Cream of the crop
Muskego knocks off Kimberly to claim crown
MADISON – The finish was oh-so-fitting for Muskego.
The Warriors football program under coach Ken Krause has been about earning respect and climbing the ladder in arguably the state’s toughest conference, the Classic 8. With three titles in the past five seasons, consider that mission accomplished.
Friday, they shattered the glass ceiling of the state’s football hierarchy.
If there is a program synonymous with success in Wisconsin right now, it’s Kimberly, but in the Division 1 state final Friday at Camp Randall Stadium, the Papermakers relinquished the throne.
The Warriors defeated the four-time defending champion and winner of five straight titles overall, 24-21, with the help of some big runs from sophomore Alex Current and senior John Reiske, timely stops in the second half and a clock-eating 4-minute 49-second to end the game.
“Imagine it? Oh, I dreamed of this every night,” Reiske said. “Did I think it was real? It was a dream and it’s a dream come true. I’m so happy. It doesn’t seem real.”
Current’s 27-yard run with 11 minutes 42 seconds left provided Muskego (14-0) with winning points and capped a day of big runs for the Warriors.
That score was the shortest of their three touchdowns. Current’s 74-yard run with 53 seconds left in the first quarter tied the game, 7-7. Reiske’s 45yard touchdown with 2:04 remaining in the first half gave the Warriors a 17-14 lead.
And with 4 minutes 49 seconds left, Muskego took possession with Kimberly 47 and ran it eight straight times, picking up three first downs, before eat-
ing enough clock to finish the game with two snaps out of the victory formation.
Current (7 for 127) and Reiske (16 for 112) reached the century mark for rushing yards. Senior RJ Bosshart added 74 yards in 11 carries and twice beat defenders one on one on third-down plays to move the chains on that final drive.
For a team built to run that ball as much as Muskego, it was an ideal spot to be.
“We have a year-round lifting program,” Krause said. “We start it with sixth grade with our kids. … It’s shown all year. We’ve had a lot of second half drives on teams. It’s fitting we had that drive to finish the game.”
The win capped a big day for the Classic 8, which also got a state championship from Catholic Memorial in Division 3. It also capped a game filled with twist and what-might-have-been moments.
Here are a couple:
❚ What if Kimberly’s Zach Lechnir could have stayed in bounds at the end of the first half when he nearly caught a 9-yard touchdown pass? The Papermakers could have taken a 21-17 lead into the half instead of trailing, 17-14.
❚ What if Muskego didn’t cough up the ball? Kimberly turned both Warriors turnovers into touchdowns. It got a 4yard touchdown from sophomore Caleb Frazer with 1:12 left in the first quarter after an interception by senior AJ Makinen. It turned a fumble by Reiske to open the second half into a 21-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass from senior Cody Staerkel to junior Conner Wnek 21⁄2 minutes into the third quarter.
❚ What
if the Papermakers
didn’t snap the ball over the punter’s head late in the third quarter, a mistake that set up Muskego at the Kimberly 27 and led directly to Current’s 27-yard touchdown run, the winning score.
“Our greatest strength all year has been positivity,” senior linebacker Mitch Borkevec said. “When something bad happens, we stay positive and we always come back.”
The positive vibes had to be flowing through the defense. Containing Kimberly and the most prolific passing game in the state was a chore, but after an early second-half touchdown the Warriors didn’t allow a point.
The first of those drives ended for Kimberly with a bad snap on a punt. On the second junior Richard Wauer’s hit on Staekel led to an interception by Borkevec at the Muskego 30. On the third, the Warriors forced a three-and-out with just under 5 minutes to play.
Kimberly didn’t get the ball the rest of the night.
Muskego’s climb up the ranks was complete.
“We beat Arrowhead, Mukwonago, CMH. We beat all the big dogs this year. Franklin, Marquette, (Waukesha) West, Mukwonago,” Krause said. “Catholic Memorial won the state championship today, so we told our kids we’ve beaten a lot of state champs over the last 10-12 years. This is just the next team up north. Our kids believed and felt confident.”