Prep football preview 2017
The Hays Daily News • Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017
B7
Seniors hope to lead La Crosse back to playoffs By NICK SCHWIEN nschwien@dailynews.net
LaCROSSE — The last three years have flown by for Jacob Showalter and the rest of the seniors. They were warned it would happen in the blink of an eye, but as an underclassmen, sometimes you take it for granted. But this year is the final season the seniors at La Crosse will have a chance to write their legacy among the history books of a school with a long tradition in football. “It just really made me realize that the seniors and older classmen, they’re always telling you it goes by so fast,” Showalter said. “As a freshman, you’re like, ‘Oh, I have four years.’ But they’re right. It goes by fast. You just have to make the most of it.” To make the most of it this year, the Leopards will have to rely on that senior group and a solid sophomore class to grow up quickly. La Crosse went 5-6 a year ago, took second in the district to Plainville — the eventual Class 2-1A state runner-up — and went on the road to surprise rival Meade in the first round of the playoffs with an upset. The season ended a week later at Smith Center, a team with another strong tradition on the gridiron. “That’s one of those things we’ve always had on our side,” said head coach Jon Webster. “But one of the best season some of our kids have had is a 5-6 season and went to playoffs. A year before that, we were 3-6. We really need to get back to making our tradition every year and not relying on, ‘Well, we’re La Crosse.’ We’re not the La Crosse we were four or five years ago. We need to get a reputation for ourselves to be tough again and that we play to the whistle and hit and are very, very physical. That’s something the seniors have embraced and made a team motto: Remember the tradition, but make your own chapter of it. I think that shows a lot of maturity in that senior group.” The playoff spot in 2016 was important because it followed up on a 3-6 year that snapped a long streak of playoff appearances. It also marked a resurgence after the team went 0-4 to start the year. “Last year, we came in and lost our first four, played some really talented teams and talented kids — whether it was the Schippers kid from Colby or the Davis kid from Ellsworth,” Webster said. “Those dudes could fly. We continued to get better every week, even though it didn’t show on the scoreboard. We were getting better as we went. When we went into that Ellis game last year, Ellis had all their kids back from injury and had a lot of enthusiasm. They hit one big play, and I thought we were in trouble. Our kids took a deep breath and calmed down. Then they played really good football against them and Oakley. “Plainville, we did some good things, just had too many mistakes turning the ball over. Then we go down to Meade, and that’s a good one to build off of. We give them that first-round playoff loss. And Smith Center, I felt like that was a game that take away a couple turnovers, and it’s a close, close ballgame. That kind of seemed to be the theme of our year last year. We’d play people really tough, but it didn’t show up on the scoreboard because of turnovers. Washington County, we were in the red zone four times and didn’t score because of turnovers. Hopefully we can build off that success and learn how to finish drives and finish games.” Gone from last year, though, is the offensive firepower of Clay-
NICK SCHWIEN, nschwien@dailynews.net
La Crosse senior receiver Brett Herrman looks a pass into his hands during a preseason practice in La Crosse. ton Herdman, Jasey Woods and Caleb Sherman. Herdman threw for 1,144 yards and rushed for 1,096 while accounting for 34 total touchdowns. Woods was the second-leading rusher with 963 yards and six TDs, while Sherman was a threat in the passing game with seven receiving touchdowns. Now, the Leopards will rely on a sophomore at quarterback — Hunter Morgan. He saw spot duty behind Herdman last year, who is now on the Washburn University roster. “Quarterback, losing Clayton, a three-year starter, there’s a lot of experience gone,” Webster said. “Hunter Morgan is going to be our starting quarterback to start the season. He’s been good in practice and during camp. He’s making good decisions every day and improving. He just needs to see some game reps to really test his medal. We have a lot of confidence in Hunter. He was our backup last year and played some spot duty. I think he’ll have a good season, it just might take a little while for him to get going.” At running back will be sophomore Kalen Thielenhaus and Christian Suppes, a junior. Zak Brown, a senior, also could figure into the mix. Brown is the team’s top returning rusher, gaining 100 yards last year behind a senior-laden backfield. Of the four returning starters on offense, three are on the line — including Showalter. “It doesn’t really matter what talent you have,” Showalter said. “It all comes down to how hard we’re working. Yeah, we’re going to have a good O-line, and that’s really key to the offense.” Webster said that will be crucial, especially early in the year as players gain experience. “On the offensive and defensive side, the group that’s going to lead us is going to have to be the linemen,” Webster said. “We’ve got three seniors who have started for the better part of three years coming back on both sides. A lot of experience, a lot of size. A lot of guys that get off the ball well. They’re really going to have to carry the way as the backs figure things out.” The other returning starter on offense is senior Brett Herrman,
That’s what we need to do is come together as one team. “Those teams that can be better are the ones that realize they don’t have a superstar and they work for it. They work harder than the team that has the superstar. If we can out-work other teams, we can outplay them on the field.” Webster knows the younger players will have to step up and take a significant role on both sides of the ball. But he also knows that’s something the players are capable of doing as well. “That’s something that I think we have a lot of kids who are tough and fighters,” he said. “That’s something that can go a long way. When you have a stubborn kid who doesn’t want to back down, that’s a good thing. The big thing we’ve been preaching all summer is win the battle with yourself. When you La Crosse head coach Jon Webster discuss a game plan for the kickoff get tired, find a way to get through. When you get hot, find a way to return team during a preseason practice. get through. If you can win the who played most of last season Webster said. “He squats better, battle with yourself, you have a with a torn ACL. That limited him his clean is better. He had a nice good chance to win the battle with from playing at 100 percent after growth spurt. He rehabbed really the guy across from you.” getting hurt the third game of the hard, and I think he’s surprised That fighting spirit and a sense season. at how his body has responded. I of brotherhood is something the “We have a very talented backthink he has a lot more confidence. players are hoping helps them make field,” Herrman said. “More imHe’s a guy that is so smart that we another postseason appearance. portantly, we have a very, very good can do a lot of different things with “I’m probably even more nerline. That’s something that nobody him to try to get some matchups vous this year than my freshman ever talks about is the line. But we that favor us. Put him as receiver, year,” Showalter said. “I want have Kadin Trower, Jacob Showrunning back, put him in at quarto keep the tradition here at La alter, Kale Mongeau who have all terback. I think he just has more Crosse. I think that’s every seniors’ been two- or three-year starters up confidence because he’s bigger goal — to do the best for the there. They are going to be tremen- than he was last year.” younger classmen. Leave it great dous up there. They are going to Herrman allows the team to for them. That’s what I want to do. be able to help the young guys up stretch the field with his speed and I want to make sure they keep the there — Brock Brown, Keldon Day ability to catch the deep ball. Leopard tradition alive. and Michael Showalter. They have “He’s quick, taller and can jump “No class wants to be the class the body size to play good, and pretty good too,” Morgan said that doesn’t make the playoffs or they have the help around them to about the target. “I feel he’s going is the one that kind of takes a step be able to be one of the best lines to do some pretty good things out back,” Webster said. “Once the we’ve ever had.” there.” tradition is established, it kind of Herrman postponed surgery on But Herrman knows this year’s breeds itself — especially when his injured knee so he could finish team is different than past teams in you have younger brothers, cousins the football season, then opted that there isn’t one or two supercome through. We have a lot of to have it fixed midway through stars to carry the load. Instead, it kids that have seen it and grown up basketball. By the time surgery will take everyone stepping up to around it. Brett and Blake Herrhappened, he said the ACL had make the season a success. man, I remember those guys when completely disintegrated and his “There’s no standout player,” they were like first- and third-gradmeniscus was torn as well. he said. “We’ve talked about this ers coming out on the practice While playing injured, he finbefore in practice and before field and stretching with the guys. ished the year with 34 catches for practices began. We don’t have the Their dad was a radio announcer 666 yards and nine touchdowns one standout athlete or the two for us, and they were around it all — all team-highs in the receiving standout athletes that La Crosse is the time. That helped breed that in game. used to having. We have 24 guys of what the expectation is toward “Brett, physically, looks betthat if we come together can be working every day in practice to be ter than before the knee injury,” one of the best teams in the state. the best team they can be.”
Leopards pride themselves on family bond, and this year they could have three sets of brothers on the field at once By NICK SCHWIEN nschwien@dailynews.net Brotherly love is something that’s helped the La Crosse football program build a solid tradition through the years. Each player is out there giving it his all for the others. This year, that love might have even more of a family feel as the Leopards could have three sets of brothers on the field at one time. Senior Jacob Showalter and his sophomore brother, Michael, and senior Brett Herrman and sophomore Blake Herrman, along with senior Zak Brown and sophomore Brock Brown, all are expected to see playing time this fall. “When you have older and younger brothers, the younger brothers never want to admit how much they look up to their older brothers, and the older brothers never want to admit how much they look out for their younger brothers,” said head coach Jon Webster. “At our team camp this summer, Michael had some nice blocks — got some flat-backs on some people. That got Jacob going. So the younger kids step up and push their older brothers. And Brett does a great
job of teaching Blake. They go home and talk and do a lot of communicating. It’s unique because a lot of times, those brothers bump heads. But they understand that they are doing what’s best for the football team. They are willing to put that pride aside to help the team.” The Showalters are expected to play on the offensive line and help lead the way for a young backfield. “We’re all really competitive,” Jacob Showalter said. “We all are brothers, really. My brother might be starting this year, and that makes me really excited because he’s been working his butt off. He’s not the biggest kid out there, and that just really shows how hard he’s working. As an older brother, that makes me feel good. Maybe he was looking up to me.” The Herrmans will play as receivers on offense, and that connection has helped the two push each other. “It’s funny, because one of his offensive spots is one I have as a starter,” Brett Herrman said. “Knowing that he is underneath me wanting to take my spot makes me work even harder. I think for him, knowing that I’m up there and
him knowing that he could take my spot makes him work even harder. That’s a pretty good connection there and makes us work harder.” Zak Brown will help carry the ball this fall, and his younger brother will see time on the line. Jacob Showalter said he sees a lot of himself in his sophomore brother. “I kind of do,” he said. “My freshman and sophomore year, I was kind of the shy guy. As I got to play with the varsity a bit more and seeing how everyone gets along, it helped. At times, we’ll argue a little bit. But at the end of the day, we’re family.” Webster said the familial connections can help make the team stronger this fall. “You always worry that maybe the brothers are pushing each other too far,” he said. “I grew up with brothers, and I can think of times when we pushed it too far. … Sometimes as a younger brother, you just don’t want to hear the older brother’s voice. But they realize we’re all working toward the same goal. Sometimes it’s better to have somebody else say something than your older brother.”
La Crosse senior Jacob Showalter prepares for a drill on the tackling sled.