Full Show - 11/15/2025

Full show from the Donovan & Jorgenson Heating & Cooling Studio: Saturday, November 15th, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports show, presented
by your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores.
Coming from the Donovan Jorgensen Hitting and Cooling Studios. I
Mike been given alongside the athletic director from Muskeigo High
School and wanna key Brad on the Lake Country luther

(00:20):
guy because my grandson plays Ben. That was a rough
night for you and.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
For me, for all the warriors out there, for all
the warriors and the lightning.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
I can tell you, man, I halftime Lake Country Luther's
up fifteen fourteen, and I thought, man, they got him, Man,
they got him. And that that wing tea offense that
mayvlle runs wears you downgether and they wore them down
a little bit. And Lake Country Lutheran had a great year.
Coach Brads Gell my grandson on that team. That team

(00:50):
had a really good year. And I say congratulations. I
was hoping for one more though, you know you always
hoped for one more, as I'm sure you were with
with the boys at Muskigo. Bayport's the real deal, aren't they?

Speaker 3 (01:03):
Uh yeah, they were very physical.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
I was super proud of our kids and our staff
and how we kept responding, I think the neat part
about last night is both sidelines, both kids, the players
in the game. Both of them wanted to be in
the fight and when they want to be in the
fight at this time of year, because it's long. I mean,
what is this week thirteen? These kids have been going

(01:26):
at it very physical, you know, sport, and it's tough
to stay healthy and keep that want to and everybody
wanted it last night, and it was one of the
best high school football games I've seen in terms of
just the Haymakers throwing back and forth and people kept
getting up and kept on playing, and time ran out
on the Warriors in the end, and that was kind
of the difference.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Thirty eight to thirty five. You guys have a tendency
the games I've seen to wear people down in the
second half. Did that not happen against Aport No.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
We scored too fast. We had a bunch of big
plays where we hit home runs and we you know,
forty yard run, seventy yard run, sixty or seventy five
yard kickoff return another sixty yard run. So we popped
We were popping it a little bit, and it allowed

(02:18):
Bayports offense to probably stay on the field and probably
give us a little of our own medicine at the times.
And I don't know that they wore us down. I
think the defense, our defense to their offense was just again,
it was a bloodbath. I mean they're just hammering each
other and body language was changing in the fourth quarter
right as you could see both sides fatigue setting in,

(02:39):
but it was nobody was going to quit. And you
know he got a clock for a reason and kind
of changed the deal.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yeah, no doubt. Our other our special guests in studio.
He's the head football coach at Nicolay High School, James Becker.
How are you.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
I'm good, Mike, Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Look, I asked you to come in because I want
to have the conversation two years ago. You want a
state championship at Milwaukee Marquette, and I want to have
the conversation of what these coaching staffs are going through today.
They did the staffs that won last night. Right. So
if you're looking at at Arrowhead and we're going to
talk to the head football coach at Arrowhead at nine

(03:17):
twenty and I look forward to that. If you're the
coach at Bayport, the coach at Arrowhead, the coach at Mayvale,
the coach at Keno St. Jose, Right, all these schools.
What's this week like prior to getting up to Camp Randall?

Speaker 3 (03:30):
It's a whirlwind.

Speaker 4 (03:32):
Obviously today you're excited, you're you're celebrating the opportunity to
get to Madison, but then the reality sets in. As
a coach, reality sets in pretty fast. Now, back in
twenty three, we were always a week ahead. That's just
kind of how I operated as a coordinator back then.
I was always a week ahead. So I kind of
had taken a peek at who we could potentially face.

(03:54):
You know, that's not overlooking the game before, but you
have to be somewhat prepared to who you could potentially
face the following week. And you know, so I was
onto that, I would say probably by this time already
on Saturday, you know, having conversations with some people about
how that week goes. It was it was my first
time there. The staff at Marquette we had it had

(04:16):
been ten years since they had been there. I actually
talked to a guy who've gotten really really close with
and you know very well, Ryan Lukezy, and we had
conversations about how how that week goes and you and
I actually swe did. And one of the things that
I think, and I will just say this to all
the staffs out there right now, one of the best
pieces of advice I got was from you and Coach Keel,

(04:38):
my one of my biggest mentors, and that was to
take it all in, have a minute, correct, sit there,
look at it. So I remembered that, and I called
the game from the press box that that week, and
I remember getting upstairs and I actually wrote down my
first play call that night and I still have that
call sheet. So some of those things, I would highly
encourage you guys to do that. But it's it's it's

(05:00):
a world wind right away. You're trying to get as
much film as humanly possible.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
And it's a shorter a little bit of a shorter wall.
Well it's not so much for Division one, two and
three because you're playing on Friday. It feels shorter.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
It feels shorter for I bet.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
I mean just with everything else that's going on in
all of the logistical operational things you got to get
done during the week, and what other people, what can
we do for you? The booster club calling and the
team meals and the bus.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
And idiots like new or texting you, and I'm still
gonna try it. Look, I thank Matt Harris for willing
to give us a few minutes today. I'm gonna text
Jim Norris from Grafton. I don't know if he's woken
up yet. I've listened to the overtime part of that game.
Did you hear what happened in that game last night? No?
So it goes to overtime. First of all, A Catholic

(05:48):
Memorials scored twenty eight in the third quarter that we
were up twenty one in the fourth. Oh wow, Grafton scores,
gets a fumble, scores again. Now it's seventh, scores again
to get it to overtime. Catholic momor again. It's the
ball and they kick a field goal. They're up three Grafton.
It's fourth and one right and they're they're gonna They

(06:08):
send out their their field goal kicker and they jump.
Grafton jumps, so now it's a five a little bit longer.
They're they're about to go again. Catholic Memorial jumps. Now
they move it back five. Grafton takes time out, sends
their offense back out and goes down, gets it fourth
and one almost scores on that play, and then second

(06:31):
and goal from the one pull it back and throw
a pass. The kid dives and catches it. I've looked
at it. I think he caught it. Catholic Memorial does not,
and and Grafton did, and they end up winning, and
like it was twenty eight and the third they scored
to go up twenty one and then gave up twenty
one and the fourth, man, oh man, what a game?

(06:52):
What I mean, just a game, like I'm listening to
these guys, and it was a Catholic Memorial broadcast, and
even they these guys said, look, you got to give
graft And credit. They could have put their head down
and said, hey, we had a great year where we're
not it's over. But they once they scored and gout
at the fourteen, and then they got a fumble recovery,
the light got turned back on, the crowd got back

(07:13):
into it, and here they go, and uh, it was, uh,
this time of year, there are some games, Max.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
Well, I think to that point is I think the
seating system has worked this year, thank you, I really do.
I mean, it was quiet when it all got drawn
up and the theory was we would have level three
and Level four games of these magnitude, and you're starting
to see what could be championship state championship games across

(07:39):
at least the Division one, two, and three what I've seen.
I haven't looked at four, five, six, seven, but it
feels like any one of these games have state championship
caliber teams in them in the final four setup that
we got going on, and based on how the brackets
have played.

Speaker 1 (07:54):
Out, James, did you do you like the change?

Speaker 4 (07:57):
I thought it was great. We got in because of
the change, and then we went up to Homan and
be the as a seventh seed and be to two.
So I'll take it for the for only the second
playoff winning program history.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
So yes, I enjoy it.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
No no issues traveling to Homeman, because that's that's what
people would ask me about. Well, hold on wiscons Lutheran's
got to go to Lacrosse and Nick Lay's got a home,
but a home, and I would prefer to travel to
not get in exactly.

Speaker 4 (08:20):
And we actually did a we could contact with Wisconsin Dells.
We stopped in Dells and had a walk through. We
actually stayed overnight in home and it's a kind of
a you know, a memory of a lifetime for that
for the kids in the program, and kind of a
program defining thing as we try to continue to move
things forward there.

Speaker 3 (08:37):
So I think that was pretty cool.

Speaker 1 (08:38):
Hey, so, first year as a head coach for you,
and I told you this one hundred times, moving six
inches over on the bench might as well be about
eight miles, right. Your two gets a little easier because
you have the template kind of set going in with
your eyes wide open on this thing. Lot of a
lot of sleepless nights in the beginning, making sure that

(08:58):
that you were doing this correctly.

Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yes, and I'd say there's still probably more sleepless nights
than I care to have because you always, like you said,
it's a mile, it really is, and you you hear
that from.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
People all the time.

Speaker 4 (09:09):
But I think until you actually and this isn't a
knock on anybody, but until you actually sit in that seat,
you really don't know what it's like. Yeah, because there's
just a multitude of things that go into into it.
Meeting with your ad and and parents, and there's you know,
Booster Club to your point before, and there's just there's
other things that go into it that aren't necessarily on

(09:30):
field stuff that I had to get used to. But
fortunately have great staff, great kids who bought in, and
you know, certainly it was interesting.

Speaker 1 (09:38):
Not only did you become the head football coach and
what happens with that, but you changed the side of
the ball that you were pretty comfortable on, right since
you go from defense.

Speaker 4 (09:48):
Yes, I was defensive coordinator for eighteen years and here.

Speaker 3 (09:53):
I am calling it all. It was kind of was
kind of wild.

Speaker 1 (09:54):
How did that go?

Speaker 4 (09:55):
It was interesting, It was kind of fun. Actually, it
was kind of it was unique. To look at it
from the other perspective. I think if you have an
opportunity to do it, I would say do it because
it makes you see the game a little bit differently.

Speaker 1 (10:07):
Ran you've done both right offense and defense. What what
do you think What side of the ball were you
better on? Do you think?

Speaker 2 (10:15):
I mean offense that's like what I grew up playing. Okay,
I played in college. I think I felt more at
home there. I think defense I might have tried to
get too aggressive and scheme too much, you know, and
the best defenses that I've seen have been very much
that Iowa mentality they're going to do what they do
and be fundamentally sound and do it really well and

(10:37):
then have little wrinkles to get at people. And I think,
you know, applying that to offense too, you got to
have your identity. If you know your identity on offense,
then you can you can be really good, I think.
And I think the organizational piece and the strengths for
me had to be more on the offensive side of
the ball, just with everything else that goes into it,
because I think there's a little bit more organization that

(10:59):
comes with the offense fensive side of the ball then
the defensive side in terms of planning and preparation and
making sure you have all your ducks roll because defense
is always reacting to what the offense is bringing forward. Right,
So the best defensive coaches are the ones that can
make the adjustments and talk to each other and I
d things very quickly and do their prep and keep moving.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
Hey, James, how hard was that for you? On the fly? Right?
You you go into a game thinking, okay, listen, they
this is what they do, right they they're they're playing
a fifty three and they're playing zone and and and
then now they're changing was was it difficult to the
beginning of the year for you to see that and
to make the changes with with your play.

Speaker 4 (11:39):
Calling to a certain degree, Yeah, just because I was
also calling the game from the box and now I'm
down on the sideline. So that was, you know, like
that aspect itself had to change different than you man. Yeah,
so relying on people upstairs, and they did a great job.
That's you know, just it's different for me relying on
people to tell me what they're seeing up there. But
I think after a couple of weeks, you know, all

(11:59):
defense structures at some point end up the same. You know,
quarters as quarters. That's I know, a big argument on
Twitter right now. You know cover three is cover three.
I mean, at the end of the day, you know
what you're gonna get. Like if and I approached it
is every week.

Speaker 3 (12:14):
How would I defend this?

Speaker 4 (12:17):
And that kind of helped me, you know, start to
formulate a better game plan moving forward.

Speaker 3 (12:21):
I think to.

Speaker 4 (12:22):
Your point, Ryan, it's just it's like, Okay, now I
have to understand the organization of getting your ducks in
a row and being able to attack a defense in
the way that you want. So that was kind of
it was like I said, it was unique, it was fun.
We started getting we started advancing much better offensively as
the year went on, because I think it was you know,
the offensive staff, you know, grew to trust me and

(12:45):
I grew to trust them and and everything else. And
I think, I I think that was a big.

Speaker 3 (12:48):
Part of it.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
Yeah, did you have fun as a head coach?

Speaker 3 (12:52):
I did? Yeah, I did. It's like I said, it's
very different, but it was a lot of fun.

Speaker 4 (12:57):
I think the culture piece of it, being able to
put your stamp on it in that way, I think
it's pretty rewarding.

Speaker 1 (13:03):
I think that I was a better assistant coach than
I was a head coach. The loyalty aspect to the
guy who's in charge. Right, we can argue like crazy
in the office, but as soon as that door opens up,
I'm walking lockstep with him, and I feel like I
was a better assistant coach one years ahead. How many
years an assistant seventeen?

Speaker 4 (13:23):
This is twenty three years total, so twenty two is
an assistant twenty two.

Speaker 1 (13:28):
So do you see your future for a long time now?
Did you enjoy it enough and have enough confidence in
your ability as a head coach? Is that what you're
gonna want to be then and now until you get
done coaching.

Speaker 4 (13:42):
You think, I certainly for the foreseeable future. Yeah, I think,
you know, at some point down the road, you never
you never know. But I'm enjoying the heck out of
it right now. I mean it's been a blast, you know.
Like you said though, to your point, like you have
to have a really good group of guys around you. Yeah,
and our staff really didn't have to buy into me.
I kept most of the staff that was there, and

(14:02):
they did. That's a really big credit to them. And
take a while or I think, you know, I got
I got hired in May, late April, beginning of May,
so I think, just from the natural aspect of that,
it took a little bit. But I think by you know,
week two, week three, you know, we had at least
a vision of where we were going. And by the time,

(14:22):
you know, we lost five games in a row, but
we stuck together and we figured it out.

Speaker 3 (14:26):
We got big wins when we needed to.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
And man, after three in a row, you you you
must have been a peach to be around. Family's okay,
Frandy's all right, yes, you know she's coming in studio.

Speaker 3 (14:37):
I think I heard a rumor about that.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
I look, next week we might do a football coaches.

Speaker 3 (14:42):
Wife concerned about what she's gonna say.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
But yeah, that's all right, that's all right. Hey, I
turned on TV and see you on ESPN. Man, what
are you trying to get my gig or what congratulations?

Speaker 5 (14:53):
You know?

Speaker 4 (14:53):
You know, I don't enjoy those things very much. You know,
it's just a you know, packer coach of the week
that's cool, and everything else. It's just a function of
you know, a great staff and great kids. So all
all the things that I'm sure my wife reminded you of,
those are all questions.

Speaker 1 (15:08):
Hey, I've got different things. Look, I have stuff from
you from third grade. Your third grade teacher said you
were very naughty at third grades. That's as far as.

Speaker 4 (15:17):
You're funny, because I just got off the phone with
a gentleman, you know, John Kazabowski, who said the.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
Spy about you. Yeah, he thinks I'm married up. Oh yes, yeah,
well that's all right he did. Hey. No, my wife
took a run of the championship. She gives she won
all and she got all. This is what I tell her,
and she says, take the garbage out hey guys, So
next Thursday and Friday. In fact, Rocky who is the
general manager over at my twenty fourth coming in today

(15:43):
ten twenty at ten o'clock, will introduce you to our
Colonel Electric Superhero the week at ten forty, I got
a chance to hang out with Curtis Granderson, former Major
League Baseball All Star in town talk a little bit
about Stuff the Bus going on this coming Friday and
at six different Pick and Safe stores, and we're going
to talk about that throughout the show. Feeding America needs

(16:05):
your help. Pick and Save has done Stuff the Bus
for you know, twenty five year or something like that,
and it's the largest single food donation for Feeding America
in this area that one day for the entire year,
and more now than ever. We need to help Feeding
America because there's gonna be some people that might be
hungry on Thanksgiving and I'm asking you for your help.

(16:27):
And I got a chance to talk to Curtis Granderson.
We'll play that that at ten forty. At nine to twenty,
Matt Harris's going to join us. And for the first
hour for sure, I've got James Becker. He is the
head football coach at Nicola and Ryan McMillan, the athletic
director at Muskigo. Hey, Ryan with and I brought James

(16:47):
into to kind of give us an idea and pull
the curtain back into this week. What's this week like
for an athletic director at the schools like like Arrowhead
and Bayport and Notre Damon West of Pierre and Grafton
and Reiedsberg and well, I gotta throw in Mayville since
they beat my late country with their lightning. They're playing Northwestern.
But for the aple like tractors at these schools, what

(17:09):
is this week like?

Speaker 2 (17:12):
Well, one, it's busy. You're gonna get a lot of
phone calls, a lot of questions. And if you don't,
if you haven't been through it before, you need to
sit down and do your homework. And literally you get
a box of work handed to you after you win
the game in the semi final. And I would usually
take Sunday morning and sit down and if not, Saturday night,

(17:32):
sit down and just work through that manual, the football
playoff manual, the state championship manual, and highlight all the
things that we need to know. But from there, it
kind of depends how your football program is organized and
what they're doing and how much ownership they take or
the if people are designated to be in charge of
certain facets like buses and meals and walk through and

(17:55):
spiritwear and all of the other little things that come
with that. But if not, if that's falling on the
athletic director's office, then it creates even more boxes to check.
And you keep going and there's great communication and it just
kind of depends how the football program's relationship is with
their athletic office and who's doing what. But someone's got
to do the work, and there's work.

Speaker 1 (18:16):
To be done. Yeah, guys, let's get to a break.
Other side of the break, Matt Harris, a head football
coach at Arrowhead, will join us. You've seen both teams.
You want to make any well, let's do it after Matt.
Let's take anybody. Let's do that after. Matt Harris, the
head football coach at Arrowhead, will join us on the
other side of the break. This is the Varsity Blitz

(18:38):
High school sports show, presented by your local Pick and
Save and Metro Market stores only on Fox Sports nine
and twenty and your iHeartRadio app. Well, Welcome back to
the Varsity Blitz High School Sports show presented by your
local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores, only on
Fox Sports nine twenty and your iHeartRadio app coming live
from the Donovan and Jorgensen Cooling Studios. Any issues you

(19:01):
have with your HVAC system, get your furnace looked at.
Now you got family coming over for Thanksgiving, family coming
over for Christmas, make sure your furnace is ready to
keep them comfortable. Donovan Jorgenson dot Com. I am Mike
mcgiver alongside Ryan McMillan. He's the athletic director at Muskego
and we are joined in studio by the head football

(19:22):
coach at Nicklay's one of my favorite guys, James Becker.
So Arrowhead gets a good win last night against Wantakee
and again another great game. We just talked about what
happened at the end of the Homestead game. We talked about,
you know what happened with Bayport, Muskigo, Lake Country Lutheran.
Arrowhead gets a nineteen seventeen win against Wantakee and he

(19:43):
was a heck of a game. From the people that
were there calling me going and texted me going, man,
this is a great high school football game. We are
now joined by the head football coach at Arrowhead Matthew Harris, Coach, how.

Speaker 5 (19:55):
Are you good?

Speaker 1 (19:57):
Good?

Speaker 5 (19:57):
Good?

Speaker 1 (19:57):
Hey man? Nice win last night. I gotta tell you,
in the beginning of the year, before camp even opened up,
you and I talked and I said, Coach, what do
you think, how are you feeling? And you said, we
got a chance like we're we got a really we
got a good staff, we got some really good football players.
They put in all the work in the offseason. And

(20:18):
you said to me, Mike, I never say this kind
of stuff, but we got a chance at the end
of the year to be up at camp Randall And
he goes and Coach did that's off the record. Don't
you ever say that in the air. But now that
this year and he's there, I can say it, and Coach,
I gotta say, congratulations. You guys had your hands full
last night with a really good Wanakey team came out
on top. Nineteen seventeen.

Speaker 5 (20:41):
Yeah, it was. It was a lot of fun. That's
really proud of the staff, the kids and everything. I mean,
every year you start, obviously you know that's the goal,
especially when when you're at Arrowhead. It it's just awesome
to come to fruition, and I feel like we've you know,
we started when we took over six years ago, and

(21:01):
we've been fighting with everything we had to get to
this point, and it was just it was really really
cool and a great moment for.

Speaker 6 (21:08):
All of us.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
You know, day days go, days go slow, in years
go fast. I can't believe you're there six years like
I would have thought four three four. It doesn't seem
like it was how long ago, coach Man. Unbelievable. Hey,
have you had a chance to look at Bayport and
what kind of issues are going to bring to the
table when you guys play them on Friday?

Speaker 5 (21:33):
Not too much yet. I did go to their scrimmage,
so I you know, I watched them scrimmage mina early
on in the season, so I've been able to see
him live, which was awesome, and then you know, just
a couple of games on YouTube or whatever.

Speaker 6 (21:46):
But we're.

Speaker 5 (21:49):
Frantically putting all that stuff together right now and get
ready to get rolling here.

Speaker 1 (21:54):
So hey, guys, you guys kind of been through it.
A athletic director nic coach a four o'clock start. Does
that cause any any issues for any of these kids? No? Nothing,
Hold on, there you go hit that. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (22:13):
I think from a coaching standpoint, like we're used to
practicing at four o'clock, So playing football at four o'clock
for the kids isn't isn't anything different if you were if.

Speaker 1 (22:22):
You had a ten o'clock kick, it might be a
little different, right, ten am kick?

Speaker 3 (22:25):
Ye, that would be the difference.

Speaker 7 (22:27):
Man.

Speaker 2 (22:28):
Four o'clock games are great, Mike, are they? Yeah, you've
done at six perfect?

Speaker 1 (22:32):
Yeah, Harris, there you go. Yeah, you got it from
you got it from him. Hey, your conference gets you ready?
I think for games like this, coach Harrison and uh, I, look,
I've heard a lot about Bayport all of a sudden,
Like Franklin guys were telling me about it. Ryan was
telling me that, like they're both teams are throwing haymakers

(22:52):
all over the place. Look, championship and state championship games
should be against teams that are going to throw haymakers
against each other. And I look forward to seeing that
game on my twenty four this Friday night. Did you
a Friday afternoon? Did you guys come out of this
pretty healthy mat?

Speaker 5 (23:10):
Uh? For the most part, we did have one pretty
serious injury. This had to have collision, but he's doing
really good this morning, and his dad already told me
to get him a cowboy collar. So hopefully, hopefully he's
feeling way better and we can we can get him back.

Speaker 1 (23:27):
Well, that's those decisions aren't up to you anymore. If
it was a that had those days are over. You
can't say play, you know, rub some dirt on it,
take a salt pill, and get in there, like they
used to say to guys like me. And people wonder
why you don't know my nieces and nephews names. I
I kind of know what those are the back about
one hundred years ago over at Mesmer High School. Hey, Matt,

(23:51):
when when I and James Becker who was with the
Marquet staff two years ago in studio and we talked
about this week for staff and players athletic directors, This
is going to be a really busy week obviously for
for you, Uh, do you have the template set on
what practice is going to look like and and when
you guys are going to leave on Friday? And have

(24:13):
you kind of put that all together or is that
something you're gonna do here this weekend?

Speaker 5 (24:18):
Yeah, that's probably next time my list after I hang
up here. But hey, coach Packers. Great season by the way, too.

Speaker 4 (24:26):
I appreciate that it was nice to not get our
my tail kick by you in week one for the
first time.

Speaker 6 (24:31):
And four.

Speaker 1 (24:33):
That's why you took that job. That's why you took
that job. Hey, So go ahead.

Speaker 5 (24:40):
No one more happy. There is no one more happy
than when I found out you got that job.

Speaker 3 (24:44):
So I appreciate that. I appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (24:47):
Met Hey. So when you get done with us, we
matt where you start reaching out to some guys that
that that you know that have have set up this
week in the past, or is this is something that
that your staff and you will kind of figure out
on your own.

Speaker 5 (25:03):
Yeah, that's the cool thing about Iarlhead. They've been there
and done that, so they have a cool blueprint ready
set up, and you know, like I have a great
like grid Iron club that is ready to do whatever
they need to do to make sure we do this
the right way. So I've just kind of been listening
to everybody's thoughts and plans, but I'm not too concerned

(25:26):
about it. That was even though our neutral site was
at Madison, so we got a little drive around there.
We just got to go a couple blocks to the
East or.

Speaker 6 (25:34):
Whatever it is.

Speaker 1 (25:35):
Man, that's awesome. Matt Harris, thank you so much for
a couple of minutes your time. Great win last night,
and good luck against Bayport again. Four o'clock kick on
Friday at Camp Randalls, the last game of the year
in high school football in the state of Wisconsin. All
these games on Thursday and Friday are going to be
telecast here on my twenty four and I'll be doing

(25:57):
a half hour an hour. I can't remember pregame show
prior to that, and mad I'm might have to reach
out this weekend because we might have to do a
zoom or maybe I'll get one of the writers to
talk about Arrowhead. We'll figure that out. Congratulations, good luck
this weekend, trying to figure out how this thing is
gonna work this week and certainly good luck against Bayport.

(26:17):
Would love to see you guys bring that gold ball
back here to Arrowhead and certainly good luck to you
to everybody at that school.

Speaker 5 (26:25):
Thank you, thank you, you got it.

Speaker 1 (26:27):
Matt Harris, head coach at Arrowhead, the twelve and one
Arrowhead against eleven and two Bayport. You've seen both teams. Ryan,
It's gonna be a heck of a game.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
Oh yeah, yeah, if you are they similar, yes and no.
I mean they're similar in the fact that they got
talents all over the place. So I mean, when you
think back to August coming into the season, if you
talk to anybody in the football world, they tell you,
you know, Arrowhead might be the best team on paper
walking in and when you see their kids move and

(26:58):
they're all of what they've they've gotten. And then you
talk about Bayport, the people in August, everyone was saying,
it's the beginning of their dynasty, right, the Bayport machine
is now going to go because the Kimberly machine's out
of the way, and they've kind of been hitting that
Kimberly roadblock for you know, however, many years prior to this,
and they still haven't beat them, but Kimberly has gotten

(27:21):
knocked out of the playoffs and it's allowed Bayport a
path to keep going. And so that that region of
the States kind of talking about the pirates up there
like that. So they kind of both had a lot
of hype coming into the August and on paper, maybe
you know, you got the state championship that a lot
of people will probably have picked for Division one when
the season started. So I think it'll be a very
good ballgame. And it comes down to health this time

(27:44):
of year. So you heard Matt kind of just talk
about it, and you will your players be able to
play and be ready to go. And you know, for example,
Muskigo last night didn't have Jackson Neemick, who's the conference
player of the year in the class Gate, which is
a huge piece, you know when you're that caliber of
a kid, and all of those little things matter, Yes

(28:04):
they do. And how is Bayport feeling this morning when
they woke up? You know some of those little things
in the Arrowhead kids? Well, you know, cause there's very
very physical football games and all divisions last night and
so that that's probably the biggest piece. Who's going to
have the bounce and the energy when they walk into camp.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
Randa James, do you remember the journey with Marquette more
than the state championship game? And look, I every time
I have one of you guys on, I got to
say I picked Franklin by two touchdowns, just so you know,
I picked Franklin because I just thought they were too
big and physical for Marquette, and I was completely wrong
on that. That's why I don't gamble anymore. I lose

(28:40):
all the time. But you do, you remember when you
think back on that time a couple of years ago,
remember that the journey to get to state more than
you remember the state championship game.

Speaker 3 (28:51):
I would say yes, but I do recall that you
picked Franklin. So we use this as a motivation.

Speaker 1 (28:55):
And we're still friends. Your wife was mad. Maybe that's
all right. She's shaking over it. She said, I think
speaking out kicked your coverage, by the way, very much.
Cas tells me you kicked your coverage. Yeah, yes, you did,
the especially the week.

Speaker 4 (29:11):
Leading up to it, And just going back to your point,
it was we had to manage the health of the
kids and we were not on the field particularly long.
We're on the field for an hour and fifteen minutes,
hour and a halfts about it. We wanted to make
sure that we got you know, schematic stuff in adjustments
for that week.

Speaker 3 (29:28):
But that was it.

Speaker 4 (29:30):
But what we did is we really went after it
hard in the weight room the whole playoff run, and
I thought that was really something that coach k did
a wonderful job implementing for us. Then we went really
hard in the weight room and that helped the kids recover.
I think, you know, even even more so than just
laying off them in practice. We didn't go full pads
and practice that week and shells, and I think that's

(29:51):
really all we needed at this point. You know, if
if Dave in the barn, yes, I mean in the
bar exactly. And if you don't know how to back
pedal at this point, I don't know what to tell you. Right,
There's there's only so much you can do. You know,
the kids aren't going to forget how to play football,
so if they're nicked up a little bit, you can
give them some time.

Speaker 1 (30:09):
Hey, when when Ryan started talking about, you know, Kimberly
is kind of here in Bayport's coming and then you've
got Mesquiggo and Arrowhead and Franklin those types of programs
when you were at Milwaukee Marquette and what you're trying
to build that Nicola is that tradition, right you want
you want teams. It's been a while since anybody got

(30:30):
their schedule and circled Nicola as the team that they
have to win to maybe win conference. And that's where
you're trying to get to the difference between coaching at
Marquette where you had that tradition and then going to
Nicola that it's going to take a bit to build
something like that up.

Speaker 3 (30:48):
Yeah, for sure. And but I've taken the you know, fortunately.

Speaker 4 (30:50):
You know, my biggest man, as you know, my biggest
mentor is Dave Keel, and I watched that as a
middle schooler, playing for him, coaching for him, and now
now and to this point and then obviously k seeing
what Marquette does.

Speaker 3 (31:03):
You know, it's just it. I know, it takes time.

Speaker 4 (31:05):
You know, you got to get in with the youth
program is probably the biggest thing that's my I didn't
have that in the last offseason. So that's my next
piece so that I'll be working on after Thanksgiving is
is getting with the youth program. But to be a Muskego,
to be a homestead, to be a bayport, you know,
you have to really invest the time and it really
starts with the youth program. And I'm aware of that

(31:28):
and exciting.

Speaker 1 (31:29):
Look, he's not gonna be happening to say this, but
the guy sitting to you right, Ryan McMillan, that the
first time I had him in studio, who used to
head coach, you know, o'connawack, and he'd just gotten it
that first year, and we talked about the youth program
during the break. That's where I thought, Oh, I'm gonna
be a friend of his because he got it and
he understands the youth program. Because of that, that whole
Wanta Key upbringing and what it was run like, and

(31:51):
if you have questions regarding it, I would wait, you
know a little bit, because he's probably a little tired,
and he's going to some hockey game. Where are you
going by the way Detroit or something.

Speaker 2 (32:01):
That they o my wife and older daughter in Detroit.
I just got to go back to, Uh, we're actually
playing at the Mullet Ice Center today.

Speaker 3 (32:06):
So my other daughter.

Speaker 1 (32:07):
Nice and easy, Yeah, we go. That's that's awesome. Well,
I would reach out to McMillan on a Saturday and
say and say, give me fifteen minutes because he understands
building and making sure that the youth program is what
it should be. Guys, we're going to get to a break.
Other side of the break, I'm telling you may Listening
to the end of the Catholic Memorial grafting game was unbelievable.

(32:32):
I sat in my car in front of my condo
and listen to it, and I don't think Jim Norris
has fallen asleep, and I think there, you know, coach
Bill Young and that staff got to be going, man
oh man. We you know, we were close to getting
this thing done and having it done, and so many
things happened at the end of that game that we
got to ask in. Jim Norris very kind to give

(32:54):
us a few minutes, but I got to ask him.
After the time out, they went out to kick the
field goal. Two penalties, they got it back to now
fourth and one, took a time out, took their field
goal kicker out, and went out and said we're gonna
win it or we're gonna go home, and they went
out and won it. We'll ask him about that on
the other side of the break. This is the Varsity

(33:14):
Blitz High School Sports Show presented by your local Pick
and Save and Metro Market stores only on five Sports
ninety twenty and your iheartradiop 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 Jorgans and Heat and Cooling studios. I'm Mike
McGivern alongside Ryan McMillan. He's the athletic director at Muskigo

(33:37):
High School. In James Becker, he is the head football
coach at Nicola. We are now joined. Man, I don't
think he slept. I verily slept after listening to overtime
last night against Catholic. More of the head football coach
at Grafton. I'm telling you the words I kept here
and coach were instant classic, best high school football game.

(33:59):
You know entry, all of the lines that you could hear,
you were in the middle of it. Coach, how are
you feeling about that game you guys won last night?

Speaker 6 (34:08):
You know I still have to keep you know, checking
posts and making sure that we won the game. I
still don't believe that's real. And you know, huge, huge
shout out to our guys and our coaches, like it
was an unbelievable experience.

Speaker 1 (34:22):
Coach, twenty eight points A scored in the third quarter
to go up twenty one. Any surprises for you, I
have Again, I coached a long time, and I coached
teams that if that happened to you on the basketball court,
that their heads would go down and you know, they
thought they would be thinking, well, we had a pretty
good year, we had a good year. Not gonna happen.

(34:44):
Obviously that didn't happen to Grafton. Was it did do
that surprise you at all?

Speaker 6 (34:52):
I mean not not really. I mean we we had
guys with seniors up and down the sidelines for the
better part of that third quarter and leading into the
fourth quarter that were just you know, NonStop saying believe,
you know, believe takes one play, you know, takes one play,
and you know we look at you know what this

(35:13):
program has been built on, and bounding the rock. I mean,
that's that's the epitome of what happened last night.

Speaker 1 (35:19):
It was.

Speaker 6 (35:20):
It was guys just grabbing the hammer and and swinging
as hard as they can and I mean not not
worried about to play, you know, before h you know,
whatever happened, it was you know, all if you control
is the next play and getting after it. So yeah,
I mean it was it was amazing to see it,
see it happening and see it play out like that.

Speaker 1 (35:39):
So coach I I talked about it, and the guys
in the studio with me know what happened, but they
it goes to overtime and they kick a field goal
to go up three. You guys get the ball and
it's fourth and one and you're gonna kick a field goal,
and there is a penalty on you. So you go
back another five yards and you're getting ready to kick

(35:59):
the field goal and they jump off. Now you get
those five yards back, take a time out, send your
offense back out and get the first down and almost
score on that play, and then and then score a
touchdown to win it. The mindset of taking the kicker
off and putting the offense back out, Well, who made

(36:21):
that decision? Obviously you're the head coach where they're guys saying,
let's go for it, let's get get the win, or
tell me about that decision process there was.

Speaker 6 (36:32):
In that initial sequence. It was it was fourth and one. Uh,
And there's a lot of a lot of conversation on
whether we go for it at that moment or or
if we were gonna you know, kick the stield goal.
And you know, we talked all week about you know,
letting our getting our defensive opportunity to win the game
and you know continue to support you know, the team,

(36:55):
and and so I was like all right, let's let's
go for the steel goal. And uh, you know, lived
to see another day, you know, but that process kind
of took a little bit longer, and so we got
the delay game, and you know, I'm I'm an old
line guy, right, you know, I'm a big guy, like
run the freaking football, and you know, it's get the

(37:18):
delay game and they jump off side and I'm like, yeah,
we're not. We're not kicking the damn ball. We're going
after it. So you know, we called out our personnel set.
Luke Menslaar offensive coordinator had to play righty to go
and that was that. So it was like it was
like it was a little bit of decision making, you know,
on that first which led to the delay game, and

(37:39):
we had the opportunity to kind of redo it a
second time, and it was the choice was made.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
So so coach on on second and goal from about
the two yard line, and you guys, you guys, like
you said, you pawn the rock man, You're you're running
the ball, and you ran, you ran a fake and
a pass. And the broadcast last time listening to it
was a Catholic memorial broadcast and they weren't sure that
he caught it and then they said, well it's a

(38:07):
touchdown and gave you guys a lot of props. And
have looked at that video? I think he caught it.
Have you looked at the video?

Speaker 6 (38:16):
Yeah, I mean I think he caught it. You know,
it's uh, I mean it's it is what is this point?
But yeah, I mean he definitely caught it.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
Good, that's awesome. Hey, have you had a chance to
look at Reidsburg at all? Reidsburg beat Whitefish Bay forty
three twenty, They've had awfully good year. Have you had
a chance to look at at Reidsburg and anything that
they bring to the table. It's going to give you
guys some problems next week.

Speaker 6 (38:43):
I mean it's going to be a best fight in
the Pham booth. I mean, get ready for some downhill
football coming right at you, punch in the mouth. You know,
you get to this point of the season, you know,
teams that are going to find success are able to
run the ball and consistently move the ball on the ground.
And I know that's what they do. They have a
couple of really good plays. Is a good coaching staff, you know,
and definitely earned a lot of respect along the way,

(39:05):
So we're gonna have our handful and we have to
have a good week of prep.

Speaker 1 (39:09):
Hey, the ten o'clock start, And I talked with James Becker,
the head coach of Nicole and studio with me and
Ryan McMillan. The ten am start on Friday? Does that
cause any issues for you guys? Both teams got to
play it, but it's not something that you know, you
don't practice at ten am this time of year. You
don't ever play games unless you're in you know, in

(39:30):
youth football at ten am. Any issues for a ten
o'clock start for you, guys.

Speaker 6 (39:37):
I'll tell you what this last time we went in
Pourty twenty three, my wife and I had our second, Yeah,
on Monday of that week, So being will go into
this week not having to worry about a newborn right
or or when my wife would give birth. I mean,
it was a hell of a story and absolute blessing.

(39:58):
But I'll tell you what, to take that off your plate,
kind of freeze you out to make some better decisions
for the team and that process and yeah, I mean
and having to handle the beast of a tenn am game.

Speaker 1 (40:11):
So hey, James and Ryan, look when you when gin
Overs talks, I would play for him. I would put
the uniform on. If he said, try to run through
that wall. You've got to go hit that kid as
hard as you can. I would do that. And as
he's talking and he goes, look, I just I want
to run the dark ball, right, this is what I
want to do, and let's go do it. I'm watching you, guys,

(40:32):
and you got the you know, your eyes get big.
You would you would love to play for a coach
like Kim Ryan one hundred percent.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
You can hear his passion in his voice, and you
know the passion and the energy that he probably pours
into his players as well is what gets those guys going.
And you know what a lot of people haven't said
yet is you know you're gonna kick it. Then you
got a penalty, the other team gets penalty, you get
back and you go. You know what, I believe in
my guys. I know my OC's got to play, which

(40:58):
is half the battle right here, because times people freeze
and they don't have a play. And he believes in
his kids. Said, guys, we're just gonna go win the game.
Let's not tie this thing. Let's just go win it.
And trots them back out there. And that's as a
young young kid playing sports, that's all you need is
your coachal believing like that, and here comes the energy
and away you go.

Speaker 1 (41:15):
Man. I'm telling you I I when I was listening,
I was sitting in front in front of my condo.
I couldn't get out of my car until I listened
to the end of this thing because I was going
nuts thinking about that staff at graft and going, you
know exactly what you just said, screw it, Let's go
win this thing and be done and then let's you know,
get ready for next week. Hey, Jim, when you get

(41:37):
ready for this week? And I talked to James about
two years ago with Marquette and they had, you know,
had kind of a template on how to do this.
You from two years ago. You know what time you're leaving,
you know where you're gonna eat, you know the bus
is going to be here at this time. That gives
you a little bit of a heads up to you

(41:58):
or a little bit of a leg up on having
to figure out that template because it's already been done.

Speaker 6 (42:03):
Right, Yeah, I mean I think you know the template
has been set. However, you know that my first time
going to the state in twenty twenty three. You're always
in the constant, you know, shop of improving and you know,
making things less stressful for our players and just the
flow of travel and what it's going to look like.
And you know, we sat down as an administrative group,

(42:27):
you know, with our administrators last week and kind of
put together a thirteen day plan that led up to
Friday at ten am, you know, and that was something
that I wasn't and didn't have the foresight, you know,
to get done last year or two years ago. So
I just feel like we're in a much better spot
right now and making some adjustments, but adjustments to put

(42:48):
our players in a better position.

Speaker 1 (42:50):
So coach, thank you so much. James, you got something.

Speaker 4 (42:54):
Yeah, just talking about wanting to play for him. My
son will play for him. So oh there you go.

Speaker 1 (42:59):
Yeah, you better get ready to run through the wall.
He went on.

Speaker 4 (43:03):
He will, And honestly, I mean this in all sincerity.

Speaker 3 (43:06):
And Jim knows this week. We have a really good relationship.

Speaker 4 (43:08):
If there's anybody in the world that he's gonna that
Easton's gonna play for that's not named me, it's it's
Jim Norris.

Speaker 3 (43:14):
So I'm happy.

Speaker 4 (43:15):
I'm excited that we're gonna have to play against each
other starting next year.

Speaker 6 (43:18):
But yeah, you know so that I appreciate you, uh
sending sending those footballs my way.

Speaker 4 (43:25):
Hey, absolutely anything I could do. You know, my daughter
dropped off some football. He needed some GST, so my
daughter dropped off some football for him this week. Yeah there,
tell you tell the Shiller family that they owe me know,
yes they do, Yes they do. Jim Norris head football
coach at Grafton thirteen. And oh they play Reedsburg Friday

(43:45):
this coming Friday at ten am. It'll be live on
My twenty four.

Speaker 1 (43:50):
And uh, I don't know if it's half hour an
hour before I'm doing a pregame show. So Jim, I
may have to reach out to you one more time.
I apologized for that. I really appreciate a few minutes
here of your day here. I know it's a busy
day to get ready for Reidsburg. Bring home that gold
ball back to Grafton. Yes, sir, you got it. He

(44:10):
is Jim Norris, guys. I I look, I was fanning
him the first time I met him, and then I
found out his background. I found out whose family is
and what mirror, what family he mirrored into. And he said, look,
my wife knows much about football and she's tougher than
I am. And I thought, no, she's not. This is
a tough dude, right, And a lot of times teams

(44:32):
take after their head coach after a year or two,
and he's a tough dude. And and Grafton gets off
the bus and they believe they're the toughest team at
the field and it's because of the work they put in,
because of what this guy believes in. And when he said, look,
I just want to run the damn ball, he does,
and they've got they've got some big boys up front

(44:52):
that know how to worry you down, and they've got
some really talented running backs and I hope they go
to Look, I'm a rooting for I have rooted home,
thank you. That's where I was. And Travis Wilson, if
you're listening, sorry about this. I'm rooting. I'm rooting for
Jim Norris and these boys in Grafton, and if Catholic
Moreland won, definitely rooting for them. I know that Bill

(45:13):
Young's struggling right now. You know this one's gonna stink
for a while. This one's hard to get out of
your head. For sure, I'm gonna cut you loose for sure.
I'm not sure, James, if I'm gonna keep you, if
you're gonna be able to stick around or not. So
I got to ask a couple of predictions from you.
Go ahead, Arrowhead, Bayport.

Speaker 2 (45:34):
Our recency bias, says Bayport.

Speaker 1 (45:37):
Notre Dame West a Pier. That game is gonna be unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (45:41):
Oh yeah, they're I'm gonna say Notre Dame.

Speaker 1 (45:45):
I'm gonna go Notre Dame as well.

Speaker 2 (45:47):
No, I'm going West appiercaud.

Speaker 1 (45:48):
I'm going Notre Dame. I'm not. You want a better
buck on that. No, we can't bet high school sports.
I'm only kidding. Grafton and Reedsburg at Crafton, James, we're
all taking I'm gonna I could. That's an easy one.
Look if you're a head coach of Nikola and you
never know who you're gonna play, so I'm not gonna
put you on the spot. I'll just one more. Mayville

(46:09):
and Northwestern. I haven't seen Northwestern. I saw Mayville last night.

Speaker 2 (46:15):
Yeah, Mayville runs a wing tea, So I'm going Mayville I.

Speaker 1 (46:18):
You know what, I'm gonna go Mayville as well. I am.
They looked they they don't throw the ball all that well,
but every once in a while when they pick their spots,
they can do it. But boy, they've got some size
up front, and they they run that wing tea really well.
They've been doing it for a while for sure. Brother.
I'm not sure if I get you back in next weekend,

(46:41):
but I can tell you that that it's always been
like my pleasure to have you here during the football season,
and I look, I reach out to you in July
and start begging and then I, you know, call your
wife and beg her for a while. So Ryan, thank
you so much. Are you gonna head up to Madison
or are you gonna stick around and watch it on
my twenty.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
I'll be in Madison for D one, probably D two
as well, help with some of the awards and operational
stuff with the w A people.

Speaker 3 (47:08):
But yeah, it should be good.

Speaker 1 (47:10):
I just watch, you know.

Speaker 2 (47:11):
I appreciate everything due for high school sport. You highlight
a whole bunch of kids and never get the lights
showing on them, and that that means the world to
those kids and those families. And just you know, brightening
their day and you see the raw emotion of the
people coming in and out of the studio, and keep
doing what you're doing, because there's nothing like this across
our entire state, and our state needs more of this,
and high school sports is where it all starts.

Speaker 1 (47:32):
So I appreciate that, Ryan. I appreciate all the time
that that you give me. And uh, you know, whenever,
if you'll send me a text and say, hey, I've
got this this girl hockey player that should be one
of your pick and safe student ale this week, and
I love that you do that. And I appreciate that.

Speaker 2 (47:48):
If my swimmers can steal a trophy today, you're bringing
the whole team in here and you're gonna have a ball.

Speaker 1 (47:52):
You got it, you know what. You let me know
they got a chance. Two years ago or last year
we did an hour and underwater hockey. I can do it.
I can do you an hour on high school swimming
for sure. Hey, it's good to see you, James, and
am I keeping you for a little longer.

Speaker 3 (48:05):
You can keep me for a little longer.

Speaker 1 (48:06):
Good. I want you to meet our current electric Superhero
of the Week, Alexandria Rossi from Brookfield Central will join us,
and then Rocky Rocky Wagenhurst, the general manager for MY
twenty four, and you should say to him, Man, you
better get nick Lay in the schedule next year. That's
what I would do if I were you. Ryan. Thanks
a lot, good luck. You'll be in a hockey rink

(48:27):
somewhere today.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
Yes, sir, I got hockey and then States swimming dive.

Speaker 1 (48:30):
Oh man, So no nap for you today?

Speaker 2 (48:33):
No, no, I'll get it tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (48:34):
Yeah, I'll get one today for you. Don't worry about that.
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 and your iHeartRadio app.
Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show,
presented as always by your local Pick and Save and
Metro Market stores. Coming live from the Donavan and Jorgans

(48:55):
and Heating and Cooling Studios at ten Rocky who is
the general manager for MY twenty four, is going to
come in studio all the state championship football games right
here locally live on MY twenty four, and we'll talk
to him about that. At ten forty. Curtis Granderson Major
League Baseball All Star. I had a chance to meet

(49:17):
with him at at a Metro Market store and interview
him about the Curtis Granderson Foundation, and look, I asked
him the same question that we're going to ask our
current Electric Superhero the week about that servant leadership part,
because it always amazes me. It's not something that we're
born with, but it's a learned behavior. And in studio

(49:39):
with us right now. She is a senior from Brookfield Central,
this week's current Electric Superhero of the Week. And I
said to James Becker, look at her and I are
like twins, four point four to seven five gpa, all
this volunteer work, big time student athlete. And James said,
I don't believe you. You don't believe me, do you?

Speaker 3 (49:59):
No? I know better.

Speaker 1 (50:01):
So Alexandra or ROSSI from Brookfield Central, how are you today?

Speaker 8 (50:05):
I'm good. How are you doing?

Speaker 1 (50:06):
I'm really good. Your principal man, he thinks the world
of you. I have to tell you this three years
ago when Colonel Electric, who is a client of Mind
and Home of the Superhero, any issues you have with
any electrical I can't recommend Colonel Electric enough. We started
this program and I had to call principles and to

(50:27):
explain what it was. Here's what we're going to do.
It doesn't have to be about sports, but I want
a senior who does great work in the classroom, is
very active in the school, has that servant leadership heart.
And what senior are you guys going to miss the
most when they graduate. Your principal Brett called me and said,
are we doing this again this year? We and I

(50:48):
go yeah, He goes, I have somebody that I want
to nominate, and I want to nominate her right now
because she is just what we're going to miss her
so much when she graduates. The legacy, young lady, that
you have left and you are leaving at Brookfield Central
is really strong, and I say congratulations to that.

Speaker 5 (51:05):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (51:06):
Tell me a little bit about you. Four point four
seven five GPA. You planned to major in biology next year.
Do you know where you're going?

Speaker 8 (51:15):
I'm not sure yet. I'm still working through the application process.

Speaker 1 (51:18):
If you at the night, when your head hits the
pillow and you close your eyes, if you could pick
any school in the country, what would be your choice.

Speaker 8 (51:27):
Gosh, I don't know if this plan is still looking around,
but I definitely just want to go somewhere where there's
a really good community where I have the opportunity to
grow academically and as a person.

Speaker 1 (51:37):
Hey, Brookfield Central, doesn't they do a nice job to
getting kids like you prepared for that next level? Correct? Yes,
you're going to miss it?

Speaker 8 (51:47):
Yeah I am. It's been a really good experience there
for the last three years, and I'll definitely miss it
next year.

Speaker 1 (51:53):
Is it amazing to you that you're that high school
has gone this quick?

Speaker 8 (51:57):
Yeah? At the beginning, I didn't really think it was
going by that fast, but now that I'm a senior,
looking back, it's definitely flown by.

Speaker 1 (52:03):
I tell kids all that all the time, right, James,
days go slow, years go fast, for sure. Hey, what
you are a runner? Cross country?

Speaker 9 (52:13):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (52:13):
Track and field.

Speaker 8 (52:14):
No, I play soccer in the spring.

Speaker 1 (52:15):
You play soccer. Do you play soccer to be a
better cross country runner or do you run cross country
to be a better soccer player?

Speaker 10 (52:23):
Well?

Speaker 8 (52:23):
I think they both go kind of hand in hand.
I honestly just love doing both of them, and I
think each one helps.

Speaker 9 (52:29):
With the other.

Speaker 1 (52:30):
You've competed for four years in a varsity and across country, Yes,
I have Did you come into high school as a
runner or did somebody talk you into trying out for
cross country?

Speaker 8 (52:40):
I had been running a couple of years before high
school started. I ran throughout middle school, so I kind
of came in.

Speaker 9 (52:46):
As a runner.

Speaker 1 (52:47):
Hey, talk a little bit about some of the volunteer
work that you do. And as we're talking with our
Colonel Electric Superhero the Week, Alexander or Rossi from Brookfield Central,
if you go to the current Electric Facebook page, beautiful
picture of her and a bio and read the bio
because look, she's really busy. You don't sleep a lot, huh.

(53:08):
I try, you try, but well, look with the grades
you get and the being a true student athlete and
then the volunteer work that you do at your church
and Key Club, and we're going to talk a little
bit about that. Talk a little bit about some of
the volunteer stuff that you do, not only through National
Honor Society, but then through the Key Club and things

(53:29):
like that.

Speaker 8 (53:30):
Yeah, I definitely enjoy doing volunteer work for a couple
of different organizations. I am a volunteer at my church,
so I'm a catechist for a kindergarten class, which is
something I really enjoy getting to share my faith with them.
I also am a part of Key Club and NHS
where I get to do service events that both that
go both towards my school and in the community. And

(53:50):
I especially like going to senior living centers are getting
to spend time there just speaking with them and helping
out I can.

Speaker 1 (53:57):
So I love asking this question motivation for having this
servant leadership part right, We're not born with it. It's
a learned behavior, and I'm wondering where that came from
for you.

Speaker 8 (54:08):
I think for me, it really came from my family.
I think when I was ever since I've been young,
my parents have kind of instilled in me like the
importance of sharing the gifts that you have and you've
been blessed with with the people in your community and
anyone who needs it. So I think that's really where
it's come.

Speaker 1 (54:23):
From for me. James, I'm sorry, no, no, come on, no, no, no,
come on right now, right now, Yes you are, come on,
come on, come on. Your mom is here. What's your
mom's first name, Stephanie. Stephanie does not want to come
on microphone, but Stephanie, I'm just from one parent to another.

(54:45):
Come too closer to the microphone. I always want to
know what my kids are like when they couldn't smell
my cologne. Right, I'm not in the classroom with her.
I'm not at key club with her. Right when she says, look,
my family, this is where I've learned this behavior to
give back to her community and to be a good
ambassador from my high school and my family and the

(55:06):
church and the school and my classmates. You have to
be so proud of her.

Speaker 11 (55:11):
Yeah, My husband and I are very proud of all
that she's accomplished and who she's becoming as a person.
And we love her lots, and very proud of all
that she does and looking forward to see what she
does in the future.

Speaker 1 (55:22):
When I asked her if she give any school, and
she's like, I'm not sure. Are you hoping that she
stays closer? Are you hoping that she goes far? And
because this next chapter, I have two kids right now,
I'm a grandfather of six. My son and daughter both
went to Marinatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown. My daughter's
five years older than my son. And on the way there,

(55:42):
we got to aconom walk and my daughter said, Hey,
don't call her right me for thirty days in the
new chapter this is the next chapter in my life,
and my wife was crying. I'm like, yeah, okay, I'm
all right with that. And I'm wondering, but my son
came home every weekend, and so these kids are all different.
I'm wondering how you're feeling about Alexandra, and where do
you think she's maybe going.

Speaker 9 (56:04):
I don't know where she's going to go.

Speaker 11 (56:05):
She's looking at lots of different types of schools, but
she wants to go someplace further away, explore new things,
and find her own place. So I don't see her
being super close to home. But we always have a
way to connect.

Speaker 1 (56:19):
So your husband's first name Peter, Peter, if you're listening, man,
I can tell you. I hope that that you pat
yourself on the back a little bit. Look, being a
parent is heart right. And then this happens, and when
the principal at Brookfield Central, who I really like and
I trust him a lot. I think he's really good
at what he does, calls me and says, I have her.

(56:43):
I have someone, and we are sure going to miss
her when she when she's gone. When you talk about
what you're going to do next biology? Is that where
you're looking medicine? Biology? Or tell me what you If
you can look into the future four years from now,
what do you think.

Speaker 8 (57:00):
Yeah, I'm hoping a major in biology or similar major
because I'd like to go into healthcare. I'm not exactly
sure what in healthcare I want to do yet, but
I know I want to do something where I get
to connect with others and have a lot of interpersonal connections.
So I think a biology will help.

Speaker 1 (57:15):
Me do that. Do you know your story?

Speaker 3 (57:18):
For me?

Speaker 1 (57:18):
The cool part is you teach kindergarteners, right, and you
like going into nursing homes. That's two ends of the spectrum, kiddo. Like,
there's a lot of people that like teaching kindergarten and
hanging out with little and then there are people that
like to go and hang out and maybe help people
in nursing homes to have their life better. But there's

(57:39):
not a lot of people that like to do both.
And I love that about you, and that tells me
a lot about your heart. What church do you go to?
Saint John Vanny and you went to grade school there.

Speaker 8 (57:49):
I went to school there from K four to fourth grade,
and that's the church that you guys go to correct
and the part of teaching.

Speaker 1 (57:58):
My wife is taught Sunday school for thirty years. I think, right,
she's just that that's who she loves you at two
different churches. East Side Baptists now Brooks Side Baptists, and
she loves teaching kids at that age. What about that
caught your attention and and why he enjoyed so much.

Speaker 8 (58:15):
I just really love getting to like share my knowledge
with them. And I think it's just really interesting to
see because a lot of little kids love to learn,
and I think that's really interesting to see. And I
love watching them like learn new things about the church
and get more involved with their faith. And they're just
a really fun class to have there. They enjoy learning
and just doing different activities.

Speaker 1 (58:37):
I thank you for the work that you do in
nursing homes. And I'll tell you why. My mother passed
away from the Catholic home a few years ago. And
she used to talk about young people that would come
and just hang out and what people don't understand. And
my wife says this all the time. When there's you know,
you may walk into a restaurant and there's a guy
who's eighty five years old sitting having breakfast by himself.

(58:59):
What you don't know is he was a major in
the army and he fought in a war. I mean
all of the backstories. And there are younger people that
just see him as an older guy and they wish
they could get, you know, sit in the booth that
he's sitting, and you see it different. Yeah, because of
the time you spent there.

Speaker 8 (59:17):
Do you think I think part of it.

Speaker 5 (59:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (59:20):
I think I've also had experiences with different family members,
so I've kind of learned that everyone has so many
stories that they have to share, and like, just getting
to talk to people like that really teaches you a lot.

Speaker 1 (59:32):
Are your grandparents still with us?

Speaker 5 (59:34):
Yes?

Speaker 8 (59:34):
They are.

Speaker 1 (59:34):
Are they in the market in town here?

Speaker 8 (59:37):
I have one side of my grandparents lives about forty
minutes away in Wisconsin, and then the other set lives
in central Illinois.

Speaker 1 (59:44):
Well, we're going to make sure they all get this
a copy of the show. I'll send it to you
when Spencer gets it to me later today. When we
talked and then I talked to your mom and you said, listen,
this is a big part. The faith part is very
big for me. Are we going to be able to
talk about that? I said absolutely, because that's a big

(01:00:04):
part in my life as well. And for somebody who's
a senior in high school to ask that question and say, listen,
it is okay if I talk. Absolutely. I love the
fact that you're so comfortable with that part of your life.
When wherever you go next year, I would ask you
to find similar minded people, right campus crew or fellowship

(01:00:29):
of Christian Athletes. Do you want to play sports at
the next level.

Speaker 8 (01:00:33):
I'm not planning to play collegiate sports, but I'm hoping
to join some sort of club or Jamil's teams I
can continue to play next year.

Speaker 1 (01:00:41):
How does somebody you enjoy running? Do you just go
out for a run sometimes?

Speaker 5 (01:00:45):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
I do, James Twins, we are no way I cramp
up if I like, if I drive ten miles, I
got to stop and crack my knee a little bit. Yeah.
What part of that is good for you is it?
Does it help with the mind in the soul and
just to get away and put some music on and
get a good run in.

Speaker 8 (01:01:04):
Yeah. I think running helps you in a lot more
ways than you know. Obviously, there's a lot of physical
benefits to be gained from it, and it's really like
it can be calming to just go for a run.
And also, as I'm on the cross country team, getting
to run with other people, it's just a great way
to get some exercise in and spend time getting to
know other people.

Speaker 1 (01:01:21):
The track coach at Brookfield Central is still bugging you
to come run track for him. Yes he has because
big time runner, right, I mean big time runner and
conference state, all of that. If I'm the track coach
at brook Central, I'm popping a tenth in your front lawn,
knocking the door. Would you like coffee? Please? Run track
for me? Here's lunch? Would you like to run track

(01:01:41):
for me? Do you go to a lot of the
cross country meets?

Speaker 9 (01:01:45):
Yes? I don't think I've missed many over the four years.

Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Are you one that stands or do you run and
go watch?

Speaker 6 (01:01:51):
Oh?

Speaker 9 (01:01:51):
No, I run and watch because I like to run too.

Speaker 1 (01:01:53):
So you do. Do you guys go run together a
little bit?

Speaker 9 (01:01:56):
No, she's much faster than she is.

Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
Well slow down, let your mom run with you. My
grandson runs over at Lake Country, Lutheran and Inn all
like football, basketball, baseball, live sports. I've either coached or
I've been around a lot. Cross country is not one
of them. So I stood the first meet that I
went to and I went, where's everybody going? He's coming back, right,
and so I just waited for it. They took off.

(01:02:19):
I yelled to him, and when he came back, I
was still standing there. But I think the people that
run and go watch in different areas probably probably get
more out of it than I did, because I stood
there by myself because I didn't know where to run to.
I love that. Are you quiet when she's running?

Speaker 9 (01:02:36):
No, mostly what PA say.

Speaker 11 (01:02:37):
I'm not quiet for any of the times I watch her,
whether it's cross country or soccer.

Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
Can you hear her?

Speaker 9 (01:02:43):
Yeah? I can.

Speaker 1 (01:02:44):
What position do you play in soccer?

Speaker 8 (01:02:46):
I play center midfield, so the six.

Speaker 1 (01:02:48):
So you don't mind giving the ball up?

Speaker 8 (01:02:51):
Well, I try. It's kind of an offense and defensive position, right.

Speaker 1 (01:02:55):
But but you have to. You're kind of like a
point guard on the basketball field, right on the basketball
court where you've got to see place happen before it
happens and lay the ball off so the people can score.
My son played that and he was a point guard,
so he was really good center Mit because he didn't
care if he scored or not. He just wanted to
set other people up. How good is the did your

(01:03:17):
season is when it's in spring? And how good will
the team be this year? From Forfield Central, I.

Speaker 8 (01:03:23):
Think we're very excited. We had a smaller senior class
next year, so we definitely have a lot of the
same people returning, so we're just really looking forward to
continuing them.

Speaker 1 (01:03:31):
A do you do you play club as well?

Speaker 8 (01:03:34):
I did play club until my last year was my
sophomore year, and then I ended up stopping because of
the time commitments with cross country at the same time,
and then school as.

Speaker 1 (01:03:44):
Well well, and the key club and the nursing homes
and kindergarten kids and you know all of this other stuff.
I understand Brett, if you're listening, I get it now.
I get it now. And her bio really well written,
and I just think it paints a picture of who
you are and what you believe in what you're trying

(01:04:05):
to do. I always am nice to our current Electric
Superheros the week because you're going to be the leaders
in our community, and you're going to have a company,
and I'm going to come apply for a job and
remember how nice I am. And James thinks you're really
very cool as well, So thank you for that. At
the end of the year, end of the school, you're
a colonel electric. The Current Cares Foundation, I take every

(01:04:27):
winner and I put them in front of them and
they give a five thousand dollars scholarship to the superhero
of the year. In fact, last year's winner, Hannah Christensen
from Brookfield East was the winner and we sent a
five thousand dollars check. Week the Current Cares Foundation sent
a five thousand dollars check to Boston College and you

(01:04:48):
will be in the running for that. I say, congratulations.
If you stopped doing your homework after you win this award,
I'm taking it away just so you know that's not happening.
Keep up the good work. So nice to meet you.
Thank you, very nice to meet Thanks for coming on
you met that was she did. You did marvelous. And James,
my co host, the head football coach at Nick Lay

(01:05:10):
had to like pull your arm and get you over here.
But you did great and you should be so proud
of your daughter.

Speaker 9 (01:05:16):
We are. Thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (01:05:18):
You bet. It's good to meet you. Guys. Nice, nice,
you did good. Thanks, you did really good. We're going
to get to a break. The other side of the
break Rocky Wagenhurst, he is the general manager over at
my twenty four. All of the state championship football games
Thursday and Friday are going to be right on My
twenty four and we'll talk about it on the other
side of the break. This is the Varsity Blitz High

(01:05:39):
School Sports Show, presented 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 is always presented by your local
Pick and Save and Metro Market stores. Coming from the
Dinavan and Jorgans and Heating and Cooling Studios. James Becker,

(01:05:59):
head football coach at Nicole. How impressive was Alexandra or
Rossi Crofields.

Speaker 4 (01:06:05):
Absolutely so incredibly well spoken and just a really humble kid.
And I was so happy that mom jumped in the chair.

Speaker 1 (01:06:12):
Yeah, me too. And look after I said during the break,
I said, why was that? So she goes, this isn't
about me, It's not her, but you know what, she
Alexandra is such a good ambassador for her family, and
I wanted I looked over and her mom kind of
had tears in her eyes, and I thought, let's come on,
let's talk about it. When when you ask a kid
that servant leadership hard word is to come from, and

(01:06:34):
they right away go, it's my family. I've watched them
give back to our community for so long that that's
where I learned it from. And I want to thank
them for coming to the studio. I want to thank
the people a Superheroes over at Colonel Electric for sponsoring
that show. Speaking of Colonel Electric, they're a sponsor of
w I football as well. We're now joined by Rocky Wagenhurst.

(01:06:58):
He is the I don't even know what's your title,
general manager manager. I'm the marketing department. They do it
all once you put signs up on the side of
high school football stadium so.

Speaker 10 (01:07:14):
Well, and they have to look nice, you know, if
they're not. You know, the sponsors, you guys spend the money.
If it's one's kind of hanging off because the wind
blew it, I'm over there putting it.

Speaker 1 (01:07:23):
I love that. I'm telling you, man, I've had so
much fun working with you and working for you here
the last couple of years. Big Week coming up Thursday
Friday State Championship games. Do you know James, he picked
Franklin two years ago as well. It wasn't just me.
He's like, we.

Speaker 3 (01:07:43):
Really enjoyed that's don't.

Speaker 1 (01:07:47):
Right now market kids use that as fuel.

Speaker 4 (01:07:50):
It's just whatever works for you, so we appreciate it.

Speaker 10 (01:07:55):
Yeah, I'm just trying to throw you under the bus
with me. So bring you know I'm I'm right there
for you.

Speaker 3 (01:08:01):
Mike.

Speaker 1 (01:08:02):
Yeah, boy, you know whatever you need from me. So
on Thursday ten o'clock, first game starts at ten o'clock,
We're gonna do an hour pregame show and we're going
to break down Division seven, six, five and four. The
amount that I know about I don't know Darlington is unbelievable.
I got to do some research, guys, just so you
know I'm doing a lot.

Speaker 3 (01:08:22):
They are a very traditional power.

Speaker 1 (01:08:23):
Oh I know that against Edgar. You want to talk
about two traditional powers. That's at one o'clock, Division six,
Division seven Cochrane Fountain City against Kenosha Saint Chose. They
kick it off at ten o'clock, nine o'clock pregame show,
So tune in on Thursday, November twentieth at nine o'clock
and then Friday at nine o'clock before Division three, two

(01:08:47):
and one. I'll tell you, rock man, with some great
games coming up, and people don't have to stream any
of these, and hope that the stream.

Speaker 10 (01:08:54):
Doesn't plause my grandmother's an, it's uncles if they've never
even have cable. Just channel twenty four. That's all you
need to do, two four on whatever you're getting the
rest of your stations on, and you will see all
these games.

Speaker 1 (01:09:08):
That's what's so neat about it. Hey, when I have
you win, I do this each time because I truly
mean it. I want to say thank you for your
leadership on making sure that high school athletics is front
and it's just what you believe in. And when you
came in and we were doing the high school game

(01:09:28):
of the week and I thought, oh, man and a
general manager. I hope he likes high school sports. And
all of a sudden, You're like, hey, we want to
do volleyball, we want to do baseball, we want to
do football, basketball, And I'm like, well, I'm like this boy,
And thank you for your leadership on having the people
at my twenty four continue to give this back to
our community.

Speaker 10 (01:09:48):
No, and really that's you know what, I think one
of the things that we can that really broadcast stations,
you know, right now everybody's out there, you know, stream
and there's so many wars they get content anymore. You know,
it's like and Christmas Day now you can you know,
you have ESPN's basketball, but I think it's Netflix now
that you have to get football, you know, so you know,
and it's not so you know, listen, we got to

(01:10:09):
pay for all this stuff, right nobody's just given this
stuff away for free, and that's what pays for everything else.
But you know, I even college with NIL is getting
involved and it's becoming more professional. That's high school. Everybody
goes to the high school for the most part, everybody relates.
Everybody's got a grandson or a granddaughter or a son

(01:10:29):
or daughter somebody, and most of the time they're playing
some type of sport or some kind of activity. And
that's what forms us. I mean, how many people do
we know we talk to and they're like, oh, high
school was either not a great experience or my greatest experience.
But whether it was a great one, not so great,
or anywhere in between, it's really what shapes she has

(01:10:51):
a person and one thing that and I have to
say this about you, Mike. You know we laugh, you
know an hour show do that stuff. Mike is the
one that makes this high school sports. He's a coach.
He's been in this community forever. I've never been anywhere
with him where he doesn't know everybody. It's the most
amazing thing. He's either coached and played with them or

(01:11:11):
owe them money or maybe.

Speaker 3 (01:11:13):
Those are the ones.

Speaker 1 (01:11:14):
He doesn't say Hi a little bit faster, but it's
just really' just what you're talking before.

Speaker 10 (01:11:20):
He'll never just interview the kids about oh that was
a great player or whatever. It's about their family and
who is the one that inspired you?

Speaker 1 (01:11:27):
And you know, as a coach, you.

Speaker 3 (01:11:29):
Know that's why you do it exactly.

Speaker 10 (01:11:31):
Nobody's doing this for the big dollars that any of
us get.

Speaker 1 (01:11:34):
Trust me. You know, James moved from being an assistant
coach to a head coach and he got like forty
eight cents more. It was awesome. He spent it on
one drive through and look, those are the guys, guys
like James and his and his family. Right, it's not
just him, it's his wife and Brandy. It's all of
them having to be fully invested in this. And I

(01:11:56):
say this a lot. There's a special place in heaven
for coach his wives, because look, she's in the she's
in the stands, and if he's not doing the job
right or they don't think he's doing the job, she's
gonna hear about it. And and when they win, she
doesn't hear anything about that. And thirty six years my
wife was like, man, you know they think I can

(01:12:17):
make you run the run his zone. But you win
by fifteen against team you shouldn't. They don't even say,
they just run right to you in high five you.
And I'm like, I know, honey, I know. That's why
there's a special place in heaven. Hey, James was wondering
and he said, I should bring it up. Why Nikola,
it wasn't on the broadcast. You know, it's it's it's
it's a beautiful facility.

Speaker 10 (01:12:37):
I drive by it on forty three all the time.
Maybe maybe he didn't say that, Maybe I do, but
I've you know, when when you when I came in
today and you and oh from Nicolay, And I've always said,
I've said to our guys, because you know, it's a.
It's a process. It's not like what I get to
she was in. Plus, I've only been here two and
a half years, so I rely on the experts to know.

Speaker 1 (01:12:55):
What's going on.

Speaker 10 (01:12:56):
And I go, there's a beautiful school, there's this thing.

Speaker 1 (01:13:00):
Why why don't we you know, I think I think
Nikola was going to be on a schedule. I think
Terry Kelly vetoed that Kelly, you can't have the mar
fairly well, you know, and I still I still love shot.
Because Terry's retired.

Speaker 3 (01:13:17):
I heard, I know, I just ran into him and
I heard that.

Speaker 1 (01:13:20):
God, I mean, I'm gonna man, I he is. You
know what, He's one.

Speaker 3 (01:13:24):
Of the good absolutely one of the best human beings
you can.

Speaker 10 (01:13:27):
And then the research and the time he puts in
every week, every game, it's it's unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (01:13:33):
So come check us out. I'm cordially inviting you.

Speaker 10 (01:13:35):
I'm I'm will put I'm saying we're putting him on there.

Speaker 1 (01:13:39):
Yeah, we will put on schedule. We're recording this so well.

Speaker 10 (01:13:42):
It's it's one of the things that we look at
like we've added now instead of our ninth game, you know,
in the beginning season, we do kind of like, you know,
it's a it's a flex game, just like NBC will do,
you know, and so we'll see what's going on. So
we ended up going to West Bend West and homes
a really great game, and that was something that was
kind of.

Speaker 1 (01:14:02):
I didn't know. I didn't vote on that, and so
trust me, I thought I thought mcguanago, but we had
had both those teams on and I said, but isn't
a flex game. Shouldn't we look for the best game
and get And you know what, the West Bend West
Homestead game was a better game than the SIGs want
to go see. Guys like Terry Kelly were like, hey, man,
I told you, and I'm like, I don't want to

(01:14:23):
hear about it. I don't want to hear about it.

Speaker 10 (01:14:25):
Well, you know it's and I love going up And
one of the reasons that you know when I first
started here a number of years ago, was go to
the games. I love to just be on the sidelines.
You see me. We kind of chat, but I'm not
really I'm just making sure because I want to connect
with the schools and talk to the ads who are
walking around to people and you really get understanding what
they what makes sense for them. And you know, I

(01:14:46):
had a really long conversation with the ad at West
West Bend and she was thrill. We hadn't been there
in years, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:14:52):
So, James, that's what he just said is sets him apart.
I've been doing this sidelines thing and there's been four
now general Manage and I like them all I do.
But what sets him apart is what he just said. Look,
I'm new to the market and I go stand in
the silence. I know he doesn't want to be there
every Friday, I do. I know there might be a
fish fries summary maybe if he even knows about fish fries. Yeah. Yeah,

(01:15:17):
But he's there every single week. And I get there
at five o'clock for a seven o'clock kick, and he's
there already, and he's shaking hands, kissing babies, and he
is talking with people in the school, in the community
and saying thank you to them for allowing us to
come and be on the sidelines. That's the reason that
that that Channel twenty four has gotten so involved in

(01:15:38):
high school athletics because he believes And then and look,
you've been a part of it.

Speaker 4 (01:15:42):
And it's somebody who's been a part of it. Thank you,
it didn't you know you just to echo what you
said about Mike. I cannot say enough about what you
do for high school sports. It is you know, I'm
very blessed to be able to call you a friend
of mine. But what twenty four does?

Speaker 3 (01:15:55):
You know?

Speaker 4 (01:15:56):
That's like I love to see it on Saturday morning
because obviously I don't get to see it on Friday night,
but love to see Saturday morning to replay and see
how things went.

Speaker 3 (01:16:02):
I mean, it's it's awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:16:03):
It is so cool, and those those things that like
you're doing this week, those are memories that kids get
to go back and look at for forever.

Speaker 10 (01:16:11):
Oh man, I wish, well some games I'm glad they're
still there, but you know there's a number of games
that it would have been okay, And really.

Speaker 1 (01:16:20):
What's so neat about it?

Speaker 5 (01:16:21):
Too?

Speaker 10 (01:16:21):
Because we want to keep expanding. You know, we have
the w I A deal that we do, so we
do like ten or eleven sports. You know, we love basketball.
We love those two weeks of our Magic of March
is what they call it, and it's right around March Madness.
So it's great and there's nothing better than basketball tournaments.
Because you play a lot of games, but then this
week and it's always I understand, we got to get

(01:16:43):
done before deer season.

Speaker 1 (01:16:44):
Right, so we do. So we play Thursday Friday.

Speaker 10 (01:16:47):
We get that done, and then I love it because
all the the next week you can be at Thanksgiving
and pull it up and show your relatives are intense.

Speaker 1 (01:16:56):
You know, that was me, Grandma.

Speaker 3 (01:16:57):
That's great, you know exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:16:59):
And you know what, there are so many people in
this market that either they're big time high school football
fans or their casual but this Thursday and Friday, they
don't know anybody from Cochrane, Fountain City and Kenosha Saint Joe's,
but they're gonna be in front of the TV watching
that and Darlington Edgar. Look, that's a really that's an

(01:17:21):
interesting game to me. Two traditional powers going at it.
Mayville who beat my boy, my grandson last night, So
I'll be really interested to watch them play Northwestern and
then a little shoot in Winneconnie. You know, to end
seven o'clock on Thursday, thirteen and zero against twelve and one. Right,
So people that just are casual high school fans all

(01:17:42):
tune into this, and I thank them for that, and though,
that casual fan, that hour long pregame is going to
be important because we will we will tell you a
little bit about some of these teams that should catch
her an interest. Are they a running team? Do they
have an all state quarterback? Are they dinged up? We'll
talk to either the coach or somebody in each market

(01:18:03):
and kind of get for what this team is all about,
and we'll get you ready to go to watch these games.
And then on Friday, Division three to two and one
and Grafted against Reedsburg at ten o'clock, Notre Dame against
West to Pier two undefeated teams at one o'clock, and
then Arrowhead the big Boys get on stage, Arrowhead against

(01:18:24):
Bayport twelve and one, Arrowhead against eleven and two Bayport.
Both teams have gone through gauntlet to get there, and
that should be a heck of a game. So we
thank our sponsors. Oh, we love our sponsorship. We do.
We pay for the electricity pro Electric for sure, Canon
Dumpy's back, a lot of Donovan Jorgensen he and cooling

(01:18:44):
has been part of this year. A lot of sponsors
that believe in that grassroots, community driven marketing and not
everybody does right if you can show me that you
have a one point five million viewers. I'm not there,
but people like Current Electric and Donovan Jorgenson, he and
Cooley and Canon Dumfy believe in the neighborhood and the

(01:19:06):
grassroots stuff, and that's what you believe in, Rocky, and
I thank you for that.

Speaker 5 (01:19:10):
No.

Speaker 10 (01:19:10):
And what's so great too is this is like the
third year we've been doing it, and for the for
the football, and we've been getting calls the last two
or three weeks going are you guys going to show
this playoff game or that playoff game? And we're like, guys,
that's not what we do yet. So that's I think
we're going to look at that heavily next year.

Speaker 1 (01:19:28):
I walked out. I walked out to a slinger, right.
I walk on in the in the concession area with
my wife and three different people came said what do
you guys do in this game? And I go, no,
we only do regular season. Well why do you do that?
And I go, We've always only done regular season and
they're like, you should do playoff games. I go, well,

(01:19:50):
I've got Rocky coming in studio, and I know that
he believes that too, but you know, what it comes
down to getting its sponsored out and to turn the
lights on. Colonel Electric who's a big client of ours
and a big fan of what we do. They're not
going to have your electricity there for free. We got
to spend a little sponsorship money. Yeah, your staff does
a great job of that.

Speaker 10 (01:20:11):
No, and they would those games they're there from you know,
they work all day and we're stay it will ten
thirty at night taking down those signs. Yeah, but that's
that's how it works, you know, that's how the world is.

Speaker 1 (01:20:22):
Hey, it's good to see you say so. We'll do football.
And when you say we're doing all these sports, we
can't do like pregame shows for all of them because
we've done wrestling would be a little hard. We tried volleyball.
I thought we did well, but the turnover is so
quick to be able to talk about teams that are playing,
but football and basketball. Might do baseball or softball this

(01:20:45):
year as well. I thank you for allowing me to
continue to be involved with what you guys.

Speaker 10 (01:20:49):
Mike, You're with us as long as you can be
with us. That's the way I look at it. It's
up to you, Pal.

Speaker 1 (01:20:54):
I'm joining James's staff, So you better come over and
do a Nicole Ger.

Speaker 3 (01:20:58):
That's right.

Speaker 1 (01:20:58):
Continue to imagine. I'm not a kidd at all.

Speaker 10 (01:21:02):
I have thought of this, you know, because once again
it's a beautiful skill that you drive by all the time,
and I'm like, how come that's not been on the
last couple of years. We'll fix that now you heard
it absolutely, Rocky said that that's awesome just to pick
one game out of the night.

Speaker 1 (01:21:17):
Right, you're in charge. You can pick as many as
you want. Hey, James, it is good to see you
get congratulations on the Green Bay Packer Coach of the Week.
And then the ESPN spot was great. You you got
to face for TV. Brother, you're handsome. Yes, you are
in my world. You are Rocky. You stay with me
on radio. That's that's where I have. I'm with you, guys.

(01:21:38):
We're going to get to a break. The other side
of the break, we're going to play an interview I
did with Curtis Granderson, major League Baseball All Star, and
I thought we're going to talk baseball, and then I
looked at his foundation and the amount of work that
they do in the Chicago market and now the Milwaukee market,
regarding nutrition and getting kids a safe place to be
able to play baseball, and and then we talked about

(01:22:01):
stuff the bus which is coming up this Friday, and
you can go to you can go to pickingsave dot
org and take a look at pickingsave dot com and
take a look at the stores. And I would highly
recommend get involved in that servant leadership part. People are
in need right now more than ever to be able
to eat for Thanksgiving and beyond and feeding America. Ask

(01:22:23):
for your help, and I'm asking for your help as well.
We'll talk to Curtis Granderson on the other side of
the break. This is the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show,
presented by your local Pick and Save and Metro Market stores,
only on Fox Sports ninet twenty and your iHeartRadio app.
Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz. High School Sports Show
is always presented by your local Pick and Save and

(01:22:45):
Metro Market stores, coming from the Donovan and Jorgensen Heating
and Cooling Studios. So I want to thank my friends
at Pick and Save and Metro Market. Emily set me
up to have an interview and spend some time with
Curtis Granderson, and I thought that I was going to
talk to him about baseball, and then I started spending
time on his website and the Curtis Granderson Foundation, and

(01:23:09):
I'm sorry, guys. If you're listening and you want me
to talk about who the best pictures he faced, I'm
not doing it. This man from my reading what I
did on the website, he is a base He was
a baseball player. That's what he did for a living.
But everything else that this guy does is all about
giving back. The mission statement for Curtis Granderson Foundation provide

(01:23:33):
youth with access and opportunity to positive for positive development
through education, physical fitness, and nutrition incentives. I'm here with
Curtis Granderson, sir, how are you?

Speaker 12 (01:23:44):
I am doing well and that introduction was amazing, so thank.

Speaker 1 (01:23:47):
You you've met hey. I have to tell you I
was a huge fan of watching you play baseball and
the love that you had for the game was great.
What I didn't know was the type of man you are.
And I have to start with this, the servant leadership
hearth that you have. We were not born with that.
And to learn behavior and wondering where the motivation for

(01:24:08):
you came from.

Speaker 7 (01:24:09):
So both mom and dad were teachers, and when I
was in school, my school year would finish about a
week or two before theirs would finish, and then they
would take me to school with them because I was
too young to stay at home by myself, and watching
them navigate the hallways, whether it was the teachers, the
other staff members, the other teachers, just saying hello and
everyone coming up to them. Even today, as I played

(01:24:32):
and now retired, the number of people that come to
me and say, your mom and your dad taught me
is amazing. And I always saw just how they treated
other people, and then things, for example, if I outgrew clothes,
they would take those to school and give them to
someone else that'd be able to utilize them. They'd always
give you a plate, They'd always invite you in. I
didn't know that was called giving back. I thought that's

(01:24:53):
just what you did. So seeing it and being around
it and realizing that they were helping others because other
people help them, and then I was able to do
the things I did because people help me. And now
I'm in a position so hopefully I can help others.

Speaker 12 (01:25:07):
But I'll started with mom and dad.

Speaker 6 (01:25:09):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:25:09):
Kurz said that warrants my heart. My daughter is a teacher.
My son in law is a it'sistant principle at high school,
and then my other my daughter in law is a
teachers well. And I hope that these six grandkids I have,
you know, grow up and learn that giving back. Look,
as teachers, they don't make a whole lot of money, right,
and it's about that giving back and getting kids ready

(01:25:31):
for that next level. Hey, talk to me a little
bit about the things that you guys do that your
foundation does for the Pick and Shave in Mariano's down
in Chicago. So it's been great.

Speaker 7 (01:25:41):
We're celebrating twelve years of grand giving. That's our food
Insecurity initiative where we raise funds at the Register in
the Chicago land area.

Speaker 12 (01:25:49):
It's at the Marianos in Wisconsin.

Speaker 7 (01:25:51):
For the first time ever, we're at Pick and Save
and Metro Market at the register all month long when
you're shopping for whatever you happen to be for best
during the holiday time, you'll have the ability to either
round up or donate a dollar, five dollars or ten
dollars go into the local food banks in those different areas.
And at this time of the year, there's so many
things to be thankful for. But there's a lot of

(01:26:13):
people that don't know where their next meal is coming from.
And that's the definition of food and security. So with
your help, whether it's rounding up a dollar or five
dollars or ten dollars.

Speaker 12 (01:26:22):
You can help out.

Speaker 7 (01:26:23):
And if you don't have any of those stores buy you,
you can go to grand giving dot org and make
a donation on the website.

Speaker 1 (01:26:30):
So it's grand giving dot org. And please do me
a favor and go on the foundation website if you
want to take a look at at the mission statement
and why this man does what he does. It's really
to empower these young people. As a former high school
basketball coach I coached in some areas, Curtis that that

(01:26:50):
I had kids come up and say, can you borrow
me five dollars? I haven't eaten yet today, and it's
at eight o'clock in the evening, And you know, that
would break my heart because I'm like, there's a lot
of people in some schools that they never think, what
do you mean. I've got a meal when I wake up,
I got a meal at lunch, I've got a meal
at dinner. But that's not for everybody. And I love

(01:27:12):
the fact that that's what you're trying to do and
to utilize baseball and who you are as a you know,
an all star, to be able to utilize that for
such a good cause is very commendable to me. And
I'm more of a fan of you as a man
than I am as a baseball player, which is saying
a lot. The other thing that Pick and Save it

(01:27:33):
does is stuff the bus, and I know you're familiar
with that. On November twenty first, which is coming up
on Friday, head out there's you can go on pick
and Save dot or pickingsave dot com and take a
look at the six stores that they're going to be.
I'm going to be floating around. I've got some high
schools getting involved with dance teams and drum lines and
stuff like that to create some excitement. But boy, in

(01:27:56):
what's happening in our country right now. Twenty first is
such a big day for the people at Feeding America.

Speaker 7 (01:28:03):
You know, it's so big in a number of ways.
That's why there's so much incentive and motivation around this.
We take that for granted. Like that story you talked
about at school, My mom used to have stories like
that and she'd say, this student wasn't in school on
Thursday and Friday, but I know they'll be there on Monday.

Speaker 12 (01:28:18):
I was like, well, how do you know they're going
to be there on Monday? They just missed two why
wouldn't they miss three?

Speaker 1 (01:28:22):
Goes? No, their food is coming here at school.

Speaker 7 (01:28:24):
They get hot lunch, they get breakfast here at school.
Over the weekend, they're not going to eat, so they're
going to come back to school on Monday. And as
a kid, you hear that and go, oh okay, they
go wait a minute, that's really messed up. And there's
a number of kids and families that are still in
that situation right now today. So that's why you have
the options at the register. That's why you have the

(01:28:44):
filled the bus. That's why we have the sack packs
where you can pay five dollars and provide five meals
instantly for some people throughout this whole month, because again,
it's such a great time of the year at the
end of the year with the holidays, But to be
able to help others because someone helped you get to
where you are today. It wasn't maybe financially, it wasn't

(01:29:05):
maybe a wealth knowledge, It could have been.

Speaker 12 (01:29:06):
A ride to and from school. It could have been
a pair of shoes.

Speaker 7 (01:29:09):
It could have been that hot meal that you needed,
that five dollars to help that player get through the
day for that game that was gonna play.

Speaker 12 (01:29:16):
Every little bit really does help, and that's the big thing.

Speaker 11 (01:29:19):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:29:19):
It's interesting to me when as a high school with
former high school basketball coach, the schools I coached in,
these are some of the issues that we dealt with,
and then you think, well, the suburban schools don't have it.
They do. There are issues like this everywhere. Are you
still in the Chicago area? Is that where you're back?

Speaker 7 (01:29:37):
Yeah, Chicago's still home for me. Everyone goes, how come
you didn't go somewhere warm? I was a No, Chicago's
home for me. Now, am I gonna go sit out
at a football game in the month of November December?

Speaker 12 (01:29:45):
The answer is no, I'm gonna watch that on TV.
I'm not gonna freeze. I'm a little smarter than that.

Speaker 1 (01:29:50):
No, no, no, you're all of a sudden, your blood
got thin than those warm areas you were in. My
grandson is still playing. So if you want to come
to see a high school football game, come on, definitely come,
and you know it's crazy.

Speaker 7 (01:30:01):
I got a chance to finally come see a Packers
game about four years ago. A buddy of mine was
the tight end coach there and it was one of
those unseasonably warm December days.

Speaker 12 (01:30:11):
It was like fifty five. He said, no, that doesn't count.

Speaker 1 (01:30:13):
You got to come back and get another.

Speaker 7 (01:30:14):
I said, nope, I did it. I made it and
I survived Lambeau. It was a beautiful experience. But to
come up there and freeze, I don't know if I'm
gonna do that one.

Speaker 1 (01:30:22):
Hey, guys, do me a favor and look up. Go
to Curtis Granderson Foundation dot org. Curtis Granderson Foundation dot
org again right on the top, what we do, why
we do it, and what drives us and what drives them.
The foundation was built on Midwestern value, rooted in compassion, empathy,
and kindness, with a commitment to pain it forward. Hey,

(01:30:46):
before I let you go, I asked this question on
another show I do call faith in the Zone, and
it's all about sharing sports and faith in how the
two come together. And it was a throwaway questioned a
couple of years ago. But I can't. I just love
asking all the uniforms you ever put on? Were you
a multi sport athlete? What other sports?

Speaker 7 (01:31:03):
So I ran track, cross country, basketball, bold flag football, okay,
of course baseball.

Speaker 1 (01:31:09):
Could you hit a jump shot?

Speaker 12 (01:31:11):
Hey? I had hoop dreams.

Speaker 7 (01:31:13):
I was hoping to hoop and I ended up having
a broken thumb in college.

Speaker 12 (01:31:17):
That ended my basketball career.

Speaker 7 (01:31:18):
Now, I was on a scholarship at ui C, but
I was going to have the opportunity to walk on
the basketball team and that's all I wanted. So I
had one official workout and the next day before our
first official practice, I break my thumb. I was like, well,
let's see what happens baseball wise man, and baseball took
off unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (01:31:35):
All the uniforms you ever put on, from the time
you were really young to the time you retired as
a Major League Baseball All Star player? What uniform would
you pick out of the closet? We put them all
in there. You can pick any of them, you know.
It's interesting.

Speaker 7 (01:31:49):
It could be because we've talked so much basketball here,
and like I said, I had hoop dreams. Eighth grade year,
I'm at Heritage Middle School, which is in Lansing, Illinois.
We're in our re final. It's sixty one to sixty two,
and our head coach, coach Campierre for Basketball, calls of
time out. We end up making a file against Dirkson.
That's the name of the school. Really good school ended

(01:32:11):
up going to state. Our coach says, he goes, he's
gonna miss this shot. We're gonna get this rebound. We're
gonna run our three on two, drill down, and we're
gonna hit this shot. Sure enough, come down. He misses
the shot. We run our three on two exactly like
we run all year. Kick it to me on the
wing with three seconds left. I shoot it and miss it.
Oh no, that's why I need that uniform on to

(01:32:33):
go back and make that shot. That would have been
our time to get to the state tournament and basketball,
and we had such a great run in sixth grade
we were undefeated. Seventh grade, we won our conference, so
we were one of the best basketball teams in that
school history. And a lot of those friends I'm still
so cool.

Speaker 1 (01:32:49):
With to this day. Curtis Granderson, I love asking that question.
For answers like that, when people come up to me
and say, why have you spent so much of your
time and schwead Akuti over the years as a coach,
and these grandkids and your son traveling all over the
country in AU basketball. It's because of that. It's stories
like that, sir. I appreciate you so much. If we

(01:33:11):
had another twenty minutes, i'd ask you about the best pictures.
I didn't even care about that right now, And I
thank your mom and dad. That's why I think, because
they put that servant leadership hard into you and you
have carried on. They got to be so proud of you.
They got to be so proud of you. And that's
just because you could hit a curve ball on a
fastball and steel second base whenever you wanted. He is
Curtis Granderson again, Curtis Granderson Foundation dot org. He is

(01:33:35):
in town here helping out with Thanksgiving coming up or
raising money and food. And please make sure you go
on to that website and spend a little time on it.
You know what we do, why they do it, and
what drives them is really impressive to me. Curtis is
great to meet you.

Speaker 12 (01:33:52):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (01:33:53):
You bet. This is the Varsity Blitz high school sports
show presented by your local Pick and Save and Metro
market stores only on Foxball Sign twenty in your iHeart
radio app