Full Show - 11/1/2025

Full show from the Donovan & Jorgenson Heating & Cooling Studio: Saturday, November 1st, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome into the Varsity Flitz High School Sports Show, presented
as always by your local Pick and Save and Metro
Market stores. Coming from the Donovan and Jorgans and Heating
and Cooling Studios. I'm Mike mcgiffern alongside the athletic director
at Muskeigo High School. Still playing, Yes, sir, still play
a good win last night.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
Yeah it was.

Speaker 4 (00:21):
It was a good one out there.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, good crowd. Uh.

Speaker 4 (00:24):
You know what, uh trick or treat. You'd be amazed
at the at the poll that trick or treat can
do to a high school football game.

Speaker 5 (00:31):
Yeah, it was.

Speaker 4 (00:32):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (00:33):
And I don't know if.

Speaker 4 (00:33):
That's our our community used to being successful on Friday
nights just saying we'll go to the next one type
of thing. But you know, the little kids, they want
a trick or treat.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
The whole whole city was.

Speaker 4 (00:43):
Out and about, and you know, we got neighborhoods with
bonfires and driveways and all sorts of things.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
So I got it feeling. I gotta feeling next year
you'll do like a community trunk or trunk or treat
in the parking lot at Muskeigo. You know what, giving
you an ida? I see a light bulb going on
over your head. Hey, it's Championship Satiday in the aa YFL.
And why let's start the show real quick with Greg Clark,
the president of the AAIFL, because you can stream if

(01:10):
you can't get out the Slinger game at nine, another
one at noon, another one at three, and if you cannot,
there's a way for you to watch these games. And
I wanted Greg to give us an idea just the
first couple of minutes of the show on how people
can watch these games. Greg Clark, how you doing today?

Speaker 6 (01:29):
I'm fantastic. Mike McGivern, how are you good?

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Hey, a big day for you guys in the AIFL
out at Slinger High School game just kicking off right
now at nine o'clock, another one at noon, and another
one at three o'clock. And if people cannot get out
and see these games in person, there's a nice easy
way to watch these games.

Speaker 5 (01:49):
Correct.

Speaker 6 (01:51):
Yes, you go to AIFL dot org and you can
clink on the link. You have a YouTube channel, you
have live stream with some great announcers and a great
presentation for everybody to watch.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Man, that's awesome. Who's playing today?

Speaker 5 (02:05):
Us?

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Give us the Rundown on who's playing at nine o'clock
game and noon and three?

Speaker 6 (02:10):
Okay, so right now I'm about to kickoff is Journey
Allison Cedar Grove, Belgium. Fishers are lining them up right
now for the opening kickoff. Then at noon we have
Division two which is Fortford and walk as us out.
And then at three o'clock we have Division one which
is Sussex Hamilton and we want to go. So it's
some really great games that'll be played today.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Man, that's awesome. Hey, I appreciate you coming on early again.
If you go to aa YFL dot org and I'm
on it right now, just click on that YouTube channel
and the games are gonna kick off soon and you
can watch the game at nine, at noon and at
three o'clock. I'm hoping to get out there for the
three o'clock game. We are watching two of our grandkids,

(02:53):
and you never quite I can't commit, man, you're never
quite sure at Greg. I appreciate you, know your patience
with me on this thing. If I don't get out
there this year, I promise to get out there next year.
But I'm gonna try like heck to get out there
for the three o'clock game again. You can watch its
championship Saturday for the AYFL three. Look, if you can't

(03:15):
get out and support these kids bye by getting the slinger,
you know, go to that YouTube channel and watch some
of this really good action. These guys are playing for
a championship and there are six really quality teams, will
coached teams and kids that are trying to finish the deal.
And it's been great to be a partner with Greg
Clark and everybody with the AAIFL and I really appreciate that.

(03:38):
Hey Greg, we'll have you on to end the show
as well to talk a little bit about the nine
o'clock game and then promote how people can can support AAIFL.
So thanks a lot for a couple of minutes of
your time.

Speaker 6 (03:52):
Thank you guys very much. And hey Ryan, congratulations again
on a great win. Thanks so an AIFL program making
it to the that's.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Awesome, man, there you go, well done. Hey Greg, thanks
a lot. Have fun out there and hopefully i'll see
you a little bit later. All right, have a good day. Yeah, Hey,
So talked to me about the win last night. Look
rarecine case, it made a lot of noise last year
quality program, really well coached. Anton does a great job

(04:23):
over there. They they gave you everything you can handle. Correct.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
Yeah, I think as you look at Racine Case and
we saw them two years ago in the playoffs, and
obviously we've had them come to our scrimmage now for
the past I don't know, three four, five years something
like that, and you can we're sitting on on the
you know, the sidelines watching Racine Case obviously from an
outsider's view, but Anton has done a great job of
building the program. Last year they finally figured out how

(04:50):
to play physical football consistently. And I will tell you
they were very physical last night. Again, obviously they're going
against the Muskigo team that's knowing for their physicalit. That's
kind of their standard and tradition a little bit, but
as the game went on, I just think the difference
in the game was the continuity on offense. Racine Case
just didn't have that continuity on offense. And when you

(05:13):
watch Moskeigo's offense, everything's interconnected and even Miskeigo evolved to
ride the arm of Joey Shaw a little bit. The
quarterback and our receivers made some plays and they provided
a little bit more balance and showed another facet of
the wing Medy.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
How many throws last night? Do you think? Ooh, that's
a good question, double ditch. I think so? Wow, I do?
I think so. They did a very good job, Crowsy.

Speaker 5 (05:36):
Yeah, it came back.

Speaker 4 (05:38):
It started balancing some things out.

Speaker 5 (05:39):
They ran the ball very effectively as well.

Speaker 4 (05:41):
But again they found balance and they found a way
to score and did a great job of being aggressive.
There's fifty five seconds left in the first half where
they marched it right down and.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
Old line provided protection.

Speaker 4 (05:53):
Joey threw a diamond to the right corner of the
end zone and it was a great catch by the receiver.
I think it was Jackson Neemick who ran a great
route and scored with a second left on the clock.
And that was kind of the deal that broke the
broke the camel's back, if you will.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Hey, any surprises in Division one, Arrow had Brooke Brookfield
least gave Arrow had everything they could out thirty one
to twenty nine Final Sussex Hamilton just rolling up on
Kimberly thirty five ten a little bit of a surprise
for me. And then to peer the seventh seed got
healthy and they beat Nina and last night beat Hudson

(06:30):
seventeen fourteen and they're playing WannaKey who shut out mcgwanagoll
last night.

Speaker 4 (06:35):
Yeah, it's interesting to see all these things evolved. Like
driving home last night, our game was done and I
was on Highway sixteen kind of on your neck of
the woods, and I saw the arrow had stadium lights
still and I'm like, ooh, something must have been going
on and checked the score and it was a two
point game in the fourth.

Speaker 1 (06:49):
I'm like, wow, yeah, you should have stopped at Lake
Country luther.

Speaker 3 (06:53):
I were there, Yeah, oh yeah, there you go.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, and Lake Hunting and we're gonna talk to coach
Bridesgal near the end of the show. But defensively, they
played great last night and beat a pretty good team.
And New Glarus is coming to town and ten and
one New Glaris rolled up on Receiving Lutheran a little bit.
Great crowd last night at elcl It was fun and
that was warm. I got every I went over to
Costco and got like heated socks, heated gloves. I can't

(07:17):
believe what it was have become now that a you know,
grandfather of six.

Speaker 4 (07:21):
You know, last night wasn't bad if you got layers on.
The good news was there was no wind, and he
just had to hope those little scattered rain showers that
were in the area didn't hit you. In as long
as it did, it was a good, great night to
watch high school football.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
Hey, we're going to talk a little bit about some
of the games coming up throughout the first hour. I
only have you for the first hour the second hour today,
the first two segments, I've got three seniors, two from
Brooks Central and one from Milwaukee Marquette coming in to
talk about their career, talk about their journey in these
programs and looking forward to talking to those guys about that.

(07:54):
But last week we said, man, if things fall into place,
Musquigo and Badger and this time of the year, every
week I'm texting you know, I probably text him too early.
I hope I'm not waking them up. Spencer said, these
coaches aren't sleeping at seven am. But Matt Hensler is
joining us. Big game Friday night at Muskego, no Halloween,

(08:15):
so the crowd's going to be big, and you know
Badger's traveling.

Speaker 4 (08:19):
Absolutely, if you're a high school football fan, this is
the high school football game. You want to see one
get high school football programs and schematics and those types
of things and communities that absolutely adore their teams getting
together and level three of the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (08:33):
Any pranks set up for for Hensler? Are you gonna
have them like dress over in the middle school a
couple miles away or anything.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
No, No, We'll treat them with class and give them
everything he needs.

Speaker 7 (08:44):
Not a boyd.

Speaker 1 (08:44):
We are now joined by the head football coach at
Lake Lake Gideva Badger this time of year, we have
them on every week because Matt it's just always fun
to talk to Coach Hensler. Thirty one seven win against
Middleton and now they got to make the try into Moschigo.
It's gonna be about it. Well, you guys threw it
over ten times last night. I thought it'd be a

(09:05):
forty five minute game, is what I was thinking. Coach Hensler, Congratulations,
how you feeling today?

Speaker 7 (09:12):
Thank you feel pretty good. If you're offering anything we
want and we'll start seven, nothing, that'd be great.

Speaker 1 (09:20):
Seven there you go, and and maybe you have a
couple of hot dogs for the coaches at halftime something
like that, and yeah, you'd be you'd be pleased to
make that trip into into Moskeigo. Hey, a coach, when
when you and I know that, look again, as coaches,
we never never look ahead. We work ahead, and I
know you've done enough due diligence. Looking at at Muskeigo,

(09:44):
what kind of issues do they bring to the table
for a team like Lake Geneva Badger.

Speaker 7 (09:50):
Well, everybody at this point is is pretty good, especially
in Division one, but Mestigo is just really coach and
they have great talent. That's a that's a pretty dangerous
combination if you're on the other side of the field.
So that's what we're staring now.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
Hey, Ryan, When you think of a program like Lake
Chieva Badger and under coach Hensler, you know they're always
in the conversation to win the conference, go deep in
the playoffs, maybe win a state championship. That's the kind
of conversations we have behind Hensler's back, right when you
talk about that conference and there's some quality football played
in that conference and what it looks like for them,

(10:32):
and then you put them up against a team like
Muskigo who's had that kind of success. Man, when you said, look,
this has everything that that a high school football game
has to offer, and I agree with you, and there's
a number of matchups like that this upcoming week. But
when you're a guy like coach Crousey's been around a while,
you don't play against an offense like Badger. Badger doesn't

(10:53):
play against an offense like Muskigo a lot. And it's
just gonna be it's gonna be kind of fun to
see the chess match.

Speaker 4 (11:00):
Yeah, I think it will be a great football game,
whether that's a seven to six game or a fifty
six fifty four game, whatever it turns out to be.
But the one thing you have to do is you
have great respect for those that are on the other
side sideline, and you know you can dial up great
defensive schemes for either one of those offenses, and you

(11:20):
might get them for a series or two, but they
are going to eventually figure it out because they know
themselves so well that they're going to be able to
make their adjustments and their wrinkles and do what they
want to do. And can you out consistently outperform them
over the course of the night and time will tell.

Speaker 1 (11:40):
I guess well. The fact that he did that Crosy
threw the ball in double digits last week. Makes your
practice a little different this week, coach Heinsler. Now, who
said those quarters and safeties can't come flying up on every.

Speaker 7 (11:52):
Play, Well that's true. That's nature of that offenses and
causey's a running forver or that you have to be
disciplined across the board. And that's that's the runs and passes, man,
ten passes will be welcome after about nine hundred last night,
Oh take ten?

Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, Middleton throws the ball out, don't they?

Speaker 7 (12:17):
Oh my gosh, it was crazy. A number of balls
in the air was unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (12:23):
You just wanted that doctor on, didn't you.

Speaker 5 (12:25):
Coach? You're like, you please throw the ball?

Speaker 3 (12:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (12:29):
I know. Well I got caught up in the madness too.
We threw it five times. We're crying all out right,
and I'll caught.

Speaker 8 (12:35):
Up in it.

Speaker 1 (12:36):
So sixty five throws five by you guys in like
sixty built in which your mentality.

Speaker 7 (12:43):
I got caught up, couldn't control myself.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
Man, your dad did not buy you a pizza after five.
That's too many for him. That that that is for sure, Hey, coach.
Health health wise, you guys, uh, look, nobody's really healthy
this time of year. But but you know, as far
as this time of year, you guys feel like you
came out of that game against Middleton relatively healthy.

Speaker 7 (13:06):
Yeah, this's the first time in about five weeks we
didn't lose anybody. So last week we lost three starters,
so we couldn't afford it. So yeah, it was great
to come out of this one healthy.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
Any starters just a week out and they're back or
a season nine, Well, you don't need to tell us that. Yeah,
McMillan's taking notes over here, he's taking notes. He's like,
hold on, I give you that. You keep that to yourself, Hey, coach,
Any surprises that when you look at the Division one bracket.
We were talking a little bit about that before we
had you come on. The surprises for me Brookfield he's

(13:42):
taken Arrowhead and giving them everything they could handle with
a thirty one twenty nine win. Hamilton beating up on
Kimberly a little bit thirty five to ten was a
little bit of a surprise to me. But other than that,
I thought, well, the Peers still planned as a seventh seed.
They got healthy, they beat a good, great NINA team
and then beat Hudson. I guess there's a couple of

(14:03):
surprises in Division one, but not like huge surprises, right.

Speaker 7 (14:09):
Yeah, I think I think you're right. I thought Hamilton
could beat Kimberly, but it's it's really hard to beat
the team twice in the same year, and so the
score surprised me a little bit. But but maybe the
mcgonage will want a key Juana kee. Obviously they woke
up and got a little fire lit under them after
last week, so they must have played much much better.

(14:31):
They much improved. That one was a little bit of
a shocker to me.

Speaker 1 (14:34):
Yeah, me too. In fact, Ryan, you kind of called
that last week when I said, look, is there any
issues going on? Wanta key? They you know, beat Chipwell
Falls twenty eight twenty one in overtime, and you said
you just had that look. You said, I think they'll
be all right. You know, they'll be all right. They
tried a few things and they survived it and they'll
be okay. And you're right. They they did survive it

(14:55):
and they beat a really good mcguantago team twenty to nothing.

Speaker 9 (14:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
I think sometimes this time of year you start to
see the teams that are totally two platoon and will
not share kids ever. Throughout the season, get to this
time of year and start to see quality opponents weekend
and week outs, looking right back at them, and they go,
we might want to use our best on both sides
of the ball. And Wanta Key started to do that

(15:20):
according to their game manager, who might be my dad
telling me what's going on, And they got some defensive
kids jumping the offense and it helped them out last night.

Speaker 1 (15:28):
There you go, that's perfect to hey, coach this time
of year for you and you've been through this time
of year a lot. Practices probably get shortened up a
little bit, not nearly as much, hitting, a lot more
film work. Do you do you look to see if
there are guys on one that you've played on one
side of the ball most of the year and are

(15:49):
the best players in the program that you might get
some time on the other side.

Speaker 7 (15:54):
Yeah, we've had a pretty good rotation throughout the course
of the year. We're not two between teams, so we've
been we've been kind of monkeying around with that our
rotation pattern for eleven weeks now, so not too much
of a change. But yeah, we're always looking to tweet kids.
There's a nuance to this time of year, and it's
just a balance between you know, keeping guys healthier, getting

(16:18):
guys back, or keeping guys fresh, but also working these
guys because you know, we've been through it a little
bit and the teams that are still improving now are
the teams that are are are going to end up
going far in the playoffs. So for us to find
a way to still get better, it's huge, it's critical.
So you still have to do stuff to get better.

(16:40):
You know, you still got a challenge of kids, and
they got to be willing to step up and meet
those challenges and compete like crazy in order to get better.
So we're trying to stay healthy and we're trying to
stay fresh, but.

Speaker 9 (16:51):
We have to get better.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
Man, that's awesome. You got to feel pretty good about
you and you grow of another team for your conference.
They got to win against Nicole last night, They got
to travel up to West to Pierre, gonna be a
really tough out for them. But man, feel great for
Uni Grove that they're still playing.

Speaker 7 (17:08):
Yeah, I'm happy for those guys. It speaks well for
our conference. But uh, you know, just coaches in our
conference doing well and teams in our conference continuing to plays.
They've won a lot of close games this year, man,
so I know they're they're not frustrated or nervous when
the score is tight. So I just I hope that
that game is really close, because Ingrow's been in that

(17:31):
position a lot this year.

Speaker 1 (17:33):
Coach, we got to get to a break. We get
a couple of coaches coming up after. I don't know.
I'm not picking that game. I am not doing it.
I'm not ticking you off. I'm not ticking McMillan off.
Any chance you can move that game to Thursday or Saturday,
since my grandson's playing on Friday. That You're not moving
that thing, are you.

Speaker 4 (17:52):
I only if coach Hens agrees to it.

Speaker 1 (17:54):
I don't think he's a pretty do it either. He
likes me, You don't like me that much for sure. Hey, Matt,
thank you so much for a couple of minutes of
your time. Good luck Nicks, good luck Friday against Muskigo.

Speaker 7 (18:06):
Perfect.

Speaker 8 (18:06):
All right, guys, thank you, you got it.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
We're gonna get to a break. The other side of
the break, we're gonna be joined by Jim Norris, the
head football coach at Grafton. Man. They're they're rolling the move.
They're they're rolling looking forward to spending a few minutes
with him.

Speaker 9 (18:21):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
Later in the show, we are going to uh, we're
gonna have Greg Braskell join us. Trying to reach out
to Jake Walter justin frisky. I was gonna give him
a little time to sleep because they had a long
trip last night, but I'm gonna try to reach out
and maybe get him on as as well. And and
we've got a number of coaches and I'm gonna cut
you loose at ten o'clock. And we've got these three

(18:43):
seniors coming in and we'll discuss from two from brook Central,
one from Milwaukee Marquette. We'll talk about their careers at
the high school level. At ten o'clock. This is the
Varsity Plit's High School Sports Show presented by your local
Pick and Save and Metro Market stores only on Fox
Sports side twenty and your iHeartRadio app. Welcome back to
the Varsity Flicks High School Sports Show presented by your

(19:05):
local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores on Fox
Sports nine twenty and your iHeartRadio app. Coming live from
the Donovan and Jorgensen Heating and Cooling Studios. Any issues
or before there is an issue. Have the people at
Donovan Jorgenson come out and check your furnace. I would
highly recommend their maintenance program under two hundred bucks a year.

(19:26):
They come out twice a year and they clean it
up before you have to turn it out and get
it ready to go. And they do a great job.
Largest employee owned HVAC company in the state of Wisconsin.
Trying to reach Jim Norris, head football coach at Grafton.
They're rolling. They beat Meryl last night fifty nine to nothing,
and they get a good Plymouth team coming to Grafton

(19:48):
this week. On the lower part of that bracket, Catholic
Memorial and Mount Horror Barneville Man one two seed on
both sides. I have to give you the the new brackets,
the new way they put the brackets together. Most of
the brackets are one verse two. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (20:06):
Yeah, the seeds are holding out. There's a few that
I think there's about one team in every division that
has has surprised some people and won their matchups, you know,
and Division one is the peer as you mentioned already,
and you know Pewaukee could be that team. In Division three,
I think they're a six seed technically they're technically yeah,
they're still alive, you know, and that Catholic Memorial Mount

(20:29):
Horror game.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
There's history there.

Speaker 4 (20:30):
Those two teams have seen each other quite a bit
in Level three and four over the years, so that
would be a real good one.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
So yeah, the Brackets are doing.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
Well, yeah they are. And on the bottom of that,
you know, Mike Spartans from Greendale, Martin Luther fifty nine
over Whitna and Whitefish back. The reason I'm trying to
get a hold of Jake Walter. I want to talk
to him because they're still playing the eight seed right
they beat they beat the one seed and New Berlin

(20:58):
Washington then last night bet Port Washington seventeen fifteen. So
that I got to tell you Division III, there are
some really good football teams and I don't know if
anybody's playing better right now than Grafton and they man,
they are rolling. We are now joined by the head
football coach at Grafton. He is Jim Norris. Hey, coach,
thank you so much for a couple of minutes your time.

(21:20):
Fifty nine to nothing win last night over Merrill Man,
Well done. Feel pretty good about how you guys are playing.
I'm sure right.

Speaker 9 (21:29):
Yeah, No, it's we're kind of pitting all strides right now,
you know, in every phase of the game and between offense, defense,
and special teams. It was a great night last night.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
Hey, coach, did you know coming in that that you
guys had a chance to be as good as you've
been this this year and being able to you know,
continue deep into the playoffs. Did you have a pretty
good idea that this team was capable of that?

Speaker 9 (21:58):
Yeah, I mean it's you know, this sophomore class has
been a huge part of our success over the last
several years, and actually level one, they played an additional
season more than anyone else, Like they played nine playoff games,
you know, collectively throughout their career starting with the last
week's games, So they have a lot of postseason success.

(22:21):
They have a lot of postseason experience. We started seven
of them in our state runner up and run in
twenty twenty three, so we knew we had, you know,
kind of on the outside, there's a lot of people
counting us out, and just because we had a lot
of successful players come through and graduate and move on
to college football and do other things. So we knew

(22:44):
what we had and you know, gave us a definite
chip on our shoulders we entered the season.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
Man, I love to hear that. And coach, when I
talk about you behind your back, I tell people, man,
I would have played for him. I would have ran
through the wall for him. My favorite thing that you
ever did. And you've done great things in your life.
But when you went for two against Greenfield a couple
of years ago, when it was raining cats and dogs
and I had to be on the sidelines for my

(23:11):
twenty four and you got up thirty four noth and
went for two. I never wanted to hug a band
more in my entire life than than at that moment
when you when you be when you got a running
clock against Greendale, I just I literally it took me
two days to dry out. So I really appreciated that
for sure. Hey, coach, as you go deeper into the playoffs,

(23:32):
and we we asked this question to coaches this time
of year, how different are your practices now than they
went than they were five six, seven weeks ago.

Speaker 9 (23:42):
Yeah, so our standard, you know, our standard. I'm sure
you guys hear that clichee a lot, you know, And
the process doesn't change, right, It's uh, you know, we
talk a lot about you know, the process and helping
you know, all build up to that Friday night. And
you know, we talked about it a couple of weeks ago.
It's entered up days you know within high school football

(24:03):
that you know, we're good enough to beat everybody. However,
everyone's good enough to beat us, you know, and so
when we're talking through the week, you know, it's important
to you know, everyone has the zero zero record, and
anything you did the week before it doesn't matter, and uh,
you know, it's all about this week, so you know,
for in sense of purposes, you know, we we obviously

(24:23):
had a great game last night, and we're really proud
of our guys for that. But you know, it's on
to the next one, right, and our coaching staff is
already working ahead and and uh, you know, getting things
laid out so our players are good.

Speaker 1 (24:36):
To go for to our own health wise, coach, again,
nobody's really healthy this time of year, but relatively speaking,
you I feel like your team is pretty healthy for
for this game on Friday.

Speaker 7 (24:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (24:50):
Yeah, we're we're you know, we're healthy. Bumps and bruises.
You know, we got we got warriors, right, you got
guys that have battle stars and battle wounds and everything between.
You know, but are they keep showing up and they
keep playing their their butts off, so they've they've done
a great job. And you know, to be honest, at
at our level with our site school and the competition

(25:11):
we play, you know, health and staying healthy latest, uh,
you know, kind of the name of the game. So
we take care of our boys. We have a good
uh some on on where their legs are at and uh,
our practices you know are definitely very high tempo and physical,
but you know, we understand.

Speaker 1 (25:26):
Where they're at what we need to Hey, last question
for you will cut you loose. What what do you
and I'm sure you've you've looked ahead a little bit
of work to head a little bit. What do you
know about Plymouth and and uh what what things do
they do that that concern you the most?

Speaker 9 (25:45):
So, I mean they're their first is foremost a good program,
you know, led by another good coach up there, and
you know used having a great you know, first year
and doing a great job. It's a great community. You know,
the kids probably more similar than we are different, uh,
in a lot of a lot of regards and you know,
they play. They played good, you know, good football. That's

(26:05):
gonna take them you know far, you know as far
as you know as they like to run the ball
and they like to take advantage of the play action stuff,
so you know, it's it's you know kind there's a
common theme right throughout Wisconsin playoffs. If you're able to
run the ball assistently and effectively, you're gonna have a
greater chance to win the game as we go. So

(26:27):
they do that well. Uh, they've been highly effective doing
it all season, and it's gonna be our job to
try to take that away.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
Seven o'clock kick at Grafton, number one Grafton against number
two Plymouth.

Speaker 7 (26:40):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (26:40):
Jim Moore, thank you so much.

Speaker 7 (26:42):
Man.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
I really appreciate a couple of minutes your time, and uh,
good good luck to Grafton. We're rooting for you on
on Friday. Coach, thank you.

Speaker 9 (26:51):
I just actually got all the duck line, so I
I wrapped up early for.

Speaker 3 (26:55):
You, Michael Man.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
I appreciate that. You know Ryan McMillan that he's thinking. Man,
I would have been out there with him for sure.

Speaker 3 (27:02):
Absolutely, chase some wood nuts.

Speaker 1 (27:03):
Let's go there, you go, there, you go I'll sit
in the car. I'll sit in the car and stay warm.
You guys go to hunting. That's that's my mydeal. He
is Jim Norris, that head football coach at Grafton against
seven o'clock kick against Plymouth this coming Friday. Have a
good week, coach, you got it. Thank you. Let's stay

(27:24):
in Division three if we can. We talked to any
any surprises. Well, the number eight Whitefish bab Blu Dukes
surprised me a little bit right. They went out and
went over New Berlin West and got to win them.
Last night went out to Port, Washington and beat Port
seventeen fifteen. They they now travel over to Greendale Martin
Luther who beat Witne fifty nine. I took the over

(27:47):
in that game, so I did all right in that one.
I can tell you that we are now joined by
the head football coach at Whitefish Bay High School is
Jake Walter. Jake Man, congratulations still playing. Man, you the
eight seed. Everybody kind of wrote you off, not me
and Ryan. We we picked you, I think both weeks.
I don't know if we did. I could be could
be liing. Don't check the tape on that one, but man,

(28:10):
you got to feel pretty good about you this team.
When when I saw you out of a Cedarburg, I said, hey,
how you doing. You said, if we get healthy, if
we get a couple of these guys back, we got
a chance. Well we might be better down the stretch
here than we are in the middle. And coach that
that that has come to fruition. And I'm wondering, has
it that you guys have gotten a little bit healthy.

Speaker 10 (28:33):
Yeah, you hit it right on the head. We've got
I mean, our best player, our second best player last
year missed the whole season with the knee or jury,
Bo Barrant, and he was coming into this season as
our best player. And he heard of me in week one,
I mean he and he got He came back week
nine against Hartford for his first game, and he's he's
in mid season former right now, he's in week three

(28:54):
or four. He's I asked the last night after the game,
like you want to play some more football? He's like,
hell yeah, Coach, I'm only a week three, you know,
Like I.

Speaker 9 (29:00):
Got a lot more games I want to play.

Speaker 10 (29:02):
So but yeah, besides him, we have so many guys
that have been dinged up and uh, we're finally getting
pretty healthy, and this is a team that we expected
to be, you know at the beginning of the year.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
Hey, how does Chase doing this time of year? You know,
he it's old hat for him now though he's only
a junior kind of game. Did he have last night
and the lights are too bright for a kid like that?

Speaker 7 (29:30):
Right?

Speaker 9 (29:31):
No, not at all, that it was.

Speaker 10 (29:34):
You know, the only thing that holds him back is
really the head coach and the play caller, which has
to be as dad as well. On the on the
bus right home, I talked to the kids, the two
main receivers, and they were sitting next to me, and
I'm like, hey, tell me about Chase and the huddle
and the two minute drill was literally less than a
minute left when we came back and won it. But

(29:56):
I'm like, how was he was he like stumbling on
his calls?

Speaker 7 (29:59):
Was he was he nervous? How was he? And that?
They're like he was cool? Cool?

Speaker 10 (30:05):
The other side of the pillow man, he was like,
He's like, no, he was great. He hit everything perfect.
And we run two minute drill every week in practice
and you know, even last night, there's a few calls
I give him the call and he's like, you got
to add this to it, coach, you know. To me,
he's like, Dad, you got to add this. I'm like, yeah,
you're right, you got to have an Apple call of this.
And he's been amazing. So yeah, he had a great game.

(30:29):
I think he finished twenty two for thirty seven for
twoin fifty and I think all of it was the
second half. I think we had like twenty yard toll
offense first half. So he was he was phenomenal.

Speaker 4 (30:40):
That's so fun when you get a quarterback like that Mike,
that you can have that conversation, when the kid knows
what you're thinking and knows your the ins and outs,
it just makes calling and at least in my experience,
it's make calling the game so much more relaxing because
you know if you make a mistake, they're going to
catch it and correct you.

Speaker 1 (31:00):
And you feel like, yeah, all right, go guys, have fun.

Speaker 9 (31:03):
Yeah you're right, you're right.

Speaker 7 (31:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
Well, you know, Coach went when a.

Speaker 10 (31:07):
Couple of times and he was like, let's run this.
I'm like, okay, run it. This big play happened.

Speaker 7 (31:11):
I'm like, okay, we got it.

Speaker 1 (31:13):
You know, when I saw you on the nineteenth of September,
you guys got to win against Cedarburg, and when you
said to me, look, if we get healthy, we could
be dangerous down the stretch. Now, I don't know if
we're going to be able to get healthy. But you
guys had a tough end of the year in regular season,
right a Slayer West and West, Nicolay and Hartford, four

(31:34):
l's in a row, and then you get the eight
seed and you go over to New Berlin West and
beat him thirty one seven outside of your locker room.
A lot of surprise for that coach. Were you surprised
at all on the way you guys took care of
business on the twenty fourth of October?

Speaker 10 (31:54):
I wasn't surprised, but I knew it could happen. I
didn't think, you know, it was, you know, for sure
going to happen because New Brown West is obviously a
great program, and Ben for a phenomenal job, and we
scrimmage him every year. So I don't know if that
helps because we know, you know what they you know,
in that twelve weeks beforehand, but still we scrimmage them

(32:17):
and we know we you know, physically could handle you know,
play with him, and I mean, they have a true
stud in aid and divine, but we knew we had
to lock in on him. But we knew we had
a good shots when we got that seed.

Speaker 7 (32:32):
For sure.

Speaker 1 (32:32):
Hey, coach, the game last night, you talked about the
last two minutes. Can you talk to me a little
bit about what the score was at that point and
did you guys come down again and score a touchdown,
kick a field goal. Talk to me about the last
two minutes of that game against Port Washington last night.

Speaker 9 (32:50):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 10 (32:51):
We actually, I mean, we scored all our points in
the fourth quarter.

Speaker 5 (32:55):
So.

Speaker 10 (32:57):
We ended up tying at eight eight early in the
fourth and then we came down kicked the field goal
to take the lead eleven eight, and with three minutes left,
and then they drove the field. We had to use
a couple of timeouts to say some clock. They scored
to go up you know, a score with a minute left,
maybe a little bit less.

Speaker 7 (33:16):
And then.

Speaker 10 (33:18):
We got a penalty on our kickoff return to put
us back down to twenty or twenty five. So we
had to go seventy five yards and like forty five
seconds and we did and chase, you know, Mace Misko
made some unbelievable catch his Reggie Hart as he loved.
We got one down the middle and then was eight

(33:39):
seconds left. We Mace caught a touchdown with two seconds
on the clock and we went crazy.

Speaker 3 (33:44):
So it was really two minute drive, man.

Speaker 1 (33:47):
What not a bad drive home from Port Washington after
that one, not at all.

Speaker 10 (33:53):
I know all these travel like people are posting, he's
coming home from Rice Lake a half hours and all
these We only had a twenty five minute drive to
enjoy it. But it was definitely enjoyable, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (34:05):
Coach, I don't know many of the guys over at
Greendale Martin Luther anymore. You know, I coached basketball over
there for years. Mighty Spartans, Well, my grandson did play
against him. He's at Lake Country Lutheran, and I asked
him about Martin Luther and he said, man, they got
some athletes. Boy, I'll tell you what. They got some athletes.
And to put up fifty one. They gave up forty

(34:26):
nine to Witnew but to put up fifty one, you know, offensively,
they're going to cause some problems for you. Defensively. Look,
Whitnell has been putting up a lot of points on everybody,
and they got a really good quarterback over there. I
don't know if you've had a chance to look at
any of the tape on Martin Luther, I'm sure you have.
What kind of problems are they going to cause for you?

Speaker 10 (34:49):
Yeah, we definitely checked it out last night and he
had like going back at Witnell quarterback man, he is phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
He's good.

Speaker 9 (34:57):
He truly is legit.

Speaker 10 (35:01):
But yeah, to put up that many points, you obviously
have something going right for you. I don't care who
you're playing. So they got they got two backs that
they really spread the ball too. They got a freshman quarterback,
but dang, he's not.

Speaker 9 (35:14):
He doesn't look like a freshman.

Speaker 10 (35:16):
I want to check his beck to make sure he
is his freshman man.

Speaker 7 (35:21):
He looks good.

Speaker 10 (35:22):
And they got a couple of good receivers. So yeah,
they're definitely going to be a challenge for us, but
we're excited to just you know, we talk.

Speaker 8 (35:29):
About it every week.

Speaker 9 (35:30):
It's like, let's get a free week of football.

Speaker 7 (35:32):
To eighteen years.

Speaker 10 (35:33):
I'm like, you know, that's all we want. We want
one more week of free football.

Speaker 7 (35:36):
And that's what we got.

Speaker 1 (35:37):
You know, every every Friday, about four o'clock, I'll send
my freshman grand send a text over at Lake Country Lutheran.
And every week it's played for those seniors. They do
not want this thing to end. And you know, when
you're a freshman, you don't really know that, you don't
really you know, get that about that this is the
end for them because you think of a frag at
all this time. Well, it goes quick, man, it goes quick. Hey, Jake,

(36:01):
thank you so much. I really appreciate a couple of
minutes your time. Really happy for you. Be kind to
my spartans over at Greed del Martin luther Bad.

Speaker 7 (36:12):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
They'll treat you really good before the game. They'll treat
you really good after the game. But you know they're
they're going to try to win that game and it
should be a really good matchup. Tell Chase I said, congratulations,
your entire staff. Really happy for you, guys.

Speaker 7 (36:26):
Jake, thank you so much.

Speaker 9 (36:28):
Mike, appreciate you having me on. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (36:31):
You got it. That's Jake Walter Ran just one of
the really good guys in this high school football world.

Speaker 3 (36:37):
One hundred percent.

Speaker 4 (36:38):
He's obviously believing, and you listen to those two coaches
in the last two segments or interviews that we just
had there and coach Norris, he had the way he
talks about his program. You know, two words kind of
come to my mind, is, you know, humble and hungry. Yes,
you know, they know who they are, they know what
they want to be, and they're they're they're silently going

(36:59):
after a little bit. And then he listened to coach Walter,
clearly they're loose, they got pep back in their step,
and they're extremely focused on the task at hand, and
they're fearless. Like you listen to described the end of
the game last night. They didn't even they didn't flinch anything.
They're going right after it and they said, just let
it all. They're the only eight seed alive. So what
else he gonna do.

Speaker 1 (37:17):
I love the fact that he asked the receivers, how
was our quarterback in the huddle? And they said, cool
is the other side of the pillow? Like I love
that I've known Chase since he was like four years old.
The first time Jake came in the studio, I think
chasers are on four and we're throwing the ball back through,
back and forth, and I looked at at Jake. I go, dude,

(37:37):
he can throw it. He goes, yeah, you know what.
He likes to throw it. And I was like, he'll
be a quarterback. He's like, I don't know. I will see,
we'll see. And this kid and he's just taller now.
When when I saw him out of the Seedbere gave
big smile his face, same smile that I've seen since
he was a ball boy. And man, he can he
can throw it. And he keeps saying baseball is my

(37:59):
sport and I'm watching to play football. I'm like, hold on,
young man, and he's like, no, No'm I a baseball
I'm thrown in high eighties right now. But I watch
him play football.

Speaker 4 (38:09):
Clearly is an intelligent one too, because he's coaching his dad.
He's one of the best coaches in the state, and
he's saying, Dahn, we're gonna do this.

Speaker 1 (38:15):
We're gonna do it this way. And I like that
he said, he said, coach, but then he said, no, doubt,
don't forget, we gotta do it this way. Let's get
to a break. Other side of the break, I'm going
to ask you about some Division two matchups, and then
a couple of Division four, then you know I'll throw
in one Division five that I'm interested in. He's Ryan
mcmill and, the athletic director at Muskego High School. This

(38:37):
is the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show, presented by
your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores, only
on Fox Sports NIGNE twenty and your iheartradiop Welcome back
to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show, as always,
presented by your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores,
coming live from the Divan and Jorgensen Heating and Cooling Studios.

(38:58):
If you didn't hear the first segment, the AAYFL State
Championships are going on right now and in fact it's
twelve to six Cedar Grove, Belgium beating Journey House at halftime.
You can go on their their YouTube page aa YFL
Slash Wisconsin and you can watch these games. Or head
out to Slinger High School another game starting at noon

(39:21):
today and their their final at three o'clock today. Again
out at Slinger High School, or go to AAIFL dot
org and you can click on their their their YouTube
page and be able to watch these games streamed live.
It's awesome. Hey, Ryan, A couple of games in Division
two that I just wanted to talk to you a

(39:42):
little bit about the fact that Homestead they beat up
on Elcorn a little bit. I thought Elcorn would keep
it a little bit closer. Thirty six nothing Homestead. They
now have Monona Grove coming to town, who beat Germantown
twenty eight fourteen. And then on the top side of that,
get West to Pier who's been rolling all year. They

(40:03):
they beat Pulaski forty to twenty one. They get Union
Growth who beat Nikola fourteen to twelve. It gonna be
a tough matchup I think for Union Grove to travel
to West of Pier, But I think Western Peer might
be the favorite in in Division two.

Speaker 5 (40:19):
I think so.

Speaker 6 (40:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (40:20):
They West of Pier's got great athletics up there, and
they have a really strong track program as well as
along with some other sports, but track in particular, and
typically that translated into pretty good skill positions in football.
And so they've been and it's a growing community. R
I've just been growing like a weed in the last
ten years. And they keep building stuff and more families

(40:43):
are moving in as they don't they have the space
to grow. I guess is the best way to put it.
And so anytime you get those young, vibrant communities bouncing
like that, they're they're gonna produce pretty good athletics and
they're doing a great job.

Speaker 5 (40:55):
And Uni Grove is a is a tough out. They're
gonna do the They're gonna bring it.

Speaker 4 (40:59):
They got great co which is down there, and kids
and so but they definitely West Appear is probably the favorite.

Speaker 1 (41:06):
Hey, on the other side of the bracket, Notre Dame
against Rice Lake. I give Wawosies a lot of credit
to get to that game and and and look, talking
to coach Swiddle, they had some some some tough things
happen this year. It's been if he wrote a book
about their journey this year from that flood to everything

(41:27):
they've been through to be able to get to that
game and to play against Rice Lake, who's a great program,
defending two time state champion. I believe right.

Speaker 4 (41:37):
Yeah they're good.

Speaker 1 (41:38):
Yeah, fifty one to thirty four. They put up thirty
four on Rice Flake. Notre Dame against Rice Lake is
going to be a really quality matchup number one against
number two.

Speaker 4 (41:47):
So Notre Dame probably will have more talent, if you will,
But Rice Lake will probably have a better team and
scheme if you will, because they're they're gonna be much
like Muskeigo and Badger where they're going to run their system.
I believe they're still option based system out there, and
they're gonna they're gonna know what they want to do
and how they want to do it. They're gonna do
enough to keep themselves in the game. And I remember

(42:10):
in the past when Rice Lake would make it to
state and they'd face Wisconsin Lutheran under Kirktonoier when Wisco
was rolling, they would find ways to keep themselves in
a very close games and sometimes challenge to win it
at the end. If not winning at the end against
teams that were probably physically better than them, but because
of what they do and how they do it and
the way they play together, they keep themselves in ballgames.

(42:33):
So that'll be interesting to see on that matchup.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
Yeah, I agree, we're gonna go right to Division five
since that's the game I was at last night, Lake
Country Lutheran Wittenberg Burnwood thirty five to fourteen, and I
gotta tell you, they gave up a score right at
the end. It was thirty five to seven, and I
give that defense that Lake Country throughout their last night

(42:55):
a lot of credit. They were putting a couple of
bad spots, a couple of turnovers. Things that happened in
games that I've been going to high school football games
for a long time that I just haven't I haven't
seen the Wittenberg punted and a kid from Lake Country
Lutheran was trying to get out of the way and

(43:15):
literally the ball hit his like he kind of like
kicked his foot to get out of the way and
it hit his foot, went up like a punt, and
a kid from Wittenberg caught it and went down. It
was like a fumble, but not seeing it. And then
this almost happened twice. It happened once where they went
with the quarterback from Wintenberg went back to pass. He

(43:36):
was getting rushed and as he threw it, he got
hit and the ball fluttered and it went right to alignment.
The first time, the lineman caught it and everything stopped
and he turned it and he kind of looked and
he tried to start running, and I could hear the
coach from Lake Country Lutheran going strip the ball stripped
the ball and they obviously flags went up all over.
But like the next possession, it happened again and it

(43:59):
hit the same offensive linement right in the chest and
he just threw his hands out like I'm not catching
this one. And I had to laugh because there are
things that happened that I had not seen before. That
when that ball on this punt, when the kid was
just trying to get away, but he kicked his foot
up and it hit him and it went up I mean,
I'm not kidding, like a punt in the air, and

(44:21):
he kind of went down and the kid who was
going to make the tackle looked up and it landed
right in his hands. I'm like, well, I've not seen that.
But that defense for Lake Country Lutheran stopped him, stopped
him on four plays, and they went forward on fourth
and they came up short. Got to give that that
defense a lot of credit.

Speaker 4 (44:39):
Well, if your defense is playing well and consistent at
this time of the year, chances are the teams that
are still around are because they have good defense and
they're consistently performing night in the night out. And you know,
when you get the as they say, the way the
ball bounces in your case is you're describing the game
that's the beauty of high school football. And when it
bounce is your way. It's a lot of fun.

Speaker 1 (45:00):
Was a good crowd to last night. You know, I'm
now not standing on the sideline. So last week I
didn't dress for it. And now that I'm old and
a grandfather or six, I get cold a lot. I
don't know what happened. It used to be a lot tougher,
you know, Sirrish boys only to a point then it's
all gone. Last night I had heated I went to Costco,

(45:20):
heated vest, heated gloves, heated socks. My daughter was like,
what happened?

Speaker 6 (45:25):
You were comfortable though, right?

Speaker 7 (45:26):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (45:26):
I was so comfortable until Callum, my grandson, was like, hey,
can I have your gloves? You know what I forgot
to do. I've got two other grandsons that my wife,
Terry were watching. I get we she's watching this weekend
and she sent me a text to or listening. Hadley
Grace McGivern and Liam Michael McGivern, six year old grandson

(45:48):
Liam two year old granddaughter Hadley Grace are listening to Pop.
I'm gonna stop and see them after the show and
thanks for listening. Kids, that's so cool. Yeah, it is.
It's really cool. His smartest kid. He's smarter than I
am and he's six.

Speaker 4 (46:03):
He pushes your buttons, doesn't he?

Speaker 1 (46:06):
The two year old Hadley does Bluie and I'm like, well,
now I'm watching a ballgame, Louie. He's a good show.
That's entertaining that there's a good comedy in that. That
that is awesome. Hey, coach, this time of year, you know,
we we asked these coaches practices and stuff, and nobody
really gives us a whole lot. When you were at
aconom Walk, do you do you cut it down to

(46:30):
an hour practice, hour and a half practice? Is there
a lot of differences right now compared to week one, two,
and three in what you guys do practice wise?

Speaker 7 (46:40):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (46:41):
Yeah, I think you have to adjust the length of
time on the field and and you still have to find,
as coach Hensler said earlier, you have to find a
way to challenge him. You have to find a way
to make him maybe feel a little bit uncomfortable or
feel the urgency if you will, but to sit out
there and you know, take twenty reps of a certain

(47:02):
drill when you're trying to build toughness.

Speaker 5 (47:04):
Earlier, in the year.

Speaker 4 (47:06):
You just don't need it this time of year. If
you can't, if you can't be tough this time of year,
you don't belong in the in this you know, in
the racket anymore.

Speaker 7 (47:14):
So.

Speaker 4 (47:15):
I think you train the mental side as much as
you possibly can. You find a way to keep them
fresh and lively and make practice fun. And I think
the best coaches find ways to put little nuances of
newness the end of the plan and and anytime anything's new,
it keeps the learning fresh and keeps your kids attention, engagement,
and you keep moving.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
You know one thing that coach Hanster said a couple
of times that I don't think you hear many coaches
talk this year. When he kept saying, look, we have
to get better, like we have to get better at
this time of year. A lot of coaches are like,
we have to maintain right, we don't want any injuries.
We have to maintain where we're at. And he's looking
at this different. Look there. They're a really good football

(47:58):
team and gotten a whole bunch wins this year. But
his mindset is what can we get better at, whether
it's you know, a punt our punt team right, our
kickoff team when we have to go when it's third
and fourteen and we have to take out alignment and
put in an extra safety. You know, we have to
get better at that. He's identifying small things in their

(48:20):
program or on their team. He's not saying, look, we
have to get better at overall offense.

Speaker 2 (48:26):
No.

Speaker 1 (48:26):
No, we have to just get better at this small
part to make us better. But that's his mindset.

Speaker 4 (48:32):
Yeah, little pieces like communication, you know, or in line
calls and certain looks that you might see that you
might not have gotten earlier in the year, that you
can talk through and make sure you can execute and
perform when you call whatever that that scheme is going
to be. And if you can continue to push kids
to grow in those situations, you're going to get better.

Speaker 5 (48:52):
And little things like that matter.

Speaker 1 (48:54):
Hey, last question, and I got to cut you loose
at ten o'clock. You got hockey to watch.

Speaker 5 (49:00):
This time of year.

Speaker 1 (49:01):
You love what you do and I get that. And
we've had this conversation a few times. Do you miss
coaching this time of year?

Speaker 4 (49:08):
I think you there's facets of it you miss every
time you go to a game and you watch a game.

Speaker 5 (49:15):
This time of year.

Speaker 1 (49:16):
Is fun it.

Speaker 4 (49:19):
You know, I don't miss standing on the sideline freezing though,
you know, being able to move around and go pop
indoors if you need to any to take the officials
inside here and get it so.

Speaker 3 (49:28):
You a little bit, it's okay.

Speaker 4 (49:31):
But when you get anticipation for the game this time
of year, then it's really really fun. Like we're gonna
have that this next coming game. If you know, if
there there's a school that's right next door to us,
if they win and we win, and those two schools
are going to Level four, they'll be great anticipation for
that game. So that's when it gets really fun. And
coaching in those games is priceless.

Speaker 1 (49:52):
Well, I can tell you every time I've been out
to Meschigo, whether it's for a baseball or a football game,
you guys treat you treat your guests really really well.
And if you're looking for a great game, I'm going
to be at the Lake Country Lutheran game. I can't
convince you and Hansler to change it to Thursday or Saturday,
so I'm gonna miss your game. But I can tell
you if you want to go see a really good

(50:13):
high school football game, this one's got all the drama, man.
Two quality coaches, two quality programs, really good players on
both sides, and it's going to be a little bit
of a throwback. You know, three yards and a cloud
of dust is not dirty words for Badgers, not dirty
for Muskigo, that's for sure. Hey, thanks a lot, it's
good to see you. I appreciate every time I can

(50:34):
get you in studio. It's great. We're going to get
you a break. Other side of the break, aj Seymour,
Rehyes Hoppensberger from Brockfield Central and Tommy Devatny Senior from
Milwaukee Market are gonna join us Later in the show.
We're going to talk to Greg Brascal, the head football
coach at Lake Country Lutheran, and touch base with Greg Clark,

(50:55):
the president of the aa YFL. This is the Varsity
Plitz High School Sports Show by your local Pick and
Save and Metro Market Stores, only on Fox Sports nine
twenty and your iHeartRadio app. Welcome back to the Varsity
Plitz High School Sports Show, presented by your local Pick
and Save and Metro Markets Metro Market Stores. Man, I'm

(51:16):
trying to talk too quick, only on Fox Sports nine
twenty and your iHeartRadio app coming live from the Donovan
and Jorganson Heating and Cooling Studios at I don't know,
ten forty five or so. We're going to talk to
Greg Brascal, the head football coach at Lake Country Lutheran.
They're still playing, got a tough matchup against Nuclarius coming
up on Friday, and then we'll touch base with Greg Clark,

(51:38):
president of the AAIFLS Championship Saturday. For their teams out
playing their games at Slinger. If you can't get to
the games, you can go to the AAIFL dot org
website and watch these games on their live stream on
their YouTube channel. Boy, this time of year is it's
difficult for seniors who have put a lot of sweat
equity into playing football, right You football freshman JV varsity

(52:04):
and they've been playing football with their buddies for a
long time and then it ends. And I've reached out
to three players who I watched play this year from
the sidelines, and I thought, man, these are really good
football players and wanted to talk to them about the
time spend that they've spent over at Brookfield Central and
Milwaukee Marquette. We're now joined by a J. Seymour, Rees

(52:25):
Hoppensberger pretty close right, Rees, There you go, Tommy and Nevotani.
I'm gonna start with Tommy. Hey, Tommy, thank you so
much for coming in. How you feeling health wise? Everything
doing okay?

Speaker 5 (52:36):
Yeah? I feel great right now.

Speaker 1 (52:37):
Actually, so, yeah, you had a couple of injuries this year.

Speaker 11 (52:41):
You had a couple of inkle injuries earlier in the
season that lasted throughout. But it wasn't it wasn't too bad.

Speaker 1 (52:47):
It didn't take away your speed. I mean, I'm quicker
than you are, but yeah, what are you laughing at
over there at Brook Central Boys, I'm just kidding about that.
I've seen you play a number of times, right because
we always had a Milwaukee Marquette game on. Coach Kelly
Marquette guy was was up in the up in the
studio or the box, and and uh, we always wanted
to have Milwaukee Marquette on. So I've seen you play.

(53:11):
I can tell you very impressed with you as a
football player. But what you don't know is me watching
you on the sidelines talk to your teammates high five
and laughing talking about hey, look if you block this
this way, I can I can do this. I was
always impressed watching you behind your back as a sophomore,
as a junior, and really as a senior on how

(53:34):
what a leader you were on that team. And I
think that man, that that certainly comes from really good
parents and good family and good coaches. And I commend
you for that part of your attitude.

Speaker 5 (53:45):
Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1 (53:46):
Hey, how much fun was it? Look? Two years ago?
Was the most fun?

Speaker 7 (53:50):
Right?

Speaker 5 (53:50):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (53:50):
Probably?

Speaker 5 (53:51):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (53:51):
Yeah, I picked Franklin in that game, and I told
you that, and I'm sorry about that, but I thought
Franklin had too much for you guys. And what I
didn't know and and it until they told me, was
how physical and how tough your boys were up front.
That was a fun team to play on.

Speaker 5 (54:06):
Yeah, those boys were big, They lifted weights.

Speaker 11 (54:09):
They weren't probably the best talent in the world, but
they they got the job done really well, especially in
the state game and throughout the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (54:15):
Yeah, they they made running the ball behind him. Look,
it wasn't easy, but there were some holes there for you.

Speaker 5 (54:22):
Yeah, it was. It was nice. It was definitely one
of my favorite favorite moments in games.

Speaker 1 (54:27):
We're gonna ask you here in the second segment your
favorite memory of being part of this program. And I
got a feeling it might be that one the quarterback
at brook Feels Central. Come on closer to the microphone,
young man, aj Seymour. I don't know if I've ever
had brothers, you know, a couple of years apart in
studio with me, but you know your brother and I
just call him the swimmer, That's what I call him.

(54:49):
He's swimming that Northwestern right now. I want to thank
you your family, my grandkids, my kids and their kids
all go to Spring Creek. And my my my oldest
grandson's a sophomore at Lake Country Lutheran running cross country,
freshman playing football in the youth program over at Spring Creek.

(55:09):
And I can't tell you. They both played basketball and
they would miss basketball practice on Wednesday to go to
Spring Creek. And that's what that tells me is you know,
your dad's doing a great job of feeding young people
over there. And I want to thank him if he's
if he's listening, because my grandkids love going to Spring Creek.
So you guys had a good year over at Brooks Central,

(55:32):
right made the playoffs. I came up short. How do
you when you look back at this season, AJ, what
do you think.

Speaker 2 (55:40):
I wouldn't change anything.

Speaker 12 (55:41):
I mean, the guys we were presented with obviously, like
there's a lot of injury injuries that happened this year
that definitely affected our outcome. But you know, we had
a blast. We're a close bunch. But see, I wouldn't
change a thing.

Speaker 1 (55:53):
Hey, I got to ask you about the center on
your team or centers alignment. I go to his parents
to own a gas station in Pewaukee and they have
an event coming up, and so I'm there a lot,
and and she said this to me. There has been
construction on Capital just to the west of the Quick

(56:13):
Trip and their their BP gas station is right just
to the west, on the other side of the street,
and the construction has hurt them the last six or
eight weeks. It's been bad. And and if you can
go west, but you can't come back east, So you
have to figure out how to get back to Capital Drive.
And They've got an event coming up on Wednesday, and

(56:36):
I'm gonna kind of promote it a little bit as
you guys are here. He's not very big, but that's
a tough kid.

Speaker 2 (56:42):
Yeah, Yeah, he's a he's a good guy. He's a
really great guy.

Speaker 1 (56:45):
Yeah. He I would see him and I'd go, how
you feeling about this year? And is you get to
tell AJ to throw the ball a little bit more
and you get a big smile. He'd be like, it's
really up to the coaches. I love the fact that
that that his mom and dadd are doing this customer
appreciation day. It's Wednesday, November fifth, from eleven to three.
They've got a free food truck, soda and chips, and

(57:08):
gas cards and all kinds of goodies. And it's the
BP at six to ozho three Capital Drive in Pewaukee.
And I'm gonna get over there and look, after eight
to twelve weeks of not of just getting your business
crushed because people wouldn't go there because they couldn't turn
back and get on the Highway sixteen, they're doing a

(57:29):
customer appreciation day and I thank them for that. AJ.
In the off season, before you got you know, getting
ready in the season, did you guys know that this
this team had a chance if you guys stayed healthy
to make the playoffs for sure?

Speaker 12 (57:45):
Yeah, I think that was ultimately, ultimately like the goal
we made it the past couple of years and obviously
that's just like something we do at Brickfield Central. So
that was obviously the goal we've been working towards, and
obviously we knew we had the talent for it. But
obviously it came close, you know, at the end.

Speaker 1 (57:58):
So yeah, and we were I was at that brook
Phillies game and and look, I I can tell you
throw out the records, but brook Philies had a really
good team this year and they gave Arrowhead everything they
can handle last night. Were you rooting for them last night?

Speaker 7 (58:13):
Uh? No, No, I was not.

Speaker 1 (58:16):
You know, I love your honesty a j love your honesty.
You were not rooting for them?

Speaker 5 (58:21):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (58:21):
I do not like for Phillis at all. I do
not like Arrowhead either. Bottom of the plays, I don't
really mind. But I was just hoping for a good
game and that's what we got.

Speaker 1 (58:29):
Boy. Were you rooting for Sussex Hamilton last night? Oh no, no,
I love this man. You guys never have to play
against those guys. Years ago, I did a show. We
did it out and at a car dealership on Blue
Mound and I had brook Central guys in. Then I
had Brookfield Least guys in and I said to them.

(58:50):
It was before the season was like in August. I said,
when you look at your schedule, who do you circle?
And I thought, well, Mark Kd I thought, and every
Brook kids said, oh, Brook Central, and Brook Central kids
said Brook Case. If we win one game, it's gonna
be against them because I don't want to see them
in the offseason and not be able to say I
don't care. We only had one win. It was you boys, right, Hey, rees,

(59:14):
if you could pull the microphone over, it's nice to
meet you. How do you feel about the year you had?

Speaker 3 (59:19):
I feel really good. Yeah, it's a great season.

Speaker 1 (59:21):
You had a good season. You you were not rooting
for brook Fiel last last night either? No, No, thank
you for the honesty. What position did you.

Speaker 3 (59:29):
Play tight end? And then I played defensive end?

Speaker 1 (59:32):
Did you think that maybe your quarterback should have thrown
you the ball a little bit more?

Speaker 3 (59:36):
Hey, you no, I trust him?

Speaker 1 (59:37):
Yeah, you trust him? You know walk it in you said, yeah,
you should know. You never said any of that. I'm
not supposed to lie in my own show. By the way,
and let's get this out of the way. You are
our pick and save student Athlete of the Week this week.
Congratulations on that what's your great point every four point two?
So your motivation for being such a good student athlete. Look,

(01:00:00):
it's not your right to play on the football team
at Brok Central. It's your privilege that you earned that.
Tommy Navanni earned that. Aj Seymour earned right that. You
can't just go and say, look, I'm going to be
on this team. You got to earn it. Your motivation
for being such a good student athlete? Where does that
come from?

Speaker 3 (01:00:16):
Yeah, totally. I'm just trying to set the standard high
for myself. I want to be a doctor, and I
know that the coursework that's coming up in my future
and the rigor requires me to be really disciplined. Okay,
and so I might as well start now in high school.

Speaker 6 (01:00:29):
What made.

Speaker 1 (01:00:32):
The journey that you have to go on to be
a doctor? How long has that been something that you've
thought about and where did that come from?

Speaker 3 (01:00:41):
It started probably in the past few years while I
was in high school. And I just have a passion
to serve others and it's been just kind of always
fit right, Like, I enjoy science, I love it, and
I want to serve others.

Speaker 1 (01:00:52):
So do you know where you're going to school next?

Speaker 7 (01:00:54):
Year.

Speaker 3 (01:00:55):
I don't know a lot of options. It's kind of
an open book right now.

Speaker 1 (01:00:58):
What what the options?

Speaker 3 (01:01:01):
So there's a bunch of public universities. I'm applying to Madison, Tennessee, Missouri.
I'm also applied for the Naval Academy and the Air
Force Academy.

Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
Man, that's awesome. Good congratulations. That servant leadership part coming
out for sure. Are you a Spring Creek kid as well?

Speaker 7 (01:01:17):
I am. I are.

Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
So you've been through that youth What is the winter
you guys take kids win for three days? Four days? Yeah, fest, Yeah, that's.

Speaker 7 (01:01:27):
What it is.

Speaker 1 (01:01:28):
My grandsons love it. The first year, Keegan was like,
I'm a little nervous about doing this and came home
and told his younger brother, Oh, you're coming next year. Yeah,
this is awesome. No, no interest in playing football at
the next level, No, I don't think so, AJA come
back to you if we can do. You know what's
going on with you yet? Next year?

Speaker 3 (01:01:47):
I do not.

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
A lot of it's up in the air as well.

Speaker 12 (01:01:50):
I want to play football in college. So that's the goal,
and that's been the goal ever since fourth grade. So yeah,
I was gonna see what's gonna happen.

Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
I keep reading about a preferred walk on possibly at
Northwestern if they make the offer. Would that be something
that you would consider?

Speaker 12 (01:02:03):
Absolutely? Absolutely. I like betting on myself. I have all
the confidence in the world. So just gotta see what
opens up.

Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
Yeah, and you'd being on the same campus with your brother,
which would be pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
That would be awesome. He sends me, uh photos of
all the stuff he's got there and he loves.

Speaker 3 (01:02:17):
It there, which is great.

Speaker 1 (01:02:18):
Yeah, that would be awesome Tommy. How about you? And
no decision yet, but a lot of options for you
as well.

Speaker 6 (01:02:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:02:25):
Well just recently, uh, just a decommitment from U.

Speaker 7 (01:02:29):
I s U.

Speaker 11 (01:02:30):
But uh right now I'm just looking looking around, try
to get back on the.

Speaker 1 (01:02:34):
Back on the Badgers reached out.

Speaker 11 (01:02:37):
Yeah, I mean last year I talked to the Badge
a ton. This year not as much. But uh, after
like Keith left, it's been it's been, it's been rough.

Speaker 3 (01:02:47):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:02:47):
I have to tell you this. So the two most
dynamic and please no offense taken to my brook Central friends.
Here to the two most dynamic football players that I
have seen, that I saw this year and that I
saw last year. Was the kid Lamont Hamilton over at
Saint Catherine's and you and I asked him. They were
beating Lake Country Luther and pretty bad, and they took

(01:03:08):
him out. He's sitting on the bench and I went
and sat next to him and asked him, and he said,
Wisconsin's not reached out. And I asked Dan Miller, their coach,
and I said, Wisconsin hasn't reached out to talk about
this kid. He said, I reached out to them and
they said, send this tape and get us his forty times.
And he said, well, he scored four touchdowns in the
state championship game last year on your home field. Why

(01:03:30):
don't you just go watch that tape? And Minnesota offered,
he's going up to Minnesota, And so I'm just so like,
I don't get it. I was a basketball coach, so
maybe I don't have the eye of what can can get,
what type of player takes to play in the Big
Ten at the next level. But you and him can
play at that level. And having dynamic players on both

(01:03:53):
sides of the ball, and the fact that they're not
at your front door saying hey man, why did you
consider coming by us? Is is shocking to me.

Speaker 11 (01:04:01):
Yeah, I mean I also did play on their field too,
and that's that's when it that's when they big started
coming around. And then like after a while, just like
kind of faded away. But I mean they were It's
a good coach, good coach, running back coach, and he
was nice to was in his office a couple of times,
and it was it was fun.

Speaker 1 (01:04:17):
I'm not an agent. If I'm not, but I'm telling
you if I were, I would call them and say,
what are you guys thinking about? You need athletes, You
need guys that can can can get you the ten
yards when you need it, and here are two guys that,
consistently against really good competition have done it. If you,
if you could pick the school, close your eyes before

(01:04:39):
you go to sleep at night, pick the school, any
school in the country to go play football at. What
school would you go to?

Speaker 5 (01:04:45):
I mean, it's always with my dream to play at
Alabama since I was young.

Speaker 1 (01:04:48):
That's beautiful. Thank you for that. You know that's as
honest as you can be. Aj How about for you.

Speaker 12 (01:04:54):
I'd probably pick Northwestern right now. I think it's close
to home, which I like. My brother's there. Education is great,
but the coaches are really good. The atmosphere is awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:05:04):
So your coach played at Wisconsin. He did, he did,
And if Nellis is listening, put a call in for
the kids sitting between us and say you better grab
some tape on Nevatny and take a look at this kid.
You went a kid from Marquette years ago that's still
playing in the NFL that nobody thought was good enough
to play at Wisconsin and he has made a career

(01:05:25):
in the NFL. And I'm telling you, I don't know
if Nevotnani can get to that level, but he is
so dynamic when he gets his hands on the ball. Look,
you've played against this kid, aj you would admit that
this is a kid that could play in the Big ten.

Speaker 12 (01:05:38):
Absolutely, no doubt. Yeah, it's always a big emphasis throughout
the week. You know, you gotta always know what number
five is.

Speaker 1 (01:05:44):
So absolutely, hey man, look at him smiling. I man,
that's awesome. Guys, we're gonna get to a break. The
other side of the break, I'm going to ask you
your favorite memory of being part of Brookfield Central, being
part of Milwaukee Marquette, and we'll find out what these
guys are doing. What is your great point average.

Speaker 5 (01:06:01):
By the way, I have a two point six.

Speaker 1 (01:06:04):
Two point six at Milwaukee Marquette. Good for you, the best,
best class for you. What do you enjoyed most.

Speaker 11 (01:06:11):
I'm a big history guy. That's what I plan on
studying and back in college. So probably anything about history.

Speaker 3 (01:06:17):
Man good.

Speaker 1 (01:06:18):
That's awesome. History not good. Science not good. I was
really good in gym over at Milwaukee Messer. I think
I took a couple of gym classes, you know, each
semester my senior year. This is the Varsity Blitz High
School Sports Show, presented by your local Pick and Save
and Metro Market stores, only on Fox Sports nine twenty
in your iHeartRadio app. Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz

(01:06:41):
High School Sports Show presented by your local Pick and
Save and Metro Market Stores. Again. Want to congratulate Reyes
Hoppensberger Brookfield Central. He is our Pick and Save student
athlete of the week. And when you ask you kid,
what you think is going to happen in the future,
and he says, well, I want to be a doctor.
He's our Pick Save student athlete the weekend. He's got

(01:07:02):
receipts to prove it. I'll tell you what The other
two guys in studio could have been our pick and
Shave student Athletes of the Week, but reset the bar
pretty high, and I congratulate him for that. Hey, Ag,
I'm gonna start with you. I love asking this question
because the answers are always different. Your favorite memory of
being part of the Brookfield Central football program for all

(01:07:24):
these years? And when you think back, now, what's your
favorite memory of being part of that program?

Speaker 2 (01:07:29):
You know, it's definitely very hard.

Speaker 12 (01:07:30):
Obviously I started in fourth grade with tackle football then
and it's just been a blast ever since. But I
think it had to have been the brushiell least game
last year, So it was awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:07:38):
I mean, it does get go back to Brookfield East.

Speaker 5 (01:07:41):
Every once in a while.

Speaker 8 (01:07:42):
It does.

Speaker 1 (01:07:42):
It doesn't happen in that game.

Speaker 12 (01:07:44):
It was back and forth throughout the whole game. We
were up a little bit and they came back with
like a minute left, so we had a minute to
take it down, take the ball down the field, and
we did very fortunately, and it was just it was
a great, great game.

Speaker 1 (01:07:57):
Man, that's awesome. Move it over to race Reach. Your
favorite memory being have you been part of the program
as well as far as long as AJ's been.

Speaker 3 (01:08:05):
No, I started in eighth grade.

Speaker 1 (01:08:06):
Okay, you didn't play youth football together, but eighth grade
you played.

Speaker 3 (01:08:10):
Yes, yep.

Speaker 1 (01:08:11):
Was he the quarterback at that point?

Speaker 3 (01:08:13):
Yeah, he was.

Speaker 1 (01:08:13):
Did he throw the ball to a little bit more
back then or didn't You didn't throw it at all?
Your favorite memory being part of Brookfield Central?

Speaker 3 (01:08:22):
Shoot, My favorite memory I think was this year. Uh,
the Germantown game. Okay, I think we we're having a
pretty good season coming up. We were fighting really hard
in all of our games. It just wasn't ending the
way we wanted it to, and I think that Germantown
week we like managed to pull it all together. It
was just a super cool experience of the team.

Speaker 1 (01:08:42):
It was a great win for that game.

Speaker 3 (01:08:43):
It was awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:08:44):
Yeah, Tommy Navatni Milwaukee Marquette. Did you play youth football
for the Junior hill Top?

Speaker 5 (01:08:49):
Yes?

Speaker 7 (01:08:50):
I did.

Speaker 1 (01:08:50):
So. You've been playing, you've been, Those colors have been been,
You've been wearing a long time. Your favorite memory of
being part of the Milwaukee Marquette program.

Speaker 11 (01:08:59):
I mean, I could say the State game, but I
think it was the Kimberly game when it was close
all game, nobody was scoring. We couldn't run the ball
and then at the end we uh twenty two yard
touchdown was probably my favorite moment probably of my market.

Speaker 1 (01:09:16):
So when you said, look, we couldn't run the ball
and there was a seam and you hit it and
you were gone. You're telling me about that play?

Speaker 5 (01:09:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (01:09:24):
All throughout the game it was like four yard runs,
three yard runs, and we weren't used to that because
we just beat up on two teams before that. And
then we got to like the final like five minutes
in the fourth quarter and uh, we finally broke one
off for twenty two yards and.

Speaker 5 (01:09:38):
We scored, and it was kind of where was that game?
Help some Perier East.

Speaker 1 (01:09:45):
The ride home was fun? Huh yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:09:47):
Yeah, Actually, well everybody went to sleep, so we didn't.

Speaker 11 (01:09:51):
We didn't really. That's what happened after the state game too.
Everybody just went to sleep. No one, We didn't really.
Nobody was really loud or anything. Once we got back
on the bus.

Speaker 1 (01:09:58):
It was just when you won the state championship, did
look the first one I wanted as a coach. I
got in the car and they said to my wife,
that's it. Huh, Like you put so much time and
effort and think like this is the pinnacle. I still
had to go to work on Monday. Yeah, but for
that team to do what you guys did was was

(01:10:19):
when guys like me were like, Oh, this is the
week market's gonna get beat. Now, all right, this is
the week Market's gonna get beat. And then you go
on to win the state championship and I gotta go
on the Aaron Waves and eat a little bit of crow.
Did you know going into that year or was it
midyear where you thought, look, we got a chance. The
Sussex Hamilton game I always bring up because they walloped

(01:10:39):
you guys. Yeah, they wallaped it, and I there's two
things that can happen. You guys come ready to go
to work the next day, or your heads go down
and you go obviously not as good as we thought
we were. Man, it's the defensive side. It's their say,
it's the coach's side that none of that happened. And
I think you drew a lot. You learned a lot
from that game that maybe you're you're not as good

(01:11:00):
as you think you are.

Speaker 5 (01:11:02):
Yeah, I mean after that game.

Speaker 11 (01:11:04):
Keith definitely ripped us one after that game and said,
I hope we did, And but all we did was
get in the weight room and practice and forgot about
it and just kind of just continued our season because
I mean there was there was one loss. I mean
that's a second loss, but I mean there was a
big one. It was a big one, but it didn't
really define what what team we were and what we knew.

Speaker 1 (01:11:22):
Who you gott you had a chance to play them again,
and and uh yeah you took it to him a
little bit y, Yeah for sure. Hey, AJ, when when
I talked to coach Nallics and and and I let
him know you guys were coming in, he said, two
great leaders, two great football players, two guys I'm really
gonna miss. Can I ask you who taught you the

(01:11:45):
leadership side of this? And between you and Reese, who's
who's more of a loud leader and who's more of
a I'm gonna show you on the field. It's pretty difficult.

Speaker 12 (01:11:55):
I mean I think throughout my life, obviously my dad,
my brother, like my brother played football.

Speaker 2 (01:11:59):
I looked up him a lot.

Speaker 12 (01:12:00):
You know, I had another influence who went to UCLA actually,
so I worked out with him a lot and just
watched how all these like older guys handled their business,
and I think they really set a good example for me.
I think between me and Reese, I think I'm probably
the louder guy. Okay, Reese just does his work and
he does it great, and he does his job and
he will do more than you ask, which is awesome.

(01:12:21):
But yeah, I don't I don't mind yelling a little bit.
I think that's something I developed throughout my career, which
was good and very important, and the coaches wanted me to.

Speaker 1 (01:12:28):
So have you always been a quarterback?

Speaker 3 (01:12:31):
I have.

Speaker 12 (01:12:31):
I played linebacker and quarterback throughout my youth, and then
I played free safety as well last year.

Speaker 1 (01:12:36):
So yeah, do you do you enjoy playing that side
of the ball.

Speaker 6 (01:12:39):
Oh?

Speaker 7 (01:12:39):
I love it. Yeah.

Speaker 12 (01:12:40):
I don't really like coming off the field. I like
being able to control a lot of the game. But
obviously I got to just put trust in my guys.
But this year we tried it out a little bit,
but ultimately we just got to stick to quarterback.

Speaker 1 (01:12:51):
Well next year, when when if, if this, if this
preferred walking at Northwestern comes on. By the way, I
do a show called Faith in the Zone that your
brother was a guest on, and tomorrow is a guy
who went to Wisconsin played at Richland Center and Brady
Ewing is his name, and he's my guest on faith

(01:13:12):
in his zone. Preferred walk on it at Wisconsin was
a three year starter, two year captain, got drafted by
the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round. So if you
guys wondered if preferred walk ons can have some success,
Brady Ewing and his testimony is really strong, and he's
a kid who he's not a kid anymore. He's a
grown adult and he's got four boys that are all

(01:13:35):
like playing football and hockey and doing all this stuff
in the Richards Center area. But he took that preferred
walk on at Wisconsin because that's where he really wanted
to go. And he did the he again sophomore year
was a starter and got a full ride. So understand
that that part of it can happen for you. The
Northwestern part if it doesn't work, are there other options

(01:13:58):
on the table for you right now?

Speaker 12 (01:14:00):
There are other options. Obviously, I have a good amount
of Division two options. I'm talking to Iowa State similarly
to Northwestern Okay for a walk on that might work out.

Speaker 1 (01:14:08):
Are they are they looking at you as an athlete
or in a quarterback.

Speaker 12 (01:14:12):
It'd be actually a linebacker, so it'd be kind of
a switch. I had some good free safety film last year,
and obviously it was hard to get recruited as linebacker
when you play quarterback. But just showing the aggression and
athleticism they want to see is always important.

Speaker 1 (01:14:24):
And hey, Tommy running back for sure. Has anybody talked
to you about receiver? I would put you in the backfield.

Speaker 11 (01:14:30):
But I mean all the college coach I talked to
has all been running back. Receiver type type back, also
just a little bit of running, a little bit of receiving.

Speaker 1 (01:14:40):
Have you played defense?

Speaker 11 (01:14:42):
I used to all middle school. I used to have
plase to play outside linebacker.

Speaker 1 (01:14:47):
Yeah, because I look, I look at you and I
think man at corner, he could lock people up. But
every time you can touch the ball, I'm like, no,
he is you know what he's a he's a running back.
You're a multi sport athlete?

Speaker 5 (01:15:00):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (01:15:01):
Basketball?

Speaker 7 (01:15:02):
Uh?

Speaker 5 (01:15:02):
Yes, I was. I was playing basketball. Now now we're
done with that. You're done with that? Yeah, yeah, we're
done with it this year.

Speaker 1 (01:15:10):
Does case you know that yet?

Speaker 5 (01:15:11):
Yes? He does, he does not.

Speaker 7 (01:15:13):
Told that.

Speaker 5 (01:15:13):
The ended last I was.

Speaker 1 (01:15:14):
Wondering why he's in the parking lot waiting for you
because he wants to have one more conversation. Really good
basketball player, what why why have you decided not to play?

Speaker 11 (01:15:24):
I'm just focusing on getting bigger and stronger and uh,
just I'm going towards the path.

Speaker 5 (01:15:30):
Just just football now and uh.

Speaker 1 (01:15:32):
And that's as a former basketball coach. I would ask
you to reconsider, and I would probably pop a tent
on your front lawn and and knock on the down
knock on your door with coffee in the morning and say, hey,
here's coffee and danishes. Would you like to play basketball again?
And then I'd go back for lunch and I'd bring
you sandwich and say, would you like to consider. I've
had a number of guys throughout the years who are

(01:15:53):
doing what you did, and out of ten of them,
eight of them have have come back after and said,
I wish you would have been a bigger sales ruted
to get me to not not play basketball my senior year.
I really missed it and I wish it was be
a part of it. And I would ask you to reconsider.
Do you run track as well?

Speaker 5 (01:16:11):
Yes, I do run track.

Speaker 1 (01:16:12):
All those Marquette guys from coach Bashroom and coach Kelly.
They want you guys doing track? AJ Are you a
multi sport athlete? I am.

Speaker 2 (01:16:20):
I do track as well, and it's great.

Speaker 1 (01:16:22):
What do you do in track?

Speaker 2 (01:16:23):
I do the one and two. I'm gonna try discuss
this year, so it should be good.

Speaker 1 (01:16:28):
Reese, how about you?

Speaker 3 (01:16:29):
Yeah? I run track. I do the hurdles and then sprints,
and then this year I'll probably start long jumping.

Speaker 1 (01:16:35):
No basketball, No, man. If I'm coach Wandery, I'm like, hey,
you know what, I need a kid with five files
and who can set some picks and rebound a little bet.
And coach Wandery listens a lot, and his wife Amy
listens to you more than he does. But I would go, hey,
you want to come out and give that a shot?
No interest, No, you can't shoot.

Speaker 3 (01:16:54):
It at all. No, No, they don't want me in
the basketball.

Speaker 1 (01:16:56):
You know you got five files? Yeah, you could do
you could use those. What do you do in track?

Speaker 3 (01:17:03):
Hurdles, sprints and then the long dump.

Speaker 1 (01:17:07):
You're gonna miss competing when this thing is over.

Speaker 3 (01:17:10):
Huh yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:17:11):
How if are you more of a football player who's
on track or are you more of a track guy
who's on football.

Speaker 3 (01:17:17):
I'm more of a track guy who's on football.

Speaker 1 (01:17:19):
Really, Yeah, how how was it playing for coach and
Ellis you enjoyed that?

Speaker 3 (01:17:23):
It was awesome. It was a great experience and I
wouldn't I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Speaker 1 (01:17:26):
He he made it perfectly clear. He's really going to
miss you guys. Yeah a lot. And I like him
a lot. He gets it. He's been through all the
all the things that you guys have been through. He's
been through and he understands it.

Speaker 7 (01:17:39):
And uh.

Speaker 1 (01:17:40):
He loves being a part of Brookfield Central and and
he loves talking about his players, loves talking about the
kids that make that that that that team and that
program go. I'm looking forward to meeting Hey, who do
you hear more in the crowd? By the way? Your
mom or dad?

Speaker 3 (01:17:54):
My mom? Yes?

Speaker 7 (01:17:56):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:17:56):
What is her first name? Deasha? I? I love that,
you know what, She's sad right now that she can't
come out and watch you guys play. You know that
I'll get a chance to meet her next week, hopefully
Elver at the Metro Market. Who do you hear in
the crowd more?

Speaker 7 (01:18:11):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (01:18:11):
Boy? They sit on the top do they do sit
on the top hard.

Speaker 7 (01:18:17):
I think.

Speaker 2 (01:18:19):
That's pretty difficult.

Speaker 1 (01:18:20):
I can probably I can tell you that that games
are harder for your mom.

Speaker 12 (01:18:25):
Oh, absolutely, she's been She's been a great help. Obviously,
she's supported my dreams forever.

Speaker 1 (01:18:30):
So look, your dad's been a guest on Faith in
the Zone. Your brother's been a guest on Faith in
the Zone. Your mom won't come on. I've asked her
a couple of times. She's like, Nope, let them do it.
Would love to have you guys on as a guest.
And and you let me know if you'd be willing
to do that to come back and and uh, look
at that show. We we asked for your testimony, and

(01:18:51):
we talk about your sports and and uh, it's a
good combination for for sure. Tommy, who do you hear
from that that that big a botany clan?

Speaker 7 (01:19:01):
Uh?

Speaker 11 (01:19:01):
Well, my past four years, I've only held my mother.
My mother is probably my loudest, my loudest fan, and
she's she's always yelling I don't I mean one of
my friends sits below her, and they gotta take every
pro from before the name my mom.

Speaker 1 (01:19:16):
Yes, And and I love that, And I love the
fact that your son can hear you, uh from the
sidelines when he's on the field. And I'm sure wherever
you go next year, yeah, she'll be there. Oh yeah,
you'll be hearing that for sure. It's good to meet
you in person. I just I I have to reissue this.
I don't understand why our stage school has not been

(01:19:41):
in more contact with you and and seal the deal.
I wish that that happened because I'd love to continue
to watch you play a j wherever you go, you know,
whether it's Division two. Uh my my kids again, they're
at Spring Creek, So I'll follow you and I'll know
what you're doing. And if you're not take care of
care in your busines, I will call you a snappy

(01:20:02):
in the place, that's for sure. Big fan of your family.
Tell your dad I said thank you again. Good luck
with it with track. Reconsider basketball in the botany if
Casey's listening, and I'd be at your house going because
he could use you. You're you're a really good basketball player,
and I would have you reconsider. You know, when you
hear the squeak in the whistle, you're gonna miss it, right, Yeah,

(01:20:25):
probably probably You've been playing basketball since what year fourth grade.
Third grade, Yeah, third grade.

Speaker 5 (01:20:34):
I've been playing basketball.

Speaker 1 (01:20:36):
I'm gonna talk him into it. Man, I am, I'm
telling you, and I would get one. If I'm wandering,
I'd get one of you boys. Guys, Thank you so much.
I've really enjoyed watching you guys play, being on the sidelines,
watching the progression that you've had, and your coaches say
nothing but good things about you guys, And that's the
reason I wanted to get you guys in studio and
say thank you. Continue to be good ambassador wherever you

(01:20:59):
guys go next year. Good ambassador for your family, good
ambassador for your school, and and certainly for our community.
You know what you've got Milwaukee, You've got Brookfield in you,
and and make sure that that you're a good ambassador
for us wherever you guys go. It's good to meet you.

Speaker 5 (01:21:14):
It's good to meet you too.

Speaker 1 (01:21:15):
You want to go get shots up after the show
or no, I got a ball in the car, man,
There's a court right down the block. We can go
elbow to elbow and I'll get you one hundred good ones.

Speaker 11 (01:21:24):
Though, well, I took a shot the other day and
I hit the side of the rims, so I don't know.
I think I think I can fix that, so can Casey.
I'm telling you you know, Casey's going to send me
a text. Go and keep talking to him. Guys, thank
you very much. I will see you next week. Geese,
congratulations as our Pick and Save Student Athlete of the Week.
And I love your motivation as why you're such a

(01:21:46):
good student athlete because it's for the future.

Speaker 1 (01:21:49):
And and it's nice to meet you.

Speaker 3 (01:21:50):
I really appreciate it.

Speaker 8 (01:21:51):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:21:51):
Yeah, you got it. Aged. It's good to see you.

Speaker 2 (01:21:53):
Yes, thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (01:21:54):
I'd be nice to my grandkids over at Spring Creek.
We're gonna we're gonna get to a Wandery sending me
text message right now. We're gonna get to a break.
Other side of the break, We're gonna reach out to
Greg Brasgal, the head football coach at Lake Country Lutheran,
and then Greg Clark, the president of the aa YFL.
This is the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show, presented

(01:22:14):
by your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores,
only on Fox Sports nine twenty and your iHeartRadio app.
Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show,
presented by your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores.
Coming live from the Donovan and Jorgensen Heating and Cooling Studios. Man,
I thank Ajcymour and Rehyes Hoffensberger and Tommy Navatni. You

(01:22:37):
know this time of year when you're seniors and your
your season ends, Man, it's hard. It's hard on the
Families's hard on the parents, hard on the coaches. And
I thank those guys for coming in and speaking so
highly of their coaches and their programs and their schools.
We are now joined by the head football coach at
Lake Country Lutheran. I was at that game last night

(01:22:58):
and man, what a fun app sphear they beat Wittenberg
burning Wood thirty five fourteen. Getting ready for new Glarers
who comes to Lake Country Lutheran this Friday. Coach Brads gall, congratulations,
what a good win last night.

Speaker 8 (01:23:14):
Thank you. Yeah. Always good to be moving on to
the next level.

Speaker 1 (01:23:17):
Hey, coach, I the atmosphere is great Lake Country Lutheran.
The student section was great, the parents and the families,
and it was just a really fun environment last night.
I was super impressed with your defense last night. You know,
there was a couple of there were some things that
happened in the last night's game, Greg that I've never
seen in football games, high school football games, when the

(01:23:41):
kid who was trying to get to get out of
the way of the punt moved his foot and actually
kicked the punt up in the air and it was
a fumble and the kid for you know, from burning
Wood caught it. I'm like, okay, I've never seen that.
I've never seen offensive linemen catch a pass that was
tipped and everything stopped and I could hear you yelling
strip the ball, Strip the ball because he tried to

(01:24:04):
run and there were flags all over the field. But
I was so impressed with your defense. A couple of
turnovers on offense and your defense, man, they just played
lights out.

Speaker 8 (01:24:17):
Yeah, it's they really executed the game plan. Well. We
put in a pretty advanced game plan because they had
some skilled players, and man, it was almost as if
the kid designed it themselves. They knew it so well.
So yeah, they were flying around out there. It was
it was really fun.

Speaker 7 (01:24:34):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:24:35):
I just and look, Wittenburg Burning wasd was good and
they had some some size and they had some athletes, man,
and I could tell about I noticed it midway through
the second quarter that that some of their heads went
down a little bit and and offensively, you guys, we
were putting up some some some numbers on him and

(01:24:56):
moving the chains, and I could tell that that as
a team, their heads went down a little bit. And
then they got that turnover and I think they thought, okay,
we can get back in the game. And Lake Country Lutheran,
you know, stopped him a couple of times, put up
another touchdown, and that was pretty much.

Speaker 7 (01:25:12):
Yet.

Speaker 1 (01:25:12):
I have to tell you, Greg, last night's student section
and the crowd was so fun to be a part
of it. And I know, as a head coach you
don't really you know, you don't notice all of that stuff,
but I can tell you the guy who's been around
at a lot of football games, man, it was fun
to be in that crowd last night. They're all trying
to do the wave, they're they're handed out handwarmers. It

(01:25:35):
just was really a fun environment for a high school
football game.

Speaker 7 (01:25:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (01:25:40):
No, I definitely feel it, especially when they get really
excited about some of the players that we can get
in the game in a game like that. But you're
right about Wittenberg Burnhamwood. When they came off the bus.
I was like, oh my goodness, film lied they're talented.
They were huge. She was like, all right, you know
you started get in your mindset like ill, well it

(01:26:03):
was a good year, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:26:05):
I know that's what I was thinking. And I'm sitting
up in the crowd watching them warm up, going, man,
look at the size of those Those are some big
country boys right there.

Speaker 8 (01:26:15):
Well yeah, and I knew they had talent because they
I mean, they just rip off plays like crazy. But
my guys didn't feel the same way. They like I said,
they executed incredibly. They played with a ton of confidence.
And uh yeah, right now, offensively, defensively, special teams wise,
we're grooving right now.

Speaker 1 (01:26:31):
Coaching way. Defensively, you guys obviously talk a lot about
swarming into the ball and and we're gonna we're gonna
put we're gonna tackle as a team, because it seemed
to me last night. I noticed it last week, but
I've really noticed it last night that there's just not
one guy making a tackle, there's three, four, five guys,
to the point that the announcer must have said he

(01:26:53):
would you know, the tackle by a swarm of lightning
players over and over again, and and I thought, man,
he's saying what's true, because there'd be three, four, five
guys in the correct position breaking down and making tackles.
And when you watch tape, are you seeing the same
stuff that I was seeing last night?

Speaker 8 (01:27:14):
Yeah, So we make a point of pointing that out.
We freeze like right before the tackle happens, and try
and see how many Blue Jerseys can make the play,
and we get sometimes six seven Blue jerseys have a
chance to make the play. In fact, I yelled at
my backside corner just this morning, like what are you
even doing over there? Like you're supposed to be covering

(01:27:36):
the other guy? But like you know, they see ball,
get ball. And yeah, it's like I said, they're playing
at prety high level right now. Hey god, yeah, I
mean we they know what they're doing. They we train
them up so well.

Speaker 1 (01:27:50):
And two things, when when you talked about the crowd
getting excited for some of the kids who you know,
have been part of this program for a while, they
get to practice every day, they put the sweat equity
in and don't get a lot of playing time, especially
this time of year, and they're getting on the field,
the crowd goes crazy for some of these guys and

(01:28:11):
you got to feel good not only the coach, but
your starters are the first one standing up in high
five and guys when they come off the field, And
I think that just tells me a lot about the culture.
And I appreciate the seniors on this team who are
as excited as the crowd. With some of the guys
off the bench get playing time in playoff football.

Speaker 8 (01:28:33):
Well yeah, and like as a coach, I'm thinking, all right, well,
I guess those kids seasons are over because once you
get to the playoffs, like, there's no way you're getting
them that time.

Speaker 1 (01:28:41):
Correct.

Speaker 8 (01:28:41):
But last night, fortunately we played at a level that
allowed us to get a couple of kids some time.

Speaker 1 (01:28:47):
Hey, last question, I'll let you go. I know that
and I say this term a lot. We work ahead
as coaches. We don't look ahead. So you've never looked
past Wittenberg. But you had to look at either Rassine
Lutheran and work on what they bring. And then new
Glaris who went to down Tover seeing Lutheran to put
thirty nine up on them, thirty nine to thirteen and

(01:29:07):
looking at you know, I'm such a geek. I've been
on their website looking at at Bound Wisconsin and what
new Glaris has and they've they put up a lot
of points on teams. Tell me a little bit about
some of the issues that they may bring to Lake
Country Luthan on Friday.

Speaker 8 (01:29:23):
Yeah, they're a dynamic team in the sense that they
run I guess what I would call packer sweep, you know,
like three full and three linemen around the corner, so
that that gives us fits when it comes to like
having a have enough meat over there. But then they
also do empty sets three by two sets where they
got five receivers running free. So it really is a

(01:29:44):
matter of having a multi versatile type of defense to
be able to send both of whatever they want to accomplish,
and then we have to figure that out quick like
which which one do they think they can do?

Speaker 1 (01:29:55):
Yeah, well, if your defense plays the way they played
last night, coach, and warm to the ball and are
very disciplined in gaps other than you know, the corner
coming way over, you know, I thought discipline was really good.
I thought your linebackers are swarming to the ball. Defensive
line as a unit. I just was really really impressed

(01:30:15):
with the way that defense played last night. If they
can if they can go back to back and play
that way against New Glaris. I think New Glaris is
going to have their hands full with Lake Country Lutheran
on Friday night.

Speaker 8 (01:30:27):
Well, thank you. Yeah, we had a first in school history.
We had three three and outs on the same drive,
so we went three and out. They punted, We muffed
it three and out. They punted, We muffed it three
and out.

Speaker 1 (01:30:40):
Never that may never happen in any football program in
the state. Again, I can tell you that, Hey, Greg,
it's it's so fun for me to be able to
not come out and watch this team play and sit
with my daughter and sit with that group that has
players on your team, and the amount of energy in
the crowd, and and good luck against Newclars. I'm gonna

(01:31:01):
address as warm as I did last night. I was
nice and comfortable. The hot chocolate that concession stand awfully good.
I can tell you that.

Speaker 8 (01:31:10):
I appreciate it. Mike, I'll have my polo on.

Speaker 1 (01:31:12):
Yeah, you got it. Hey, I'm hoping I'm talking to
you the next Saturday morning.

Speaker 8 (01:31:16):
Coach, that'd be great.

Speaker 1 (01:31:18):
He is Greg bradscal, the head football coach at Lake
Country Lutheran, the only head football coach in the history
of that school. They get new Glaris coming to town
on Friday night, seven o'clock kick at Lake Country, Luthan.
Before we cut loose. We are now joined by Greg Clark.
He is the president of the AAYFL. They just got

(01:31:38):
done with their first championship game, the Journey House get
to win twenty two eighteen against Cedar Grove, Belgium. Greg Clark,
what a great first championship game.

Speaker 6 (01:31:51):
Yeah, Mike, it was awesome. Journey House was down and
they came back and finish it off. Both teams played amazing.
It was it was early electric out here.

Speaker 1 (01:32:00):
Well you know what, and look if you can't get
out the Slinger to watch it, I've been watching this thing.
No sound, but I've been watching it because I'm in
a week or two, I'm going to have a couple
of the coaches from Journey House in studio because, man,
when I went over and gave them the AAIFL Team
of the Week, was so impressed with the coaches over
there and the work that they do, and I'm a

(01:32:21):
big fan of Charles and the people at the Journey House.
They're going to be in studio here in a couple
of weeks, and I congratulate them on winning the championship
twenty two eighteen. Tell me about who's playing at noon
and who's playing at three o'clock.

Speaker 9 (01:32:38):
So at noon we have.

Speaker 6 (01:32:39):
Hartford against WALKASA South and then at three o'clock we
have I want to go against Sussex Hamilton. So two
really great championships and four amazing teams you have to play.

Speaker 1 (01:32:50):
And again you can if you go to AAIFL dot
org or go to their YouTube page and you can
watch these games live. The next one star at noon
and another one at three. And look, I'm watching it
right now. It's a great picture. They do a great
job of highlighting, promoting, celebrating the future high school football

(01:33:11):
players through the AAIFL. And it's been so fun to
be a part of this and be able to go
out and present the team of the week. I get
a chance to address these kids, Greg, I got to
tell you a quick funny story before he cuts loose.
I was at Germantown a few weeks ago and as
I was addressed in the team, there was a kid
in the back that was talking to his buddy and I,

(01:33:33):
you know, as an old coach, I lit him up
a little bit. And before I got to my car,
a buddy of mine that used to coach out there,
Kevin Heizel, sent me a text and said, how come
when I was coaching out there, we never got the
team of the week and why are you lighting up
that kid? I'm like, how did you find that out already?
He goes, I've got people, and I thought, you know what,
that's awesome. It really was a big deal for me

(01:33:56):
to be able to go out and meet some of
these coaches and address these kids and players and get
pictures for them, and thank you for allowing me to
be a part of what the AAIFL does.

Speaker 6 (01:34:08):
Yeah, that was great, Mike. We really appreciate you being
on the season and we're looking forward to next season also, Man.

Speaker 1 (01:34:14):
I appreciate that as well. I'm still hoping to get
out there at three o'clock. If not, I'll be watching
the game at noon. I'll be watching the game at
three o'clock. And anything you need for me, please let
me know.

Speaker 6 (01:34:27):
Thanks. All right, I have a great one.

Speaker 7 (01:34:29):
You got it.

Speaker 1 (01:34:29):
He's Greg Clark, the president of the AAYFL. Again. Go
to AAYFL dot org to be able to watch these
championship games again, one at noon, one at three o'clock.
They are being held at Slinger High School. If you
can get out there and sport these kids, bring ten
bucks with you and get a hot dog in a
hot chocolate while you're out there, guys, thanks for listening, Spencer.

(01:34:51):
Great job today, man, this thing's been moving along like crazy.
This is the Varsity Blitz High school sports show, presented
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