Division 2 playoff berth by virtue of its conference record above .500, but the Golden Beavers drew Badger

North champion Waunakee in the postseason opener, a week after the Warriors thumped Beaver Dam 45-0 in the regular-season finale. Waunakee didn’t let up at all in the rematch, winning 57-0 to

begin its march to a sixth state championship since 1999. “They’re pretty damn good. Their second string is good. Their third string is pretty darn good,” Kuenzi said. “We knew — you hate to say this — it was going to

be a losing cause. We knew it was going to be an uphill battle. The likelihood of us winning would be like winning the lottery.” Kuenzi said he wants the Beavers to build on the success they had last season, even though there will be a lot of new faces on the team. They only have four returning starters from last year’s squad. “We made it to the top four and there’s no reason why we can’t stay in the top four” of the Badger North, he said. “We’ve got to take that approach. I’d love to climb up the ladder and get in the top three, top two or top one, but we’ll take it baby steps at a time and constantly look to improve to continue to move up.” Senior Eli Booth — who missed most of last season with a knee injury — said this year’s team feels different in a good way that could help the team down the stretch. “I’m super excited because we’re all friends,” he said. “That hasn’t really happened in years before. We hang out all the time. We have crazy good chemistry.”

PORTAGE

20 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 at Stoughton Aug. 24 MONONA GROVE Aug. 31 at Sauk Prairie Sept. 7 at Baraboo Sept. 14 WAUNAKEE Sept. 21 BEAVER DAM Sept. 28 at Mt. Horeb/Barneveld Oct. 5 REEDSBURG Oct. 12 DEFOREST Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Warriors at a glance coach: Bob Hepp, second season (2-7) On offense: While the Warriors feature a triple-option, runheavy attack, Portage coach Bob Hepp is hoping to incorporate more passing this season. Portage tallied just 639 yards and three touchdowns through the air last year. Senior Brandon Hall and junior Brett Walker are battling for the team’s current open quarterback spot. The leading receiving targets are senior Jackson Syens and junior Mason Pate. On defense: Big plays burned Portage last season as it allowed 34.2 points per game. While the Warriors started and closed games strong, they slogged in the middle quarters as they were outscored 174-72. Portage must replace all four defensive backs from last season, with junior Colton Brandsma being a contender. Juniors Matthew Miles and Dale Sheppard Jr. will be key pieces in the team’s linebacking corps. Bottom line: Portage faces another tough task in 2018 if they want to get back to the postseason. Playing in the always daunting Badger North Conference, the Warriors have plenty of holes to fill on both sides of the ball. Despite facing another uphill battle, Hepp has a number of players that saw significant playing time as underclassmen last year. “We have kids that have a lot of game experience, but some of the kids we lost were our leaders,” he said. “We have to see who will emerge and develop as the leaders to replace those kids.”

Did you know? a pair of 2018 graduates plan on playing at UW-La Crosse this fall. Wide receiver Nolan Paul and defensive back Grant Garrigan are on the Eagles’ roster.

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Another step forward Better preparation has Warriors poised for success in Hepp’s 2nd year SEAN DAVIS sdavis@wiscnews.com‌

While the Portage football ‌ team finished 2-7 overall last season, the sub-.500 record wasn’t very indicative of the Warriors’ progress in coach Bob Hepp’s first season. Portage won back-to-back games for the first time since the 2012 campaign, and despite finishing the season on a five-game losing streak, the Warriors were on the cusp of their first trip to the playoffs since 2007. Hepp, who enters his 21st season overall as a head coach, has noticed how much further along his team is this season in terms of its preparation. “Obviously, they’ve had a year in the system and the five contact days we had were much more productive,” he said. “Our kids did a great job last year, but everything was just new. As far as their understanding of the offense and defense, overall as a group, we’re a little further along.” In year two, Hepp is optimistic that the stronger preparation will turn into more success. Of their seven losses in 2017, three came by a combined 18 points, including one-score losses to Beaver Dam (20-12), Reedsburg (3-0) and DeForest (35-28) in the final four weeks. Wins in those three games would have given the Warriors their first playoff berth since 2007 and just the program’s ninth in its history. While Hepp is unsure whether or not those close contests give this year’s Warriors motivation, he does know that he wants his team to be confident. “I thought towards the end of last season, we started to be a little more consistent with

SEAN DAVIS PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Portage senior Isiah Miller delivers a block during an offensive drill at the team’s practice on Aug. 2.

Portage head coach Bob Hepp talks to his offense during a 7-on-7 drill during the team’s opening practice on July 31 at Portage High School. Hepp enters his second season in charge after leading the Warriors to a 2-7 record last season. our techniques and fundamentals we were trying to teach our kids,” he said. “They were doing it on a more consistent basis, and in turn having a little more success. I want that light bulb

to kind of click on for them, the more they keep doing it the way they’re supposed to do it, the more they’re setting themselves up for success.” Along with being confident in their abilities, learning more of the playbook will be crucial. Last season, Hepp said he and his coaching staff were only able to implement around 30 percent of his triple option playbook. The Warriors used one of their five offseason contact days at the beginning of the season to review the multifaceted offense and Hepp said that they will aim to feature a more diversified attack this season. Defensively, the Warriors will be keen to avoid big plays. Last season, Portage gave up 17 scoring plays over 20 yards, including five over 50 yards. Hepp said that the players “having a better understanding of what we’re doing on defense” will be key, but the onus doesn’t rest on their shoulders alone. “A lot of it is on us as coaches. We have to do a better job on that side of the ball,” he said.

If the Warriors are able to put everything together, they should be able to contend for a playoff spot in the always difficult Badger North Conference. Reigning WIAA Division 2 state champion Waunakee has some major reloading to do, while fellow power Mt. Horeb/Barneveld has a new coach and other teams will have their fair share of turnover. As tantalizing as that sounds, Hepp said that the lone determinant to the success of the Warriors, who finished 2-5 in the league last year, will be themselves, which starts with taking each week as it comes. “You don’t want to worry about this week, you play this team, and you don’t think you can beat them, so you don’t play well. Then the next week, you play a team you think you can beat, so you put too much pressure on yourself,” he said. “You have to get away from that mindset and we have to have our expectations where this is how we practice, this is how we play and this is what we 00 expect from ourselves.” 1

PORTAGE

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Plenty of holes to fill Warriors will have plenty of new faces on both sides of ball SEAN DAVIS sdavis@wiscnews.com‌

‌The Portage football team had its fair share of growing pains in its first season under head coach Bob Hepp in 2017. The Warriors missed the playoffs for an 11th consecutive season, but did contend in a number of games,

winning multiple contests for the first time in five years. As promising as the Warriors were under Hepp last year despite their 2-7 record, they enter the 2018 season with a number of positions to fill. Portage graduated 15 players from last year’s team, including its top rusher and passer in quarterback Erik Isakson and leading receiver Nolan Paul, a second-team All-Badger North Conference pick. According to Hepp, a ma-

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jority of those seniors were three-year varsity players and leave some major holes. “We have a lot of people to replace. That was a really talented senior class, it was an intelligent senior class, had great work ethic and were really coachable,” Hepp said. “They did a great job with leadership and set a tone for the kids coming back this year.”

New wrinkles on offense‌ Hepp implemented a triple-option offense in his first season last year and the Warriors saw some immediate returns. Portage averaged 18.3 points per game last season, improved from its 14.4 ppg in 2017. The Warriors totaled 1,579 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, with three players going for over 300 yards apiece. Along with losing Isakson, the

SEAN DAVIS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Portage junior Brett Walker makes a pitch during an offensive drill at the team’s practice on Aug. 2. Walker will be in contention for the Warriors’ starting quarterback job this season. Warriors graduated Justin Sankey and Dylan Golke but do return junior Dale Sheppard Jr. The 5-foot-8, 210-pound junior contributed 237 yards and a team-high six touchdowns as sophomore starter

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(5-10, 145) both saw time last season and senior Alex Horn (5-11, 151) will contribute at wingback. Senior Brandon Hall (5-11, 150) and junior Brett Walker (5-10, Please see WARRIORS, Page 22

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last season, rushing for 4.8 yards per carry. Sheppard will lead the charge for the Warriors’ stable of running backs this season, but he won’t be solely relied upon. Juniors Colton Brandsma (5-11, 165) and Ryan Schultz

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Warriors From Page 21

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165) are in contention for the Warriors’ starting quarterback job. “They can both throw a nice ball, are smart, young men, and both seem to be calm under pressure,” Hepp said. On the outside, senior Jackson Syens (6-0, 140) and junior Mason Pate (5-9, 145) are two of the team’s top contenders at receivers, but Hepp believes he has a very talented group that “just need some seasoning and experience at the varsity level.” One position where the Warriors return some players is on the offensive line, led by senior tackle Clayton Kapel. As a junior, the 6-3, 270 pounder earned honorable mention All-Badger North honors and Hepp is confident he can be even more impactful this season. “He’s got good size, tremendous athleticism and very good feet,” he said. “I think he can be a dominant run and pass blocker.”

SEAN DAVIS PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Portage junior Matthew Miles looks to wrap up junior Brett Walker during a defensive drill at the team’s practice on Aug. 2. Miles, who started in eight games last season, will be a key leader on the Warriors’ defense this season. Along with Kapel, senior Isiah Miller (5-11, 285) and junior Jonah Stout (5-11, 195) spent time at guard last season, while senior Sam Bleich (6-0, 165) took a major step forward over the course of the offseason and will be at center.

Juniors Jesse Long (6-1, 215) and Shane Steines (511, 180) will contend for the other tackle position on a line whose greatest strength, according to Hepp, is its intelligence. “During the game, they have an ability to prob-

lem-solve and fix things that happen play to play,” he said. “I think they’ve got a good grasp of the blocking schemes, so now it’s more of a physical and fundamental step that they need to take.” Please see WARRIORS, Page 23

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PORTAGE

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Warriors From Page 22

Tightening up on defense‌ Along with the holes it must fill on the offensive side of the ball, Portage will have to makes some wholesale changes to a defense that struggled last year. While they averaged shy of 20 points per game, the Warriors gave up 34.2 points per game, including 35 or more points in five of their six losses. Portage was susceptible to big plays, as opponents torched the Warriors for more than 50yard gains five times. Of the areas that need to be addressed, the defensive backfield carries the most weight for the Warriors as Hepp must replace all four starters from last season. Looking to fill those holes will be Hall, Walker, Brandsma and a handful of others. Helping to alleviate the work for the defensive backfield, Hepp will turn

Portage senior Dylan Erdmann takes a handoff from senior Brandon Hall during a drill at the team’s practice on Aug. 2. Erdmann and Hall will both figure into the Warriors’ offense this season.

SEAN DAVIS PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Portage senior Clayton Kapel makes a block on junior Matthew Miles during an offensive drill at the team’s practice on Aug. 2. Kapel earned All-Badger North Conference honorable mention honors last season. to junior Matthew Miles to help lead the charge in the Warriors’ linebacking corps. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound inside linebacker started in eight

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games, and Hepp is confident he will be even better in his second year as a starter. “That first year as a sophomore, your head spins, but I think things have slowed

down for him and I think he’s going to be one of the better players in the conference,” Hepp said. “He’s intelligent, has great instincts, reads plays quickly and he’s gotten bigger and stronger.” Joining Miles will be Sheppard, while Horn will be called upon at outside linebacker. The duo of Miller and Stout were big contributors on the defensive line and will again be

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REEDSBURG

24 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Beavers return big junior class Experienced front line to be key CHRIS FLORES cflores@wiscnews.com‌

While Reedsburg’s of‌ fense will need some time to get to know one another and develop chemistry on and off the field, the defense is already well-acquainted. The Beavers allowed 245 points last season and averaged 27 points per game, the fourth-fewest in the Badger North Conference. While coach Brian Pottinger’s clock-burning triple option plays a role in limiting the opponent’s possession time, Reedsburg’s 4-3 defense did its part as well. But the unique part of the 2017 defensive corps was the youth, as Reedsburg had several sophomores in starting roles. With a seasoned junior class and a couple returning honorable mention all-conference performers, Pottinger is confident his defense will soar to even greater heights this fall. “They’ve got a lot of playing experience; I think at one point we had seven sophomores on the field, and that’s tough in the Badger Conference,” Pottinger said. “But this year, that experience is only going to help them.” The Beavers did lose last year’s top two tacklers in

CHRIS FLORES, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

The Reedsburg defensive line returns the likes of Robert Losic (85 tackles), John Schmitt (79), Wayde Ernstmeyer (67) and Jon Zobel (45). Trevor Steffen (130 tackles) and Joe Lichte (87), but return just about everyone else. Reedsburg’s defensive line will be led by 5-foot-6, 150-pound junior linebacker Robert Losic, who was third on the team in tackles (85), as well as 235-pound all-conference junior lineman John Schmitt (79), 180-pound senior defensive end Wayde Ernstmeyer (67), 180-pound junior defensive end Carter Daniels (38) and 205-pound junior linebacker Joe Statz (32). Reedsburg had 847 total tackles last year, the most in the Badger North. In the backfield, the Beavers lost a bit more as hon-

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orable mention all-conference picks Kaleb Mueller (46) and Mason McMillen (27) graduated, but they still return senior Jon Zobel (5-9, 150), who earned honorable mention recognition as well. Pottinger said Zobel, Zeb Brown, Danny Kast and Carson Beyer will all be in the mix in the backfield. “Our corners have to be able to cover, so they have to have decent speed,” Pottinger said. “Our safeties need to be able to tackle a little bit more, so you’ve got to have a physical kid.” Reedsburg had two lopsided losses last season, a 49-7 loss to Mt. Horeb/ Barneveld and a 43-3 loss to

Waunakee, which went on to win the WIAA Division 2 State Championship. The Beavers also fell to DeForest 28-13, a team Pottinger believes will be even tougher yet. “It will be Waunakee, DeForest and Mt. Horeb again,” Pottinger predicted for the Badger North race. “I don’t see that changing much. I think DeForest the last couple years has had young teams, so they’ve got a lot of kids coming back. I think they’ll be pretty tough.” With tougher teams comes more time spent on the defensive side of the ball, and while Pottinger would rather have a dedicated defensive corps that can rest when the Beavers are on offense, most of the Beavers’ contributors will be playing both ways once again due to lack of numbers. “Ideally, straight platooning is always the best way to go and we always strive to platoon as much as possible,” Pottinger said. “But we haven’t had the numbers or depth to do that the past several years. Platooning helps in several ways such as ease of learning one position, less fatigue, players get really good only playing one position, injuries don’t take a toll on both sides of the ball, fewer injuries, more practice reps and so on.”

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2018 Schedule Aug. 17 at Monroe Aug. 24 MILTON Aug. 31 at DeForest Sept. 7 SAUK PRAIRIE Sept. 14 at Beaver Dam Sept. 21 MT. HOREB/ BARNEVELD Sept. 28 at Waunakee Oct. 5 at Portage Oct. 12 BARABOO Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Beavers at a glance Coach: Brian Pottinger, 13th season (73-57) On offense: Reedsburg’s famous triple option will be in full force with returning honorable mention all-conference junior running back Casey Campbell, who ran for 457 yards and three touchdowns along with 5-foot-7, 175-pound senior Jason Walls, who ran for 361 yards and two touchdowns last year. They will be aided by either Hayden Hahn or Ethan Lee, who are competing for the starting quarterback position. The Beavers will have to rely on some fresh faces on the line. On defense: The Beavers return an experienced group of juniors on the line

and in the backfield of its reliable 4-3 defense. While the squad loses its top two tacklers, the line returns honorable mention all-conference junior lineman John Schmitt, junior linebacker Robert Losic and senior defensive end Wayde Ernstmeyer, just to name a few. Honorable mention all-conference pick Jon Zobel will lead the backfield. Bottom line: If he can stay healthy, Campbell has the potential to bring the Beavers back to a winning season this fall. After failing to make the playoffs last year, Reedsburg is motivated to turn things around and with two star running backs along with an experienced defense, the Beavers will likely be a formidable squad.

Did you know? While most remember Reedsburg for its WIAA state championship in 2009, the Beavers were one play away from winning it in 2008. Trailing Waupaca in the Division 3 title game, Reedsburg stormed back in the fourth quarter and scored with 3 minutes left to pull within 21-20. A Waupaca encroachment penalty on the point-after attempt put the Beavers at the 1-yard line. Instead of going for the tie, Reedsburg went for the lead, but was stuffed on the two-point run attempt and the Beavers went on to fall a point short.

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REEDSBURG

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Campbell, Walls to lead triple option Beavers have big expectations for veteran running backs CHRIS FLORES cflores@wiscnews.com‌

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‌It’s pretty obvious when looking at last year’s Badger North Conference rushing stats, Casey Campbell had something special brewing. Campbell rushed for 457 yards as a sophomore, the seventh-most in the conference, and averaged 9.9 yards per carry, the best in the conference. But what’s even more impressive is those numbers came after only five games. The 5-foot8, 155-pound Campbell suffered a broken collarbone on Sept. 15 vs. Beaver Dam and was sidelined for the rest of the year, which likely played a role in Reedsburg’s 2-7 season. Campbell’s half-year performance was still impressive enough to earn honorable mention all-conference recognition. After a lot of recovery time, he will once again be a major threat to Reedsburg’s famous triple-option attack, which also features 5-7, 175-pound senior Jason Walls, who totaled 361 yards and two touchdowns on 86 carries. “Them being returners and Jason being a senior, you expect a little more out of those guys,” Beavers coach Brian Pottinger said of Campbell and Walls. “Casey is going on his third year playing and with that experience, he’s more like a senior than he is a junior. So we have a little bit higher expectations for him and obviously he’s going to be a good player for us, and setting an example for the

CHRIS FLORES, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Reedsburg senior Jason Walls carries the ball during practice earlier this month. Walls rushed for 361 yards and two touchdowns last season. other guys.” But while the two veterans can certainly hold their own, they will have to depend on some new faces around them. The Beavers will have a new quarterback, a new offensive line and a couple of new slot backs as well. Reedsburg will feel the loss of Ben Horzewski, who ran for 396 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns last season. “In the other slot, we’ve got Derek Pawlak, who’s coming out after missing football for a few years,” Pottinger said. “And Joel Sterkowitz is another kid at slot back, and we’ve got a couple other guys if we need to can work into the mix, too. We have some decisions to make there.”

New blood under center‌ Reedsburg lost quarterback Nathan Kruser to graduation. He threw for 220 yards and ran for another 281, accounting for

three touchdowns. To Pottinger, the quarterback position is the most important in the triple option as he’s the one who reads the defense and decides who gets the ball. And right now, Reedsburg has a good problem on its hands as two players are fighting for the position. Junior Ethan Lee and senior Hayden Hahn have been duking it out at practice, and Pottinger said either one could step into the role. “It’s still early, but both those guys are smart kids; they understand what we’re trying to do with the

offense,” he said. “It’s where it all starts with this option offense. You have to understand what you’re trying to accomplish. And then the physical part will come after that. “And they both have shown that mentally they know what they’re doing and it’s just a matter of who’s going to get the job done, bottom line. It’s been a nice little competition with those guys pushing each other.” Neither player has seen much time at the position, but Pottinger is confident one of them, or both of them, will be a solid addition as they carry various traits. “Ethan’s probably got an edge as far as speed. He was a sprinter in track and he’s got a little bit stronger arm,” Pottinger said. “Hayden is still trying to get his football vs. baseball motions back yet, but Hayden I think mentally has the edge on Ethan as far as the reads and things like that with the option.”

Revamped O-line‌

Reedsburg likes to get off to a quick start, as the Beavers scored most of their points in the first quarter. They ranked fourth in the conference in rushing with 1,703 yards and 17 touchdowns. While Reedsburg

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will look to improve those numbers, they will have to do so with a young offensive line. The only member returning to his position in the line is 6-2, 200-pound senior center Nate Evans. “We’ve got some holes to fill there,” Pottinger said. “Bailey McGlynn is one who’s fighting for a guard spot, Ryan Phelps, David Finkel who played guard for us last year is out at the tackle spot; he’s a big kid. And then our left tackle spot is pretty much wide open.” Pottinger mentioned senior Wayde Ernstmeyer (6-2, 180) is the team’s only practicing tight end, but his offense will be ready to run formations with no tight ends if need be. On the receiving end, juniors Dominic DeJesus (5-10, 140) and Austin Peters (6-0, 155) will be the go-to targets. “Those two know the offense; they know what

we’re trying to do,” Pottinger said. “The nice thing about them is they’re smart kids and they give it their best effort all the time. It’s not a feature position in the offense sometimes, but it can play a big role in the success of the offense.” Campbell stood atop the team’s receiving stats last year with five catches for 145 yards. Pottinger said he was lined up as a slot back on most of those big plays. “Casey is obviously a good athlete and good receiver, but in this offense, our slot backs do tend the catch a lot more balls and that’s just based on what the defense is doing,” Pottinger said. “And usually they tend to be big plays, so it is nice to have Casey being a threat there. But our receivers have to be ready, too. There’s going to be a point where we’re going to have to complete some passes.”

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SAUK PRAIRIE

26 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

Eagles carry continuity into 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 at Milton Aug. 24 MADISON EDGEWOOD

Sauk Prairie comfortable despite yearlong coaching questions

Aug. 31 PORTAGE Sept. 7 at Reedsburg Sept. 14 at DeForest Sept. 21 WAUNAKEE Sept. 28 at Baraboo Oct. 5 BEAVER DAM Oct. 12 at Mt. Horeb/ Barneveld Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Eagles at a glance Coach: Scott Schutt, eighth season (25-41) On offense: The graduations of quarterback Dawson Evert and wide receiver Elijah Jorgenson are going to leave Sauk Prairie with more of a run-focused, ball-control offense this fall. That task will go to a group of backs that includes senior Bryant Schaaf, junior Garrett Hertzfeldt and junior Dayton Goette. The group will be running behind a developing offensive line that only returns junior center Marcus Hankins. The Eagles, who scored 16.7 points per game last year, could also show the potential to strike quick, as senior quarterback Adam Juran takes over under center and has the arm to make plays downfield. Junior split end Ben German could be the big-play receiver, while junior Parker Breunig and Schaaf will also be targets for Juran. On defense: The Eagles will look to shore up a run defense that had the tendency to get worn out last season on the way to allowing 36.1 points per game. Schutt sees talent up front, while the

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Sauk Prairie will try to get the ball in the hands of senior Bryant Schaaf. linebackers should be experienced with Hertzfeldt, an honorable mention All-Badger North selection, returning to go along with Schaaf and Goette. The Eagles also return both of their starting cornerbacks from last season in Breunig and German, although Breunig may move to strong safety to make space for senior Jackson Mellum. Bottom line: The Eagles have work to do if they’re going to qualify for the WIAA playoffs for the first time since 2007. Relatively light on participation numbers this fall, Sauk Prairie will have to avoid injuries and the fatigue that cost them at times defensively last season. The non-conference season is navigable with Milton (3-6 last season) and Madison Edgewood (1-8) in the opening two weeks, but the Badger North will be as tough as ever for the teams typically at the bottom of the standings.

Did you know? Sauk Prairie interim head coach Scott Schutt, a 1982 graduate of Sauk Prairie High School, briefly spent time in the NFL. After playing collegiate football at North Dakota State, Schutt had one sack in three games for the Cincinnati Bengals as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL lockout.

BROCK FRITZ bfritz@wiscnews.com‌

‌The opening week of the Sauk Prairie football season is bound to have a few less fireworks this year. That’s a welcome sight in Eagles camp after the hectic way the 2017 season started. Former Sauk Prairie head coach Scott Mirkes resigned just four days before the 2017 season opener, leaving the Eagles to scramble under interim head coach Scott Schutt. “They were remarkable last year,” said Schutt, who also coached the Eagles from 2004-09 and remains the Eagles’ interim leader after Sauk Prairie couldn’t find a long-term head coach in the offseason. “They handled it really, really well last year. I had no complaints at all. I would say this year, we as coaches are much more familiar in our roles and what we’re trying to do.” Schutt and offensive coordinator Brandon Wanless spent much of last season slowly transitioning Sauk Prairie’s attack from Mirkes’ system to their own preferences. This fall, the returning Eagles know what their coaches want from them and are hoping that familiarity shows on the field. Despite the turmoil, the Eagles were able to weather the storm last season. They came out fast in week one, taking a 7-0 lead over Milton before going into halftime tied at 7. Sauk Prairie eventually lost steam and gave up 18 fourth-quarter

BROCK FRITZ PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Sauk Prairie’s Ben German (left) and Parker Breunig get work in during a 7-on-7 drill at practice on Aug. 7. points in a 31-14 home loss. But they carried that fight into week two, when the Eagles rolled to a 26-7 non-conference win at Madison Edgewood. Sauk Prairie finished the 2017 season with a 2-7 record, including 1-6 in the Badger North thanks to a 30-14 home win over Baraboo. That relative success can be attributed to a strong senior class that was able to stay on task. That has been a bit of a struggle through the first couple weeks of the 2018 season. The Eagles have a core group of determined guys, but the overall numbers haven’t quite been there each practice. “The biggest challenge we’ve had so far is I’ve had more kids missing practice for a variety of reasons,” Schutt said on Aug. 7, the sixth day of practice. “We haven’t had everyone there yet. ... Other than that, the kids are playing

hard. There’s a core group of both the juniors and seniors that are dedicated and then there’s the peripheral. Football is a numbers game and you need numbers, not only for the games, but for practice too.” The Eagles are still getting plenty of work done and will be looking to put everything together when they open the season with an Aug. 17 rematch at Milton. “It was a fairly even matchup; I felt like we controlled the first half,” Schutt said of last year’s meeting. “We’re feeling optimistic going in. They’re not a team that’s going to wear you out physically. They’re a little more of a shotgun team. … Those are the teams we tend to play better against.” In the opener and preseason scrimmage in Elkhorn, the coaching staff is focused on seeing what kind of players they’ve got on the team. “Effort and execution,”

Schutt said of what he’s looking for early. “Then we’ll watch the film and maybe decide some of those battles for who’s going to start or who’s going to play more. ... I expect the kids to execute our offense fast and react fast on defense.” The Eagles bring back several proven guys, as they return two of their six All-Badger North Conference selections from last season. Juniors Parker Breunig and Garrett Hertzfeldt are back after honorable mention nods on the defensive side of the ball, while quarterback Dawson Evert, receiver Elijah Jorgenson, lineman Ed Schott and linebacker Josh Bader have graduated. Bryant Schaaf also returns after playing a large role on both sides of the ball last season. The senior running back, receiver and linebacker is a clear leader on a team that has 11 seniors on the roster. “He is certainly the vocal leader of the group,” Schutt said. “When you get everyone together at the end of practice and say ‘Someone break it down,’ they all look to him.” The Eagles would love to make their first playoff appearance since 2007, but Schutt is focused on the smaller things that can build into wins. “Win every play, control what you do and play fast,” Schutt said of his goals. Moving into the middle of the Badger North Conference pack is going to take better execution on both sides of the ball, but one trait is going to be apparent for the Eagles who get on the field this season. “Find the guys that want to play football,” Schutt 00 said. 1

SAUK PRAIRIE

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Offense looks to establish control, shifts toward ground game BROCK FRITZ bfritz@wiscnews.com‌

‌The Sauk Prairie offense had an out last season. Whenever the Eagles found themselves backed up or facing a long conversion, they’d turn to the air, where senior quarterback Dawson Evert and receiver Elijah Jorgenson lived. Jorgenson, an honorable mention All-Badger North Conference selection, came through to the tune of 53 catches for 660 yards and six touchdowns. He also went 5-for-7 on field goal attempts and 12-for-12 on extra points. Evert was also an honorable mention pick, completing 137 of 259 passes for 1,476 yards and eight touchdowns. The duo helped spearhead a Sauk Prairie attack that scored 16.7 points per game last year, well up from the 7.4 points per game they scored in 2016. However, that Evert-to-Jorgenson connection won’t be there this fall, which will force the Eagles to be more consistent

with their rushing attack. “We’re still going to have some of that passing aspect that (offensive coordinator) Brandon Wanless brought, but we’re also introducing more of a ball control aspect,” Sauk Prairie head coach Scott Schutt said. “I’m expecting a lot more hands on the ball and to be a lot more ball control. We might run it 60 or 70 percent of the time, but you never know what the defense is going to give you.” The Eagles have several options in the backfield, including senior Bryant Schaaf, junior Garrett Hertzfeldt and junior Dayton Goette. Schaaf played a significant role in the offense last season and will move around the formation this fall in order to get the ball in his hands. Junior Parker Breunig will also move around, while primarily spending time at split end in a receiving corps that will also include Schaaf and junior split end Ben German.

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Adam Juran will be tasked with spreading the ball around. The senior quarterback is in his first year starting at the varsity level, but he’s built up experience with his targets. “He has been the QB in this class; he’s just played other things while Dawson was the guy,” Schutt said of Juran, who was a linebacker and running back last season. “He’s got a strong arm and can get it upfield. ... We’re trying to get him a little more comfortable in the quick passing game.” Juran and the running backs will hope to have time to operate behind an offensive line that is rebuilding after losing four starters, including multiple-year mainstays Baxter Peetz and Ed Schott, to graduation, as well as tight end Aidan Young.

“The only returning guy up front is center Marcus Hankins,” Schutt said. “I expect him as a junior to be the leader of the offensive line.” Hankins will be surrounded by a young group of linemen that have been working to come together in camp. “They’re coming along,” Schutt said of the offensive line. “There’s some new stuff we’re doing this year. They’re working hard and they’re coming together. … We’re not there yet, but we’re hoping to be ready to go by next week.” When the drive stalls, the Eagles will turn to inexperienced specialists who are still trying to grab ahold of the kicker and punter positions in the absence of Jorgenson.

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“We have some kids that can punt and some kids that can kick,” Schutt said. “Whether it will be consistent because they haven’t done it in a game situation, that’s a whole different thing.” Consistency is going to be a theme for a Sauk Prairie offense that got bogged down at times last season. The Eagles scored 28.0

points per game in their two wins in 2017, while averaging just 13.4 points in their seven losses. Better ball control could also help a defense that could get tired with a lot of guys playing both ways. The first test will be this week at Milton, a team that held Sauk Prairie to 265 total yards and 14 points in last year’s 30-14 season-opening loss.

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SAUK PRAIRIE

28 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Defense expected to be shored up Sauk Prairie looks to limit collapses vs. opposing offenses BROCK FRITZ bfritz@wiscnews.com‌

‌Big plays catch everyone’s attention, but Sauk Prairie football coach Scott Schutt is more focused on his defense standing firm over the course of the game. Therefore, the Eagles are looking to shore up their defense on short and intermediate plays this season, tightening up a unit that gave up 36.1 points per game in 2017. “Although big plays are more notable, I feel like we matched up against the passing teams better than the running teams last year,” Schutt said. “I think we will be better this year. We’re a lot stronger up front than we have been the last few years.”

Schutt said the front four of the Sauk Prairie defense should be solid, including junior Marcus Hankins as well as seniors Junior Ochoa, Zach Walls and Kris Vils. Junior Dayton Goette shifts from the line to inside linebacker, where he will join a group that includes junior Garrett Hertzfeldt, an honorable mention All-Badger North Conference inside linebacker last season. Bryant Schaaf returns at outside linebacker. The senior will also serve as a vocal and on-field leader for a team that lost 16 seniors from last year and is looking for more leaders to step up. “We’re trying to find other guys to speak up more and take an increased role in calling the defense and vocalizing things,” Schutt said. “Then that would allow Bryant to not worry about calling the plays and worry about the energy and picking up his teammates.”

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The Eagles bring back plenty of experience in the secondary, including juniors Parker Breunig and Ben German, last season’s starting cornerbacks. Breunig, an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2017, is expected to move inside to strong safety. Senior Jackson Mellum received playing time at cornerback late last season and will likely get a shot to play alongside German, while a number of underclassmen should also get a chance at playing time. This experience should have the veterans on the Sauk Prairie defense playing fast and reacting quicker than they did last season. “I expect our defense to be pretty solid and pretty active,” Schutt said. “But we haven’t played anyone else yet, and you don’t know until you play someone else.” The Eagles will get their first game action this week at Milton.

BROCK FRITZ, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Sauk Prairie should be a little more stout up front after struggling a bit against running teams in 2017. Last season’s Milton game was a good example of issues that plagued Sauk Prairie’s defense in 2017. The Eagles stood tall early before giving up a touchdown late in the first half to go into the locker room tied at 7. Milton tacked on a third-quarter touchdown, then broke free against a tired Sauk Prairie defense that began to give up big plays, as the Red Hawks completed touchdown passes of

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45 yards and 47 yards on the way to a 31-14 win. High-scoring quarters plagued Sauk Prairie all year, as the Eagles gave up at least 16 points in eight different periods and gave up at least 31 points in every game they lost. The shorthanded Eagles will need to figure out how to limit those collapses if they’re going to make a move up the Badger North Conference standings this fall.

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COLUMBUS

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Young Cards just want to play football

2018 Schedule

Columbus has talent, but team’s youth could show this season

Aug. 31 at New Glarus/ Monticello Sept. 7 at Adams Friendship

Oct. 5

Oct. 12 at Poynette

Cardinals at a glance Coach: Calvin Zenz, second season (2-7) On offense: Junior quarterback Joe Morris returns after passing for 483 yards and two touchdowns in seven games last season. He will have senior receiver Trent Casper to throw to.

Columbus’ Liam Thelen runs over Kendall Minick during a tackling drill at a recent practice.

Trial by fire has Cardinals hot for more

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WATERTOWN LUTHER PREP

Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

MARK MCMULLEN PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌ Please see COLUMBUS, Page 30

‌The Columbus prep football team will be young, sure, but there is a lot of experience coming into the season. Senior receiver and linebacker Trent Casper will be the top dog on a team filled with juniors and sophomores.

Aug. 24 at Platteville

Sept. 21 at Lake Mills Sept. 28 LODI

‌ olumbus football coach C Calvin Zenz has never had a team where all the players wanted to do was play football. In the past, Zenz coached some really talented classes, but quite often his best players’ main sport was something other than football. “It’s not that the other kids didn’t like playing football or weren’t good at it or didn’t love it, it’s that they were good at everything,” Zenz said. “But if you were to tell a lot of them, ‘Hey, you can only play one sport,’ not a lot of those guys would’ve played football.” This year’s team is different. The entire Cardinals squad loves playing football, which is what gets Zenz excited the most as the season gets started Friday when Omro comes to town.

MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com‌

Aug. 17 OMRO

Sept. 14 at Lakeside Lutheran

MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com‌

Young players eager to build on last year’s experience

“He’s tall, he’s big, he’s strong, he can jump, he’s got great hands and body control. He’s the fastest kid I’ve ever had,” Cardinals coach Calvin Zenz said. “He has everything and he’s starting to figure out just how good he is as an all-around athlete. He’s a first-team all-conference basketball player, baseball player and was both ways all-conference last year in football. He’s smart and intelligent. He’s a great kid that’s got it all.

“He barely came off the field last year and I would anticipate that’s going to be the exact same way for him this year.” Zenz will only have six seniors, including Casper, who will be expected to be a leader on a team that must face returning playoff teams in Platteville, Lake Mills and Lodi, last year’s WIAA Division 4 state champion. “This is going to be a very young team with only Please see CARDINALS, Page 31

On defense: Casper will also lead a talented group of linebackers on defense, with Teagan Herschleb back at free safety. The Cardinals will also have some big, beefy linemen on both sides of the ball; most notably is Miguel Miranda, who is 6-foot-1 and weighs close to 300 pounds to take up space on the defensive line. Bottom line: The Cardinals are going to be young. They only have six seniors with a plethora of sophomores and juniors, many of whom received significant playing time last year.

Did you know? Columbus’ Sully Burback reads the guards during a linebackers drill at a recent practice.

The Cardinals missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2013.

COLUMBUS

30 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

Columbus From Page 29

MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Columbus’ Skyler Peterson is tackled by Peyton Eckel during a tackling drill at the beginning of practice.

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“These guys have set football first. It’s a little different,” Zenz said. “They practice with more energy. They’re out to prove last year was just a fluke. Just the energy and enthusiasm these guys practice with is different than it has been.” The Cardinals finished 2-7 overall last season, winning only one game in the Capitol North Conference. Their struggles were partly due to a storm of injuries that happened right as the season was beginning. Quarterback Connor Manthey suffered an early-season injury, forcing starting safety Joe Morris to take over under center. And Morris would agree he probably wasn’t ready at that point, just three or four games into his sophomore season. “I wasn’t really focusing on the quarterback position and when I got thrown in there, you could

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

“A lot of young guys had to play (last season) that weren’t quite ready. They’re ready now.” Calvin Zenz, Columbus coach tell I wasn’t prepared,” Morris said. “This offseason, I’ve taken a lot of time (learning to be a quarterback). I went to a few camps. I spent a lot of time with my teammates. I’m feeling good.” Morris isn’t the only player thrown to the wolves as a sophomore. Zenz said after the Cardinals lost to Marian (Ill.) Central Catholic in Week 3, a lot of senior starters got hurt, which resulted in the insertion of multiple young players into the starting lineup. “If you could think of the worst possible things to happen, they all happened,” Zenz said. “There’s some things that I could tell you that you would be like, ‘There ain’t no way.’ It did. We played a really tough schedule. Yes, we lost a really talented class (the season prior), but last year’s class played OK in the first couple of games. “Then we got beat up and a lot of young guys had to play that weren’t quite ready. They’re ready now.” Last season’s struggles fortified this season’s juniors, especially Morris.

“The experience was … there was nothing I could compare it to,” he said. “Being a sophomore, being thrown in there, it was awesome to be able to be in that position. Now I know what it’s like. Let’s say Connor didn’t get hurt last year, and I didn’t get thrown in, it could be the same (this year) like last year. “I feel lot more comfortable and I’m prepared now. I know what to expect.” Zenz said there are quite a few sophomores this year that could earn playing time over the juniors because they’re “ready right now and that’s just because they’re naturally a little bit ahead.” “A lot of guys did play, especially on defense, but we could go out this year later in the season, there could be six sophomores starting on offense,” Zenz said. “It’s not because there’s nobody there. They’re that kind of talented to be out there. There’s inexperience there. We have experience, but some of those guys with experience might get overtaken by some of the younger guys.”

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COLUMBUS

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Cardinals

year out for football. “He’s starting to put it together,” Zenz said. “He’s very strong and crazy athletic for a young man his size.” All the experience definitely has their quarterback excited to play this year. “I think we’ve got a lot of guys who are excited,” Morris said. “We have a young team, but we’re killers. We don’t have the biggest team, but we have a core group of guys who are prepared to play football. I’m really

From Page 29

six seniors,” Zenz said. “We have a lot of our talented young guys and will look very good at times and at other times will show our youth. “If we can stay healthy and accelerate our learning curve, this team has the potential to be a very good team.” Senior running back Jay Hill returns after he got his feet wet on varsity last season for the Cardinals. He ran for 5.7 yards per carry backing up the graduated Ben Waldo. Zenz said Hill is very fast with great feet and vision, which is a different type of runner than Columbus normally has at running back. He will be paired with Joe Morris, who played in seven games at quarterback with five starts after Connor Manthey went down with an injury. “It was a very eye-opening experience because it’s very different going from

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Columbus’ Skyler Peterson races for the teammate that is playing the quarterback in a defensive lineman drill. playing JV to varsity, and he was our starting safety at the time,” Zenz said. “He was practicing a lot there. He’s definitely embraced the role of being a quarterback, being a leader and getting stuff done. I’ve been very, very, very pleased with

how hard he’s worked and what he’s done this offseason to make sure he’s ready to go.” Zenz said he will have two other juniors that could be on the field a lot on both sides of the ball in Teagan Herschleb and Miguel Mi-

confident this year. … With the inexperience, as you would say, we have a few sophomore linemen that are being thrown in there, but we also have 11 juniors that played last year as a sophomore that are coming back. “They have the experience of what I had. I think we’re good and I’m excited to see the difference of what our experience has given us from last year, and seeing what improvements I have made.”

Wishing all of our local teams a healthy and successful season.

randa. Herschleb, a safety whose father is on the coaching staff, has a high football IQ. Zenz said Miranda, who at 6-foot-1 and close to 300 pounds will take up a lot of space at defensive tackle, is making strides in his second

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LODI

32 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

Blue Devils look to reload Lodi aims to replicate last year’s magic despite major losses SEAN DAVIS sdavis@wiscnews.com‌

‌The Lodi football team had a dream season in 2017, an undefeated campaign that ended with the program’s first-ever state championship last November. While the Blue Devils broke new ground, they enter the 2018 season with plenty of question marks. Lodi graduated 26 seniors from last year’s team, losing 18 starters including 10 on the offensive side of the ball alone. Even with all the changes, according to seasoned coach Dave Puls, this year’s Blue Devils don’t plan on taking a step back. “The kids are really motivated,” Puls said, entering his 15th year in charge. “The attitude has been great, the energy has been great and they’re looking forward to getting started and creating their own place in Lodi history.” The Blue Devils had had a steady grasp over the Capitol North Conference, winning the league outright four of the last five seasons. That success has sustained thanks in part to prolific offensive attacks, including a unit that averaged 37.5 points per game last season. That could be in danger this year as Lodi must replace 10 starters on offense, most notably Jacob Heyroth, the Associated Press State Player of the Year who rushed for 2,909 yards and 36 touchdowns and now plays for the University of Wisconsin as a preferred walk-on.

SEAN DAVIS PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Lodi senior Austin Soehle looks to shed a blocker on a rush during a defensive drill during the team’s practice on Aug. 2. Soehle is the Blue Devils’ to returning tackler and earned second-team All-Capitol North Conference honors last season. Austin Soehle and Colton Nicolay will be counted on to shoulder the load carried almost exclusively by Heyroth last season. Nicolay, a 5-foot-7, 176-pound junior, tallied just 218 yards and one score last year, while the Soehle, a 5-9, 155-pound senior, added 52 yards. Senior Ben Rashid (6-2, 220) will help clear a path at fullback, but can also carry the ball, having rushed for 181 yards and 4 TDs last season. “They all kind of stand out, but I’m not surprised at the kids who are doing well right now,” Puls said. Another key area that Puls will need to address is up front. The Blue Devils graduated their entire starting offensive line from last season, including first team All-Capitol North picks Lucas Brisky and Sam Kerr. On top of that, the Blue Devils lost four key backups that could have started in a pinch. Puls will turn to seniors Gabe Pickarts (6-1, 205) and Seth Beyer (5-8, 230) to

set the tone up front, while junior Dustyn Paulson (61, 235) is another leading candidate to land a starting position. After that, Puls said there will be plenty of competition. “Gabe Pickarts, Seth Beyer and Dustyn Paulson are doing an awesome job right now, but I’m not surprised they’re doing well because of how hard they’ve worked the last couple years,” he said. “But there are going to be two or three positions that are wide open.” The Blue Devils will also feature a new quarterback, with senior Owen Jelinek and junior Zach Potter currently in contention to be the starting signal-caller. Defensively, Lodi will also make some wholesale changes, as it must replace eight starters from a year ago. While they have major holes to plug, the Blue Devils feature a pair of standout returnees in Soehle and senior Riley Faust. Soehle earned

second-team All-Capitol North honors last year after racking up 68 tackles, including 12 for loss with 2.5 sacks. Faust (5-10, 162) was an honorable mention defensive back last season after making three interceptions during his junior campaign. Puls will also rely on Nicolay at linebacker, and Rashid, Paulson and Pickarts on the defensive line. With only 10 seniors on this year’s roster, Puls knows the group’s leadership will be key, but not the only important factor in the unit’s continued success after limiting teams to 9.6 ppg last year. “Their experience is going to be very important, as well as how they communicate and work with the other young guys,” he said. “A lot of it is going to depend on how they go about their business and how they practice, but we’re going to be leaning on them a lot.” Along with leaning on its seniors, Lodi must create its own identity and figure out its learning curve. Puls said how quickly the team can pick up on the offensive and defensive schemes will determine their success early on. If the Blue Devils are unable to do so, they could be in store for a long season with another difficult Capitol North Conference slate on tap. “I think the rest of us are going to be in a coin flip for most of those games,” Puls said. “We all are kind of in the same boat with inexperienced kids and kids who have to step up. It’s going to be wide open and until we get to the first couple weeks and see some teams on film, I couldn’t give a prediction where the strength is going to be.”

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

year, racking up 17 interceptions and 13 fumbles, but lose eight starters. Senior Aug. 17 at Delavan-Darien linebacker Austin Soehle is Aug. 24 WISCONSIN DELLS the top returnee after earnAug. 31 SAINT VIATOR (Ill.) ing second team All-Conference honors last year. Sept. 7 at Westfield Sept. 14 WAT. LUTHER PREP Juniors Jack Hansen and Ben Simplot are expected Sept. 21 at Poynette to contribute in the lineSept. 28 at Columbus backing corps as well, while sophomores Riley Faust Oct. 5 LAKE MILLS and Quinn Faust could play Oct. 12 LAKESIDE significant minutes in the LUTHERAN defensive backfield. Home games in BOLD CAPS

2018 Schedule

Games are at 7 p.m.

Bottom line: With nearly its whole starting group to replace from last season, expectations for the Blue Devils are up in the air. A talented junior class will Coach: be thrust into early playing Dave Puls, time and whether or not 15th the inexperienced group season catches on will determine (124-36) the team’s success. If the On offense: Lodi torched Blue Devils are able to come opponents last season, avout of its non-conference eraging just under 38 points slate at 3-1 or better, they per game and was held to could be in store for a run under 20 points just twice. at another Capitol North Quick starts were critical crown. for the Blue Devils as they outscored opponents 327-71 in the first half last season, but that may be in jeopardy Since head coach Dave Puls with major losses. Seniors took over the Blue Devils Owen Jelinek and Riley program in 2004 they have Faust will be relied on at never missed the playoffs. wide receiver and junior Lodi has made the postZach Potter at quarterback season 14 straight years, to help get the Blue Devils appearing in two state title going through the air. games, including capturing On defense: Lodi was +23 its first-ever title in Division in the turnover column last 4 last season.

Blue Devils at a glance

Did you know?

Lodi junior Zach Potter delivers a pass during a 7-on-7 drill during the team’s practice on Aug. 2. Potter will be in contention for the Blue Devils starting quarterback position.

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

POYNETTE

Pumas clawing for playoff trip Vital returnees on both sides have Poynette sniffing postseason SEAN DAVIS sdavis@wiscnews.com‌

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‌A strong start turned into a disappointing finish for the Poynette football team last year. After opening the 2017 campaign 2-1, the Pumas weren’t very ferocious down the stretch. Poynette dropped its final six games of the regular season and missed the playoffs for a third consecutive year. Despite key losses to graduation, the Pumas are itching to get back into the postseason. “While we lose most of our skilled position guys, we return a lot of guys with athleticism that have seen some playing time,” Pumas coach Greg Kallungi said, entering his fourth year at the helm. “The guys are working hard, they’re excited to get going and we’re excited about the returning group.” After a season-opening loss to Palmyra-Eagle, the Pumas steamrolled Adams-Friendship and Southwestern on the road before the wheels started to come off. While some of those struggles fall on a defensive unit that allowed just under 30 points per game, the Pumas averaged just 19.3 points per game and never surpassed the 20-point threshold over the final six weeks of the season. Poor starts contributed to those struggles as the Pumas were outscored 93-27 in the first quarter. Kallungi said that those sluggish starts can’t happen if his team wants to succeed.

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 WATERLOO Aug. 24 ADAMS FRIENDSHIP Aug. 31 at Nekoosa Sept. 7 MARSHALL Sept. 14 at Lake Mills Sept. 21 LODI Sept. 28 at Wat. Luther Prep Oct. 5 at Lakeside Lutheran Oct. 12 COLUMBUS Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Pumas at a glance Coach: Greg Kallungi, fourth season (11-16)

SEAN DAVIS PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Poynette junior Brayden O’Connor races up field after catching a pass during an offensive drill at the team’s practice on Aug. 3. O’Connor will be a key player in the Pumas backfield. year,” he said.

Strong in trenches‌

Getting out to a strong start may be difficult for Poynette as it will have a number of changes on the offensive side of the ball. The Pumas lost their leading passer, rusher and receiver from last year’s team. One area where the Pumas do bring back some players is on the offensive line, where they return four of their five starters from a Poynette senior Kevin Gorman makes a pass during an year ago. offensive drill at the team’s practice on Aug. 3. Gorman is The Pumas aren’t very contending for the Pumas’ quarterback position, but will also big, but do feature a pair play wide receiver this season. of big bookend tackles in “If you get down early, on yourself, so being able senior Tommy Brink and that negative mindset can to start fast and score first seep in where you get down will be important for us this Please see POYNETTE, Page 34

On offense: The Pumas were rarely on the prowl last season, scoring over 20 points just twice. While the Poynette return four of their five starters from last year’s team, the Pumas must replace their skill position players after losing their leading rusher, passer and receiver. The main candidates to take over at quarterback are senior Kevin Gorman and Jackson Elsing. Juniors Jake Buss and Colby Savich will be key pieces in the receiving game. On defense: Poynette allowed just under 30 points per game last

season, but held four opponents to 21 points or fewer. The Pumas return four all-conference picks from that group, notably junior defensive tackle Skyler See. At linebacker, junior John Bergeman and senior Mason Kilen add depth, while the last line of defense will have a number of moving pieces. Senior Levi Walz and junior Christian Bault will be play a role in the defensive backfield. Bottom line: After three consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, Pumas coach Greg Kallungi said his team is hungry to get back to the postseason. Poynette’s conference slate is difficult again, with road games at Lakeside Lutheran and Lake Mills, but the Pumas can build some momentum heading into league play. Poynette plays non-conference games against sub-.500 teams from last year, and wins in those games can give the inexperienced Pumas some needed confidence.

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34 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Poynette From Page 33

junior Billy DuFresne. Brink sits at 6-foot-1, 318 pounds, while the younger DuFresne tips the scales at 380 and stands at 6-2. On the interior, seniors Skyler See and Christian Barnharst return at guard. See (6-2, 210) started throughout all last season, but Poynette lost Barnharst (6-3, 212) to a broken foot just before the Capitol North portion of the schedule. The lone position in limbo is center, where seniors Justin Taylor (6-1, 170) and Mason Kelly (5-8, 262) have been splitting time. Kallungi said that he feels good about both players, regardless of who becomes the starter. “We like our combination of size and quickness, and just experience as well,” Kallungi said. “There’s no better teacher than experience, so having those guys with a year of experience under their belts, it’s going to help a ton.” Leading the running attack behind the Pumas’ offensive line will be senior Sawyer Moll and junior Brayden O’Connor. Moll (5-7, 157) and O’Connor (5-8, 145) each had limited carries last year, rushing for a combined 51 yards, but Kallungi is enthused by both players. O’Connor earned honorable mention All-Capitol North Conference honors last year as

Poynette seniors Tommy Brink (left) and Skyler See pass block during an offensive drill at the team’s practice on Aug. 3. Brink and See are two of four returning offensive linemen.

Buckling down on D‌

SEAN DAVIS PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Poynette junior Jackson Elsing fires a pass during an offensive drill in the team’s practice on Aug. 3. Elsing is competing for the Pumas’ starting quarterback position. a return specialist, and he and Moll both feature great speed. “We lost our leading rusher, but we have two

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guys that we’re really excited to see back there,” Kallungi said. Poynette will also have to make a change under center after losing two-year starter Taylor Elsing to graduation after he threw for 855 yards and four scores last year. Looking to fill his shoes is the duo of senior Kevin Gorman and junior Jackson Elsing. Kallungi said both players could see time calling signals, and when Jackson Elsing (5-11, 147) is under center, Gorman (6-1, 150) can be an asset at wide receiver.

Similar to the offense, the Pumas return a strong core on their defensive line, including a quartet of All-Capitol North picks. While he missed the conference chunk of Poynette’s schedule last year, Barnharst garnered first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore. In four games last season, Barnharst registered 12 tackles, including a pair of tackles for loss and a sack. Along with Barnharst, See was a second-team defensive tackle and junior Colby Savich (6-3, 195) was a second-team defensive end. See racked up 59 total tackles, goof for second on the team, including five tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Savich tallied a teamhigh 6.5 sacks to go along with 33 total tackles, including six for loss. Rounding out the foursome is Caleb Reddeman, who earned honorable mention status at inside linebacker. Reddeman, a 5-11, 180-pound senior, registered 53 total tackles as a junior, including four for

loss, but won’t be with the Pumas to start the season. According to Kallungi, Reddeman enlisted in the Army and is currently away at boot camp and will likely miss the first two non-conference games. Along with Reddeman, the Pumas will turn to juniors Jake Buss (6-2, 180) and Austin Gray (5-11, 166) to hold down the linebacking corps. O’Connor will be one of the team’s key defensive backs, along with Moll and Elsing. With four all-conference players back, Kallungi is hopeful his team can clamp down on opposing offenses. In order to do so, Kallungi said it’s vital that the Pumas stay on the attack. “We have to get after the quarterback and we have to be able to stop the run,” he said. “We don’t expect to see a huge drop off in the opponents we play and their talent, but we have to get after the quarterback, stop the run and stay healthy.” One of the biggest challenges facing Kallungi and the Pumas is depth. Kallungi said that he and his coaching staff have a large group

of players they are looking at playing two ways, “even more so than we would ideally like to have.” Because of that lack of depth, health is imperative for the Pumas if they are going to have any shot at making the WIAA playoffs for the first time in four years. It won’t be easy however, as another difficult Capitol North Conference awaits. Lakeside Lutheran returns a large group of essential players from last year’s playoff team, while defending Division 4 state champion Lodi and state quarterfinalist Lake Mills lose key pieces, but return skilled players. Kallungi knows there won’t be an easy game, especially with only five conference contests, and if the Pumas are to contend for a playoff spot, they must first focus inward. “We want to get back to the playoffs and we’re committed early in the season to get better every single day,” he said. “We think by doing that, it’s going to put us in a position to improve as a team and have more success 00 on Friday nights.” 1

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

WAUPUN

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 at Kiel Aug. 24 NEW HOLSTEIN Aug. 31 KETTLE MORAINE LUTHERAN Sept. 7 at Berlin Sept. 14 RIPON Sept. 21 at Winneconne Sept. 28 CAMPBELLSPORT Oct. 5

at Kewaskum Oct. 12 PLYMOUTH Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Warriors at a glance Coach: Ethan Kintzler, second year (2-7)

DAN LARSON, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Waupun quarterback Blake Dobbratz will look to step in and replace Reece Homan, who was second-team All-East Central Conference last season but will be out for all of this year due to a season-ending shoulder injury he suffered over the summer.

Warriors in uncharted waters New DC, 11th-hour quarterback change present challenges; pistol remains DAN LARSON dlarson@wiscnews.com‌

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‌ome of it has been S planned for a while now, some of it not. Either way, the 2018 version of the Waupun prep football team will look decidedly different than what the Warriors thought they were in store for when 2017 ended. The biggest change is at quarterback, where 5-foot10, 160-pound senior Blake Dobbratz will take the reins in short order after 6-4, 190-pound senior Reece Homan — a second team all-East Central Conference pick last year — was

recently sidelined with a season-ending shoulder injury. But the Warriors’ defense has also ditched the 5-2 scheme and will instead be employing a traditional 4-3 look under new coordinator Jeff Candler, who makes the move up from having been the JV coach the last three years. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is that Waupun will stick with the pistol offense. And stability in that regard, coupled with good leadership in the locker room, is what head coach Ethan Kintzler is banking on in the hopes of improving upon last year’s 2-7 campaign and competing for the program’s first playoff berth since 2007. “There are a lot of really good attitudes in those upper classes. And just being

another year into (the offense) helps, and everybody is positive and excited about it themselves,” the second-year head coach said. “At the end of the day, we’re just going to take it one game at a time. And

at the end of the year, we’ll worry about what situation we’re in.” The task facing Dobbratz is a tall one — he needs to pick up the nuances of the Please see WARRIORS, Page 36

On offense: It’s year two in the pistol and the Warriors are hoping that means greater understanding of the scheme and thus more success. But in order for that to be the case, QB Blake Dobbratz — called into duty a couple weeks ago when Reece Homan went down with a season-ending shoulder injury — is going to need to master the learning curve in a hurry and RB Christian Acosta is going to have to be a viable play-

making complement to WR Benet Veleke, a Ty Montgomery clone who will touch the ball in a variety of ways and could go for 1,000 yards from scrimmage. On defense: Kintzler said it best about a unit littered with question marks: “We lose a lot of starters ... but have plenty of talent that can step up.” New D-coordinator Jeff Candler, he of NCAA Division I and DII playing experience, brings a lot of energy and could have the magic touch. Bottom line: The hill to climb is steep, but the Warriors are embracing the challenge and in the words of Dobbratz are looking to author an “underdog story.”

Did you know? former Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers head coach Jerry Glanville, who played middle linebacker at Northern Michigan University and graduated in 1964, is credited with inventing the pistol offense in which the QB lines up three yards behind the center and the RB four yards behind the QB. Glanville was head coach in Houston from 1985-89 and Atlanta from 1990-93 and first employed the pistol in 1990.

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36 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

Warriors From Page 35

quarterback position fast after never playing there before. With so little experience behind center, then, why Dobbratz? The answer is simple. “He kind of piped up and asked for a shot, to be completely honest with you,” Kintzler said. For his part, Dobbratz is going about things with a business-like mentality. “First off, Reece is a great athlete and it’s not going to be the same without him on the field. He’s a great teammate and a great friend,” Dobbratz said. “But more importantly, it’s the nextman-up mentality — things happen and you’ve just got to go out and execute. The other option to replace Homan was Carson Bresser, but Kintzler said he’d rather let the 5-11, 135-pound sophomore mature physically and progress at a more natural pace before turning the offense over to him.

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

And with Dobbratz, Kintzler said the Warriors gain the option of having the quarterback run the ball thanks to his “speed and toughness” as a former wide receiver. Despite losing Homan’s big right arm, though, the Warriors don’t plan on going away from the pass too much. So a balanced offense could be in order for Waupun this fall. “All of our short stuff should be there,” Kintzler said. “So I don’t think we’ll pass less. We just might not pass as deep.”

More firepower‌

Complementing Dobbratz as a go-to weapon in the pistol will be 5-9, 160-pound Benet Veleke, a senior “with a ton of speed and strength” and a “motor that won’t quit,” Kintzler said. Veleke saw limited carries last year due to workhorse Caleb Sauer being ahead of him on the depth chart. But with Sauer having gradDAN LARSON PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌ uated, Veleke’s workload Waupun’s Jalen Peters takes part in an offensive linemen drill during the Warriors’ first should increase a ton from practice of the season Aug. 1 the 10 carries for 34 yards he posted in 2017. is the fact that Kintzler and give us look-wise to what His natural position is the offensive coaches have we want to do, and we can wide receiver, though, and a full year of tape on how do a little bit better job of coming off a year where he defenses in the East Cen- game-planning. It will rehad 25 catches for 457 yards tral Conference schemed ally open us up in (terms of) and six touchdowns, 1,000 against his Warriors’ pistol how we want to get the ball • Injury Prevention yards from scrimmage could attack. in Benet’s hands,” Kintzler • Improve Athletic Performance, “So we have a better idea said. be in the offing. And aiding in that quest of what a defense is going to Also in the mix for carries Balance and Coordination will be 5-11, 165-pound senior Christian Acosta, who Helps coaches and athletes maintain optimum Kintzler said is “fast, strong musculoskeletal integrity. Complete orthopedic/ Wishing the Area Football Teams and should fit into our pistol neurological assessment and x-rays if necessary. One spread offense nicely. a Successful 2018 Season! weekly visit in season to Waupun Chiropractic Center for an “He could have easily been our starting running Athletic Fee of $200 back last year but backed up two very talented senior running backs (Sauer and Call (920) 324-9899 Gage Jehnsen).” for more information. Another option out of the www.waupunchiro.com 210 E. Main St., Waupun • 324-5551 backfield will be 6-foot, 112 S. Woodward St., Brandon • 346-5551 407 Main St., Fairwater • 346-2616 200-pound senior Sam Re100 Lafayette St., Rosendale • 872-2141 spalje, who figures to play a bigger role as a linebacker Toll Free: 1-866-324-5551 Member on the defensive side of the 160 Gateway Dr. (Next to Homan Auto) www.nbwbank.com FDIC ball. Hours: Mon., 10am-7pm; Tues.,Thurs., 8am-7pm; Wed., 8am-5pm; Fri. 8am-4pm; Sat. Closed “Sam had some quality

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Jeffery Candler, the son of Waupun assistant coach Jeff Candler, collects cones after speed and agility testing at the start of the Warriors’ first practice of the season Aug. 1. varsity snaps last year, but we haven’t seen the best from Sam yet,” Kintzler said. “He plays tough and aggressive football and he has also taken the weight room seriously and has gone from weighing 180 in his junior year to 200 coming into (this) year.” And other options for Dobbratz to throw to include 6-3, 195-pound senior Connor Kamphuis — he “probably has the best hands on the team,” Kintzler said — as well as speedy seniors Vinny Wittlieff and Garrett Sullivan. Up front, 6-5, 260-pound senior Zach Trauernicht is the only returning starter on the offensive line and Kintzler said he’ll be “counted on to be the anchor.”

Scheme swap‌

Candler as coordinator isn’t all that’s new on defense for Waupun this year — most all of the starters will be as well. Candler is from Texas and played NCAA Division II football at Southern Arkansas before transferring to Division I Troy University Please see WARRIORS, Page 37

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WAUPUN

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Warriors

trust that we have (in each other) and the energy that we have,” he said. “Every day, we come to practice with energy, screaming. And in practice, we work our butts off.” Still, they know any steps forward they take for the program this season probably come easy — and they’re prepared for that. “The big thing I’ve been preaching this year is attitude and effort; those are the two things you can control,” Kintzler said. “Not everything is going to go your way; it’s how you handle it. If we lose a game, it’s how you learn from it — it’s how you get back up from it. So if it comes out to where we’re Waupun running back Christian Acosta (front) takes part in a 0-3, it’s how are we going to running backs drill on Aug. 1 during the first day of practice. handle that. Add it all up and the War- ready to ball out — and we’re “We can either sink our riors hope they have the definitely excited about this shoulders in and say, ‘All right mix of players to give year.” right, this is what we always Veleke agreed. the program a needed shot do,’ or we can bow our necks of adrenaline after posting “I think it’s because the a little bit and toughen up.” a combined record of 2070 since that last postseason berth in 2007—with the best single-season record in that stretch being 3-6 on three separate occasions. “Who doesn’t like a good DAN LARSON PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌ underdog story?” DobWaupun’s Benet Veleke runs the 40-yard dash during speed bratz said when asked why and agility testing at the start of the Warriors’ first practice he thought this year could of the season Aug. 1. be better. “Our players, his skills and get used to the standing at 6-2, he becomes throughout all grades, we game,” Kintzler said. “Pe- problem for the O-line and have a different mentality. ters is quick and agile and makes them adjust to him.” We’re ready to play — we’re

From Page 36

in Alabama, and a big part of the reason for the switch from the 5-2 — where the two outside guys in the five-man front are more like linebackers than linemen — to the 4-3 is it’s the scheme he knows best. Additionally, Kintzler said, “personnel-wise, it fits us a little bit better this year. “Last year, our outside linebackers, we had that physical, fast body as a linebacker that could stretch the field at that outside spot. We don’t necessarily have that (this year)—we have a lot more of the traditional, just thump-it, bring-it-toyou linebackers.” Respalje will be one of those thumpers, while Veleke, Dobbratz, Wittlieff and Sullivan should all see plenty of time in the defensive backfield with Trauernicht holding down one of the spots in the trenches. But also keep an eye on defensive lineman Jalen Peters, a 6-2, 200-pound senior who Kintzler said had an “immediate impact” once he got an opportunity on varsity last year. “Being his first year in football, he played mostly JV as a junior to fine-tune

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MAYVILLE

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2018 Schedule Aug. 17 CAMPBELLSPORT Aug. 24 at Horicon/Hustisford Aug. 31 LOMIRA Sept. 7 at Omro Sept. 14 at Laconia Sept. 21 at Neenah Saint Mary Catholic Sept. 28 WINNEBAGO LUTHERAN Oct. 5 at Fond du Lac Saint Mary’s Springs Oct. 12 OCONTO Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Cardinals at a glance Coach: Tom Noennig, seventh season (35-28) On offense: Wesley Weiglein returns for his fourth season as the starting quarterback. He’s vastly improved from his freshman season and will have a lot of help. He will have running back Alex Nadolski, who backed up Jacob Schellpfeffer the last three seasons and will have receiv-

ing threat Jackson Mittelstadt to throw to along with Luke Fehring and McLaine Ebner. And Matt Schellinger will make the move from center to left tackle to replace Dylan Luehring. On defense: Schellinger will be a two-way starter on the line. They will also have Parker Franke — another two-way starter as he starts at offensive guard — teaming with Nadolski at inside linebacker. Joseph Adamson will be starting at right tackle on offense and will be a force at defensive end on defense. Bottom line: Noennig has done a good job of keeping the Cardinals on the right path since returning as head coach in 2016.

Did you know? Mayville has had three Hall of Fame football coaches. The home field is named after Ray Dunn, who went 108-45-8 from 1926-1949. Jack Omer (1965-84; 124-53-3) has the youth football field named after him. Alex Hilber (19852001; 161-30) was inducted in the National High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Cardinals expect continued growth Close call with state champ in playoffs last year built confidence MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com‌

‌Head coach Tom Noennig wants his Mayville prep football team to build on its success from last season, when the Cardinals went 5-5 overall and took eventual Division 4 state champion Lodi into overtime in the opening round of the WIAA playoffs. Noennig said the way the Cardinals performed against the Blue Devils gave the team momentum heading into the offseason, but now he’s excited about this year’s senior class, which is chock full of players with multiple years of varsity experience. “They’re really taken ownership of the team,” Noennig said. “They have

MARK MCMULLEN, CAP. NEWSPAPERS‌

Mayville’s Jalen Wendorff tackles a dummy during a linebackers drill at practice. all their rules in place and they’re fulfilling their roles of being seniors and leaders on this team. They’re following through with everything and they’ve been outstanding.” Over the summer, Noennig said the coaching staff talked to the senior class of Wesley Weiglein, Matt Schellinger, Parker Franke, Joe Klein, Joey Ognenoff, Alex Nadolski, Craig Luebke and McLaine

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Ebner about keeping the team accountable. Among the traits the seniors are hammering home is punctuality. Each senior leads a group during warmups, and if any group member is late, the entire group has to run a 100-yard sprint for every minute it must wait for the tardy player. “When you’re on the football field and you’re disciplined, you stay true to your rules,” Schellinger said. “Like outside linebackers, you know your roles and you stay disciplined to them. If everybody follows their roles, they will be successful on the football field.” Noennig and Schellinger have both seen a change in tardiness early on. Many players were late on the first day of practice, forcing the individual groups to run multiple sprints the length of the field. It soon started to trickle into the players’ minds that this year’s senior class means business. On the first Friday night practice, Noennig said practice ran late, but come Saturday morning when practice started at 8 a.m., everyone was on time. “It’s like when one person on the football field makes a mistake, it affects all of us,” Noennig said. “They realize that if one kid misses weightlifting, then it affects all of us. I think it all carries over and they’re holding each other accountable.” Noennig has slowly been working to change the culture at Mayville since returning as head coach after a stint at Hartford’s head coach from 2009-’15. The Cardinals went 2-7 in his first year back, then added three more wins a season ago. “I hate talking about the old days, but I was on the back end of the whole Alex Hilber regime,” Noennig said, referring to the May-

ville coach from 1985-2001. “It was holy cow, the expectations when I got here were a Level Three was a regular-season game here. Lifting weights was non-negotiable; everybody did it. When I came back, they had some really nice players that came through here, but for whatever reason, the lack of continuity from coaches to coaches (hindered the success). All of a sudden, the culture changed at this school. “I think kids still worked hard, but they didn’t get it. When I got back, my number one goal was to get them to start believing they could compete. We competed, but we just didn’t finish. Last year, it started out slow and then we got things going a little bit.” Weiglein will be a fouryear starter at quarterback and has drastically improved heading into his senior season. Nadolski will replace stud running back Jacob Schellpfeffer in the backfield, while Jackson Mittelstadt returns at receiver. On defense, Nadolski and Franke will lead the way at linebacker, where they combined for 11 tackles for loss a season ago. Those guys — including Mittelstadt, Luebke, Schellinger and many others on offense and defense — will be counted on to help the younger and inexperienced players grow. “Guys that have experienced it before know what to expect in Week 1,” Noennig said. “Some of the green guys I got, the ones that just came out their senior year, the scrimmage is going to be really important for them because we’re going to try to get their feet wet as fast as possible so they can hit the ground running. They’re 00 some very athletic kids.” 1

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

WONEWOC-CENTER/WESTON

Silverwolves hope change in system jump-starts co-op BROCK FRITZ bfritz@wiscnews.com‌

00 1

There’s been a lot of ‌ change at Wonewoc-Center/Weston football practices the last few weeks. New head coach. New offense. New defense. After 10-plus years away, former Wonewoc-Center head coach John Benish returns this fall, replacing Tom Hoile. Benish brings with him a flex-bone offense and a 5-3 defense. It’s a transition that would take some time for any team, especially one that has just two seniors in lineman Dylan Degner and fullback Tanner Sandifer. “It’s kind of inconsistent, but it’s kind of something you expect,” Benish said on Aug. 8 of how the first week of practice had gone. “We only have two seniors on the team and we’re installing a whole new offense and all new defense. It seems like any time we have a break in the action, we come back and forget everything. But then the next day we have a great practice.” Benish spent more than 30 years as Wonewoc-Center’s head football coach, while also serving as the boys basketball coach and athletic director. After retiring in 2007, he took a year off before heading to Reedsburg, where he served as a varsity assistant and the head coach of the freshman team. “When I got out of football, the first year I didn’t go over there and I missed football, because I love football,” Benish said. Despite somewhat low participation numbers with about 28 players on the Silverwolves’ roster, Benish believes he has guys on his

ERICA DYNES, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS

Wonewoc-Center/Weston’s Brad West is tackled during the Silverwolves’ 2017 season opener, a 38-0 loss at Royall. team that also love football. “It’s not just here, it’s all over, but I just see less kids going out for football,” Benish said of what has changed since he was last a head varsity coach, noting that almost every one of the Wonewoc-Center/ Weston athletes will have to be a two-way player. “But the kids we’ve got are very committed. We had a good summer of lifting both at Wonewoc and Weston. … We’ve got a good group of kids. The kids we have are dedicated.” Benish is trying to get the players’ confidence back up after the Silverwolves went 2-16 through the first two seasons of the co-op. Wonewoc-Center/Weston scored just 11.1 points per game and gave up 34.2 points per game last season. “I’ve got to get these kids in a positive frame of mind,” Benish said. “They had their daubers down after going 1-8 the last two seasons, but I think we’re starting to pick it back up.” The Silverwolves’ goal this year is to go at least .500 in Scenic Bluffs Conference play, the mark that is needed

to qualify for the WIAA playoffs. Wonewoc-Center/Weston tied for fifth in the conference last season, finishing 1-5 in Scenic Bluffs action. Wauzeka-Steuben/ Seneca went unbeaten at 6-0 to win the conference last season and should be the favorites again, along with Ithaca and De Soto. “We hope to beat the teams below us and maybe pick off one of those other guys,” Benish said. The Silverwolves will be tested right away with an Aug. 17 home game against Royall. The Panthers have made the Division 7 playoffs in back-to-back seasons and handed Wonewoc-Center/ Weston a 38-0 road loss in the 2017 season opener. “We’re going to hopefully see the fruits of our practice come alive in that first game,” Benish said. “We don’t really know what we’re going to see until we get out there. That will be a measuring stick for us.” The true test will be on the defensive side of the ball. The assistant coaches who were part of the program have told Benish that that’s where many of the is-

sues came from last season. “They said last year, the biggest problem they had is they were poor tacklers,” Benish said. “Every day in practice, we’re getting into form tackling and really focusing on that.” On the other side of the ball, the flex-bone offense will be run by quarterback Mike Severson. The 5-foot10 sophomore had 152 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards and two touchdowns last season, but will be taking over at quarterback after the graduation of Quintin Peasel. Wonewoc-Center/Weston’s leading passer, rusher, tackler, punter and kicker last season, Peasel will leave major holes to fill. Severson should be able to lighten some of that loss on the offensive end. “By the time he graduates, he’ll be one of the best quarterbacks in the area,” Benish said of Severson. “He picks things up quickly, runs well, throws the ball well and he’s got good size.” Lining up behind Severson will be Sandifer, along with junior slot backs Hunter Helt, Jake Wagner and Brad West. The backs should have a sturdy group blocking for them, led by the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Degner, who will be joined on the offensive line by Riley Astle (61, 190), Cole Gruber (6-1, 200), Hayden VanCoulter (5-10, 200) and Austin Young (6-0, 175). “They have decent size, decent strength and they work well together,” Benish said, noting that the offensive line should be one of their strengths. “They’re kind of the key to our team. If they don’t block, we’re not going anywhere.”

Thursday, August 16, 2018 | 39

On defense: Benish has come in looking to tighten up a Wonewoc-Center/Weston Aug. 17 ROYALL defense that allowed 34.2 Aug. 24 at New Lisbon points per game last season. Aug. 31 at Kickapoo/La Farge The Silverwolves lost Peasel, their leading tackler from last Sept. 7 WESTON season, but have a good start Sept. 14 RIVERDALE up front with junior Jake WagSept. 21 at Wauzeka-Steuben/ ner, who had 51 tackles and Seneca one interception last year. The Sept. 28 at Belmont Silverwolves gave up at least 20 points in each game last Oct. 5 at De Soto, 6 p.m. season and will need to clean Oct. 12 NORTH CRAWFORD up their tackling fundamentals Home games in BOLD CAPS in order to limit opponents Games at 7 p.m. unless noted this fall. With about 28 players on the roster and most players playing both ways, the Silverwolves will have to sustain offensive success to limit fatigue on the defensive end. Coach: John Benish, 30Bottom line: Wonewoc-Cenplus seasons ter/Weston is looking to move overall, first up the Scenic Bluffs Conferseason back ence standings after going 1-8 in each of the two seasons On offense: Sophomore since the co-op started. The quarterback Mike Severson end goal for the Silverwolves takes over the signal-calling is to go at least 3-3 in conferduties from Quintin Peasel ence play and qualify for the in Wonewoc-Center/Weston’s new flex-bone offense. A crop WIAA postseason. To do so, a young roster that consists of of backs, including Tanner just two seniors will need to Sandifer, Hunter Helt, Jake adapt quickly to a new system. Wagner and Brad West, will offer playmaking options as the Silverwolves hope to jumpstart an offense that scored 2018 is the third season that just 11.1 points per game last Wonewoc-Center and Weston year. Wonewoc/Center-Weston have been a part of a football finished the 2017 season with co-op. The teams have gone 1,333 rushing yards and 322 just 2-16 since the co-op formed passing yards. Dylan Degner, and are looking to break a 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior, through for a postseason apwill lead a strong offensive line pearance. Wonewoc-Center has that also includes Riley Astle, never participated in the WIAA Cole Gruber, Hayden Vanplayoffs, while Weston is 3-15 in Coulter and Austin Young. 15 postseason appearances.

2018 Schedule

Silverwolves at a glance

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NECEDAH

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Cardinals prepared for transition year Necedah looks to future with new coach ZACH RASTALL zrastall@wiscnews.com‌

I‌n many ways, the 2018 season will be a transition year for the Necedah football team. Last fall, faced with low turnout among upperclassmen, school administrators made the decision to not field a varsity football team this year. According to Necedah athletic director Cora Dillin, school officials and the athletic training staff were concerned a varsity team with a roster heavy on underclassmen could pose player safety risks. “Last year, we gradu-

ated 10 seniors. I think we had one or two juniors on the team, seven or eight sophomores and five or six freshmen,” Dillin said. “We haven’t had a JV team in a few years due to the lower numbers, and injuries kind of play into that. So after talking with our athletic trainer, she had some concerns with the number of injuries we had last year.” Not only will the Cardinals be venturing into a season without a varsity squad, they’ll do so under the tutelage of a new head coach. Jim Beaver stepped down as Necedah’s head football coach last spring after four seasons at the helm, during which he compiled a 14-24 record, including a playoff appearance in 2014. Succeeding Beaver in the role is

Chris Rice, who comes to Necedah after serving as the girls basketball coach at Menominee Indian High Rice School in Keshena for the last seven years, and as the offensive coordinator for the Wittenberg-Birnamwood football team for the past four years. Coaching is in Rice’s blood. He is the son of longtime former Ithaca head football coach Dan Rice, who was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007. His uncle Bill Rice is also a WFCA Hall of Famer. Now, Chris gets a chance to take the reins of his own

program. Rice is tasked with essentially building Necedah football back from the ground up. The Cardinals currently have a roster of 18 players, featuring many underclassmen. However, Rice knew the situation when he accepted the position and is eager to get the opportunity to work with his young team to build toward the future. “I understood that their numbers were a little low and that they were trying to rebuild,” Rice said. “My dad’s a Hall of Fame coach, so (coaching) is something I’ve always been around. I just enjoy the aspect of seeing the kids get better day in and day out, and just seeing the little improvements that there are.” Luckily for Rice, there

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2018 Schedule (JV) Aug. 27 WONEWOC-CENTER/ WESTON Sept. 4 ADAMS-FRIENDSHIP Sept. 10 at Hillsboro Sept. 17 at Royall Sept. 24 BANGOR, 6 p.m. Oct. 1 at New Lisbon Oct. 4 at Reedsburg, 7 p.m. Home games in BOLD CAPS Games at 5 p.m. unless noted

Cardinals at a glance Coach: Chris Rice, first season On offense: With first-team all-conference quarterback Miles Saylor gone, Necedah will need increased contributions from junior Jaron Murphy. Kaleb Rhodes could see an increased workload out of the backfield. On defense: In addition to Murphy, Lane Meltesen and Robert Swenson are among the returning contributors. Last year’s leading tackler Marcus Sterbenz is gone, but players such as sophomore linebacker Jacob Waltemath will look to fill the void left by the departed seniors. Bottom line: Wins and losses are a bit of an afterthought for the Cardinals this year. After canceling its varsity season and hiring a new head coach, this young Necedah team will be focused on getting valuable experience for its new players and building toward the future.

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are several returning contributors from last year’s team who will help ease the transition, including sophomore Robert Swenson and junior Lane Meltesen. However, the biggest returning piece from last season is junior Jaron Murphy. Murphy played on the varsity squad in each of his first two years of high school, earning an All-Scenic Bluffs Conference honorable mention as a freshman and a first-team selection as a utility player during his sophomore season. Murphy will now take on a larger role, both on the field as a player and off the field as a leader, helping the team grow as it builds toward the future. “We let everyone know this is going to be a oneyear deal,” Dillin said. “Bottom line is we’re doing this for one year to start rebuilding, working on the skill development and technique and getting that number of kids ready for a varsity level.”

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NEW LISBON

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Hungry Rockets eye postseason return New Lisbon narrowly missed playoffs in 2017 ZACH RASTALL zrastall@wiscnews.com‌

‌ ast year, the New LisL bon prep football team fell agonizingly short of yet another WIAA postseason berth. The Rockets started the season 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Scenic Bluffs Conference play, leaving them with two league games left on their schedule. They needed just one more win to secure a second straight playoff berth and fifth in six years. An 18-12 road loss to Royall set up a decisive matchup against Hillsboro in New Lisbon’s regular-season finale, sending the winner to the postseason and the loser home for the winter. The Rockets led by as many as 12 points and never trailed until the fourth quarter, when the Tigers built an eight-point lead, only for New Lisbon to rally with a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie it at 26. But Hillsboro kicker Sigurd Lilmose drilled a game-winning field goal as time expired to send the Tigers to the playoffs and deliver the Rockets a heartbreaking defeat. New Lisbon enters 2018 looking to turn the page

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ERICA DYNES, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

New Lisbon junior quarterback Gunnar Pedersen threw for 738 yards and eight touchdowns while also rushing for 677 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. and learn from last season’s disappointment as it seeks a return trip to the postseason. “Learn from your mistakes. We missed a block here or there or didn’t catch a pass here or there,” said New Lisbon head coach Brad Bever. “Hopefully we can learn from those things and hopefully this year we’ll come out on the top instead of on the bottom of those close games.” To achieve that goal, the Rockets will need to find a way to overcome the departure of running back Zach Loew, who graduated this past spring. Loew, the 2016 Scenic Bluffs Player of the Year and a two-time

first-team all-conference selection, rushed for 2,694 yards and 33 touchdowns while averaging 9.6 yards per carry during his New Lisbon career. Replacing Loew’s production won’t be easy, but the Rockets bring back some firepower on offense that could help lessen the blow of his departure. Junior quarterback Gunnar Pedersen, senior running back Sam Rogers, senior wide receiver Cody Haschke and junior running back Jake Rogers all played roles on offense last season and will only see their importance increase this year. In 2017, Pedersen threw for 738 yards and eight

touchdowns while also rushing for 677 yards and 11 touchdowns. Sam Rogers rushed for 209 yards and a touchdown, Jake Rogers ran for 85 yards and three touchdowns and Haschke accrued 334 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The Rockets bring back four offensive linemen with varsity experience, but will have to plug an inexperienced player into the fifth spot. “We have four experienced linemen, but the other person that steps in probably has never played a down of (varsity) football,” Bever said. “It’s going to be important for that person to develop.” The New Lisbon defense will be anchored by returning starters Gavin Radek and Charles Smart. Last season, Radek made the all-conference first team as a defensive end, while Smart was a second-team pick as a defensive lineman. Perhaps the biggest concern for the Rockets heading into the season is depth. With turnout a bit lower than usual this year, most starters will be playing both offense and defense. “Depth is going to be an issue for us because of the numbers,” Bever said. “But we’re hoping to improve every game and get better. Every time we step onto the field, that’s one of our goals.”

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

2018 Schedule

ground. Leading receiver Cody Haschke returns as Aug. 17 KICKAPOO/LA FARGE well. In the backfield, brothAug. 24 WONEWOC/WESTON ers Sam and Jake Rogers will lead the way. Aug. 31 at Black Hawk Sept. 7 BANGOR Sept. 14 CASHTON Sept. 21 at Brookwood Sept. 28 at Rosholt Oct. 5 ROYALL Oct. 12 at Hillsboro Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Rockets at a glance Coach: Brad Bever, 27th season (146-97) On offense: New Lisbon will need to replace standout running back Zach Loew, but it does bring back a stable of experienced weapons. Quarterback Gunnar Pedersen scored a total of 19 touchdowns last year through the air and on the But if the Rockets can stay healthy, they might have the right pieces at enough skill positions to make the postseason once again. “We just need to stay healthy. That’s our No. 1 goal,” Bever said. “We have to stay healthy because we could go from being a very competitive team to, if we lose one or two players, struggle to move the ball or stop people.”

On defense: Senior defensive end Gavin Radek is back after making the All-Scenic Bluffs Conference first team in 2017. Senior defensive lineman Charles Smart, a second-team all-conference pick last year, is back as well. Bottom line: The Rockets have the pieces to remain competitive in the Scenic Bluffs Conference and make a run at their fifth playoff appearance in seven years. But with depth a major concern, a handful of injuries at key positions could derail their season.

Did you know? New Lisbon has made the playoffs 12 times in program history. All of those appearances have come under head coach Brad Bever.

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ROYALL

42 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Panthers want to keep roll going Royall eyeing third consecutive postseason trip

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Aug. 31 at Bangor

Sept. 21 HILLSBORO Sept. 28 CASHTON Oct. 5 at New Lisbon Oct. 12 BROOKWOOD Home games in BOLD CAPS Games at 7 p.m. unless noted

Panthers at a glance ZACH RASTALL PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Senior running back Adrian Reneau, who made the AllScenic Bluffs Conference second team last year, will shoulder a lot of the weight of the Royall offense. that will take care of themselves. We just really need to focus on each game and not look ahead.” The Panthers will need to make up from some key departures from last year’s squad, including all-conference players Seth Brown, Noah Friedl, Nolan Knudtson, Zach Trepes and Nick Murray. However, Brown, Friedl, Murray and a handful of other former players aren’t done contributing to the program quite yet, as they could be found helping out at practices this summer. “They just want to be

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‌ollowing more than a F decade of struggles, Royall has experienced a resurgence of sorts over the past couple years. Two seasons ago, the Panthers ended a 14-year WIAA postseason drought by finishing the regular season with a 6-3 record and a 4-2 mark in Scenic Bluffs Conference play. They didn’t stop there, defeating New Lisbon to notch the first playoff win in program history before bowing out in the second round. Royall followed that up with another playoff berth last year, where it fell to conference foe and eventual Division 7 state champion Bangor. The Panthers look to keep the ball rolling into 2018, though Royall head coach Ryan Olson wants to make sure his players don’t get too far ahead of themselves. “One of our big things is just to go 1-0 every week,” Olson said. “If we can accomplish that, the wins and playoff appearances and all

2018 Schedule

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around the program and give back,” Olson said. “They’ve been great for us to help out that way. They just want to give back to these guys who they see a lot of potential in.” There are important holes to fill on the roster, but the Panthers’ efforts will be bolstered by a bevy of returning talent. Senior running back Adrian Reneau rushed for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 7.7 yards per carry last year. His efforts were good enough to earn him a spot on the All-Scenic Bluffs second team. Reneau will shoulder an even larger workload this season, but he has the good fortune of

Keith Schnurr is poised to take over the starting role under center for the Panthers.

The Panthers have made the playoffs in two out of their four seasons under head coach Ryan Olson.

running behind an offensive line which features four returning starters. “We just have to keep the intensity going,” Reneau said. “We’ve been practicing hard. So if we play like we do in practice, I think we’ll be fine.” At quarterback, junior Keith Schnurr is poised to take over the starting role under center, replacing the graduated Josh Kolodzinski. Schnurr’s inexperience is a question mark for the Panthers, but he’ll have some seasoned weapons at his disposal. Senior wide receiver Dane Hyer caught 17 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns last season and figures to be a go-to target for Schnurr this year. “We’re definitely young, so we just need to improve

on (finding) playmakers,” Hyer said. Defensively, Royall returns a trio of second-team all-conference starters: senior defensive lineman Laredo Benson, senior defensive end Cameron Townsend and Hyer at defensive back. All in all, the Panthers are set up well to be one of the Scenic Bluffs Conference’s better teams and compete for another playoff appearance. At this point, it’s just a matter of putting all the pieces together. “I think we have the potential to do some really great things and make three straight playoff appearances,” Olson said. “But we’ve just got to keep working and focusing every week.”

Coach: Ryan Olson, fourth season (13-17) On offense: Running back Adrian Reneau and wide receiver Dane Hyer are two crucial players coming back for the Panthers this year. Reneau was a second-team all-conference pick in 2017 after rushing for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns. Royall will need to break in a new quarterback in Keith Schnurr, but also boasts an offensive line with four returning starters, including all-conference selection Ty Dragan. On defense: There are gaps to fill after the departures of key players such as Nolan Knudtson, Noah Friedl, Seth Brown and Nick Murray. However, the Panthers also return a trio of all-conference defensive players in defensive back Dane Hyer, defensive lineman Laredo Benson and defensive end Cameron Townsend. Bottom line: Between their experience at skill positions and solid depth across the board, a third straight playoff appearance is not out of the question.

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MAUSTON

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 TOMAH Aug. 24 at Laconia Aug. 31 at Lake Mills Sept. 7 NEW GLARUS/ MONTICELLO Sept. 14 at Wautoma Sept. 21 at Adams Friendship Sept. 28 WESTFIELD Oct. 5 at Nekoosa

Head coach Roland

Oct. 12 WISCONSIN DELLS Lehman has guided the Home games in BOLD CAPS Mauston Golden Eagles to Games are at 7 p.m. three consecutive playoff

Golden Eagles at a glance Coach: Roland Lehman, seventh season (22-35)

ZACH RASTALL PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Junior Cade Hall is in line to take over as Mauston’s starting quarterback this season.

Golden Eagles hope to take next step Mauston seeks first SCC title since 2000 ZACH RASTALL zrastall@wiscnews.com‌

‌The Mauston prep football team is currently in the midst of one of the most successful runs in program history, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a

little disappointment along the way. The Golden Eagles ended a decade-long postseason drought in 2015 and have made the playoffs in each of the last three years. If they qualify for the playoffs again this season, it would be just the second time they’ve ever made it to the postseason four straight years. However, there is still one accomplishment Mauston

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is chasing: capturing a conference title. The Golden Eagles have not a South Central Conference title since 2000, though they’ve come agonizingly close to ending the drought on a couple occasions in recent years. In 2015, Mauston entered the final game of the regular season against Wautoma with a shot to grab a share of the SCC championship.

In a shootout between the two teams, which included a combined 37 points in the fourth quarter, the Hornets emerged with a 56-42 win to clinch the outright conference crown. The Golden Eagles faced a similar circumstance last season, once again facing Wautoma with the SCC title on the line. With both Please see EAGLES, Page 44

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On offense: All-conference running back Tyler Jirousek returns to lead the way for the Mauston offense. Junior Cade Hall is set to become the starter under center, where he’ll get help from Ty Denton at receiver. Dom Meurett is back to anchor the offensive line. On defense: Though the Golden Eagles lose several key players on the defensive side, all-conference cornerback Kyran Fitzgerald leads the group of returning veterans. Linebackers Rayn Vang and Clayton Walsh are back as well.

appearances.

Bottom line: There are a lot of new pieces for Mauston to break in this year. However, the South Central Conference continues to be a tossup, providing a great opportunity for the Golden Eagles to contend for their fourth straight playoff berth and first conference title in nearly two decades.

Did you know? Though Mauston has made it to the postseason in each of the last three seasons, the Golden Eagles are still searching for their first playoff win since 2001, when they made it to the WIAA Division 3 quarterfinals for a second straight year.

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Eagles

there from skill positions. Though making such a change can be a difficult From Page 43 process for players, Lehman teams undefeated in con- praised the job Vang and ference play, the winner Walsh have done in practice. would clinch the outright “That’s sometimes a championship. The Hornets tough conversation to have, prevailed 28-22. moving a skill player to an “Looking at our confer- O-Line type of guy, but ence, I’ve said it the last few those guys have been really, years and it’s been pretty really good about it,” Lehtrue: It’s really a tossup,” man said. “I’ve really been Mauston head coach Ro- impressed with them and land Lehman said. “I don’t they’re very fast and very see a real dominant team strong.” Mauston also must break right now. You could probably look at Wautoma a lit- in a new starting quartertle bit because they were the back, with junior Cade Hall conference champions last set to get the call under cenyear, but it really goes week ter. to week in our conference. “He doesn’t have a You’ve really got to play whole lot of varsity experiwell.” ence, but so far in practice The Golden Eagles this he’s done some really nice year will feature a fair share things,” Lehman said. “I of players without much think a strength (he has) is varsity experience to speak his ability to remain, calm, of. There are gaps to fill, cool and collected in the and the coaching staff has pocket.” been forced to get a little In the receiving corps, ZACH RASTALL, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌ creative. Lehman believes senior Ty For instance, to plug a Denton is poised to have a Mauston defensive coordinator Ralph Kratochvil talks with Clayton Walsh, middle, and Rayn Vang during a recent practice. couple holes on the offen- big season. “Ty Denton is a kid that’s in the offseason,” Lehman while averaging 5.6 yards citing because now you get is even more imperative sive line, seniors Rayn Vang and Clayton Walsh moved really been working hard said. “That’s really shown per carry. to see some new faces and than usual. But with the here in the first few days of The Golden Eagles lose see what those kids can do,” South Central Conference practice. I think he could several key pieces from last Lehman said. “We’ll bring race looking fairly open, PROUDLY SERVING OUR CUSTOMERS SINCE 1965 have a breakout year for us.” year’s defense, including back a little bit of experi- perhaps this is the year the The Festival Difference Though there will be defensive back Cole Ko- ence. Overall, I think we’re Golden Eagles can finally • Service • Quality plenty of new players in bylski and inside linebacker probably going to be a little get that league title monkey starting roles on offense, Dakota Barnier. However, smaller than we were last off their backs. senior running back Tyler all-conference cornerback year, but maybe a little bit “Looking at long-term Jirousek will be a familiar Kyran Fitzgerald and line- quicker.” stuff, we really like to focus There will likely be some on game by game,” Lehman face lurking in the backfield backers Walsh and Vang return to help anchor the growing pains for Maus- said. “If we do that, and for Mauston. ton this year and Lehman just worry about getting Jirousek was named defense. The freshest in DJ’s Floral to the All-South Central “Defensively, we lost concedes that they don’t better every week, toward Groceries • Meat Phone Conference first team last quite a few kids from last have quite as much depth the end of the season we (608) 847-4779 • Produce • deli • Bakery year after rushing for 1,508 year, but it’s one of those as usual at most posi- can be right in the mix there 750 N. Union St., Mauston • Phone (608) 847-4331 yards and 17 touchdowns things where it’s kind of ex- tions, so staying healthy for a conference title.”

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MAUSTON

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Jirousek back to make another run All-conference running back provides veteran presence ZACH RASTALL zrastall@wiscnews.com‌

‌The 2018 edition of the Mauston Golden Eagles features its fair share of roster turnover on offense. The Golden Eagles will break in a new starting quarterback, a couple new offensive linemen and several new receivers during the upcoming season, which could result in some growing pains early in their schedule. Luckily for them, they have a steady hand to guide them along in the backfield. In the final year of his Mauston career, senior running back Tyler Jirousek will look to improve even further upon a stellar junior campaign in 2017. Jirousek was named to the All-South Central Conference first team after rushing for 1,508 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry in his first year as the team’s main option out of the backfield. As a sophomore, he ran for 253 yards and three touchdowns on 60 carries. “At running back, we’ve got Tyler Jirousek coming

ERIC ANDRE, FOR CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Mauston running back Tyler Jirousek led all South Central Conference players in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns last season. back, and he had a really good year for us last year,” Mauston head coach Roland Lehman said. “We’ve got some other kids that we feel can get in there and gain some ground for us and do some really positive things. So I like our experience there at running back, along with some of the new kids.” As for what makes Jir-

ousek so effective, Lehman believes he’s a wellrounded back who is an explosive, patient and powerful runner. “It’s nice to have a consistency there at the running back position and we’ve got pretty good depth,” Lehman said. “Knowing that he can take it to the house on any play is good; it gives us an ex-

plosive threat in the backfield. He’s really a patient runner. He sees the field really well, he can set up his blockers really well and then he can run with some power and some speed.” Junior quarterback Cade Hall is set to take over as the Golden Eagles’ starting signal-caller this year. Though he’s about to take on a much bigger role, Hall

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is put somewhat at ease knowing he’ll have Jirousek and several experienced linemen there to help smooth the process. “It’s really helpful,” Hall said. “Just having (Jirousek) there (helps). I know he’ll do the right thing and I know a lot of guys on the line will do the right thing, too.” For his part, Jirousek admitted it is quite a different animal being a veteran player surrounded by some inexperienced guys. However, what he’s seen in practice so far has him confident about the season ahead. “It’s definitely been different. We have a lot of new guys stepping up, younger guys,” Jirousek said. “I was a little worried at first, but I think everything is falling into place and we’re going to do really well this season.”

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WESTFIELD

46 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 RANDOLPH Aug. 24 at Montello/Princeton/ Green Lake Aug. 31 at Luther Prep Sept. 7 LODI Sept. 14 at Nekoosa Sept. 21 WISCONSIN DELLS Sept. 28 at Mauston Oct. 5 ADAMS-FRIENDSHIP Oct. 12 WAUTOMA Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Pioneers at a glance Coach: Josh Cheek, 1st varsity season On offense: Junior Camden Stampfl, who is out for football for the first time, gives the Pioneers an immediate boost in the offensive backfield, where he figures to become the team’s featured tailback. He will join forces with senior Paiton Freeze, who is best described as an offensive weapon that will play a variety of positions, and sophomore quarterback Trevor Gray to give the Pioneers one of the more dynamic backfields in the South Central Conference. On defense: Westfield has enough big guys to begin the season that the plan is to avoid playing guys on both the offensive and defensive lines. If they can stick to that plan, the group of Keaton Wasson, Tyler Blacketer, Gauge Schwartz, Brandon Chambers and Riley Verhasselt should be able to remain fresh and could have a big year on the defensive line. Bottom line: A return to varsity football after canceling the varsity season a year ago has brought a renewed energy to the program, but numbers remain low, and if the injury bug strikes early, things could go downhill in a hurry for the Pioneers.

Did you know? Westfield is 2-7 in nine postseason games, with the two wins coming in 1987 and 2013.

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Pioneers back playing varsity Despite low numbers, Westfield eyeing successful season TRAVIS HOUSLET thouslet@wiscnews.com‌

‌Before a single game was played, the Westfield football program picked up its first win of the new season when it announced that it would return to playing varsity football one year after a lack of upperclassmen forced it to play a schedule limited to junior varsity contests in 2017. Westfield head coach Josh Cheek, who is now in his second season with the Pioneers, knows the return to varsity football doesn’t come without challenges. Westfield’s numbers have improved in the junior and senior classes, but the overall number of kids out for football this fall is still lower than hoped. Cheek says they will open the season with 20 players in the sophomore through senior classes that will be ready to play varsity football, but still have fewer than 30 players in the program overall. “It will be tough. If we lose a couple, it could get tough in a hurry,” Cheek said. “Our plan is full go. Out of the 20 (non-freshmen) that we have, they’re really quality kids. There’s not a kid that I don’t trust to put on the field.” The good news for Westfield is that it did find some success playing junior varsity football a year ago. The Pioneers finished the season with a 5-4 overall record, and were 3-2 against South Central Conference foes. Of Westfield’s four losses a year ago, Cheek said two of them easily could have been wins, including a loss to Wautoma that came one day after Cheek found out he would be without his starting quarterback. Another loss to Watertown Luther Prep came after Cheek said his team was “dominating the first quarter” before three red zone turnovers doomed the Pioneers. During the season, Cheek had

TRAVIS HOUSLET, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Westfield senior running back Paiton Freeze cuts through a hole during his team’s practice on Aug. 3. Freeze is one of three seniors on Westfield’s roster this season. a rule that players couldn’t dump Gatorade on their head coach for anything less than a conference championship, but after an exciting win over Nekoosa in the final game of the season clinched a winning record, the players drenched their coach anyways. “It was big-time to them,” Cheek said. “That was our goal last year, to make them feel like they weren’t missing out on anything, so it was worth their while and it was going to be a big-time experience even though it wasn’t varsity.”

Excited about offense‌

Cheek thinks this year’s version of the Pioneers will be able to score points, too. The team’s strength entering the season appears to be a plethora of playmakers in the backfield and at receiver. Leading that group is sophomore quarterback Trevor Gray, who proved to be a playmaker as the team’s QB a year ago. “He just makes plays like that,” Cheek said. “He’s got some confidence. He’s a quarterback. He trusts his arm maybe a little bit more than he should. He’s going to sling it up for a lot of yards. He’s going to put up a lot of points this

year, I think.” Westfield’s running back position could pretty dynamic, too. Paiton Freeze will be one of the weapons out of the backfield. The 5-foot-6 senior was the team’s primary tailback a year ago, and what he lacks in size, he makes up for in other areas. “We’re going to find him touches. He’s going to play some in the slot; he’s going to play some fullback for us,” Cheek said. “He’s going to be an asset for us. He’s not going to be a 20-touch-agame kid, but he’s going to get his and I’m pretty excited to see what he’s going to do.” Freeze figures to be joined in the backfield by junior Camden Stampfl, who is out for football for the first time. Stampfl, who shined on the baseball field and basketball court as a sophomore last year, has flashed his athletic ability on the practice field for the Pioneers this fall. “He’s a stud. He’s a huge asset for us. He’s going to touch the ball a lot,” Cheek said of Stampfl. “He’s going to be our tailback. He’s going to run power for us. I’m really excited to see what he can do.” Westfield has some athletes it would like to get the ball to in the passing game, too, led by junior Kade Kangas, who was the team’s top receiver last year. Other receivers figure to be junior Josh Koloske and sophomore Brady Holly. “They’re all tall, lanky and explosive kids that are going to be able to go up and get it,” Cheek said. The biggest question mark for Westfield on the offensive side will be on the offensive line, where the Pioneers will be young. While the coaches are trying to figure out what combination of players will give Westfield the best offensive line, Cheek said it isn’t a stretch to say they will be starting three sophomores up front. Sophomores currently in the mix to start on the offensive line for Westfield are Mason Peters and Mason Rudolph at the tackle spots

and Carter Stauffacher at guard. Other offensive linemen penciled in as starters when practices began were junior Austin Chambers at center and junior Corban Tipton at guard. Senior Keaton Wasson might be the No. 1 backup at all of the offensive line spots. And while Westfield is young on the offensive and defensive lines, it does have some depth. Cheek says he has 10 different players that can play on the lines, which will allow the Pioneers to rest some of their big guys, as long as they stay relatively healthy.

Youth on defense‌

Wasson figures to lead the defensive line, while junior Tyler Blacketer will join him at defensive tackle. Sophomore Gauge Schwartz is the top candidate at nose tackle, where he was a bit of a surprise as a freshman a year ago. “We put him at nose tackle and he just made plays all over the place,” Cheek said of Schwartz. Sophomores Brandon Chambers and Riley Verhasselt are expected to hold down the defensive end positions. Freeze will anchor Westfield’s defense at middle linebacker. Stampfl will play at outside linebacker, where he will be joined by junior Omar Ortiz. Junior Parker VonRuden, who Cheek said “seems to be in the right spot a lot,” will also get snaps at linebacker. In the defensive backfield, Kangas and Holly should lead the way. Kangas is probably Westfield’s best cornerback, while Holly, who showed he wasn’t afraid to put a hit on somebody last year, is expected to start at safety. Playing at the other cornerback position could be a variety of different guys, including Gray, but Cheek also mentioned junior Weston Hoffa as someone to watch in the battle for playing time at the position. Cheek knows the program will be challenged by the low number of players on the roster, but he is still confident the Pioneers can 00 find success. 1

WISCONSIN DELLS

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 16 RICHLAND CENTER Aug. 24 at Lodi Aug. 30 BELLEVILLE Sept. 7 at Cambridge Sept. 14 ADAMS-FRIENDSHIP Sept. 21 at Westfield Sept. 28 NEKOOSA Oct. 5 at Wautoma Oct. 12 at Mauston Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Chiefs at a glance Coach: Josh Flood, first season On offense: Senior Dylan Musiedlak and junior Brett Hirst were battling for the right to start the season at quarterback. Musiedlak, who was the starter last year, probably has the better arm, but Hirst is probably the bigger threat running the ball. Whoever loses the battle will figure into the offense at other positions. On defense: Current athletic director and former head coach Aaron Mack is on the

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staff as the defensive coordinator. Look for the defense to be led by the senior duo of Kayleb Galloway and Hunter Stenson. Galloway was a second-team AllSouth Central Conference linebacker a year ago, while Stenson was a second-team pick on the defensive line.

Chiefs hope change does them good

Bottom line: Wisconsin Dells opens conference play against Adams-Friendship and Westfield. The Chiefs beat Adams-Friendsihp 26-0 last year, and Westfield is returning to varsity football after playing a JV-only schedule a year ago. Wins in those two games would make qualifying for the playoffs an obtainable goal for the Chiefs.

TRAVIS HOUSLET thouslet@wiscnews.com‌

Did you know? Shane Wimann, a 2013 Wisconsin Dells graduate, and former tight end at Northern Illinois University, signed as a undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots earlier this season. Wimann had his hopes of making the Patriots’ 53-man roster end when he was placed on injured reserve shortly after training camp opened.

Wisconsin Dells head coach Scott Flood makes a point to senior Dylan Musiedlak during the team’s season-opening practice on July 31.

New coach brings up-tempo style to program ‌After winning just four games over the last three seasons, change was welcomed by the Wisconsin Dells football program. When the Chiefs took to the field for the first practice of the season on July 31, it was new head coach Scott Flood who led them. Flood, who was hired in the offseason to replace Erik Rosholt, had a hop in his step as he guided the players through drills on the first official day of the 2018 season. “I’ve been counting down to this day since day 1 of taking this job. I’m excited,” Flood said. “I got my family moved up here. We’re loving the Dells right now.” The head coach certainly has some work to do. The Chiefs went 3-6 a year ago, but one of those wins was a forfeit by Westfield, which canceled its varsity season due to a lack of numbers, while another victory was an overtime win over Thorp in the season opener. To get the program back on the right track, Flood is doing a number of things to “change the culture” in his first season with the program. One of the things Flood is focusing on is what he calls “abovethe-line training,” which focuses on getting players to become leaders on and off the field. “It’s classroom time discussion and communication about what it means to have the right type of character and leadership skills,” Flood said. “We do

TRAVIS HOUSLET PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Wisconsin Dells senior lineman Kevin Coughlin gets down in a three-point stance during offensive line drills during the team’s season-opening practice on July 31. that almost daily. If not daily, we’re hitting it four times during the week.” Another change Flood has implemented has the players doing in-season lifting, something the team did not always do in the past. Flood also wants to run an up-tempo practice, something he accomplishes by teaching drills Please see CHIEFS, Page 48

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Practices aren’t the only thing Flood wants to be up-tempo. Flood wants his offense to move faster this season. He has removed the fullback and tight end from the Wisconsin Dells playbook, as he expects to spread things out on offense with four wide receivers in the formation. Flood said he chose to run a spread offense because he has experience with it, including the past two years while serving as the head coach at Milwaukee Tech, and because it is a good fit for the kids on the roster. “This will be my fourth year running it. I’m really comfortable with the style of it,” Flood said. “The other end of it too is that it fits the kids. With having the lack of depth at O-line and D-line, it allows us the ability to get the ball to athletes in space.” Just who will be running the spread offense when the season begins this week against Richland Center remains to be seen. After the first week of practice, Flood said senior Dylan Musiedlak and junior Brett Hirst were battling for the starting job at quarterback. Musiedlak is the incumbent starter at the position, but Hirst, who played wide receiver a year ago, would bring some athleticism to the quarterback spot. Flood said both players have their positives. “Both are doing the right things, both are working hard every single day, both are coachable,” Flood said. “Both have different issues that need to be fixed mechanically. Dylan throws a pretty good football and Hirst can run with the ball pretty well. Both have their

TRAVIS HOUSLET PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Wisconsin Dells receiver Brett Hirst avoids a Nekoosa tackle attempt in the first quarter of a game in Wisconsin Dells last season. Hirst began the season in a battle for the starting quarterback spot. If Hirst doesn’t win the QB job, expect him to be a major contributor at wide receiver.

Wisconsin Dells senior Angga Marquard runs with the ball during his team’s season-opening practice on July 31. strengths at the quarterback position.” Whoever loses the battle to be the starting quarterback will almost certainly be a major contributor at other

offensive positions. Musiedlak’s second position is running back, while Hirst would move back to receiver if he isn’t the starting QB. At running back, Flood

has had senior Kayleb Galloway, junior Gavin Kingsley and sophomore Jacob Hunkins taking most of the reps in the early going. All will get opportunities early in the season, until someone “emerges as the main competitor,” Flood said. At wide receiver, Flood and the coaches are looking for four starters to help to the offense take off. Among the players in the running are junior brothers Marty and Ben Koenig. “Both fly around every single day,” Flood said. “They’re working hard at learning our routes and what we’re trying to do with the football. And both are athletes. Both make things happen on the football field.” Other receiving options include Hirst, if he isn’t the quarterback, along with juniors Riley Hess, Patrick Please see CHIEFS, Page 49

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Chiefs From Page 48

Hoving and Jordan Kosterman, and senior Michael Mitchell. On the offensive line, senior tackles Kevin Coughlin and Logan Janke have made a strong early impression with their new coach. “Both have been hard workers in the weight room all summer long since I’ve been here,” Flood said. “Both have been paying attention to everything extra and both are doing the right things.” Who plays in between Coughlin and Janke on the offensive line has yet to be decided, but among the early candidates are senior Hunter Stenson along with juniors Billy Dethloff, Mikhail Stafford and Tygh Field.

All about attitude‌

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On the defensive side of the ball, Flood has implemented a black-shirt program where all 11 of the defensive starters earn the right to wear a black jersey in practice. Flood said the special jersey includes a “punisher logo” on the front. The back of the jersey says “T.C.B.” which stands for Taking Care of Business. “You earn that right, and you have to keep that right in order to be on the defensive side of the ball every single day,” Flood said of wearing a black jersey. Flood plans on using a 3-4 defense, and leading the way on the defensive line will likely be Stenson, who last year as a junior was a second-team AllSouth Central Conference pick on the defensive line. Other defensive line prospects are Coughlin, Janke, Dethloff, junior Ethan Luther and senior Josh Bilotta. Flood does have confidence in his group of linebackers, which includes Galloway, who was a sec-

TRAVIS HOUSLET PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Wisconsin Dells senior Hunter Stenson works during a defensive line drill during practice. ond-team All-SCC linebacker a year ago. Other linebackers in the mix include Hunkins, Kingsley and senior Angga Marquard. Flood wasn’t sure who will line up in the defensive backfield for this week’s opener, but it’s a good bet that Hirst and both Koenig brothers will be back there somewhere. Hess and Hoving are also in the mix to play at defensive back. One area Flood hopes to improve with the Wisconsin Dells program is the number of kids who come out for the sport. The coach wants to have two separate teams — one varsity team made up of seniors, juniors and a few sophomores, and one

JV team made up by freshmen and sophomores — but knows that will be hard to do if the numbers drop any more. “With doing it that way, it’s leaving us with like 26 on the varsity level,” Flood said, “so I got to improve those numbers.” Flood, who was also hired as a social studies teacher at the high school, is confident he can improve par-

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

ing WIAA Division 4 state champions, though they do have to replace a boatload of graduated talent. Wisconsin Dells will finish the non-conference portion of its schedule at home against Belleville on Aug. 30 before playing at Cambridge on Sept. 7. Belleville and Cambridge both finished 6-4 overall last year and ended up in a three-way tie for first place in the Capitol South Conference with 3-1 records. Flood knows those early-season games can help his team roll into conference play with some momentum. “Absolutely, it’s important to do well right off the bat for their confidence,” Flood said. “Along with that, though, we’re getting better every single day. By (the first game), we will 100 percent know where we stand. By the following week in Week 2 against Lodi, we’re going to know Josh Bilotta leads a group of Wisconsin Dells defensive what we have then. We’re linemen through a drill during the team’s season-opening going to know exactly if practice on July 31. these kids are coming to play all season, or if they’re ticipation with the football plays at Lodi in Week 2. The still learning and getting a program. Blue Devils are the defend- grasp of things.” “It’s really going to come down to relationships with the students. With me Your Football working in the (high school), Tailgating I will be able to improve that Headquarters with communicating and talking with the kids in the It’s time for football. Plan a fabulous tailgating party building, and getting more without the added stress. kids out,” Flood said. “Along We’ve got everything you need with that, I’m also teaching from appetizers, brats and sandwiches, salads, dips, and eighth-grade history, so I much much more. You’ll score will get to know the eighthbig with our great selection! grade class pretty well.” Wisconsin Dells will open • Frozen Foods (Brats, Italian % the season this week at home Beef, BBQ Pork & Beef) OFF against a Richland Center • Cooked & Raw Shrimp Any Order of • Prepared Salads team that didn’t win a game • Frozen Pies $25 or More! last year. The Chiefs will • Dips Present coupon at • Cheese & Sausage Sticks then certainly get a comcheck-out In Store Only. • Bar Supplies & Condiments Not valid in warehouse. petition upgrade when it • Party Trays

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DODGELAND

| THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Trojans’ cupboard well-stocked Plenty of playmakers make for bright outlook in 2018

Aug. 17 STEVENS POINT PACELLI Aug. 24 at Cambria-Friesland Aug. 31 at Palmyra-Eagle Sept. 7 at Markesan Sept. 14 at Pittsville Sept. 21 ORFORDVILLE PARKVIEW Sept. 28 PARDEEVILLE Oct. 5 at Montello/Princeton/ Green Lake

DAN LARSON dlarson@wiscnews.com

Two cups Nate Oestreich, two cups Dakota Grueneberg, a cup of Peter Mountin, a tablespoon of Tye Bader, add some Zach Yuenger to taste, and mix. It could be a winning recipe for Dodgeland’s prep football team this season. “We’ve got a nice combination of things offensively right now,” Trojans head coach Doug Miller said, speaking mostly of those five players. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Oestreich returns after carrying 200 times for 1,128 yards (5.6 yards per tote) and 13 TDs as a sophomore en route to earning first-team All-Trailways Large Conference honors. And he’ll be complemented in the backfield by 5-10, 210-pound senior Dakota Grueneberg (245 yards rushing, three TDs last year) and 6-foot, 210-pound senior Peter Mountin, who didn’t play last year after rushing for 238 yards and three TDs as a sophomore. The 6-foot, 175-pound Bader will be the quarterback commanding the Trojans offense, which mixes the classic I-formation with a T-formation look. Bader is more than capable of making all the reads in the passing game, too. “Tye could have played last year as a sophomore. He’s just very mature, takes things serious (and) has good skills. I think we’ll be very happy with what he produces for us this year,” Miller said of the junior. “He’s so level-headed, and yet he’s a tough wrestling kid. He’s a good lifter — he’s dedicated — and his teammates respect him. I think they feel real good about what he brings to the table for us.” Bader will have a big target to throw to when he does drop back in 6-4, 190-pound senior Zach

2018 Schedule

Oct. 12 HORICON/HUSTISFORD  Home games in BOLD CAPS  Games are at 7 p.m.

Trojans at a glance Coach: Doug Miller, fifth year at Dodgeland (25-14), 38th year overall (247-109)

DAN LARSON, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS

Dodgeland senior Zach Yuenger (back) makes a catch in front of a teammate at practice last week. Yuenger — a first-team all-conference tight end a year ago after hauling in 24 catches for 272 yards and two TDs. And speedsters Cam Nelson (a 5-8, 150-pound junior) and Seth Christopherson (a 5-6, 145-pound junior) also are likely to figure in the mix, either as rushers or receivers. Leading the way up front protecting the Trojans’ fortress will be the likes of 6-3, 240-pound senior Anthony Brugger, 5-11, 185-pound senior Ryan Neu — the reigning WIAA Division 3 state wrestling champion at 170 pounds — and 6-foot, 190-pound senior Keyne Smedema, the center who Miller said is among the most improved players on the team. Defensively, Neu returns at D-end after a first-team all-conference campaign that saw him lead the team in tackles for loss (13) and finish third in tackles (64) and solo tackles (27). Behind him at the two outside linebacker spots will be Oestreich

— who had four TFLs, two sacks and three fumbled forced last year — and Mountin. “They’re smart, athletic kids with some size — we can jump into a different front with those kids,” Miller said of being able to toggle between 4-4, 4-3 and 5-2 looks. Between those two will be Gruenewald, who received second-team all-conference accolades last year after posting numbers of 58 tackles, three TFLs, an interception and a fumble recovery. “We should have three awfully good linebackers,” Miller said. Yuenger — who was an all-conference safety as a sophomore when he had three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown — will anchor a secondary that’s otherwise a work in progress at the moment. What’s not in flux, though, is the state of the program. In other words, the foundation is solid with three straight post-

season berths — and the second playoff win in school history last year over Johnson Creek — following a five-year drought. But the Trojans won’t have any time to rest on their laurels, as Trailways Large tilts with Palmyra-Eagle and Markesan — the three-time defending conference champ — await in Weeks 3 and 4 after non-conference games vs. Stevens Point Pacelli and Cambria-Friesland to open the season. “They’ve just got an awfully talented group of kids over there. That’ll be a challenge the first week (of the conference schedule),” Miller said of Palmyra-Eagle. “We’ve got to play well early in the year otherwise we’re going to be watching from behind. “I think everybody has an opportunity to come out of this ahead if they do the right things,” he added of the conference race. “We’ve just got to be ready to do our thing.”

On offense: The Trojans return 1,000-yard rusher Nate Oestreich and have plenty of talent around him, including a capable QB in junior Tye Bader. With weapons in the running game and passing game — all-conference TE Zach Yuenger is also back — Dodgeland should have a balanced attack. On defense: LBs Oestreich, Peter Mountin and Dakota Grueneberg lead a unit that has ability at all three levels — all-conference DE Ryan Neu leads the charge up front and Yuenger is the free safety roving the secondary — and should be stingy as usual. Bottom line: Miller likes what he has on the roster this year and needs only to find answers at a few positions in order for the Trojans to make a serious push for the conference title. Another playoff win and maybe even a deeper run this year might also be in the cards.

Did you know? Oestreich, Mountin and Grueneberg all tip the scales at 210 pounds, giving the Trojans a combined 630 pounds of muscle to hand the ball off to and pound at opposing defenses.

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HORICON/HUSTISFORD

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 at Lomira Aug. 24 MAYVILLE Aug. 31 at Cambridge Sept. 7 PALMYRA-EAGLE Sept. 14 at Montello/ Princeton/Green Lake Sept. 21 MARKESAN Sept. 28 at Parkview Oct. 5 PARDEEVILLE Oct. 12 at Dodgeland Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Husticon at a glance Coach: Shannon Mueller, fifth season (13-21) On offense: CJ Brooks returns to the backfield and looks primed and ready to help Husticon win a Trailways Large Conference title while be in contention to earn the league’s Player of the Year award. Dylan Schmitt will make the move to quarterback from running back and receiver, replacing second-team all-conference quarterback Hunter Nehls. Meanwhile, Ethan Budnik will be making the switch from tackle to center, which was left open by two-time first-team all-conference player Logan Tippin. On defense: Mueller said Husticon lost all four starting defensive linemen from last year, but the constant player that will play both ways is Budnik, who did switch in and out last season. Justin Kuehl returns from injury and looks to be working for playing time on defense while Mitch Kertz and his 50 tackles, six for loss and one sack returns as a middle linebacker. Connor Drews and Zach Kehl also return for Husticon.

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Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Conference crown primary objective Coach believes H/H can unseat Markesan, leapfrog Dodgeland MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com‌

‌The Horicon/Hustisford co-op has faced two constant problems since joining forces the last two years: Markesan and Dodgeland. The Hornets have been undefeated conference champs the last two years, while Dodgeland has beaten every other league foe while only falling to Markesan. With the Markesan 2018 class graduated and a load of talent returning for Horicon/Hustisford, head coach Shannon Mueller feels his team has what it takes to rise over the hump to win a Trailways Large Conference title. “I would have to say a perfect season for us is winning conference ... by knocking Markesan off that totem pole,” Mueller said. “That’s our main goal. It really is. They are so good; they’ve been so good for years. And also Dodgeland as well with Doug Miller; he’s a great coach. He’s always going to find kids and put them in the right spots.”

Mueller said his team will take its non-conference season very seriously. It will play against Lomira, Mayville and Cambridge in the first three weeks. Mueller admitted that Lomira might be the weakest of the three teams, but he feels the Lions are an up-and-coming young team, while Mayville made the playoffs and took eventual WIAA Division 4 state champion Lodi team into overtime during the first round of the playoffs. And Cambridge won a share of the Capitol South Con-

ference title. “If we can get past that preseason schedule without any glitches and no key losses, we will feel pretty confident come conference season,” Mueller said. Mueller believes Husticon can beat all the teams in conference play “because we’ve proven it the last two years.” Mueller has running back CJ Brooks returning and Dylan Schmitt wlll make the move from a running back/ receiver hybrid to quarterback, replacing Hunter

conference this year,” Mueller said. “I really do think it’s our turn. Granted, it helps that Markesan lost those studs, but even if they were here again this year, what we have, what we brought back and the talented kids coming back, I do feel strongly with us. “I do feel our offensive line is going to be much better and much more experienced with these guys. We may have a little bit of trouble with one of them yet, but we’ll get through those bugs quickly.”

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There are around 20 Horicon/Hustisford football players that have played American Legion baseball Bottom line: Husticon didn’t together. Those same players like the 5-4 record of a season have played football together since fifth and sixth grade ago. Mueller is still trying to tackle football with high figure out his best offensive line combo, but he expects it to school assistant coach Bruce perform better than last year. Brandenburg.

Nehls. Horicon/Hustisford’s offensive line will be revamped as Ethan Budnik, who makes the move from tackle to center to replace Logan Tippen, is the only returning starter. But Mueller believes Josh Thomsen and Logan Nicholls will be strong players, while two other spots were up for grabs as practice began. All of those returners on offense have Mueller exciting for the upcoming season. “I like our chances to win

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2018 Schedule

asked to do much more than they did in 2017.

Aug. 17 at Fond du Lac St. Mary’s Springs Aug. 24 at River Ridge

On defense: Junior inside linebacker JJ Bartaszewicz was a first-team all-conference pick last year and will be a third-year starter, and there’s plenty of talent around him, so the Hornets shouldn’t skip much of a beat despite losing a few starters, including the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in Ty Plagenz.

Aug. 31 MONTELLO/ PRINCETON/GREEN LAKE Sept. 7 DODGELAND Sept. 14 at Orfordville Parkview Sept. 21 at Horicon/ Hustisford Sept. 28 PALMYRA-EAGLE

Bottom line: Like any program built on a solid Oct. 12 at Pardeeville foundation, the Hornets Home games in BOLD CAPS shouldn’t be rocked by Games are at 7 p.m. graduation despite several of those Class of 2018 players having been elite. But another playoff run as deep as last year’s run to the WIAA Division 6 state Coach: semis will still be a tall John order. Dunlavy, first season Oct. 5 at Rosholt

Hornets at a glance

On offense: The offensive line — led by second team All-Trailways Large Conference returnee Bryce Friday — is stout, which should buy time for the Hornets to iron out some kinks at QB, RB and WR, where most of the starters are either new or being

Did you know?

Last season marked the Hornets’ deepest playoff run in program history, besting a run to the WIAA Division 4 quarterfinals in 1999. The 3-1 record in the 2017 postseason also helped Markesan inch closer to .500 all-time in the playoffs (10-13).

“We’ve got to fill big shoes, but it’s a new opportunity.” John Dunlavy, Markesan coach

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Hornets reload for another deep run Markesan not worried about heavy losses from state semifinalist DAN LARSON dlarson@wiscnews.com‌

‌For all that the Markesan prep football team lost from last year’s squad that advanced to the WIAA Division 6 state semifinals, it would be understandable if expectations for 2018 were modest. They’re not. “We lost a lot of extremely talented players, but we have a lot of good players coming back. That’s kind of what gets lost a little bit,” said head coach John Dunlavy, an assistant last year who’s taking the helm this year following Travis Winkers’ departure for Darlington. “We’ve got to fill big shoes, but it’s a new opportunity for guys and I think they’re excited about it.” In fact, Markesan retains almost as much it lost. Gone are QB Carson Clark (the Offensive Player of the Year in the Trailways Large Conference last season), Tanner Weber (Offensive Lineman of the Year) and outside linebacker Ty Plagenz (Defensive Player of the Year), but still around

DAN LARSON, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Markesan senior quarterback Craig Plagenz (left) hands off to senior wing back Zach Triggs on a jet sweep play at practice last week. Plagenz competed with Max Stellmacher for the QB job during camp and the starter wasn’t named in time to be included in this section. are seniors Peter Paddock (first-team all-conference running back last year), Joey Paddock (first team all-conference defensive lineman) and Zac Triggs (second-team all-conference tight end and outside linebacker) as well as juniors JJ Bartaszewicz

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

MONTELLO/PRINCETON/GREEN LAKE

Phoenix look for bounce-back year

Aug. 17

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at Parkview

Sept. 14# HORICON/ HUSTISFORD Sept. 21 at Pardeeville

TRAVIS HOUSLET thouslet@wiscnews.com‌

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2018 Schedule Aug. 24* WESTFIELD Aug. 31 at Markesan

With new coach at helm, co-op could make playoff push ‌ here was a time when T you could count on the Montello/Princeton/Green Lake co-op making the playoffs every year. In fact, the Phoenix had a five-year stretch of making the playoffs every season, a run that went from 2009 to 2013. After missing the playoffs in 2014 and 2016, MPGL had high hopes of getting back to the postseason last year, and looked poised to do so with plenty of returning starters on the roster. But the 2017 campaign didn’t go as hoped, as a 41-14 loss to Iola-Scandinavia in the opener was Schultz the start of what turned out to a disappointing 1-8 season. And while the record wasn’t anything close to what the Phoenix had hoped it would be, a closer look at the season shows things weren’t as bad as they appeared. Of the team’s eight losses, six of them were onescore games, and three of the losses were by a combined eight points. As the Phoenix try to reverse the trend of losing close games this season, they will do so with a new head coach calling the plays, as Lance Schultz was hired in the offseason to replace cohead coaches Bill Sauld and Harlon Leusink. Schultz, who was a three-year starting quarterback at Berlin High School from 1987-89, is plenty familiar with the program. He was an assistant coach for the Phoenix

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Sept. 28 at Omro Oct. 5# DODGELAND Oct. 12* PALMYRA-EAGLE *at Princeton #at Montello Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

TRAVIS HOUSLET, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Montello/Princeton/Green Lake junior Abe Postler, left, defends senior teammate Drew Torres in a defensive drill during the team’s practice in Princeton on Aug. 8. Both players are expected to play key roles for the Phoenix this season. two years ago and his son, BJ Konkel, was a key contributor on the varsity last season. Schultz said the key to the season will be changing the mindset of the players after a disappointing 2017. “We need to get the kids to believe they can compete. I think we will be competitive,” Schultz said. “This group of juniors and seniors were pretty good in seventh grade.” The Phoenix should have the weapons to compete this season, especially at running back, where the likely starting backfield of Abe Postler (wing back), BJ Konkel (fullback) and Micah Williams (tailback) are all returning starters. Postler, who was a second-team All-Trailways Large Conference running back a year ago, ran for 472 yards on 79 carries, good for an impressive 6 yards per carry average, while scoring four touchdowns. Konkel rushed for 398 yards on 85 carries (4.7 yards per carry) and had a team-high seven rushing touchdowns. Williams will also get his fair share of carries this sea-

son. He is making the move to running back after playing center in past seasons. “We have a lot of good ones,” Schultz said of his running backs. “We’re pretty deep there.” The Phoenix might have a fourth running back option in Drew Torres. The senior, who might be the team’s best athlete, is going to play all over the offensive formation. On one play he could be at wingback, while the next play he could be split out wide. And then on another play, Torres could be taking snaps at quarterback. Even if Torres does play some quarterback, don’t expect incumbent starter Buxton Toutant to lose his job. Toutant was a second-team all-conference quarterback last year as sophomore when he completed 50 of 115 passes for 654 yards while throwing six touchdowns and just two interceptions. Torres brings more athleticism to the QB spot, while Toutant is more a pocket passer, but Schultz said Toutant is a more-than-capable runner, too.

Phoenix at a glance Coach: Lance Schultz, first season

chooses to throw, it has a big-play receiver in Brad Myers, who averaged 22 yards per catch last year. On defense: Expect MPGL to be led by Williams and Konkel. Williams moves to defensive end from middle linebacker, where he was a first-team all-conference pick a year ago. Konkel led the Trailways Large Conference in tackles last year, and was a second-team pick at outside linebacker. Bottom line: The Phoenix lost a bunch of close games last season. If they can find a way to turn some of those close calls into wins, especially early in the season, they could end the program’s two-year playoff dry spell.

Did you know?

Former Montello/Princeton/ Green Lake receiver Matt Providing targets in the On offense: Sosinsky’s 3,544 career repassing game as tight ends The Phoenix open the seaor receivers for the Phoenix son loaded at running back, ceiving yards from 2008-11 figure to be the senior trio of where seniors Drew Torres ranks No. 2 in the Wisconsin Brad Myers, Destin Eurich high school record book, and Micah Williams are and Bennett Bartol. Myjoined by juniors Abe Posbehind only the 3,831 career ers was a big weapon in the tler and BJ Konkel to give receiving yards by Mosinee’s passing game last year, averthe team four solid options Kole Heckendorf from aging 22 yards per reception. running the ball. If the team 2000-03. If running back is the top position of strength for the Phoenix, offensive line is a close second. The line fig- Klapper and senior Guen- Myers, Toutant and senior ures to be led by the senior ther Hebbe will likely join Bennett Bartol will be in the threesome of Ryan Bollinger, Konkel at linebacker, while defensive backfield. Kade Krings and Gunnar Luechen. They will likely be joined by juniors Mason Kratz and Austin Krentz. On defense, the Phoenix will be led Williams and Konkel. Williams was a firstteam all-conference inside Live Bait • Sporting Goods linebacker last year who is moving to defensive end this year. Konkel led all of the Trailways Large last year in tackles with 114 on his way to earning second-team all-conference honors at outside linebacker. Don’t Forget Your Other players to watch Football Party Sub! on defense include Eurich at defensive end along with 608-297-7170 • Hwy 22-S • Montello Krings and Luechen at deOpen 7 days a week 5am-9pm fensive tackle. Junior Aaron Live Bait / Sporting Goods

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54 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Bulldogs want to build winner Team lost plenty of starters from 2017 playoff squad TRAVIS HOUSLET thouslet@wiscnews.com‌

‌Drive by Pardeeville High School these days and you will notice the area that used to be the parking lot on the south side of the building is now covered in piles of dirt and chunks of concrete, as workers are busy working on the large construction project that includes the addition of a new performing arts center. Starting on Aug. 1, there was plenty of construction going on a few hundred yards to the east of the school, too, as members of the Pardeeville football program were busying trying to rebuild a team that lost a boatload of talent from a squad that went 6-4 and returned to the playoffs in 2017. The foreman of that construction project is thirdyear head coach Tyler Johnson. And while there are some pieces returning from last year’s six-win season, Johnson knows it won’t be easy to have similar success this fall. Graduated from Pardeeville are five players who earned first-team All-Trailways Large Conference recognition a year ago,

including Duncan Fleiner, who was the Defensive Lineman of the Year in the conference. The only player back for Pardeeville who earned all-conference honors a year ago is senior Tyler Kowald, who was a first-team pick at outside linebacker. And while Kowald was indeed a key piece to Pardeeville’s defense last year, when he ranked second in the Trailways Large Conference in tackles, it is how he plays on offense this season that will likely be the biggest factor in how well the Bulldogs do in 2018. Kowald, who played all over the offensive formation last year as a junior, including stints on the offensive line, as well as running back, wing back and wide receiver, has found a new home on the offensive side of the ball, as he opens the season penciled in as the team’s likely starting quarterback. Seeing Kowald atop the QB depth chart was a bit of a surprise, considering Pardeeville has a player returning with varsity quarterback experience in junior Daniel Wohlfert. Last year, Wohlfert made a pair of emergency starts at quarterback. In those starts, Wohlfert performed so well, especially running the ball, that by the end of the season, the team was platooning him in at quarterback during certain games.

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Pardeeville junior running back Daniel Wohlfert runs with the ball during a practice on Aug. 2. Wohlfert showed an ability to make plays last season when he made two starts at quarterback for the Bulldogs. In the offseason, Johnson was even planning on having Wohlfert as his quarterback, but Kowald did everything in his power to earn the job. “He said he wanted to be quarterback and I said, ‘Nope.’ I told him right away, ‘We already have a quarterback; don’t worry about it,’ and he just took over,” Johnson said of Kowald. “He said, ‘I want to be the quarterback,’ and he came and did 7-on-7 this summer and he took the leadership role. He really matured as a kid. “We’ll see how he is when he has somebody in his face, but I like our chances with Ty Kowald.”

Wohlfert example‌

Having Kowald move to quarterback doesn’t mean Wohlfert won’t be involved in the offense. In fact, it probably means Wohlfert will get even more opportunities, as he becomes

the team’s top option at running back. Johnson said others should learn from Wohlfert, who earned an increased role by how well he did when he got his opportunity last year. “When we threw him in there, he was ready to go and you wouldn’t have guessed he was a sophomore,” Johnson said. “This year, I think he has a lot of confidence. He had a little bit of success at a young age, where he wants to be the man and he wants to run, and I think we want to give it to him.” Wohlfert won’t be the only option out of the backfield. Johnson said sophomore Ryah Jacobson is a small but fast running back that will get his opportunities. Freshman Derek Lindert might also be in the mix, as he has impressed Johnson with his work effort, and with his ability to cover ground in a hurry. “The kid flies,” Johnson said. “He has big feet and is just super athletic. It’s tough to play freshmen at the varsity level, but he’s a kid that never missed a day this summer. He ran his butt off; he lifted. He’s a kid that got himself ready. He got himself in shape to where I think he will be able to take some of the load.” If not in the backfield, Lindert could find himself at wide receiver. Sophomore Ty Westbury, who isn’t big but does have plenty of speed, is another wide receiver option, while the tight end spot will likely be held down by junior James Trahms, who started at the position a year ago as a sophomore. “He’s a physical specimen that we want to get

the ball to,” Johnson said.

Uncertain O-line‌

The offensive line for Pardeeville will also be a key to the team’s success. It was a strength last year, as four of the five starters were seniors, including first-team all-conference center Nate Read. Junior guard Dylan Anderson is the only returning starter this season. Finding just who will join Anderson on the offensive line has been near the top of the list of things to do in practice for Johnson. Some of the possible offensive linemen include juniors Gage Walker, Riley Lentz, Jake Jahoda and Breaden Jerome, along with seniors Brenden Price and Colm Moe. Even freshman Ben Palen could find his way to the offensive line. On the defensive side of the ball, Pardeeville will look to use the same offensive line candidates to fill out the defensive line. Johnson said Jerome might be the “strongest guy on the team,” and is going to be “a butt-kicker for us” on defense. Trahms will also play defensive end this season after playing outside linebacker a year ago. Johnson thinks the strength of his entire team might be his linebackers, which once again will feature Kowald. He will be joined by Walker and Wohlfert. “I think they might be the three best linebackers as a unit in the conference,” Johnson said. “There might be a couple of kids that are better than them, but we have a great linebacking corps. I think we’re going to be able to stuff the box pretty well and defend the run.”

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 CAMBRIA-FRIESLAND Aug. 24 at Randolph Aug. 31 PARKVIEW Sept. 7 at Cambridge Sept. 14 at Palmyra-Eagle Sept. 21 MONTELLO/PRINCETON/GREEN LAKE Sept. 28 at Dodgeland Oct. 5 at Horicon/Hustisford Oct. 12 MARKESAN Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Bulldogs at a glance Coach: Tyler Johnson, third season (10-9) On offense: As the sophomore backup quarterback last season, Daniel Wohlfert shined when he was called on to make a pair of starts. Wohlfert will now get a lot more chances to impact the game as he figures to be Pardeeville’s top running back. The position switch is made possible by Tyler Kowald taking over as the starting quarterback. On defense: Pardeeville has plenty of fast defensive backs that will be able to stick with opposing receivers, but Johnson says it is how the group — which includes junior Tyler Knight, along with sophomores Ryah Jacobson, Ty Westbury and Tyler Schommer and freshman Derek Lindert — handles the physicality of the game that will be key. Bottom line: With only one of the seven players who earned first- or second team all-conference honors last year returning, it will hard for the Bulldogs to match last year’s six-win season. If Pardeeville is going to make a playoff push, it will need help on the offensive line, where it has five new starters.

Did you know? The 144 points scored by Pardeeville’s Patrick Banks in 2008 is a Trailways Large Conference record that still stands.

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CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

CAMBRIA-FRIESLAND

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Senior Hilltoppers take charge C-F ready to turn page after disastrous 2017 MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com‌

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‌ast season wasn’t a L season to remember by a long shot for the Cambria-Friesland prep football team. Character issues and a 3-7 record are things the Hilltoppers would rather forget. “We dealt with more suspensions for training room violations last year than we had dealt with than in the last five years prior to that,” Hilltoppers head coach Jim Bylsma said. “Also, we had some issues with players who weren’t fully committed. And because of that, attendance at practice sometimes was not what we wanted, but more importantly, attention spans were not what we wanted.” Bylsma, who has amassed a 244-114 record in 35 seasons at Cambria-Friesland, said last year was “one of the least fun coaching experiences” he’s ever had. That is why he talked to this year’s senior class — captains Austin Schepp, Colten DeJager, Sawyer Quade and Andrew DeBoer — about how to change the Hilltoppers’ atmosphere. “Part of it is the fact that a young man grows up so much between his junior and senior year,” Bylsma said. “These guys have really stepped up as young adult leaders. In terms of helping them, we’ve always felt that our program accentuates the growth of the man before the development of the athlete or brutishness of the football player.

Cambria-Friesland’s Aiden Knudson tackles a dummy during a drill at a recent practice.

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 at Pardeeville Aug. 24 DODGELAND Aug. 31 at Wayland, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at Johnson Creek Sept. 14 DEERFIELD Sept. 21 at Rio Sept. 28 OSHKOSH LOURDES Oct. 5 at Fall River Oct. 12 RANDOLPH Home games in BOLD CAPS Games at 7 p.m. unless noted MARK MCMULLEN PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Cambria-Friesland’s Max Papp participates in a form tackling drill at a recent practice. “This group has been So far, the attitude change among a very very receptive. We sat talented young team down during our five days of contact during has gotten Bylsma and the summer and talked his coaches excited for the 2018 season. about the things that really held us back last “We’ve changed the year. We were very way we warm up. We honest with the fact changed the way we of what things needed condition. We changed to change. To these the way we conduct four seniors’ credit, Cambria-Friesland’s Sawyer Quade the classroom part of they understood, they focuses on his quarterback during a it. We’ve even changed acknowledged it and linebackers drill at a recent practice. what we’re going to they’ve been great wear game night. leaders so far.” heard the team was not so We’ve bought everybody a That is why during the disciplined last year. I don’t team T-shirt to sell the idea start of practice, when the believe we had that good of that it’s not an individual team is running through senior leadership last year.” sport,” Bylsma said. “Vince agility drills or tackling Quade said he and the Lombardi was saying back drills, each captain is in three of other seniors have in the ’60s that football is a separate group to make “done a pretty good job the only true team sport sure no one is out of line of changing (the culture), left. Blessed hearts, these and is focusing on the task so far. We’re shaping ev- guys have really stepped at hand. eryone up and giving the up to the plate and said, “I expect to be more dis- coaches more respect and ‘That’s right.’ They’ve acciplined than last year,” said we’re leading and showing knowledged the things that Schepp, who has returned everybody how to be (foot- held them back last year. We to the Hilltoppers after not ball players on and off the seem to be working past that going out last season. “I field).” and working past it quickly.”

Hilltoppers at a glance Coach: Jim Bylsma, 36th season (244-114) On offense: Cambria-Friesland loses quarterback Reed Prochnow, but Joseph Pulver will move from tight end to take over under center. Austin Schepp is likely to be the only senior on the offensive line. Aidan Knutson and Eli Lehman are two young,

beefy linemen. Colten DeJager will be a top target at tight end and Sawyer Quade will be a running threat as will Andrew DeBoer. On defense: Schepp also figures to be the only senior on the defensive line, where both Knutson and Lehman will see significant time. Quade and DeBoer will make the linebacker group a strength for the Toppers. Pulver will move from linebacker to safety. Bottom line: The Hilltoppers are going to be young, plain and simple, with only four seniors on the team. Those veterans must show their leadership and keep everyone accountable.

Did you know? The Hilltoppers’ potential starting backfield — Pulver at quarterback, DeBoer at fullback and Quade and Max Raymond at halfback — all have fathers who were all-conference players for Cambria-Friesland under Bylsma.

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FALL RIVER

56 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 17 ALMOND-BANCROFT Aug 24 at Wild Rose Aug. 31 OSHKOSH LOURDES Sept. 7 BEAVER DAM WAYLAND Sept. 14 at Randolph Sept. 21 at Johnson Creek Sept. 28 DEERFIELD Oct. 5 CAMBRIA FRIESLAND Oct. 12 at Rio Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m.

Pirates at a glance Coach: Joe Zander, fourth season (19-13) On offense: The Pirates have an experienced backfield returning with quarterback Luke Figol and running back Davyn Braker, who were both first-team All-Trailways Small Conference players. They have versatile weapon Tanner Liebenthal back as well; he’ll likely see time at running back and receiver. Fall

River did lose receiver Parker Morton and linemen Devin Talg and Chandler Firary up front, leaving big holes for the Pirates to fill, but center Jack Gould and guard Keegan Wodill return with three years of experience to help the new faces on the line. On defense: Braker, Liebenthal, Figol, Gould and Wodill will start both ways. Braker is a defensive end, while Liebenthal and Figol are linebackers that will share the middle with linebacker Sam Nelson, who was a first-team all-conference player even after missing half the season due to injury. Wodill and Gould will anchor the interior line. Bottom line: The Pirates are returning a lot of stud players from a season ago. Last year’s performance wasn’t a surprise to anyone on the team, but now they will have a target on their backs because teams know just how good they are.

Did you know? Fall River has only won three conference titles in school history, two of which head coach Joe Zander has been a part of, including one as a player.

Pirates eye next breakthrough Fall River angling for first repeat conference title ever MARK MCMULLEN mmcmullen@wiscnews.com‌

‌Last year’s Fall River prep football team surprised a few teams, and by the time the Trailways Small Conference teams realized the Pirates were any good, it was far too late. Fall River went undefeated in conference play last year and advanced past Level Two of the WIAA playoffs for the first time in school history, ultimately falling one game short of the Division 7 finals at Camp Randall Stadium. Fall River head coach Joe Zander said the goal this year is to do something else unprecedented in school history: win a second consecutive conference crown. “For conference, it would be awesome to repeat because we’ve never done that,” he said. “We’re knocking down walls left and right

MARK MCMULLEN, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Fall River’s Davyn Braker works on form tackling in a drill during a recent practice. here, lately. A lot of it is just how much the kids have put in and how much they’re seeing the results. They’re reaping the rewards of all their hard work.” Senior Tanner Liebenthal said the team has also set a goal to earn a high seed in the playoffs like last year, when the Pirates were a No. 2 seed in their eightteam bracket behind a Wild Rose squad that had defeated

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Fall River 27-12 in the second week of the regular season. Fall River responded by defeating Wild Rose 8-7 in Level Three of the playoffs. Zander believes a team will learn more from a loss than from a win, and the Pirates’ battles with Wild Rose last year provides a prime example. “You definitely see what you can improve on, whereas maybe in a win, you don’t focus as much on it,” Zander said. “The first loss during the season, that was one with a new opponent and we didn’t expect what they had. It was tough to scout.” The Pirates lost linemen Chandler Firary and Devin Talg, and skill player Parker Morton. But Liebenthal, a

running back/linebacker, returns along with fellow seniors Luke Figol at quarterback, running back Davyn Braker, linemen Jack Gould and Keegan Wodill, and linebacker Sam Nelson. “I don’t think we’re going to be the same team as we were last year,” Liebenthal said. “I think we’re going to be different, but we’re going to be just as good. I think everybody got stronger and faster since last year and we’re changing a couple things in our playbook. Our defense is structuring up different. We’re going with a lot more speed on offense and defense this year than the past years that I’ve been here.” Zander said the Pirates will take it a game at a time as they try to match or exceed last year’s success. “We’ve definitely achieved something we’ve never done here before at Fall River and we want to keep doing that,” Zander said. “The way to keep doing that is to just keep working hard and keeping our head on the grindstone. Hard work will pay off and that’s what happened with us last year when we got to Level Four. We had kids that did everything for the program. “We’re hoping this year we can continue that success and hopefully this time, we can get to Camp Randall.”

Good Luck Area Teams! to all area football teams!

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RANDOLPH

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

Rockets return from orbit, refuel Randolph relaunches with new offense, playmakers on D DAN LARSON dlarson@wiscnews.com‌

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‌Randolph’s prep football team only missed the playoffs once from 2009-15 and posted a winning postseason record (7-6) with a pair of trips to the WIAA Division 7 state semifinals in that span. So back-to-back 2-7 marks on the heels of that successful era left head coach Randy Herpel, now entering his third year at the helm, in search of some answers. And what he decided was to give the program a complete makeover. “The best way to describe what’s happening with our team right now is we have started from square one,” Herpel said. “We’ve changed basically everything about Randolph football.” It’s a change that comes in the form of the run-pass option (RPO), a scheme that Herpel has studied extensively over the offseason and thinks fits his team of mostly undersized but athletic, speedy players. “In the past, we’ve had this model of Randolph football and we’ve tried to insert the right players into it. This year, we’re looking at what do we have and what offensive scheme can we run based on who we have on the field?” he said. “We’re going to make defenses constantly off guard and make them adjust to us. And we’ve got enough speed on the outside to make that happen. We’re going to make specific defensive players make decisions —

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

2018 Schedule

side linebacker Cobey Alderden is as intense as Aug. 17 at Westfield they come and was second-team all-conference Aug. 24 PARDEEVILLE last year, and opposite Aug. 31 RIO him at the other OLB spot Sept. 7 at Deerfield is the speedy Westra. Big boy Matt Miller (6-foot-2, Sept. 14 FALL RIVER 260 pounds) figures to be Sept. 21 at Oshkosh Lourdes a beast to handle up front Sept. 28 JOHNSON CREEK and could eat up blockers Oct. 6 at Beaver Dam to let Alderden and Westra Wayland run free. There are quesOct. 12 at Cambria-Friesland tion marks elsewhere, but with those three as the Home games in BOLD CAPS core, the Rockets should be Games are at 7 p.m. all right on this side.

Rockets at a glance

Bottom line: The new offense could be a crutch in year one or it could be a salve, but either way, the long-term future looks bright with a speedy sophomore class dominating the roster this year.

Coach: Randy Herpel, third season (4-14) On offense: Speed. Speed. Speed. At least that’s the predominant trait boasted by the Rockets on this side of the ball, where senior Sawyer Westra and sophomore Brayden Haffele are likely to end up in some sort of timeshare at QB in Randolph’s new run-pass option scheme. On defense: Senior out-

Did you know? The Rockets could boast one of the best special teams units in the area this fall, with senior Sawyer Westra a reigning second-team All-Trailways Small Conference return man and gunner and junior kicker and punter Seth Schmucki a reigning second-team all-conference kicker.

“We’ve changed basically everything about Randolph football.” DAN LARSON, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Randolph’s Matt Miller (right), a 6-foot-2, 260-pound offensive and defensive lineman, competes in a nutcracker drill with full pads on at a recent practice. and we’re not going to give them the ability to make a good decision with the RPO. “In theory, it should all work that way. With underclassmen, there’s a steep, steep learning curve. So we’ll see how it all works out.” Randolph will count heavily on a speedy sophomore class. But having those Please see RANDOLPH, Page 59

Good Luck to the Randolph Rockets this season. 164 Kienow Drive Randolph, WI 53956 Phone (920) 326-5800

Randy Herpel, Randolph coach

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RIO

58 | Thursday, August 16, 2018

Seasoned Vikings ready for rebirth

2018 Schedule Aug. 16 PLAINFIELD TRI-COUNTY Aug. 24 at Almond-Bancroft Aug. 31 at Randolph Sept. 7 at Oshkosh Lourdes Sept. 14 JOHNSON CREEK Sept. 21 CAMBRIA-FRIESLAND Sept. 29 at Beaver Dam Wayland, 1 p.m. Oct. 5 DEERFIELD Oct. 12 FALL RIVER Home games in BOLD CAPS Games 7 p.m. unless noted

Vikings at a glance Coach: Brian Brewer, third season (5-13)

After two difficult campaigns, Rio upperclassmen hungry for playoffs Rio junior Teagan Prochnow. 34 touchdowns, including 1,212 yards and 20 TDs passing. In order to change that, the Vikings will rely on senior Mason Bright at linebacker and senior Brandon Rowe in the defensive backfield. Senior Nathan Rippl will be a key piece up front, either as a lineman or tight end.

Bottom line: Having missed the postseason each of the On offense: last two years, the Vikings Rio’s douare driven to get back to the ble-wing playoffs for the first time offense struggled to get off since 2015. The road won’t be the ground in 2017, averaging easy, with another difficult just over 12 points per game test awaiting in the Trailways and breaking the two-score South Conference and difficult threshold just once. With non-conference tests against both top rushers back this Plainfield Tri-County and Alseason, coach Brian Brewer mond-Bancroft to open the is hoping the Vikings will be season. “I think it’s whether or flying high in 2018. Juniors not the team can compete, can Nick Larson and Teagan they believe in it,” Brewer said. Prochnow spearhead the multifaceted attack, while sophomore Jacob Rowe is the leading candidate to take of the Vikings’ five coaches, over at quarterback. four of them are Rio alumni. On defense: The Vikings Head coach Brian Brewer, allowed just under 30 points class of 1980, and assistants per game, and got hurt Rodger Williams (2009), through both the air and on Brady Brewer (2012) and the ground. Rio surrendered Chainey Brewer (2015) are all nearly 2,900 total yards and former Vikings.

Did you know?

Good Luck Area Teams!

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS | KICKOFF 2018

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‌The Rio football team has had its fair share of trials and tribulations in its first two seasons under coach Brian Brewer. After a sub-.500 campaign in 2016, the Vikings went 2-7 last year and missed out on the postseason for the second straight year after making the playoffs for 10 straight years. After the past two teams have been laden with underclassmen, Rio is upperclassmen-heavy entering 2018 and Brewer is hopeful that translates to success. “Two years ago, we were 17 kids that were freshmen and sophomores, and now we’re 17 juniors and seniors,” he said. “These kids have all played together and I really think we can do something special, if we can avoid injuries.” The Vikings’ double-wing attack spun its wheels for most of the 2018 season, averaging just 12.2 points per game and scoring more than 14 points just once, in a 44-20 win over Beaver Dam Wayland. Rio really sputtered down the stretch, as it was shut out over its final two games, getting outscored 72-0 by playoff teams Deerfield and Fall River. Brewer has turned over the reins of the offense to his sons, co-coordinators Brady and Chainey Brewer. He believes that move, along with players now having spent two years in the system, will help pay dividends. It also helps that

SEAN DAVIS PHOTOS, CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS‌

Rio senior Mason Bright sprints upfield after taking a handoff during an offensive drill at practice on Aug. 6. the Vikings return their top two rushers in juniors Nick Larson and Teagan Prochnow. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Larson rushed for a teamhigh 713 yards and five touchdowns, averaging a team-best 6.3 yards per carry. Prochnow (5-11, 170) added 600 yards and three scores and was the “home run hitter” between the two, according to Brian Brewer. “To be totally honest, I don’t know who to give the ball to half the time,” he said. “I’m blessed with two running backs and people in the bigger conference wish they had that.” Rounding out the backfield is Mason Bright. According to Brewer, the 6-foot, 195-pound senior “worked harder in the offseason than anyone,” and will be the team’s kickout back. Up front, the Vikings don’t have much size, but they do return a number of players from last year’s

unit. Seniors Kevin Xiong (5-9, 170) and Steven Hoene (5-11, 170) are likely candidates for the guard spots, while seniors Jacob Roche (6-1, 185) and Brett Salenius (6-5, 215) are up for tackle and center. Senior Nathan Rippl, junior David Hoene and Dalton Barker are three other candidates for the offensive line. “We’re solid there. We just have to figure out where the pieces are going,” Brewer said. If he doesn’t end up on the offensive line, Rippl is likely to play tight end alongside senior Brandon Rowe. Sophomore Jacob Rowe is the leading candidate to start at quarterback, while junior Carson Richardson and freshman Kase Reierson are also candidates. The Vikings struggled on the defensive side of the ball as well last season, allowing 29.3 points per game, including being outscored 168-38 over the

second and third quarters. In order to curb that, Brewer and the Vikings are switching up their defensive scheme in order to read opposing guards and tackles easier. Even with the change in scheme, Prochnow, Larson and Bright will be crucial to the Vikings’ defense. Larson racked up a team-high 81 tackles last season while Prochnow chipped in 53 and Bright added 29. “Those guys will have to lead, but it’s going to have to be a team thing,” Brewer said. Junior Dakota Johnson (6-1, 165) added 43 tackles last season, including 2.5 sacks, and will be a key linebacker. Rippl tallied 40 tackles and three fumble recoveries and will be a major contributor up front, while Brandon Rowe will lead the defensive backfield. While the Vikings return plenty of role players on both sides of the ball, it won’t be easy getting back to the postseason. Rio finished in sixth place at 2-5 last year in the Trailways Small Conference, which will again be difficult. Fall River, a Division 7 state semifinalist last year, returns 11 seniors, while Johnson Creek and Oshkosh Lourdes also return large chunks from teams that made the playoffs last season. Brewer said the Vikings’ success will rely upon whether or not they can improve daily and believe in themselves. “If we get better and better, who knows?” he said. “We had 10 straight years of playoff football and they haven’t had that. They’re voiceful, they holler and they want change. I think they’re really driven, the most in the three years.” 001

BEAVER DAM WAYLAND

CAPITAL NEWSPAPERS • KICKOFF 2018

2018 Schedule Aug. 31 CAMBRIA-FRIESLAND, 4:30 pm. Sept. 7 at Fall River Sept. 14 OSHKOSH LOURDES, 4 p.m. Sept. 21 at Deerfield Sept. 29 RIO, 1 p.m. Oct. 6 RANDOLPH, 1 p.m. Oct. 11 at Johnson Creek Home games in BOLD CAPS Games are at 7 p.m., unless noted

Randolph From Page 57

players in the fold for the next three seasons is a big part of the reason Herpel is confident the move to the RPO is the right one. Battling for the QB job in the new system are senior Sawyer Westra (6foot-1, 175 pounds) — a first-team All-Trailways Small Conference wide receiver a year ago — and sophomore Brayden Haffele (6-2, 175). Both are capable, and it’s not out of the question that they end up in a platoon in order to get the most of the position. “I wish I could combine them into one,” Herpel said. “How can we take advantage of Sawyer’s speed and Brayden’s arm — how can we take advantage of both of those things? We haven’t come up with any definite plans yet, but we’re starting to try and figure things out with that.” Regardless of how that battle — or timeshare plan — plays out, both have spots at receiver when they’re not behind center. Meanwhile along the offensive line, senior Matt Miller (6-2, 260) figures to be the rock for a unit that is largely inexperienced but at the same time overflowing with potential thanks to a lot of time in the weight room during the offseason. The poster boy for that unit is Ben Schmucki (6-1, 180), who last year as a freshman was still growing into his body but this year as a sophomore is a lot more coordinated and in fact could be a star. “He’s been the biggest surprise to us this year,” Herpel said. “He came in this year with speed in his feet, and bigger and more aggressive.” 00 1

Big Red at a glance

after carrying 36 times for 144 yards and two TDs in 2017. Gracien Jules, the team’s leading rusher last year and a Division 3 medalist in both the shot put and discus at the WIAA state track and field championships in June, is out for soccer this fall.

Thursday, August 16, 2018 |

Wayland’s 5-2 look.

The bottom line: Because Wayland is a boarding school, the kids Coach: Craig Hill, just got into town and the first first year practice wasn’t until Wednesday. As a result, there are a lot of quesOn offense: Senior tions still to be answered ahead of Abe Luedtke is the team’s first game two weeks back at QB after On defense: Sophomore defensive from Friday as the Big Red try to throwing for 214 break into the win column for the lineman Tyler Hampton (5-foot-9, yards and three TDs last season and Oscar Sun is back at wingback 230 pounds) and linebacker Adam first time since resuming 11-man football in 2016. in the Big Red’s double-wing attack Rubinchik (6-1, 195) will anchor

He’s not the only one who’s improved by leaps and bounds. Another is sophomore wide receiver/ linebacker Jax Rataczak (6-foot, 160). “He was in the weight room for the last nine months, and this kid is thick now, and fast, and he’s got hands. He went from being an offensive lineman to being a wide receiver for us now,” Herpel said. Among the playmakers on defense, Westra — “He’s got the ability to go coast to coast,” Herpel said — and fellow outside linebacker Cobey Alderen, who was second-team all-conference last year as a junior, both have a nose for the ball. And Miller should be a beast in the trenches. “People are going to have a hard time getting a handle on this guy,” Herpel said. “He can bench 350 — he’s very strong.” While the offensive system is being revamped, the defense is standing pat in the 4-3 scheme, in large part because Herpel said “more and more teams are going spread (so) the days of running five-man fronts are over with.” How it all shakes out — how much of a tangible difference the new offense makes in year one — remains to be seen. But Herpel expects there to be intangible improvement at the very least. “What I expect out of this team is (that) we will be competitive in every game that we play this year,” he said. “And if we get that done — I’m not sure where the wins and losses will fall — but if we are competitive in every game we play, that’s a win for us coming into a new program like this.”

Markesan From Page 52

(5-10, 200) as the guys who will be paving the way alongside Friday, pointing to Paddock and Saylor as fellow all-conference candidates. “We’re pretty good up front — we’ve got a good, experienced, smart line, so we’re going to be good there,” Dunlavy said. The skill positions are where Markesan has the most questions, given the loss of Clark as well as first-team all-conference wide receivers Drew Bernhagen and Austin Triggs. But Zac Triggs was Markesan’s third-leading receiver last year with 15 catches for 361 yards and six TDs and Paddock was the third-leading rusher with 674 yards and 10 TDs on 143 carries (4.7 yards per carry), so the cupboard is certainly not bare. “Zac’s kind of an unsung hero off last year’s team. He probably didn’t get the credit he deserved just because there were so many skill guys around him,” Dunlavy said of the 6-foot, 175-pound Triggs, who will also play in the defensive backfield. “He’s going to be a third-year two-way starter for us. Nobody really talks about Zac, but Zac is a phenomenal football player. And he plays faster than what he looks because he’s so intelligent and so smart.”

The Hornets are scaling back the offense a bit — going from a pass-oriented triple-option hybrid to a more traditional zone-blocking scheme mostly out of the Wing-T formation — in order to accommodate the turnover due to graduation. “We think we’re fitting the scheme to what we have (for personnel) a little bit better, so we’re probably not going to be as pass-happy as we have been in the past just because of the new guys we have and the experience we’re trying to get,” Dunlavy said. “(But) we’ll still be balanced enough to keep people honest.” Battling it out to be the maestro of Markesan’s offensive orchestra are senior Craig Plagenz (5-10, 175) and junior Max Stellmacher (6-feet, 180), who will both carve out roles regardless of if they win the quarterback job or not. Defensively, Bartaszewicz is the key cog Markesan is counting on to make the unit go. “He looks like a fifth-year senior playing linebacker as a junior,” Dunlavy said of the 5-9, 180-pound man in the middle, who was a starter as a freshman and sophomore. Bartaszewicz was third on the team in tackles last year (60, with 41 of those being solo tackles) and had five tackles for loss and a sack. Zac Triggs will be alongside him at one linebacker position in Markesan’s 3-4

Did you know? Wayland is still in the process of making the move from 8-man football to 11-man football, having played a modified 11-man schedule in 2016 and a full 11-man schedule last season.

scheme and two of the big boys up front will be Joey Paddock and Friday — the latter of whom Dunlavy is expecting big, big things from both ways. He’s “going to be pretty hard to keep off the field,” Dunlavy said of Friday. “He’s an animal.” Other principals on defense could be Plagenz at defensive back, Lawson at linebacker, senior linebacker Adam Weber (5-9, 160), junior defensive back Josh Boening (5-9, 160), junior lineman Jacob Mittelstadt (6-3, 250) and junior linebacker Aaron Daye (5-10, 160). And on offense, senior offensive linemen Michael Dillie (5-10, 180), Tristan Dillie (5-10, 180) and Tanner Heath (5-11, 190) are all candidates to see some snaps, as are junior wide receivers Christian Schwandt (6-foot, 160) and Bryson Zuhlke (6-foot, 165) and junior running backs Cayden Plagenz (5-10, 160) and Preston Witthun (5-11, 175). For all the turnover and big shoes to fill, one thing that remains the same for the most part are the faces giving directions — and Dunlavy hopes that will help the Hornets create some buzz again in 2018. The only difference in the coaching staff is at the top. “The staff will not change,” Dunlavy said, “so it should be a seamless transition with how are things are done.”

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