PREP FOOTBALL PRESEASON COUNTDOWN
The Journal Sentinel offers preseason rankings for area high school football teams in a multiple-part series. Find the complete list at jsonline.com/preps.
2. WAUKESHA WEST
The Wolverines were oh-so close. The team was locked in a see-saw battle with Monona Grove in the quarterfinals of the Division 2 state playoffs last year. Once in the fourth quarter and once in overtime Waukesha West took the lead and each time it couldn’t hold it.
Monona Grove won, 43-42, and went on to reach the state final, where it lost to Brookfield East, 42-36.
“It was very tough going out that way, but Monona Grove was a great team. They played amazing football,” West standout Peter MacCudden said. “It was just one of those shootouts, back-and-forth, backand-forth and they got the last straw at the end.”
That game closed the book on a reloading season that went better than expected and set the stage for a 2017 campaign that could be special.
West is considered the team to beat in the loaded-as-usual Classic 8. The squad returns MacCudden, a 2,000-yard rusher last season who has a Division I offer from Ohio, as well as senior Bryce Texiera, a Navy recruit.
The team also returns two all-league linemen on each side of the ball, all-conference performers at fullback and linebacker and the squad’s second-leading receiver.
The Wolverines were close to a third straight state finals appearance last season. This year they have the potential to get back to Madison.
“It definitely has given us some extra motivation throughout the off-season,” MacCudden said. “To be able say we lost by one point, that’s all it takes to lose. We don’t want to have that happen again. We want to take it as far as we can. Losing is one of the greatest motivators.”