NO. 2 MUSKEGO
The energy around Muskego’s football team is crazy these days. “They’re just keeping up what went on last year, just the positivity,” Warriors football coach Ken Krause said. “They’re just so coachable. In all my years of coaching, I would say this is as coachable a group as we’ve ever had. Whether it's offense, defense or special teams, every athlete in our program has been unbelievable.”
In case you didn’t realize it, Muskego has pulled off one of the tougher feats in the area: It has established itself as a top-tier program in a league filled with them. In 2014 and ’15 the Warriors shared Classic 8 titles. Last year they were second and reached the Division 1 state semifinals.
And this year? Coaches in the league have made the Warriors a slight favorite ahead of Catholic Memorial to win another conference championship.
The nod is a sign of the respect for not only the team’s returning standouts but also for the talent coming up the ranks. Muskego returns five starters on offense and four on defense, modest numbers for a team so highly regarded. However, the program’s participation numbers are great and its lower levels are strong. Also, it’s worth noting that sometimes it is not the number of returning starters that is key as much as the positions they play, and in Muskego’s case the spots they man are key.
❚ Offense: Senior quarterback AJ Makinen is entering his third year as a starter. Senior running back RJ Bosshart earned second-team all-area honors as a junior after averaging 11.2 yards per carry. Junior tackles Jacob Leszczynski and Ethan Jauquet are second-year starters. Austin Burke, a senior guard, received second-team all-Classic 8 distinction last season.
❚ Defense: The team graduated a talented group of linebackers but has three returning starters on the line – Nate Stewart, Jacob Peardon and Lenny Roecker. Senior defensive back Joey Mlachnik, the unit's other returning starter, anchors the back.
Those players were part of a squad that beat higher-seeded Racine Horlick and Franklin to reach the semifinals. This year the the goal is to go a couple of steps farther.
“The program has been there. They just want to keep it going.” Krause said. “But it’s one game at a time. This is the best conference in the state. Your ultimate goal is to get four wins in our league and go from there.”