Full Show - 8/3/2024

Full show from the Donovan & Jorgenson Heating & Cooling Studio: Saturday, August 3rd, 2024

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome into the Varsity Blitz high school sports show, presented
as always by your local Pick and Save stores on
the Big nine twenty in your iHeartRadio app. We're coming
live from the Donovan and Jorgens and Cooling Studios. I
guess not heating. We got to get these boys over
here because I got to tell you my last two
guests for the Home Improvement Show, they were like hugging

(00:23):
when they were walking out. They're like, man, we need
to get outside. It's cold in here. Yeah, it's okay.
It's hard to talk when your lips are frozen, though,
I'm excited to get back talking football. I want to
thank our guests for the last couple of weeks, right
the last six weeks or so when baseball ended to
when football began. We talked about sports that people don't

(00:44):
talk much about, right, trap shooting and high school fishing
and underwater hockey, which nobody had ever heard of. And
I want to thank Tana and Pauli to coming in
and talking to underwater hockey. We talked gymnastics and tennis
with the Brookfield Central State champion tennis team, and it
was great. I learned a whole lot about sports I

(01:05):
don't know much about. And now we're getting back to football,
and I thought, what a great time for me to
bring in some assistant coaches. So for two hours today,
we've got six assistant football coaches that we're going to
shuffle through the show. In our first two segments, We've
got two coaches that I knew that they played against
each other last year and I said, no fighting boys

(01:28):
assistant coach from Lake Geneva State champion, Late Geneva Badger.
Sorry about that, Dom, Mike is pronounce your last Namewitz. Mike.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
It's good to see you. Yeah, thanks for being thanks
for having us.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Congratulations state champion. I don't see a ring on, but
I see the shirt.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
I don't have the ring. The ring is at home
right now. But it was a great year and the
heck of a run and it was an exciting time.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah. Well, and Matt Hensler's feeling good right. He's back
to being one hundred percent.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Matt's back in tip top shape and he is back
on the sidelines and ready to roll.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Boy, last year was what a journey you guys had.
Obviously when undefeated want to state championship, but there were
so much I think behind the scenes that maybe people
didn't know. And for your staff to be able to
stay together, keep these players focused in together pretty incredible

(02:23):
to me.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, I think it's just a testament to coach Hensler
and that he had set a direction where we're a
special group of kids that were able to to do
what they need to do, and also this coaching staff
that was able to kind of pick up a little
bit when needed. But I mean, let's not I kid ourselves.

(02:45):
Matt was the driving force between behind all of that.
And I always kind of think about even when in
that moment he was like the guy from Major League,
what was like, Yeah, he's pulling all the strings and
he's making all the calls, and you know, we just
had we had the easy part.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
So I knew a big fan of his father's and
then he came in studio and I knew exactly what
I became a big fan of his. And I'll tell
you a quick story. We're talking about his son, and
his son was like in first grade something like that,
and he was telling me that every night before he
would tell his kid, he's got to go to bed, Jake,
and he had time to go to bed, and he

(03:23):
would go up on the landing and then Matt would
go up there and they'd wrestle, and then he did.
The young man would go to bed, and Matt got
a call from the teacher and said, listen, we had
a little issue. Your son and another boy that were
there fighting over a toy and your son like took
him down. And Matt goes, did he win? And she goes, look,
I'm not kidding. He goes, yeah, I mean neither did

(03:45):
he win? And she goes, I need to talk to
your wife please. I love this guy. I just love him.
He's he's been very kind. In fact, all of the coaches,
the assistant coaches were having come in the head coaches
have been very kind with their time for this show
that we do in studio with us, as well as
assistant coach from Ketl Moraine. He is Dom Capozzo, Dom.

(04:09):
How are you doing?

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Great?

Speaker 1 (04:10):
Man? Matthad to be here. Thank you for coming in
for sure. So I wanted to get you two together.
And Mike, you've been an assistant coach and you've been
with Coach Hensler for how long.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
This will be eighteen years that we've been together and
you've been.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
An assistant coach over at KETL Moraine for how long?

Speaker 4 (04:25):
So coaching for three years, but I've been there since
for six with coach Mac.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
Okay So, And I think it's important. I coached basketball
for thirty six and I was a better assistant coach
than I was a head coach. And I always think
the number one rule for being a really good assistant
coach is one hundred percent loyal to the head coach.
If you want to be a head coach, great, go
go apply elsewhere. Don't do things behind the scenes to

(04:50):
take the head guy's job. And I know, Mike, when
you and I talked about that, you were like, oh,
one hundred percent. And the loyalty that you have with
Hensler and for that Lake Geneva Badger community is really
impressive to me.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, I think whenever you're talking about being an assistant
it does really come down to loyalty. That's not only
the takeline, but that's really important to to jump in
the water with the head coach and to work as
hard as you can to make their vision possible, because
if you do want to be a head coach someday,

(05:28):
you would expect that from your assistance as well.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
One hundred percent, and you know Dom And I tell
people sometimes I'll get called from younger basketball coaches want
to coach at the high school level, or they're on
freshman JV and they want to get up to varsity
and they'll call and say, hey, listen, I listen to
your show. Will you have a cup of coffee with me?
I go, of course. And so we have these discussions

(05:51):
and they'll ask me about being an assistant coach, and
I always tell them that, and I tell them some
other things before we get into x's and notes, practice planning,
you know all of that. There's no such thing as offseason,
I think in any sport anymore. But I know that
when when I got a hold of coach McDonald, said hey,
can I get an assistant coach? He goes, Oh, I

(06:12):
got a guy, yep, I wanted. This is the guy
I wants you to talk to because he's really good.
He's younger, and and his you know, he's going to
be with us a long time. If he wants to
continue to be an assistant, if he wants to be
a head coach, I'm going to help him. And so
he's really impressed with you, and I think that's really cool.
But I wanted you guys in because I thought, you
know what, if there's something that you can learn from

(06:34):
a guy who's been doing what he's doing for eighteen
years and a guy like me who was there for
you know, coaching with Coach Wallersheim for a really long time,
I think it would be good for that when you
first came on staff three years ago, and he surprises
for you as far as being an assistant coach, because
there's a lot to it.

Speaker 4 (06:54):
No, not really, you know, so a little backstory. Me
and me and coach Mac played all the way from
youth football all the way through through high school football together.
We were the same class over at at Waukeshall West,
so you know, I've known Mac forever. So it was
exciting when kind of timed up when me get into
Kettle Moraine was when he came back from his stuff,

(07:15):
you know, down in Florida, and so it was it
was great to time that up. And you know, I
kind of started off as just a just a film guy,
just helping out as much as I can and just
kind of learning as much as I could from him,
and I trust that he has you know, my best
interest when it comes to giving me stuff, and he
continues to give me more and and I love it.

(07:35):
So it's just been built up these last few years,
and yeah, it's exciting.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
One of the other things I tell some of these
young guys is, look, you could go at it in
the coaches room, I mean, Coach Wallersheim and I would go.
We would be screaming at each other, and then once
the door opens, I'm in lockstep with him. Right, it's
his program, he's the head of the program. But I
could sway him, right, I could. I could sway him,
and sometimes we didn't have to yell all that much.

(08:01):
But the funny part is where the coach's office was
at Martin Luther. The kids the locker rooms right there,
so they could hear us. They could hear us going
at it, and we'd open the door and they'd be
looking like, are these guys still friends? Well, yeah, we're
still friends, you know what. And I have his back
and we're gonna do what he wants to be done.

(08:22):
What I liked about the being on his staff is
I got to be the good cop. He's the dean
of students at Greendale Martin Luther. He can't be the
bad cop all day long and then be the good
cop at night. You might as well be consistent. Let
me be the good cop. Do you guys have that
kind of relationship with the coach, Hensler, I've got to
believe that he doesn't mind being the bad cop sometimes.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
Well, I think that's part of the role as being
a head coach, Like you said, and so, you know,
being assistant is you get the best of both worlds.
You get to coach a sport that you love, be
around the kids. But if you ever want to be
a head coach, I would also encourage you to take
a look at the head coach's email inbox once in
a while and then go, Okay, is this something that

(09:07):
you really want to do? And so yeah, as a
head coach, you do have those headaches and things that
that you have to deal with that fortunately, myself and
the other assistant coaches get to sometimes be shielded from
and then we get to go out on practice days
and game days and do our thing.

Speaker 1 (09:23):
And the paperwork, all that paperwork.

Speaker 2 (09:25):
And the budget.

Speaker 1 (09:26):
Yeah, I wasn't very good at some of that stuff.
So I went back to the assistant coach Roland and
and I loved that. Hey, Dom, what what do you
are you in the school? Then that catemory? Do you
teach there?

Speaker 2 (09:38):
I do not know.

Speaker 4 (09:39):
So I work in a healthcare company outside now, so
I used to. My first three years there, I was
an athletic trainer and then actually my first year coaching,
I did both the athletic trainer and the assistant coaching,
which was stretched me a little thin, but but I
was still having a blast, you know. It was something
that was fortunate to do. And and then I was

(10:01):
kind of subbing for half a year in the school
a little bit when I transition to this job, and
then uh yeah, so I'm still it still gets me
over there plenty for workouts and stuff after school, but
not in the school.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
New facility. The football field, Silicon.

Speaker 4 (10:17):
Charcover Stadium is a it's it's a great place, yeah, real, real,
great opportunity.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
And please, I don't want to I don't want to
open up any tough wounds. But last year, you guys
went into that game against Badger undefeated in what I right,
in one of the if not the best football conference
in the state of Wisconsin. I would have that argument
with anybody that wanted to have it with me, I agree,
And and maybe a little bit even tougher this year

(10:42):
where you've got an assistant coach from Pilwaukee coming in
and uh man, I'm not sure i'd want to join
that conference. But that's just me. And then you get
to the Badger game and did what coaching? Are you?
The offensive side? Defensive side? So I do a little
bit of both.

Speaker 4 (10:58):
Actually, so offensive coordinator this year, I'm doing running backs
on the offensive side, and then I also coach corners.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
Okay, so a little bit of both ends. So we're
getting ready for the Badger game. You knew they weren't
going to throw the ball a whole lot. If Badger
throws it four times, people start calling air Hansler and
and so you're bringing your corners up. Did you have
any idea? And we watched tape and you get an
idea of a team, what their their tendencies are. But

(11:26):
I don't know if you you you get how tough
they are? Right?

Speaker 2 (11:30):
Did you?

Speaker 1 (11:30):
Did it surprise you how how physical Badger was last year? No,
not at all.

Speaker 4 (11:35):
You know, we came in on our Sunday meeting and
staff meeting and we kind of looked at each other
in the d meeting, we're like, all right, like, buckle up,
this is.

Speaker 1 (11:43):
Big boy football.

Speaker 4 (11:45):
You know, they got they got some some butt kickers
out there, and uh, you know fifty eight in particular, man,
he was he was a nightmare on film and and
you know, it was evident right off the bat, and
then uh, you know, even we switched over to the
offensive film and we're like, okay, this is what we
think we can do. And then you know, the first
thing that stands out and was number two on film.

(12:06):
They're like outside guy and you look at him and
you're like, dude, this guy's like five seven a buck twenty,
Like let's go at him. And then the more you
watch film, you're like, holy crap, this kid might be
their best player.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
Like all right, well there goes out Mike's laugh. Yeah
he is, I know, exactly exactly.

Speaker 4 (12:22):
Yeah, And so we were like, okay, well, well there
goes that idea. So yeah, we knew right away that uh,
that was gonna be a tough one.

Speaker 1 (12:28):
Like you're laughing at this and and I love the
fact that he's throwing numbers out there and you're kind
of shaking your head. Yep, people, Uh, this guy that
they're number two. Everybody underest ha made it him, didn't they. Yeah,
it's it's a great story. He's a great kid.

Speaker 3 (12:44):
His name's Logan Klaus and he was actually a three
time state qualifier at one oh six and wrestlers.

Speaker 1 (12:50):
Okay there, so I overestimated that one. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:53):
Yeah, But honestly, one of the best athletes pound for
pound that we've had at the school, and really really
good football player, even a tougher kid and really a
special kid. He was a great football player. Was second
on our team in tackles, which I think a lot
of people. He crept up on a lot of people
like that, and then all of a sudden in the game,

(13:14):
It's like, Wow, this kid is a really really good
football player.

Speaker 1 (13:18):
Man, what are you in the building at Lake Geneva, Badger?

Speaker 3 (13:22):
Yep, I'm a psychology teacher at the high school and
so we're Yeah, I'm in the trenches every day at
the at the high school.

Speaker 1 (13:31):
And that's awesome. I did a TV segment for Around
the Corner with John McGivern years ago, and we're in
Lake Geneva and I did it back then the weight
room was brand new, and man, that that weight room
at Badger is no joke. It's beautiful.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
Yeah, it was, it's now there's a lot of really
great facilities. So at the time that it was built,
it was really really nice, and now kind of looking around,
it's like, I don't know how nice it is anymore
compared to some other places, because there's phenomenal facilities out there.

Speaker 1 (14:02):
Yeah, one hundred percent. And coach wise, are you on
the offensive side, defensive side, or both?

Speaker 3 (14:08):
I am the co defensive coordinator, a change that I've
got the opportunity to make with one of my best
friends and coaching, AJ Curtis, who is a phenomenal coach
in his own right, and so we've been doing that together,
which has been a really gratifying experience for me to
be able to share that with somebody.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
Are you excited to get going on Tuesday?

Speaker 3 (14:30):
I think we all are. Every school in the pro
in the in the States ready to get started. And
for me and coaching, that's one of the most exciting
parts is formulating a team, taking new guys and giving
them the best possible opportunity to win games, potentially win
a championship, and kind of fitting those puzzle pieces together.

Speaker 1 (14:51):
You know, with with coaching basketball, and I was lucky
enough to win through state championships. I don't remember a
lot about the state champampionship games. I remember about the journey.
That game. That state championship game last year with Wanakee
maybe the best high school football game I've ever watched.
And I wasn't there, but I was sitting in my

(15:12):
living room and I had no dog in the fight,
but I was rooting for you guys because I really
enjoy Hensler a lot. And then I could talk a
little bit. My co host during the high school football
season is the athletic director from Skeigo who went to Wanakee,
and so I could talk a little smack at that point,
even though I had no dog in the fight. I'm
telling you, coach, that fourth quarter was unbelievable. And when

(15:37):
they scored with forty seconds to go and decided to
go for two, have you gone back in your head
for that moment? Because now in the middle of the fight,
you're not going to stop and think about what's going on.
But have you gone back to that moment a couple
of times?

Speaker 3 (15:54):
More than a couple times, I would say a lot.
And it was a great, great football game. It was
a roller coaster ride just being in it. There was
times where I was like, like, is this it? This
is the end of the game. And then there was
times I looked up and I'm like, wait a second,
We're still in the second quarter here. But yeah, it
was one of the best football games that I've been

(16:15):
a part of. Just to have our kids continue to
fight and fight and fight. And I'll tell you what,
in that last moment, I wanta Key was a great team. Wow,
But I thought that we had outplayed them throughout the
course of the game, and so to be in that
last moment, you know, I always kind of look back
now and say, I'm so happy that we won, But

(16:37):
if had things gone the other way, that there would
have been a pitted disappointment because on both sides of
the ball, I thought we truly outplayed them for a
majority of the game, and they just kept hanging around
and hanging around and hanging around.

Speaker 1 (16:51):
So boy, they had some athletes, man, there were some
athletes on that field. Any surprise that they went for
two with forty seconds to go because they had kicked
extra points during the game and made them any surprised
that that coach Rice went for two.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
No.

Speaker 3 (17:09):
I mean, I don't want to get into the head
of coach Rice too much, but I thought in the
way that our offense was rolling just the course of
the game. You could tell in that fourth quarter, I
thought we were wearing them down a little bit. They
were having some success offensively, and so I think, just myself,

(17:30):
looking at it from another coaching perspective, I would have
made the same decision that coach Rice made. And you know,
they had a chance to win the game and they
took it.

Speaker 1 (17:39):
Hey, last thing about last year and then the whole
next segment we're going to be talking about this year's team.
But I'm looking at at your scores from last year,
and you gave up twenty eight against Burlington, but you
beat them I think fifty six twenty eight and other
than that, I mean a lot of threes and seven

(18:00):
and a fourteen here or there. You guys weren't used
to giving up many points? Did that that the prep
work that you did after you beat sun Prairie East
twenty eight to six? And now you're going to be
playing Wana Key And it's kind of the same question
that I asked Tom when you looked at Wanta Key
on tape. Yeah, you knew that you were gonna this

(18:20):
is a this is a really good quality football team.
If I told you you were going to give up
thirty three and win, would you have been surprised?

Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (18:31):
Yes, you guys weren't used to giving up many points.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
No, we weren't.

Speaker 3 (18:35):
And just but looking at one key on film, we
knew that they had some really special athletes. And in
the end, schemes are great, but I think everything comes
down to how good to your athletes and how go
to the matchups? And there were some plays that we
would have liked to execute a little bit better defensively,
but in the end they made some they made great
great players made great plays.

Speaker 1 (18:56):
One hundred percent. Hey, how good of a football players?
Through Wagner? Oh, super special, unbelievable.

Speaker 4 (19:02):
Yeah, and he's a nicer crush it nicer, But yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (19:07):
Mean to that point, you know, he he's back.

Speaker 4 (19:10):
He was back for a couple of days before camp
fired up, and the first thing he did was text
me and coach Mack and be like, Hey, we gotta
go get you know, lunch together, breakfast together or something.
We gotta gotta hang out and catch up and all
that stuff and he's telling a stories of camp and
all that stuff.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
So phenomenal kid. He's gonna crush it there. You think
he'll see the field this year?

Speaker 2 (19:27):
Is he gonna rine?

Speaker 1 (19:28):
I sure hope. So.

Speaker 4 (19:29):
I mean he's a special enough athletes. I mean, you know,
especially punk game and something special that not a lot
of people can do.

Speaker 1 (19:37):
We did a game on my twenty four. I think
you guys were at Ocondom Walk. Yeah, and I'm on
the condom Walk sidelines, and I'm telling you the first
half they were they were they were like, look they're overrated.
We got him, We got him, and Wagner made some
unbelievable plays. You ran him off the field in the
second half about middle of the third quarter. They're very quiet,

(19:59):
but he made some plays that my jaw dropped, and
if he got his hands on the ball, there's a
really good chance he's taking into the house. And I
don't know if they understood the kind of speed he
had the first half and the second half he showed
all of it.

Speaker 4 (20:14):
Yep, he makes everyone miss and it was it's a
silly decision if you want to kick the football to
that kid, because once it's in his hands, look out
he can make eleven miss so yeah, yeah, he's a
special kid.

Speaker 1 (20:25):
I wish he'd be I wish he would have stayed
closer to home, but in Northwestern we're going to get
a chance to watch him play a little bit. When
you get to a break out of the side of
the break we're talking to all assistant coaches today and
Lake Geneva, Badger and Ketilmarine for the first two segments, Cessex, Hamilton,
Pewaukee the second half, and then Marquette High and Muskigo

(20:46):
to end the show. This is the Varsity Blitz High
School Sports Show presented by your local Pick and Safe
Storges down the Big nine twenty and your iHeart Radio App.
Welcome back to the Varsity Politics high school sports show
presented by your local Pick and Save stores. I'm the
Big nine twenty in your iHeartRadio app. Coming live from
the Donovan and Jorgensen Heating and Cooling Studios, the largest

(21:08):
employing employee owned h FAC company in the state of Wisconsin.
What does that mean for you? You have anybody from
Donovan Jorgensen come out fix or replace your HVAC system
you're dealing with one of the owners, go to Donovan
Jorgensen dot Com back to talking high school football, and Man,
what I loved about setting this show up is I'm

(21:29):
not kidding. Every assistant coach that I talked to you said, oh,
I'm in Yeah, I would love to do that. And
I thank you guys for that. You know, to leave
your house on a Saturday morning come sit in an
ice cold studio to talk high school football. I really
appreciate the first segment. First two segments, we're talking Late
Geneva Badger and Kettil Moraine, Mike Ron woit's from Lake

(21:51):
Geneva Badger and Dom Caposso, Hey, why does he call
you meddm Oh?

Speaker 4 (21:56):
I know why because you were at the trainer Yeah,
trainer trainer yep, yep.

Speaker 1 (21:59):
Hey, Mike, you went to where'd you go?

Speaker 2 (22:02):
Oshkosh Oshkosh?

Speaker 1 (22:03):
Yeah? And you played for Seroni.

Speaker 2 (22:05):
Or nope, just went to school.

Speaker 1 (22:07):
Okay. He was one of my favorite guys on the air.
You know. He Seroni got after a little bit and
my mom was alive back then and I had him
on the air and she started calling me during a segment.
I went outside to call her and she said, I
don't like this guy. He's to cocky for me. And
she said, you go on there and you tell him
I wouldn't play for him. And I'm like, he's not

(22:28):
trying to recruit an eighty five year old woman with
a bed. I have eligibility left. You go in there
and you tell him he's two cocky. And I told
him on the air and he said, what's your mom's name?
I said, Joan. He said Joan. When you win as
much as I do, you get to be a little cocky.
And now she's calling again, going I really don't like
this guy at all. Hey, don let's talk about this
year's Kettle Marine team. Lost some really quality seniors, got

(22:51):
a lot of kids coming back.

Speaker 4 (22:53):
Not a lot, actually, you know, we had a twenty
four twenty four seniors last year, so a very and
you can see that kind of on the results. But
you know, the exciting thing is is a lot of
these guys, especially the guys that are going to be
seniors this year, have kind of waited in the wings
for a long time, truly truly worked hard and grinded

(23:14):
it out, and now they're finally getting a chance to
see the field, and a lot of them, honestly, if
those first five contact days have showed a lot for us.
It's exciting.

Speaker 5 (23:24):
You know.

Speaker 4 (23:25):
For the longest time, you know, they're they're buried on
the depth chart just because of that special class that
was ahead of them, and now they finally got the
chance to do it.

Speaker 1 (23:32):
So it's special. Hey, guys, I'm gonna ask you both
this question. And and this came from Rob stoltz Uh
He was at Greendale and he had really good teams
and there was a team that they they didn't start
out very well, and he came in in studio and
he said, look, I saw this coming because these kids
thought all they had to do was put the jersey on,

(23:54):
and because the people ahead of them, we had so
much success when they were when they were riding the
bench because they couldn't get on the field. Now it's
their time, but they didn't. They just thought, you know,
it's when I put the Greendale jersey on, people going
to lay down. And now they're understanding. And I'm going
to ask you first, Mike lake Chine of a Badger.
You know, you guys have year after year you're you're

(24:16):
at near the top of the conference and you're making
long runs into the playoffs. Do you feel like the
kids that were younger understand how how hard it is
to get to what you guys got last year.

Speaker 3 (24:30):
I think it's a double edged sword. And talk about
that when you talk about tradition, and I think they
know the expectation, and that expectation is a driving force
of Uh, they want to get to that point. They
want to see the success of those guys ahead of them,
and they want to mimic that. But also, yeah, there
is an element of you need to find your own
way and you need to find your own path, and

(24:50):
sometimes that maybe it takes you getting punched in the
mouth a couple of times in order to figure out
the pace of the game, especially when you're dealing with
inexperienced kids. And also how how hard you have to
fight in order to win games in high school football.

Speaker 1 (25:04):
It's hard. It's it's a really hard thing to do.
Don the same question for you. You know, you guys open
up first game against wawat Host West and then you
travel up to Appleton East. It maybe it takes you know,
that first game for guys to realize, look, it looked
a little bit easier when I was sitting over here watching,

(25:25):
you know, Drew Wagner run through people. But I'm wondering
for you. You think the kids understand how much work
in sweat equity it takes to get a program to
where you want it to be.

Speaker 4 (25:35):
Yeah, you know, credit to coach Mac. I think he's
done a great job establishing that, you know, one of
our biggest, biggest things.

Speaker 1 (25:40):
As we say, it takes what it takes.

Speaker 4 (25:42):
You know, if it was easy and we could tell
you exactly you know what it took for you to
win a football game, of course everyone would do it.
But the question is is if I ran one hundred
sprints and it was guaranteed to win, everyone would do it, right,
But if you got to just run until you can't,
then you know, it takes a special person to kind
of have that kind of mindset.

Speaker 1 (26:02):
Hey, when with coach Mac, look if I could tell
you right now what Lake jenivor Badger offensive he's gonna
run this year? Right, There's I just did. There isn't
any surprises, And they basically say, look, you can watch
all the game tape you want, stop it, right, stop it.
I'm wondering over at Kettle Moraine, do you guys tweak

(26:23):
it to the talent? Does does coach Mac kind of
have what he runs and that's what he's going to do.
What's your philosophy on that?

Speaker 4 (26:30):
You know, I think we were kind of ever evolving.
We try to kind of you know, we try to
find our best. Eleven is the first thing, first and foremost,
and then it's hey, what are these guys good at?
You know, some sometimes it's you know, hey, you know
years past they were a cover four team and that's
just personnel wise, that's what they had to be. Then
we had you know, Drew and Noah come through the

(26:52):
door and all of a sudden it's like, okay, we
can play man coverage and pressure you. So it's you
got to adapt a little bit to kind of the
horses that show up each and every year. You know,
we don't get the opportunity to recruit, you know, we
get who walks through the door, and so we got
to kind of evolve a little bit. But for the
most part, we have a style. You know, we're always
going to play good defense. That's the one thing we

(27:14):
kind of hang our hat on over at ketl Moraine
is we want to play good defense and be known
for our defense.

Speaker 1 (27:18):
So how about you guys offensively obviously, you know, Matt
runs what he runs and look for me, personally, I
think that that gives you guys an advantage because you
give teams three four, five days to get ready for
something totally different than they're used to, and look, Badger
runs it so well. Defensively, do you guys tweak a

(27:40):
lot what you do?

Speaker 2 (27:41):
We do.

Speaker 3 (27:42):
We're a little bit different stylistically defensively where our offense
is does a little bit more of your flexbone stuff
and there's a little bit more technique involved in that.
But I'll tell you what offensively too. People don't give
the flexbone enough credit because in the surface it looks
like it's simple, but it's truly a complex and the

(28:02):
stuff that our offensive guys are doing is really amazing.
Our offensive line coach is what I think, one of
the best in the state. Coach Hensler is obviously one
of the best probably nationally running flex bone and knowing
what he knows.

Speaker 1 (28:17):
And you know, please don't look I'm not I am
not taking anything away from what he runs. I think
it's it's so hard to teach that offense and the
leverage and where you have to be. I do not
take anything away from that. So please don't think I.

Speaker 3 (28:35):
Was no for sure. I just think there's there are
looking at it on films. Sometimes it's like they're just
running football and then when you really get into the
into the flexbone, it's a very It's as complicated as
any offense in the state of Wisconsin or anyone that
anyone else is running. But back to your question, defensively, yeah,
we are a little bit more stylistically different, and I
think that's a product of trying to complement our offense

(28:57):
where I kind of grew up in a co background
or it was like my dad is a Hall of
Famer at.

Speaker 1 (29:04):
Wapaka and Mighty comments.

Speaker 3 (29:06):
Yeah, and so he had a little bit different philosophy
of like kind of do what it takes. And so
defensively it fits with what we're trying to do offensively,
and so we get a different kid maybe that we
can play defense that will that wouldn't necessarily fit in

(29:28):
to our offense.

Speaker 1 (29:30):
Was your dad the coach when they win the state championship? Yep,
So I we vacationed all the time. In fact, I
was just up the Chain of Lakes, went to the
Rosa Theater, went to Fat Gretchen's for breakfast, went to
the wheelhouse, to all the places maybe you grew up,
you know, at least if are they still living in
that area.

Speaker 3 (29:47):
Actually they moved down here a couple of years ago,
so not too far from where we live, so we
get to see him a lot more.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
Now, did you go up to the Channe of Lakes
much anymore?

Speaker 2 (29:56):
You grew up there, so yeah, it was a great
spot to grow up.

Speaker 3 (29:59):
And it's but very similar to like Geneva, so but
not too much anymore.

Speaker 1 (30:05):
So when we were there this we were just there
last week and we parked two blocks from the Rose
of Theater and we you know, the square, and I said, look,
I don't know when they won the state championship if
this is where they all ended up. But it wouldn't
surprise me if they didn't, you know, close down the
streets and end up on that stand. And you know

(30:29):
exactly where is that where they ended up? I don't
think so I con vision it, and I just you know,
it's one of those who's your things, right, yeah, I man,
I congratulations to your dad for that. He came on
the show. In fact, we called him and he came
on and talked about that team and you can hear
the pride through the phone on how he felt. Were

(30:51):
you at that game?

Speaker 2 (30:53):
Of course?

Speaker 1 (30:53):
Yeah, man, that's that's awesome. Having a father be a
coach that you know, puts a little pressure on you.
I think to to and the knowledge of what it
takes at the family life to to be a coaches
and I think you grew up with that obviously, so
you knew it. Good for you. Do you guys to
platoon over a bad year?

Speaker 2 (31:13):
We don't do platoon.

Speaker 1 (31:14):
No.

Speaker 3 (31:14):
We tried as much as we can to get guys
in there in the best position for them, and but
we ultimately we want to put our best eleven on
the field and that it gives us the best chance
to win.

Speaker 4 (31:26):
How about you guys at Kettle No, I mean every
now and again. You know, last year's class was kind
of an anomaly. We had a bunch of guys going
both ways.

Speaker 1 (31:37):
It's nice to get Joe Cooker used to come in
and be my co host. Man. He tried wherever he
was to to platoon because he said, look that way,
I've got forty four kids that are fully invested in
every practice because every you know, I'm one play away,
and he said, you know, we we we try to
mix and match and and once we get later in

(31:59):
the season, there are guys we put our best players
on the field, but we try to try to two
platoon as much as we can because there are so
many more kids that are fully invested. And then he
went to some schools that didn't have enough, Right, you
only have forty kids playing something like that. How healthy
is did the Lake Geneva Badger program? You get a

(32:19):
lot of kids?

Speaker 2 (32:20):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (32:21):
Right now there's a lot of excitement where we have
a couple of big classes coming in.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
So I'd say.

Speaker 3 (32:28):
Hopefully they continue with the youth football level and our
numbers continue to increase. But we feel like we're in
a good spot.

Speaker 1 (32:35):
Did you get involved at all in the youth program
up there?

Speaker 2 (32:39):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (32:40):
Coach Hensler is the president of it, so yeah, he's
involved in everything. And I think to be good, I
think you really have.

Speaker 1 (32:47):
To be Yeah, I agree with that. How healthy is
the Kettle program?

Speaker 4 (32:51):
Yeah, it's growing for sure. You know, we've had kind
of a string of some big, big classes. I think
we got another twenty seniors this year incoming freshman. I
think the unofficial count the other day was thirty eight,
so can't complain about that.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
That's really good numbers. Something in the last five years
at Calmarine, a lot of success in a lot of
different sports. Girls basketball, boys basketball, right, baseball program, pretty
good football program. There's something out in that area. The
golf program, it's been really good. A friend of mine's
son and daughter, big time golfers from Kettle and both

(33:26):
playing in college right now. Karna Stuki who is her name,
And I'm just there's something going on out there that
once you start, one program starts winning. Everybody else wants
to get a taste of that, and I think it
says something for the school and the program. Hey, late
Geneva Badger, you guys open up at home against Greendale

(33:49):
and then head over to Slinger. Not running away from
tough competition.

Speaker 3 (33:54):
Huh No, this will be our first time playing Slinger,
A new game for us. We're excited about I've heard
through the Great Fund that they're excited about it very much.
So it's gonna be a good early test.

Speaker 1 (34:05):
Hey, and you know Slinger. I I know they're head coach,
and I kind of know his method and Buckalo's chimp
straps because they're gonna come hit you. And they got
some big slinger boys that don't mind. They don't mind
running the ball and pounding a little bit. Guys, thank
you so much. And I really I can't tell you
how much I appreciate your willingness to come in the
time that we talked on the phone. And good luck

(34:28):
to Badger and certainly good luck to Kettle this year.
Appreciate it. Thank you, you got it. We can get
to a break. The other side of the break, We're
gonna talk a little Sussex, Hamilton and p Waukee on
the other side. This is Varsity The Varsity Blitz High
School Sports Show presented by your local Pick and Safe
Stores on the Big nine twenty and your iHeart Radio app.

(34:49):
Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show
presented by your local Pick and Safe Stores on the
Big nine twenty and your iHeartRadio app. Coming live from
the Donovan and Jorgensen Heating and Cooling Studio. Man, I
love I love being back talking high school football. I
like talking trap shooting and fishing and gymnastics and underwater hockey.
I do. It's really fun for me. I learned a

(35:11):
whole bunch from from from the time that we do that,
but now getting back to football, it's perfect for me.
I want to thank Mike and Dom for coming in
the first two segments. We're gonna now transition talking suse
Hamilton and Pelwaukee. Eric Austin from Pelwaukee, how you doing.

Speaker 6 (35:28):
I'm good, Mike. How are you?

Speaker 1 (35:29):
Ye, it's good to see you.

Speaker 6 (35:30):
Good to see you too.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
Hey.

Speaker 1 (35:31):
So you you and John Bonner, my son in law,
I know each other, we do.

Speaker 7 (35:35):
John was on the staff when I first started in
Pewaukee back in twenty ten, and uh just kind of
kept in touch with John and now we run into
each other on the a YFL Youth President circuits, so
you know, they just.

Speaker 1 (35:48):
So you know they're going to be they're having me
be part of that that league a little bit this year.

Speaker 6 (35:53):
That's great.

Speaker 7 (35:54):
We'd love to have you on board. And it's a
great league. We do a lot of good stuff for
the kids in the area.

Speaker 1 (35:58):
Yeah, it's and we're finalizing some details, but they're gonna
be coming on the show a little bit. We're gonna
run some commercials for him, and there's some really cool
things coming with that league and might be the best
youth football league maybe in the state. I don't know.

Speaker 6 (36:13):
I would I would say absolutely.

Speaker 7 (36:15):
I mean, we've got the number of teams that we've
got playing and the just the quality of the play
that we put out on the field every Saturday is incredible.

Speaker 1 (36:23):
How is your youth program Pewaukee? Pretty strong?

Speaker 7 (36:25):
It's very strong. Last couple of years, we've had numbers
like we haven't seen before. Last year was the first
year in quite a while that we've gone two teams
at every age level. I'm not saying we have numbers
to go two teams at every age level. We might
be going a team of eighteen, you know, on each side,
but everybody is playing and everybody's coming back out, which
is really what's important when we're talking about youth football.

Speaker 1 (36:45):
Year and a half ago, my wife and I moved
to pewauke In and if I had to buck for
every car and truck that I see with the pirate
sticker on, man, I would not have to work anymore. Man.
That's Pirate country right there.

Speaker 2 (36:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (36:58):
We love our teams, we love our our community is
just so special.

Speaker 1 (37:01):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (37:01):
You know, if you've ever been up to the campus
in Pewaukee with the one campus, all of the schools
in one in one area. You know, my kids have
been a part of that district since they've started school. Uh,
and it is just the best place for my kids
and for me.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
Well and where and look, I got fish fries last
night from Sussex Bowls sot man. I can't believe, but
the best fish fries. And John Barnes, who is Susex
Hamilton guys kids went to Hamilton when we moved out there.
I said to him, I got to find a place
head and my wife and I like getting fish fries
on Friday. He said, try Sussex Boil. I go, you

(37:35):
got to be kidding me. He goes no. Now I
call him. They're like, is this you Mike?

Speaker 2 (37:39):
Yeah, it's me.

Speaker 5 (37:41):
Hey.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
Zach Wentengeal, who is an assistant coach had Sesex Hamilton. Zack,
it's good to see.

Speaker 5 (37:45):
You, hey, Mike. Uh, you know, glad to be on.
I'm glad to talk to some Sussex Hamplton football man.
You played a lot of golf. You look awfully ten.
You didn't use that sunscreen?

Speaker 2 (37:55):
Did you know?

Speaker 5 (37:55):
We were out yesterday? Me and me and some of
the buds are up in the Shano area. Did thirty
six and I forgot to put some sunscreen now, but
that's okay, So a good time.

Speaker 8 (38:03):
How well, how did you hit him yesterday? They were
going straight, they were good.

Speaker 5 (38:06):
We have did a little scramble so if you missed
one you had a buddy to pick you back up.

Speaker 2 (38:09):
But yeah, it was a good time man.

Speaker 1 (38:11):
I played yesterday as well. Iron Have you played Ironwood?

Speaker 8 (38:14):
I have awesome course, it's amazing, awesome.

Speaker 1 (38:16):
As many outings as they do, man, did they keep
that thing in beautiful shape? And it's really challenging, especially
for a guy like me, and I see the whole course.
In fact, sometimes I see the other guy's fair away
I go and pick it up during the scramble. But yeah,
I don't hit anything long and very seldom do I
hit it straight. How long have you been at Sussex Hamilton?

Speaker 5 (38:36):
This is my second year at Sussex Hamilton, and prior
to that I was at Waukesha North High School for
six years and then Howard's Grove High School, which is
a small high school outside.

Speaker 1 (38:45):
She'd be again, sure man, it's in your blood, huh.

Speaker 2 (38:48):
Love football.

Speaker 5 (38:49):
I played for the great Pat Seroni and Ashcosh and
coach for him for a little bit there, and I said, hey, man,
I can't keep playing, but the next best thing is
to coach man.

Speaker 1 (38:57):
Good for you. I just told it. The last two
guys were in and and Uh and Mike from Lake
Cheneu a badger went to school at ashcotsh He didn't
play football there. And I told the Serroney story. I
told you off the air with my mom, and my
mom did not She said he's too cocky. I would
never play for that guy. The change and we talked
about this, Zach off the ear and we talked that

(39:19):
the change of leaving Washington North to go to Sussex Hamilton.
You got a lot of really good friends on that staff,
and and you love what they're doing over there. But
but you said, look, I got really comfortable, and I thought,
maybe it's time to make a change, a good move
for you.

Speaker 5 (39:34):
Absolutely great kids at at Wackstion North and some of
my best friends, like you said, on that staff. But
it got to be to the point where there was
a great opportunity after talking to coach Gum at Sussex,
and I wanted a new challenge. And I'm glad I
took that step and we had a we had a
pretty good year. Lest he gets after a little bit,
he knows what he's doing. He's a heck of a coach,
that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (39:51):
Yeah, and I'll tell you what coach Frisky at Milwaukee
I'm a huge fan of. And yeah, he's all right,
you know he's you know what he's he's one of
the real good ones. I agree, and you know that.
And I know you're just kidding. He's still in Europe,
so he's probably not listening.

Speaker 6 (40:08):
I think he's on his way back right now.

Speaker 7 (40:10):
He's probably on an airplane trying to figure out how
to iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (40:13):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
So I well, I'll send him a copy of the
show so he can hear what you just said about him.

Speaker 6 (40:17):
I'll clean it up then you want, so.

Speaker 1 (40:20):
Hey, how healthy is the Sussex Hamilton programmed youth program
is still pretty solid?

Speaker 5 (40:25):
Yeah, in a great spot, got great numbers on the
youth program. Those guys are having a lot of success
and and it starts with the coaches too. So we
meet with those guys every off season, you know, if
they've got questions or we can talk about, you know,
anything they really want to talk about.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
So we're in a good spot.

Speaker 5 (40:38):
There are incoming freshman I think we've got about fifty kids.
So that's that's it. We're in a good spot there,
and and yeah we're rolling.

Speaker 1 (40:46):
Hey what a lot of the good good kids coming back?
Did you graduate? You know, everybody graduates really good seniors,
but it's nice when there are some some juniors or
maybe some sophomores that saw the field last year.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (41:00):
We Uh, we had a really really good senior class
my first year there. We had a lot of guys
that bought into the program for four years and and
really lived our culture out. You know, they they lived
and breed that, they worked their butts off. They were
super detailed, you know, they asked the right questions. And
so we do graduate a good class, but we do
have a lot of really good kids coming back. We've
got a really deep O line that we're pretty pretty

(41:22):
excited about. And then defensively, I'm happy with where our
leadership is, especially in the secondary.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
Hey, Eric, you're you're used to what Friday Night is
like at Pewaukee. It's for me and it beat around
a lot now because we do this on my twenty four,
I think there's something special about a Friday night game
at Sussex Hamilton and at Pewaukee and Zach, let me
start with you. Walksha North great school because of the

(41:50):
conference I think that they were in, didn't didn't have
a ton of success in football. Had to be a
different animal for you as a coach going over to
Sussex Hamilton. It shuts down, it does on a Friday nights.
So many kids come out and and alumni and parents.
Were you a little surprised at what a Friday night
home game at Sussex Samilton was like?

Speaker 9 (42:12):
It was?

Speaker 5 (42:13):
It was amazing. Yeah, every every seat in the stadium
is full. You know, the community does a great job
of supporting us. You know, the kids are all there,
the kids are excited. You can hear them from the stands,
you know, And it's just our grass field is amazing
to our ground screw does a really really nice job
they do. I'll argue it's the best grass field in
the States. So we take pride in that. We really
enjoy that. And uh, you know we as a program

(42:35):
too on the sidelines, you know, our kids too. With
our culture, you know, we're making sure that not only
our stands are getting after it but our kids in
the sidelines are having a good time too, one hundred percent.

Speaker 1 (42:43):
Hey, same thing out of Pelwaukee. I just think it's
it's there's something to be said about a Friday night
game at Pelwaukee. And in basketball too, they come out
hard for the you know, the girls team is really good.
I mean there we had the twins in by the way,
and and and my goodness, they're incredible, aren't they. Oh,

(43:03):
I'm telling you. I talked to a little smack and
I said, look, you guys don't want me on the
basketball floor this well, you want to go now? And
I'm like, no, it's just kiddy. I'm an old grandfather
of six. But I just think that and and certainly
the coaching staff and the administration understands the importance of
this community. Who just they are. It's Pirate country, and

(43:25):
I just think it's it's a really cool place to be.
And that's why I pushed hard for my twenty four
first to get out to a gamp.

Speaker 6 (43:32):
Yeah, it's a great environment.

Speaker 7 (43:33):
It's a I mean I talked before about the community,
but the community really comes out to support everything that
the high school does. And it comes down to, you know,
everybody wants to be involved in some way. Even our
athletic director Jeff Barns, he does a boot camp or
a training camp for the student section every year in
the fall, you know, And so he'll hand out t
shirts and he'll buy the kids pizza, and he'll come
in and they'll learn the school song together, and they'll

(43:56):
teach them the ins and outs of what is allowed,
what's not allowed. I mean, keep your air horns a home, right.
The beach balls are great, throw them around, you know,
but how to have fun at the football game. And
we have a really good attendance on that. And I
think our community just does a great job of supporting
our club.

Speaker 1 (44:09):
You know. Years ago, I think it was a playoff
game that Milwaukee Riverside came to Pewaukee and it was
an hour and a half before game time, and you
could get in the student section and I was standing
when the Riverside teams showed up and they were running
a lap, and they were running a lap and I
could hear their players going look at the crowd already,

(44:32):
and the kids from Pewaukee were all like, you know,
clap it, hey, welcome to Pilwaukee. And these kids were good.
The guys riverside were like, man, they're kind of nice
to us. What's going on here? Like nobody was yelling.
It was really really cool, and I'll never forget that
moment where these kids were like, man, this is this
is awesome. Hey, speaking of Friday night rivals, let me

(44:54):
we just had the schedules out and I just want
to kind of go through it a little bit. We
opened up Catholic More at Franklin, Lakeside, Lutheran at Lake Country, Luther,
Slinger at Hartford, Grafton at Wisconsin Luther and Greenfield at Greendale,
Mcgwanago at Ketel, Moraine. We're seeing Case at Oak Creek, Sussex,
Hamilton at Marquette, and O'connomwalk at Pewaukee. So we got

(45:18):
you boys on. Hopefully I won't be yelling at you
and saying, man, if their coaching staff would have been better,
they could.

Speaker 2 (45:25):
Have won this cafe.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
I certainly would never do that. In fact, guys, and
let me just throw this out because it just became
official yesterday. I'm gonna do a thirty minute pregame show
and we're recorded middle of the week, and I'm gonna
interview each of the coaches, and that it would be
a three segment show kind of previewing and highlighting both
teams and coaches prior to kickoff. And then I'm going

(45:48):
to do a thing called the Colonel Electric behind the
scenes superhero of the game, and I'm gonna interview like
the Chain Guy or the PA Guy, or the Yea,
the head of the Marching band or the Booster Club.
You know, people that put a bunch of time instat
equity in these programs, but nobody ever talks to and
we're gonna get a chance to do that. That show

(46:10):
will start, so the football will start at six point
thirty on Friday nights and we'll lead into the kickoff
at seven o'clock and again. August twenty third, Catholic Memorial
at Franklin. This is a Varsity Blitz High School sports
show presented by your local Pick and Save stores on
the Big nine twenty in your iHeartRadio app. Welcome back

(46:30):
to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show, presented as
always by our friends at your local Pick and Saved stores.
In fact, in a couple of weeks we'll start doing
our Pick and Save Student Athlete of the Week again
and I look forward to that. We will love We
will find a senior at different high schools that are athletes,
and they are student athletes first, they're students, and we highlight,

(46:54):
promote and celebrate those kids with a beautiful plaque. We
meet a local pick and Safe store and uh, we
will get back to that probably mid to to end
August when when schools start getting back in session. Coming
live from the Donovan and Jorgensen Heating and Cooling Studios,
I Mike mcgiffren talking high school football with some assistant
coaches from this area. For this segment, we're going back

(47:18):
with Sussex, Hamilton, Pelwaukee, Zach Wettengel and Eric Austin. Hey, Eric,
let's let's get back to Pelwaukee a little bit. I
know we were going to talk too much about the
change to the conference, but I can't imagine and and
it's up to you if you want to talk at
all about this. If if I was going to be
moved into a conference, I would not want to be

(47:41):
put into into that conference that you guys are moving into.
It's just the best conference in the state of Wisconsin.
And when you go against Musqigo and mcguanago and and
and KML and weekend and wake out. You guys got
to strap him up. Man, it's gonna be a tough season,
I think in that first year and heat you transition
into a different conference. It's hard.

Speaker 6 (48:03):
Yeah, you know, it's one of those things. It's a
double edged sword for us.

Speaker 7 (48:06):
We're really when we were told by the WIAA that
this is a move that that they were going to make,
we kind of thought this isn't fair, right, and we
went through our stages of grief and we were crying
about it, and we were whining about it, and we
were trying to say why us, why us, you know,
and we're into the stage right now where we're like,
let's go.

Speaker 6 (48:24):
You know, we're got nothing's gonna change.

Speaker 7 (48:26):
We're gonna we're gonna go out there and we're gonna
put our best out on the field and we're gonna
give everything we got and uh, we're going to do
our best to earn a shot in the playoffs where
we feel in Division three when we're back to playing
schools our size, that we'll have a really good opportunity
to compete. You know.

Speaker 1 (48:39):
Yeah. Yeah, you guys open up at Port Washington and
then you get on a bus UH going to Iowa.

Speaker 7 (48:45):
So we were we we looked for teams all over
the state of Wisconsin. We couldn't find anybody that that
could play or wanted to play Peewaukee.

Speaker 5 (48:52):
UH.

Speaker 7 (48:53):
Then we expanded the search to Illinois and Minnesota and Michigan,
and we thought we had a team in Michigan and
our youth football program was gonna pay some of the
costs of them taking the ferry across the lake to
come and play us UH. And then that one fell through,
and so then we expanded the search a little more.
So we're playing Moberly, Missouri UH at Cornell at Cornell
College in Iowa to.

Speaker 1 (49:13):
Vernon, Iowa. And you know what, and I'll tell you this,
the cool part about it is what what a bonding
experience for these kids.

Speaker 7 (49:22):
You know, we look we looked at that and we thought,
you know, obviously, we could have just taken that week
and said we're gonna we're gonna take an extra week
and practice for Miskeigo, right, which you know that's gonna
that would be helpful, right, we need practice to play
against Mouskeigo. But you know, for the kids, for the families,
for the for the whole community and the whole program.
There are already is there's already messages going around about

(49:43):
coach buses that are being rented and families chasing the
team down to down to Mount Vernon to watch us play.

Speaker 2 (49:48):
You know.

Speaker 7 (49:48):
So it's we're really looking forward to the opportunity. Uh
And you know it's it's something these kids.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
Are gonna remember, Andy, And I'm telling you the the
idea of of of of a team bonding after the
season started. Sometimes as coaches, we don't think too much
about that. Sussex Hamilton got FINALAC coming in. Yeah, Final
likes a really good football program, and then you play
at oconom Walk. Man, it it's not gonna You're not

(50:17):
starting out easy, are you.

Speaker 2 (50:19):
No?

Speaker 5 (50:19):
And I mean you talk about good conferences. We were
in the GMC. I mean we had the state champ
come out from last year. But you want to talk
about you said, the Classic Eight and the FBA. You
can argue those two conferences are the best in the state.
And that's what we pride ourselves on, is playing the best.
So having finally come down to us, we're excited about that.
We went up there last year and we did a
pretty nice job. I would say, and then oh, kondom maalk,
we're going out there, so a classic eight team, and

(50:41):
we want to prepare ourselves for our conference schedule, which
is which is not easy obviously. And then at walk
Show West, Yes, and that a lot of a lot
of respect for coach Rucks and Walkshow West. I mean,
one of the best, if not the best coach team
in the state, and just they always come to play.
And yeah, we're super excited for that. The crossover game,
which is a little bit different this year with the
classicate and the gym see, but yeah, we're ready to

(51:01):
get going.

Speaker 2 (51:02):
Well.

Speaker 1 (51:02):
And and look if if, if you're gonna play non
conference and and there there are two different thoughts behind it. Right, well,
let's let's uh, let's play some some some competition that
we feel like we're gonna get everybody in, right, we'll
get some wins, stack a few wins up before we start.
And and that's never been coach Gums philosophy, and certainly

(51:25):
Justin's never thought that way could because moving to that conference, yeah,
I would not even question if you guys would have
taken that week off. But knowing him, he wouldn't do
that to those seniors.

Speaker 7 (51:37):
No, absolutely, you know, he's he's a competitor, you know,
and you know you play checkers against Justin and he's going.

Speaker 6 (51:42):
To do everything you can to beat you, you know.

Speaker 7 (51:44):
And uh so, so we wanted we're always looking for
those teams that are gonna make us better.

Speaker 1 (51:49):
Yeah, one hundred percent. And then you guys, and you
talked about your conference, you're right, you know I I
I would have lost money if if you can gamble
on high school football and you can, but picking I
picked Franklin to win that state championship game. Now one
of the coaches comeing in, Coach Becker has not let

(52:10):
me forget that. And certainly the coaches at Marquette were like, man,
so you thought two touchdowns, huh? And I thought I didn't.
I just I saw you guys play Germantown and I
thought Frankly would get you. But you guys play certainly
a really tough schedule. If you look at you know,
the last you know, four nominee fall is going to

(52:31):
be really good. Brookvie Lease is always going to give
you some problems. Marquette. A game that we're going to
have on my twenty four and against Germantown. You know,
Jake Davis is going to have his boys going hey,
changing conferences. You had a lot of respect for this
conference before he came in. The coaching in the conference
you're in is unbelievable. There are some great coaches in

(52:52):
this conference.

Speaker 5 (52:52):
Great coaches, super organized, kids are super prepared. You can
tell from the warm up lines to you know, the
offensive defense that is executed on the field. Uh, you know,
you got to in this area just I feel like
the Southeastern you know, part of the state. You're going
to see some of the most talented teams and some
of the best ball coach teams. And you can you
can look at the kids in the Austra game or
look at how far certain teams running the playoffs. But

(53:13):
a lot of respect for just this area of the
state and yeah, the Greater Metro Conference especially, you know
some of the coaches and players.

Speaker 2 (53:18):
We've got.

Speaker 1 (53:19):
What side of the ball do you want?

Speaker 2 (53:20):
Defensive side of the ball?

Speaker 1 (53:21):
Defensive side? Are you defense? You can you call the
defense to defensive? Are you coaching linebackers? Tell me what
you do?

Speaker 5 (53:27):
So? Yeah, defensive coordinator for Sussex. It's it's my second
year there, Like I said, And then this year I
am coaching the safeties. That's what I played in college.
I have the most knowledge there. So kind of back
at home and excited to see your guys ball out.

Speaker 1 (53:39):
You may you have your eye on a few safeties
that have been in the weight room a little bit
more than the others.

Speaker 2 (53:44):
Yeah, super happy about that group.

Speaker 5 (53:45):
We've We've got some seniors that have taken on a
good reader leadership role this year.

Speaker 1 (53:50):
It's awesome.

Speaker 5 (53:50):
And they're very versatile, so they'll they'll do do anything
we ask. They're selfless, Like I said, they're good leaders.
They work hard, they're super detailed.

Speaker 1 (53:58):
You know, I think you guys would be actually be
a better team if if he had a weight room.

Speaker 10 (54:03):
Over I'm not complaining in that aspect. That's driving using
myself quite a bit. So Man, when that was built,
we we we did. I was doing my show live
from the w uh from the Combine and I walked
through there and I felt like I.

Speaker 1 (54:20):
Was in a college. It's just beautiful and and and
good for them and and Mike guys and the administration.

Speaker 2 (54:25):
Did a great job.

Speaker 1 (54:26):
Yeah, Mike guys is still mad at me for something.
I gotta figure out he's retired, so maybe he'll he'll
he'll like me a little bit more now, But I
must have said something against Sussex Hampletonker Now he's the
man's mean, mugs me and walks away. I gotta, you know,
I gotta figure out what that is? Eric, What what
side of the ball are you going to be coaching?

Speaker 6 (54:47):
So I'm offensive line.

Speaker 7 (54:48):
I work with Jeff Grabo, who's a former head coach
at New Berlin West for a long time, and so
so Jeff and I worked the offensive line together.

Speaker 1 (54:55):
And offensively you guys, uh, did you guys run look
at the talent and then run your stuff or do
you guys have a certain way to do what you do?

Speaker 6 (55:06):
You know, we've we've been a long standing wing t team.

Speaker 1 (55:10):
You know.

Speaker 7 (55:11):
We looked at our personnel this year and we thought
we're gonna have to make some adjustments to it, especially
going up against some of the horses that we're going
to be playing in the Classic eight. So we're still
going to be heavily rooted in the wing tea, but
we might have a few surprises up o.

Speaker 1 (55:24):
Your offensive line. Hopefully all those guys were in the
weight room as much as possible, because again it's it's
a different animal. And maybe not you know, every team,
but but week in and week out. When I talked
to Bill Young and and and again, you know, Catholic
memoora one of the best programs in in in the state.

(55:44):
And I asked him, and I was surprised by his answer,
And I said, are you happy that you're moving out
of there? And he said I am, And I said,
he said, by school with our size, by the end
of the year, we're beat up pretty hard. And and
and then we get into the playoffs in either Division
three or two or four or whatever they want. Back
then he said, you know, we got a chance, but
we gotta we got to try to stay a little

(56:04):
bit healthy. And I think Pewaukee's going to go through
a little of that this year.

Speaker 7 (56:07):
Yeah, we're really happy with our ones. We really think
that we have twenty two guys that we can put
out there on the field every Friday night and compete
with with anybody. Where we run into issues. It's just
with any school the size of eight hundred and fifty people.
After those ones you start, it starts to drop off,
you know. So we're really pushing our kids that are
the backups that are to the twos and threes in
our younger levels to really work hard and get them

(56:30):
get better in the offseason and really learn what we're
doing because we're going to have to rely on these
kids at some point throughout the course of the season.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
Hey, coach, you didn't have a ton of playoff experience
at Waxhton, And I tell people this, and I think
you'll agree. I would see Washington North play and I
think if if they were in some other conferences they've
they would have a lot of playoff experience in the
conference that that they were in. Not so much. Last year.

(56:57):
You guys got to Level four beat by Franklin, but
you know Level one beat on Prairie West Aerol had
thirty to twenty eight. It was a great game from
people that were at that game, was pretty incredible. And
then beat a really good Rona team and beat them
twenty six to sixteen kind of handily. What was that
like for you as a coach going that deep into

(57:19):
the playoffs? She had to enjoy every minute of that.

Speaker 2 (57:21):
Oh it was.

Speaker 5 (57:22):
It was awesome you know for me, yes, not coaching
in the playoffs before it was you got to take
it to the next level. You know, so with how
you prepare and the details you look at, and you
could tell our kids were locked in, you know, the
previous year. Obviously Sussex had a great run. But for me,
it was leading on the coaching staff that was already there.
It was seeing the kids just show up every single day.
And the best part too about making it to level

(57:43):
four is now these you know, two B seniors and
two B juniors, they had four extra weeks of practice
and so even our kids that were freshmen that we
pulled up, you can take a look at those kids
and they've gotten you know, almost another half a season.
So you know, that was really unique to watch and
you can see it even in our contact days that
we had a week ago. But yeah, for me, it
was it was awesome. I enjoyed the whole ride. I

(58:04):
definitely cherished it and the tul experience. Oh the journey, Yeah,
every single day.

Speaker 1 (58:08):
Hey, what part of that journey when you think back,
And I think I know the answer, but I'm gonna
ask you anyway, what part of that four game journey
do you when you think about you remember most.

Speaker 5 (58:20):
I honestly, our senior leadership, you know, I think the
kids that we had last year, the reason why we
got there is because those kids were bought in. Those
kids are doing everything right, and they were holding you know,
their their player or the the guys that they played
with accountable, right. So you could just see the work
that they put in, and they were hungry, you know,
every single week. They wanted to get better and obviously
keep moving on, and they had a goal to winn

(58:41):
a state championship, and so we were pretty pretty dang close,
you know, getting really one week away from it. But yeah,
it was cool to see those kids work. And yeah,
it was just like you said, the journey.

Speaker 1 (58:52):
For me the fourth quarter against Darolhead, I thought maybe
you'd bring up because you know what for you guys
went down and it was twenty eight, twenty four and
and you score a touchdown?

Speaker 5 (59:02):
Was that late you want to Yeah, if you want
to talk about a game like for me looking back, yes,
that was one of those games where like, wow, you
sit back and like that just happened, like just back
and forth the whole game.

Speaker 1 (59:12):
And my producer Andrew Ludwick, can you grab the microphone
real quick? Andrew? You covered that game and and you
talked about the book.

Speaker 2 (59:19):
Was just full.

Speaker 1 (59:20):
Two weeks later you were talking about it and how
incredible the atmosphere was, and and.

Speaker 11 (59:25):
Uh, it's a really good football You mentioned earlier about
the grounds crew at Saucex. Not only not only the
playing field, but the trees and shrubbery around. You feel
like you're at Georgia's stadium. That was that was one
of the coolest environments I've ever been a part of,
especially in the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (59:39):
Man, that's awesome. Hey, Eric, So you were on the
staff and then you kind of came went away for
a year or two to concentrate on building up the
youth program. So excited about getting back to.

Speaker 7 (59:55):
So excited to be back back on the field every day. Uh,
you know, my wife and kids. I don't know if
as excited, but I'm really excited to be back working
with coach Frisky and the rest of our staff. We're
a really close knit group. We really have a lot
of fun together, and so we really I'm really excited.
I'm glad that I took those two years to coach
my own kids and to work with Brad Service to

(01:00:17):
to really build that the youth program to the numbers
that we haven't seen before. But right now where I'm
I'm locked in and I'm ready to go with the
high school.

Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
Is your kids played in the youth program? Where are
they still? Are they still do?

Speaker 3 (01:00:28):
So?

Speaker 7 (01:00:28):
I've got a son, Connor, who's a fourteen year old.
He's gonna be an eighth grader this year, and then
Graham is a sixth grader.

Speaker 1 (01:00:33):
Okay, what position do they play?

Speaker 7 (01:00:36):
Connor is an undersized center. He likes to think he's
a tight end, but he could, but he's too good
at center, so we I dad coach just keeps him
there and then plays a nice linebacker for us. Graham
is a safety and a running back.

Speaker 1 (01:00:50):
So so you're older one, he's in an eighth grade.
He's correct, Yes, as my grandson over at Brookfield East, ye,
and he's he's a center and a tackle and he
thinks he's a tight end.

Speaker 7 (01:01:04):
So I think that just goes with the territory, right.
But it's such an important position, especially at the youth level,
and so you like to put a good smart kid
there that that'll just do the job that you ask
him to do.

Speaker 1 (01:01:12):
I said to Logan, you can't catch a cold. He goes, no,
I got put hands out. I said, okay, I will
see if you do. Zach, are you married single?

Speaker 2 (01:01:21):
I'm single man, so you don't have.

Speaker 1 (01:01:23):
To worry about I can stay at practice for an
extra hour.

Speaker 5 (01:01:26):
Yeah, you can stay at practice. Wake up early, stay
up late. Yeah you got I got a lecture time
with some guys.

Speaker 1 (01:01:31):
I guess my eric, you'll get this. My wife, when
I was coaching basketball, she'd say, okay, let me get
this straight. You guys have a game on Tuesday, and
you come home from practice, and then you're on the
phone and you're you're watching film, and then you play
the game, and then you're on the phone, and then

(01:01:51):
you're talking about it again the next morning, and then
you're watching film, and then you practice it on Friday,
and you do I go, yeah, that's kind of what
it's like. Something Joe Cook's wife would be like, like,
you guys play Friday, can you just come home? Oh no,
we have to go someplace and have a pizza and
talk about the game, and then we got to break
down the film on Saturday, and then we're gonna have

(01:02:13):
a coaches meeting on Sunday. And you know what she
was like, Look, I love it. I do. But I
thought maybe there'd be a time we can go have
a little dinner, and that we can after the state
championship game, we can we can get to dinner. I
think there's a special place in heaven for coaches wives.

Speaker 2 (01:02:29):
I do.

Speaker 7 (01:02:30):
My wife, Julia is a saint for putting up with
it and for you know, allowing allowing me to go
out and do this hobby as she likes to call it,
you know, And so I really appreciate the family support
and all of that.

Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
Zat when you were playing at Oshkosh, did you know
that maybe coaching is something you want to get involved in.

Speaker 5 (01:02:48):
Yeah, I, you know, enjoyed my time playing there, and
I went for FIAT and I took the scenic grod.

Speaker 2 (01:02:54):
I like to say, so I did not graduate in
four years. This took me. It took me six.

Speaker 5 (01:02:58):
But as soon as I was done, I asked that
coach and hey, like, there's a spot for me to
help out anywhere I be willing to do it. He
said absolutely, like playing in the system. He was super
right on board with it. So I coached safety is
there and then I got my first job to Heres
after six years in college, and and I loved it.

Speaker 8 (01:03:14):
You know, like I said, it's the next best thing
you can do. School Appleton West.

Speaker 1 (01:03:18):
Okay, you played at West?

Speaker 2 (01:03:19):
I did, yes, good for you?

Speaker 1 (01:03:21):
Safety?

Speaker 5 (01:03:22):
Yeah, it was defensive back, wide receiver, I special teams.
I did a little kicking growing up playing soccer, so yeah,
I do whatever whatever you can do for the team.

Speaker 1 (01:03:30):
Right. One of the pretty boys, right, not one of
us boys had you know, we we had our hand
in the dirt and we were getting our butt kicked
into a boy, you could run a little bit.

Speaker 5 (01:03:40):
That was I mean side you know, my forty wasn't
the fastest, but yeah I was. I was I was quick.

Speaker 1 (01:03:45):
Hey when when And you're a perfect guy that asked this.
When you have seniors, if they come to you and say, hey, look,
what does it take to play at the next level. Academically,
you got to take care of your business, obviously, but
to play at that next level, you'd be some of
the best players on teams in this area. First of all,
it's the best conference in Division free football. What do

(01:04:06):
you tell them about playing the next level?

Speaker 5 (01:04:08):
Well, I think you you got some humility, you know
what I mean. If you're the best guy in your
team in high school coming in, there's going to be
you know, every single guy there that is also that player.
So you gotta understand, like even making the team as
a freshman or on special teams is.

Speaker 1 (01:04:20):
A big deal, huge deal. Travel with the team, Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:04:23):
Like you know, so that that was that's something that
you say. And then obviously you know, time management and
getting your your butt in the playbook and just asking
the right questions and so whatever you can do to
stand out and just you know, eventually good things will
come to you. And that's what happened for me. He
isn't the most athletic or our fastest or strongest, but
I bid my time and ended up working.

Speaker 1 (01:04:42):
Out that competitive streak. Guy. Now, let's send the golf
course for you, huh.

Speaker 5 (01:04:46):
Yeah. Me and those college friends we still, yeah, might
be getting after it again to day.

Speaker 2 (01:04:51):
Doing some golf.

Speaker 1 (01:04:52):
And it's not that nobody's talking or anything, right, Oh,
of course, not right.

Speaker 2 (01:04:56):
We would never do that.

Speaker 1 (01:04:58):
No, never, guys. I can't thank you, Eric, thank you
for so much. It's good to see you again. And Zach,
it's so good to meet you. It'll be good to
see you guys on the sidelines coming up later on
my twenty four and and good luck have fun starting
on Tuesday. Get some sleep this weekend. Well you won't
if you're going back to Sean. You get a little
bit Sunday night. We'll say it for Sunday. Yeah, good

(01:05:20):
luck with that.

Speaker 7 (01:05:21):
Well, thank you, Mike, really appreciate everything you do for
the high school sport you guys sure, this is a
great program.

Speaker 6 (01:05:25):
Love to be a part of it.

Speaker 1 (01:05:27):
Man, I really thank you appreciation Mike. Yeah, you got it. Boys,
We're going to talk a little more Quette and Musquigo
on the other side of the break. This syst the
Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show presented by your local
Pick and Safe Stores on the on the Big nine
twenty and your iHeart Radio app. Man, does that sound good?
That's I'm telling you that brings you right back to

(01:05:49):
high school football. Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz High
School Sports Show presented by your local Pick and Save Stores,
coming live from the Donovan and Jorgansen Heating and Cooling Studios. Man,
this been a fun show for me. I want to
thank the four assistant football coaches that were in studio
were now joined by James Becker Marquette High Ryan Lucazy

(01:06:10):
from Muskego bad, James, not a bad year for you,
Pel last year was good? Huh?

Speaker 12 (01:06:17):
It went well, yeah, Captain. Obviously the kids performed at
a early high level. A lot of credit goes to them,
the rest of the staff, and obviously.

Speaker 13 (01:06:28):
Coach k.

Speaker 12 (01:06:30):
Did a tremendous job leading us last year. And you know,
things like that don't happen very often, so you try
to soak.

Speaker 13 (01:06:36):
Up those moments when you can.

Speaker 12 (01:06:37):
And thank you for having me today. I got to
suspend some time with a good colleague now that we
got to know each other with this offseason with coach
with Casey, who's clearly a much better coach than I am,
so well, I had to pick his brain this offseason
and learn some stuff, so I appreciate having.

Speaker 1 (01:06:51):
Him in Casey, what do you got to say to
that Beck? You know what he's he's too humble for me.
And before you say this, I guess this assistant Coach
of the Year stayed Wisconsin, right. Let me keep going,
Oh no, no, why hey, by the way, why are
you going to Little Rock, Arkansas? Coming up? So? Why

(01:07:12):
are you going there?

Speaker 13 (01:07:14):
Let me guess my wife must have said something.

Speaker 1 (01:07:15):
Absolutely not No, I talked to somebody else who TV
up on this.

Speaker 12 (01:07:20):
One as Yes, I was fortunate, I guess to be
named of the Assistant Coach of the Year in the
state of Wisconsin this year, which obviously is a reflection
on the kids more than it is on me. But
because of that, I am going to be going to
Little Rock, Arkansas to take part of the Broyls Award
as a High School Boils Award recipient. So that'll be

(01:07:42):
in February. So who's spending Valentine's Day in Little Rock, Arkansas?

Speaker 1 (01:07:45):
Yeah, well, if I hadn't brought it up, you weren't
bringing it. No, I was, And you know what, thank
you for bringing the state championship ring. He said, Look,
I don't wear it, but I thought you'd want to
see it, and I did want to see it, And
thank you for that. Congratulate relations on these awards well
deserved and for you to say, hey, look, you know
I gained all. I learned a lot from Ryan, trust me,

(01:08:08):
you probably did. He's a really good coach, but I'm
sure he learned a lot from you. Lucas. How are you?

Speaker 14 (01:08:13):
Hey, thanks for calling me back. By the way, I'm
doing well and I appreciate you having us and having
a chance. I kind of talking with Kiko Football and
just real quick with Coach Becker, and you know, when
we were setting this thing up, I was like, absolutely,
it's a home run to be with him because he's
become like a coaching colleague and I think one of
my favorite parts of coaching is the fraternity and the
brotherhood that it becomes. And uh, coach and I kind
of got to know each other in the last two

(01:08:34):
years and every Friday we drop a good luck text
and kind of exchanged just those positive vibes.

Speaker 9 (01:08:39):
And he's just a guy that has.

Speaker 14 (01:08:40):
Become a close friend, you know, through this process and
through this journey. So I was I was so happy,
you know, for them and to share that success. And
I could say the same thing for coach Kronk, you know,
is the guy that I've had on in that first session.
So it's yeah, so this is a pretty special opportunity
and I'm happy to share it with Coach Becker. And uh,
he's obviously as good as a get. So we just
appreciate you having us here.

Speaker 1 (01:08:59):
Yeah, and James is one of the first guys I look,
I've we've known each other a long time, and I
have I'm a huge fan of you. I'm a fan
of your families. I think it's just a it just
is it's it's just really a cool family. I love
watching you know that 'll notice a picture of your son,
like with his football helmet on and his bathrobe, you know,

(01:09:20):
out in the front thrown a football, and you know
he is, uh, hey, he's a kid, right, and he's
an athlete in a big way. And I see how
much joy that brings you, and and I was very happy.
I again, I I thought Franklin might get it. It
might get you guys last year, and I apologize, but

(01:09:41):
that's why I stopped gambling a hundred years ago, because
I'm always wrong. But boy, oh boy, what a special year.
And before we get into this year, I've been lucky
enough to win a state championship or two when they
the journey is is always the one that you think about, right.
I Mean, we could talk about that Franklin game, but
I bet when you think back, James, you think more
about the journey and where this thing and how this

(01:10:04):
came about. Because look sometime during that year last year,
I think people were starting to question the fifty to
twenty one game SUS six Hambleton. I think people started
to question, Okay, are they are they that good? And
you guys that loss, you guys learned a lot from

(01:10:24):
we did.

Speaker 12 (01:10:26):
You know, we got humbled that day, and I think
we needed to. I think, you know, success sometimes can
go to your head and we needed that grounding and
took Hamilton's credit and Coach Gum's credit. They did a
great job and had a great plan against us that night
and they executed and we didn't. But it really made
us as a whole, entire as a whole realized that
we needed to focus on being present, being in the moment,

(01:10:49):
and being where our feet are. So every rep during
practice was going to be with great intention moving forward.
And the kids bought into that and they did it,
and that's what really really really took us to where
we needed to go. So the turning point was that
Hamilton game, for sure. The other thing I want to
point out though, is you know the journey. You talk
about the journey and talking to some people who have

(01:11:10):
experienced that moment in Madison before and I got to
talk to Ryan before and he said, enjoy it because
it doesn't happen very often. I know you and I
had a conversation about it as well, and you said
the same thing.

Speaker 13 (01:11:22):
When you get there sucked.

Speaker 1 (01:11:23):
You just take a moment, take pictures in your mind.

Speaker 12 (01:11:26):
And I did, and you know, make sure I got
a picture of our son, you know, on the on
the warm up field and and all that stuff. And
my daughter was in the stands too, So it was
a really special moment I got to. Thankfully, I got
those that advice from some people that have been there
and done it.

Speaker 14 (01:11:45):
It's special, you know, and you have to and I think,
you know, going in twenty eighteen, you're so fortunate. And
then we were so much more intentional going back the
next year in nineteen about hey, like we know this,
and we know like let's set a time to be
intentional about just embracing this from the bus ride up
to just make sure you're getting position, group photos, team photos,
make sure you find your loved ones, you know, finding
my wife, you know, fortunate to have kids and on

(01:12:07):
coach Becker situation, because it is special and you need
to take those moments all in I think that's one
of the greatest life advices you can have it and
really in that situation, you know, or any other you know,
I use that same advice for my wedding, you know,
and just take it, take those pictures and slowly just
take it all in and just embrace it and soak
it all up because it's special.

Speaker 1 (01:12:25):
Well, it's interesting. I didn't know we're going to get
into this conversation. But when when I was at coaching
basketball at White Spade and Meinican it it was really cool,
but it was kind of like, well, yeah, you're gonna
get it. Certainly, you're gonna win the sectional. You're gonna
win the sectional, read you're going to a regional final
sectional semis. And then I go to Greendale Martin Luther

(01:12:46):
and they'd never had a team win to STAY championship before.
And the feeling of that journey and I knew that
was my last year. I told people going to I
told coach Wallersheim, this is it, right, and when when
you get to win that sectional file and now you're
going to State. It had a different field for me
because it had never been done before. You know, at

(01:13:08):
Mestigo and at Marquette there there's expectations with their programs.
It's certainly at Muskego and and maybe sometimes the expectations
you guys don't mind them, but they're not more that
you can't win every single year. Mesquigue got to a
point now for a bit where it was remember Arrowhead
when everybody hated Arrowhead? Right, all of a sudden, people

(01:13:31):
were like, oh, Moskeigo and Marquettes. I always had that
every you get everybody's best shot. Do you do you
like being that being the people that are always hunted?

Speaker 9 (01:13:40):
Yeah, you know so.

Speaker 14 (01:13:41):
And I like that you just finished using the word
hunt And I think you embrace that right as the competitor,
and you like you want everybody's best shot, and you
because you know, like it forces you to stay sharp, right,
And that's why we embrace playing such a tough schedule.

Speaker 9 (01:13:52):
In such a great league.

Speaker 14 (01:13:53):
It's because it forces you to constantly stay on edge
and really focus on the details and be so intentional
about every day, every rep, every conversation, Uh, because it
me it matter so much and it's gonna matter that
much more on a Friday night. And and I love
how you finished the huntingd piece because that was that
was always one of our big pieces. It's like we're
always hunting and that's a mindset, Like the hunting greatness
is a mentality, uh that I think applies to you know,

(01:14:15):
both football, but the life in the classroom as a student,
as a son, as a daughter, and all those different pieces.
Like if you're always hunting greatness, you know in all
the things that you do, like you're gonna find success
in what you do.

Speaker 1 (01:14:26):
Same question. So you came from you where you're at
university school, right, different mindset, yeah, than than Marquette one
hundred percent. And and Marquette, I'm glad you're over there.
Marquette can be a good old boy network a little bit, right,
And they brought you in and and and look you've
had great success there obviously, and and I'm glad that

(01:14:49):
that you've been part of that. But it's a different
mindset when you go the university school has great success
and academics and all of the things that that that
they have not so much expectation with some of their
sports teams. And then you get to Marquete. What was
that like? Was that an eye opener for you?

Speaker 6 (01:15:08):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:15:08):
It was.

Speaker 12 (01:15:09):
I mean I think internally you always have that you know,
drive and desire to be the best and and you know,
Brian Sommer is still a very good close friend of mine.

Speaker 13 (01:15:16):
He's done a fantastic school.

Speaker 1 (01:15:18):
One of my favorite people.

Speaker 12 (01:15:19):
Yes, and but like you, like you said, walking into
into Marquette, a good old boys network, a little bit
as I like to say, I was welcome with open arms.
Coach Joe Study, Coach k absolutely just come. It's been
phenomenal over there, and I've enjoyed every second of it.
But it was eye opening that first hair to be

(01:15:40):
on the other side of it.

Speaker 1 (01:15:41):
A little bit.

Speaker 12 (01:15:42):
Now, obviously, you know you're you, like Ryan said, you
kind of embraced that, you know, being the one that's.

Speaker 13 (01:15:49):
Gonna get everybody's best shot.

Speaker 1 (01:15:50):
And and you know, Ryan, I I can tell you
there were Mesqigo. There were years there was a little bit,
a little bit light, right, a little bit thin. They
didn't have the kind of success is long. I went
to Mesmer a million years ago. We didn't like Marquette, right,
we didn't like Marquette, and and Pies didn't like Marquette,
and Saint Catherines didn't like Marquette, and Mirue Lutheran that

(01:16:11):
old Metro conference nobody did. Muskigo now has got that
and and there are teams in your conference. Man, you
know Arrowhead and and and mcguanaco and KETTL Moraine and
you just go up and down the conference, and those
communities expect their teams to buy for that conference championship.
And now that KETL Morain, you know they had a

(01:16:32):
great year last year. There's a lot of expectation to that.
But Musquigo has been now that team. When we have
other conference and other teams from the conference in and
I asked the seniors, who don't you like Muskigo comes
to mind, Marquette comes to mind. So the boys that
you're the guys that are trying to get Yeah.

Speaker 9 (01:16:51):
And I think that's part of it. You can't run
from that.

Speaker 14 (01:16:53):
And I just think, you know, for us, it's about us, right,
That's a big that's a big expression in our building
is it's about us. And if you spend the time
about you know who's focused on you? And just anything
other than us, like you're wasting your time. Right, So,
like we understand that that's out there and we love
that and we're not going to run a hight from that,
but like we're gonna focus on what do we need
to do every single day, and and at some point
they're gonna put the ball down and we're gonna find.

Speaker 1 (01:17:14):
Out, Hey, that Ryan McMillan Dome is almost built, isn't it?
Is that what they're calling that I didn't.

Speaker 9 (01:17:20):
Know, you know, I thought about him the other day.

Speaker 14 (01:17:23):
He is a I think part of your mark is
an athletic director, activities director. Is like, what did this
place look like when I got there, and what's it
going to look like, you know, during my time and
for sure when I leave, which I obviously hope never happens.
And you think about the way the facilities have changed,
and his seven eight years is nothing short or remarkable.
So to have a hand in that, Like he gets
all the credit in the world for the places and

(01:17:45):
the roles that he's done, But we got a community
that cares, you know, and we'll do whatever it takes
to support and that's what's special.

Speaker 1 (01:17:50):
And the legacy that and look, he doesn't think about
any of that. I knew when he was coaching an
Oconum walk camp, brought him in studio. I knew during
the first break I'd never met the guy called him
on the phone, brought him in during the first break.
I knew immediately that I was good. I liked him,
Irish guy, right, all of that. And we go to

(01:18:13):
a break and we start talking about some things that
maybe you're not going to talk about on the air,
and I went and he goes, no, you can bring
that up. Go ahead, I don't care. I'm not running
from any of it. And I thought, ooh, I'm yeah,
I'm I'm a big fan. That's why I have him
in as my co host for the high school football
because he doesn't mind saying what's on his mind, and
he'll tell you straight up and and if he's wrong,

(01:18:33):
he's wrong. But he does that, and he's a big
fan of yours.

Speaker 14 (01:18:36):
By the way, I appreciate that. It's it's just great
to have someone like that in that role.

Speaker 1 (01:18:40):
Support man the administration over at Marquette man, they they
understand the importance of student athletes, right, And there's there's
a high expectation for every one of their programs to
be very competitive on the field in the court. And
they've been doing it a long time and and they
and you unders as a coach that you got to

(01:19:02):
meet those expectations.

Speaker 12 (01:19:04):
I mean, it's no different than any other place. But yes,
there is a very high level of expectation of market.

Speaker 13 (01:19:10):
It's a blue ribbon school.

Speaker 12 (01:19:11):
They have that banner hanging on the side of the
building when you pull up on thirty fifth Street, so
you know it when you walk in there.

Speaker 13 (01:19:17):
And honestly, that's how it should be, because.

Speaker 12 (01:19:20):
You know, we touch on it with that leadership piece before.
You know, we want those men at Marquette to become
men for others, and we also want them to understand
that football isn't to be all and end all right,
You're going on to do greater things. And what the
lessons they learn on the football field should carry over
to the classroom, should carry on pass those walls and

(01:19:40):
into their colleges and their their lives as husbands and fathers.

Speaker 1 (01:19:43):
And I heard I heard Dick Bash him talk one
time and he said, look, wins and watch this will come.
But if you can get these players to play for
each other and play for something bigger than themselves, then
we've done something. I remember asking one time, where does
your where do your kickers kick field goals? Back then
they didn't have goal posts. He goes, he just kick

(01:20:04):
it over in that area. I don't know what to
do I don't care, And I'm like, but isn't that
important part of the game. He goes, Yeah, we got
all kinds of soccer players. They can kick. They're fine
over there. They'll kick the extra points. We don't need
goal posts. And I thought, smashing bash him, you are
the best. So, guys, let's get to a break. On
other side of the break, we're going to continue. We're
talking about this year's team. We're talking to James Becker

(01:20:27):
and Ryan lod CAZy about they're getting ready now for
Tuesday and what that looks like a little bit for them,
and we'll talk a little bit about what they've got
coming back this year. This is the Varsity Blitz High
School Sports Show presented by your local Pick and Saved
Stores on the Big nineteen twenty in your iHeartRadio app.
Welcome back to the Varsity Blitz High School Sports Show,

(01:20:48):
presented by your local Pick and Save Stores, coming live
from the Donovan to Jorganson, Heat and Coolean Studios. You
know the show is going well when Jeff Tricky sends
you a text. It's his man, it's kid, He says,
low to both of you guys, and I would love
to get Jeff back in studio, and you want to
talk about a guy we could all learn not only

(01:21:08):
football but just life lessons. He's just one of the
best guys and he'll kick this coverage by a mile.
Have you met Ronda, She's just one of my favorite people.

Speaker 9 (01:21:17):
I'm not personally, but coach is great to hear from me,
and I hope you're doing well.

Speaker 1 (01:21:20):
Hey, I'll tell you ron the tricky story. I did
a coach's wife's show and we had one coach and
I'll tell you who that is. During the break, whose
wife said, look, I know more about football than my
husband does. He's a head football coach. And Rana said, look,
I still don't know what first and tendings, but I
can throw a great party pregame and I get our

(01:21:40):
best seats and I love my husband, but I don't
really understand the game. And it was so fun. And
the love she has and the support that she has
for her husband is like a model of I'll tell
you this. You thought your wife had said she has
the same, and I have not met your wife. I
don't believe. And okay, but I know your wife, James,

(01:22:02):
and she and the love and support that she has
for you. Oh man, she's a saint.

Speaker 13 (01:22:08):
I don't know why she continues to deal with it.

Speaker 1 (01:22:11):
I've asked her that she feels like she all kicked
her coverage with you, and that's what she thinks.

Speaker 12 (01:22:17):
I definitely kicked mine with and Coach Tricky, thank you
for reaching out.

Speaker 6 (01:22:23):
Our son.

Speaker 12 (01:22:24):
Easton has actually been the Trickies camp a couple of times.
Like you said, leadership piece of that too is phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (01:22:29):
He teaches all the fundamentals, but it's much and and
and and his deal is if you want to be
the quarterback there there there, there's more expectations there. There
are some things that you've got to be willing to
take on your shoulders as a young man. And and
let's talk about those. And and look, he's he's a
guy who's willing to talk about his faith. And he's willing.

(01:22:52):
I can remember when I met him. We're at it
was Wakshall West against mcguanago and I was like, oh god,
there that's Jeff Tricky. And I didn't want to go
up and talk to him because he's Jeff Tricky. And
he comes walking over, he goes, hey, you might be given.
I wanted to meet you coach, are you kidding me?
And now it's just like talking to another guy. But

(01:23:14):
where he is as far as football and knowledge and
the respect people have for him is outstanding. So Coach Tricky,
I hope if you're still listening, I hope to get
you back in studio, Ryan Muskigo football no more. Crowsey's
left a head coach. But none of the players talk
a little bit about what you guys coming back and
how the offseason went.

Speaker 14 (01:23:35):
Yeah, it's been great, act she said to some you know,
the defensive kids before we started, I think I've never
seen an offseason like some of our kids have had
in that room. Nick McCullough and Liam Shaw earlier are
the two guys I think that that that get a
lot of that and led the led the way.

Speaker 9 (01:23:49):
And you know Nick's going to be a three year starter.

Speaker 14 (01:23:50):
He started in twenty four games already, and then you
know Liam, Liam started all twelve last year. So those
are our two bookends at the defensive end. And the
work that they put in just as as men and
leaders in the way that they've just attacked the grind
and how that's trickled throughout the rest of the team
and the program. I think it's pretty special because those
are dudes that are not just going to lead lead
the football team in program, but but the school.

Speaker 1 (01:24:11):
And when you have bookend defense events, telling safeties, getting
let's go get in the weight room. Man, there's some
some some gravitas that they bring because they've both been
on the field now in some big games and for
them to to to rally the defense, I think it's awesome. James,
how about you? What Marquette got some some pieces coming back.

(01:24:33):
Certainly the Novotny kid is something else. He is losing
those receivers.

Speaker 12 (01:24:38):
We are losing some guys on the offensive side of
the ball, but we got two exceptional tight ends. We've
got some really good young receivers coming in. Quarterback battle
is going to be interesting to watch with the Joesetti
and Mason Steinhoff. But both of those guys can really
spin it defensively.

Speaker 5 (01:24:55):
Uh.

Speaker 12 (01:24:55):
We got to replace some guys that Ryan had the
fortunate coaching in the All Star Game him a couple
of weeks ago. And you know, those are some big
shoes to fill. But we got, you know, seven kids
that we really think had fantastic off seasons.

Speaker 1 (01:25:08):
Uh.

Speaker 12 (01:25:09):
In the in the weight room, with seven on seven
that were really gonna rely on. They're gonna be awesome.
They finally get you know, to kind of see the field. Uh,
they were kind of buried behind the special group that
we had last year.

Speaker 13 (01:25:21):
So looking forward to that. Mitchell Niagro all state kid
coming back. He's a he is.

Speaker 12 (01:25:27):
There's there's days where he upsets me as much as
my son does. But I thought Mitchell, but Mitchell is
a is a special talent. He had, you know, kind
of the same way the way he taxed the weight room,
the way he tax the leadership component to that. Uh,
one of our tight ends, Drew Balinger, is going to
be this class president as well. So we got a

(01:25:47):
lot of leadership from that will extend from the football
field into the hallways as well.

Speaker 1 (01:25:52):
Hey guys, and I said, and I asked the guys
the last segment that the same question. When when when
kids that haven't seen the field and now they're playing,
and when you're when you're in a program like Muskigo
and you're in a program like Marquette, sometimes you get
kids who think all they got to do is put
that jersey on because everybody is one before them. And

(01:26:17):
there are times that maybe they they didn't put as
much work in the in the off season. Do you
see kids that that you need to remind them Ryan,
and I'll start with you that, look, it's not what's
on the front of the jersey. You got to put
the work in. Yeah.

Speaker 14 (01:26:32):
I think we do everything you can to eliminate that, right,
and the complacency will kill a program like nothing else.
And it's just reminding the kids that the standard is
the standard, right, and and the reason that uh, this
thing has had, you know, the success that it has
is because of the work, right, And that's just where
it's always going to start and end is we're going
to embrace that and we're going to grind it. We're
going to make sure that we attack those standards and
and he go set new ones.

Speaker 1 (01:26:53):
Yeah, same question, James. It is right that the front
of the jersey, but they're got to put the work in.
It's hard to win football games.

Speaker 12 (01:27:02):
It is exceptionally hard to win football game especially you know,
same thing at mosqgo you don't shy from competition. You're
gonna go play the best in the state no matter what,
plus the league that you play in. So you know,
our message this year is you know, these guys, you're
gonna go write your own story. At the end of
the day, you have to write your own story. And
how that starts with the weight room, that starts with

(01:27:23):
the leadership piece, that starts with the classroom and all
that stuff things. Success doesn't fall out of the air,
So how you want, how you want the story to
end is completely up to you.

Speaker 1 (01:27:32):
If it did fall on there, we'd all be successful, right.
You'd have teams that you know, there are teams that
that that I coached that I thought, man, this is
the most talented group I've ever coached. And we'd get
knocked out in the regional sectionals because they didn't put
the work in, or all of a sudden they started looking,
you know what am I average? And how come I'm

(01:27:52):
not getting more points? And they start listening to people chirping,
you know what, you you got to take more shots.
There's college coaches looking you gotta take more.

Speaker 13 (01:28:00):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:28:00):
That kind of stuff would drive me absolutely nuts. You know, uh,
I'll tell you this with with Marquette and and Musquigo,
you guys don't ever shy away. You open up at
Arrowhead and then play final act before you get into
the conference and that's kind of been your way for sure.
And uh, you know that Arrowhead matchup is going to
be a difficult one. And now that you guys have

(01:28:23):
you know, you're you don't wear the ring, but but
you have it, and you know what it's like. Every
everybody's gonna give you their best shot and as they
normally do, but this can be a little bit extra.
You know, Arrowhead all off season, like we get Marquette
to start, they're the state champs. We want to take
them down and and I hope your boys are ready
for that first one.

Speaker 13 (01:28:44):
Oh they will be, you know.

Speaker 12 (01:28:45):
And they faced each other in the state seven on
seven whatever stock you want to put on that, but
they faced each other this this summer. But you know,
I told we told the kids, you know that you
have to expect that everybody's going to celebrate like it's
a super Bowl, not only because your mark, because you're
a stay titled or now.

Speaker 13 (01:29:02):
So it is what it is.

Speaker 12 (01:29:03):
We're going to attack Arrowhead with the same intensity as
we do anybody else. Tremendous respect for that program over there.

Speaker 1 (01:29:11):
So looking forward to it, Hey, Ryan, how much do
you look forward to where you'll sleep okay this weekend
getting ready for Tuesday? Or is the excitement? Is it
still fresh for you every year?

Speaker 9 (01:29:23):
I think it gets more and more each year.

Speaker 14 (01:29:25):
And I think over the last week or so, you know,
God works mysterious ways and have found a way to
kind of be even more rejuvenated and probably hunger to
kind of prove a point with this group than we
have in a long, long time.

Speaker 9 (01:29:37):
So it's like Christmas.

Speaker 14 (01:29:39):
You know, this is year eleven for me, just that
Mesquio alone. So yeah, they'll be sleep or not. We'll
be ready to rock on Tuesday morning. I promise that
you're eleven. You look like you're twenty five. Brother, Hey,
it's clean. Take that all day. Appreciate that.

Speaker 9 (01:29:51):
I don't know what that is, but I appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (01:29:54):
How how long have you been coaching over us? To speak?
Twenty three twenty three? And look, we're not just an
assistant coach. He's an assistant Coach of the Year in
the state of Wisconsin and he's going to Arkansas. What's
the name of that award, I'm sorry, the Broils Award,
the Borough's Award. You know you're looking forward to spending
Valentine's Day with your wife in Arkansas. I'm sure holding

(01:30:14):
hands a little bit, and are you still you still
get as jacked up and as excited every year?

Speaker 13 (01:30:21):
Absolutely? Otherwise I would keep doing it.

Speaker 1 (01:30:23):
Yeah, I agree with you. I'm that. As a matter of.

Speaker 12 (01:30:25):
Fact, my wife was making fun of me just the
other night because I woke up at you know, two
o'clock and I'm run downstairs. I'm on the whiteboard draw
on something up. She's like, what are you doing? Like,
I just had a thought.

Speaker 1 (01:30:36):
I'm you know what I still if I'm if I'm
watching a basketball game and somebody runs a great out
of bounds play, I stop it and take notes, and
my wife goes that, you're retired, I am, why are
you taking notes? I It's what I do. I've got
three great out of bounds plays, and a basketball coach
is looking for anything underneath your basket.

Speaker 2 (01:30:57):
Call me.

Speaker 1 (01:30:57):
I've got three written down. So it doesn't even when
you retire, it doesn't get out of your blood for sure. Boys. Hey, Ryan,
when when when we talk to these kids before the year,
right right now? You get them in. I think Monday
you're giving equipment and then Tuesday you're going, Yeah, some
of these young guys might not know what they're in

(01:31:18):
for yet right a few you know.

Speaker 14 (01:31:21):
I think that's the benefit of contact days. You know,
you have those five days to kind of set the
tone and the expectations of, hey, this is how this
operation runs and what it sho looked like to be at
max efficiency. So then when we get to August, you know,
we're just pedal to the metal and we go full speed.
And that doesn't mean it won't be learning, right, There's
always going to be learning throughout the journey, and but
they'll be ready to go.

Speaker 1 (01:31:39):
Crowds. Are you going to throw the ball a little
bit this year's that's the rumor on the street. Is
coach gonna run the ball at all this year? Like
he's thrown it a little bit?

Speaker 12 (01:31:48):
We do, we do throw it around, but with nobotany
I think we'll have to run it a little.

Speaker 1 (01:31:52):
Bit, smash him, bash him three yards and a cloud
of dust back in the day. Guys, Thank you so much, Ryan,
Thank you James. It's always and again congratulations. Are really
proud of that. And I know that you weren't going
to talk about it, so I had to looking forward
to seeing you guys on the sidelines.

Speaker 2 (01:32:08):
Thanks.

Speaker 9 (01:32:08):
Yeah, well done boys. Yeah, thanks so much for having us.

Speaker 1 (01:32:11):
You got it. This is the Varsity Blitz high school
sports show, presented by your local Pick and Saved stores
on the Big nine twenty and your iHeart radio app