Homestead puts on an offensive show
If this is what 2018 is going to look like for Homestead, then it will be very similar to each of the last 17 years.
The balanced Highlanders rushing attack was unstoppable Friday night against Port Washington, picking up 429 yards and six touchdowns en route to a convincing 43-19 win on the road.
After nearly seeing the streak snapped last season, Homestead is now chasing an 18th consecutive North Shore Conference title. The victory over the conference rival Pirates was the first step.
The defense of the Highlanders was strong, as well, holding a highly-skilled Port offense to 282 total yards. After a pair of long touchdown passes to Jacob Lippe and Mitchell Niemayer drew the Pirates within 22-13 in the second quarter, Homestead buckled down defensively the rest of the way.
But make no bones about it: Friday night was all about the Highlanders rushing attack.
The offensive line, along with plenty of misdirection, created running room all evening for Homestead’s backs, who then made big play after big play in open space.
Willie Garrison and Jared Schneider led the charge, both carrying the ball a team-high 13 times. Garrison ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns, while Schneider had 122 yards and three scores, including a 41-yard scamper on the third play of the game.
On the Highlanders’ next play from scrimmage, Garrison took one 70 yards to the house. It put them up, 14-0, after four plays on offense.
The Highlanders left their starters on offense in for seven drives, six of which resulted in touchdowns.
Yep, Homestead is back.
Running backs are still good
Homestead wasn’t the only team running the ball. Plenty of other area backs had big nights, as well.
Menomonee Falls senior and Wisconsin Badgers recruit Julius Davis had the top night of them all, scampering for a state-best 334 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries as the Indians topped Germantown, 28-19. He busted off a 95-yard run that resembled his viral run from last season against West Allis Hale, and then scored twice in the fourth quarter to give Falls a comeback victory.
Martin Luther did not need its running back to carry the ball as much in a 49-7 win over Whitnall, but Darios Crawley-Reid was just as dominant. On just 11 carries, the area’s leading returning rusher had 265 yards.
Crawley-Reid took five of those touches to the end zone for scores of 86, 64, 63, 14 and nine yards.
Oh yeah, and he added a 99-yard touchdown catch from Nik Mueller.
Kettle Moraine looks sharp
Kettle Moraine’s victory was right up there with the most impressive wins by area teams Friday night.
The Lasers, who made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2008, knocked off Waukesha West, the reigning Classic 8 Conference champions, 34-23.
Trailing, 23-20, entering the fourth quarter, Kettle Moraine got touchdown runs by Hunter Denor and Weis to put the game away. Kicker Blake Wilcox was good on attempts from 35 and 48 yards, made all four extra points and averaged 40.8 yards on four punts, proving to be the state’s biggest kicking weapon.
An open door in Division 1?
Fond du Lac was certainly not the only school pumping its fists after it ended Kimberly’s 70-game winning streak.
With the Papermakers, winners of five straight Division 1 state titles, falling there had to have been plenty of coaches thinking, even if just for a second, that this might just be the year someone else hoists the gold ball.
Maybe some were Milwaukee-area coaches, as teams that entered the season with what were figured to be the best chances to do so showed some promise.
Muskego downed Waukesha North, 49-14 behind a dominant rushing attack. Franklin defeated Waterford, 24-0. Marquette looked sharp in a 31-14 win over Arrowhead on Thursday.
The Ike defense is back
No, this isn’t your 2017 New Berlin Eisenhower defense anymore. But if Week 1 was any indication, it’s still really good.
A year after boasting one of of the top units in the state en route to a Division 3 title game appearance, the Lions brought back three starters on that side of the ball in 2018.
In a 29-14 win over what is expected to be a good Plymouth team, Ike's defense scored a touchdown, forced six turnovers — including five interceptions — and allowed 241 total yards of offense.
Perhaps the biggest play of the game was defensive end Mark Shields’ 15yard interception return for a touchdown to give the Lions a 22-7 lead.