SPRING PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW
It's the first week of spring, and yes it's time for some football.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association's alternate fall season for football kicks off Friday in the Milwaukee area. Thirteen teams will play up to seven games with the last day of competition on May 8.
Area teams have been primarily split into two conferences, the Woodland Grey and the Woodland Red, although there is also East Troy in the Rock Valley .
The Woodland teams will play a fivegame division schedule followed by two crossover games.
What will spring football look like? Who are the players and teams to watch? Here is your primer.
Three things to watch
In the fall season, roughly a quarter of scheduled games were not played, mostly due to teams dealing with COVID-19 cases or too many players out after close contact with someone who tested positive. Will there be fewer games called off this spring or will teams be dealing with the same problems? So far, two Week 1 games have been canceled, but they likely won't be the last.
Cancellations and postponements:
Roaring Panthers:
Greendale figured to be one of the top Division 2 teams in the fall before the season was flipped upside-down by the coronavirus pandemic. The Panthers have five returning first-team all-conference members, as well as eight starters on offense and six on defense, from a team that went 6-4 overall last season. They will be particularly strong up front, with seniors Evan Taft, Will Vaile and Zach Hamilton on the offensive line. Can anyone challenge the Panthers during the abbreviated spring season?
Are there any advantages to spring ball?:
This question we won't be able to answer until after the 2021 fall season is wrapped up, but coaches of teams partaking in the alternate season are hopeful of the possible benefits of playing in the spring. The turnaround is much shorter, with only three months until the beginning of fall practices following the final week of the alternate season in the spring. Success could build momentum in a program that energizes athletes and increases program numbers in the fall.
The starting five
What are the top teams this spring? Here is our first stab at answering that question.
1. Greendale:
You win with seniors, and the Panthers not only have a quality group but a large one itching to improve on last season's 6-4 record.
The Hawks also know about strong senior classes. They've got 15 returning starters ready to make amends for a 3-6 campaign in 2019.
Explosiveness at the skill positions and experience in the back seven on defense will make the Falcons a contender for a second straight Woodland title.
2. Greenfield:
3. Whitnall:
4. Racine Horlick:
5. West Allis Hale:
Jalonnie Williams, sr., DE, Greenfield:
West Allis Hale senior Noah Choat runs a drill during the first day of spring football practice at the school March 8. SCOTT ASH / NOW NEWS GROUP
The first couple of weeks will be telling for the Rebels, who have a strong sophomore class poised to make an impact at the varsity level.
Hale is definitely a sleeper, but we believe in the Huskies. The team went 1-9 in 2019, but with 17 returning starters that have the experience of playing in the rugged Greater Metro, the team could make a big jump. than Barbian, who has 3,686 yards passing. He completed a careerbest 53.4% of his passes for 1,726 yards and 15 touchdowns with three interceptions as a junior.
After earning all-Woodland West distinction last season as a center, Vaile makes the switch to tight end where he could become a key target in an offense replacing its top three receivers from 2019.
After playing behind all-state performer Nate Valcarcel, Dorow is poised to be the Falcons' No. 1 ball carrier this spring. He ran for 665 yards and 11 touchdowns on 105 carries as a junior.
An all-Woodland East performer on both sides of the ball, Boyko could be especially dynamic on offense. He had 848 yards rushing and receiving with an average of 7.5 yards per touch last season.
With Brust under center, the Panthers averaged almost 31 points per game last season. He completed 63.2% of his passes for 864 yards and six touchdowns.
Emmitt Hawkins and Zac Zeznanski, sr., WR, Cudahy: The tandem is one reason for hope in Packers country. The two combined for 79 catches for 1,172 yards, an average of 14.8 yards per catch, last season.
Skylar Gill-Howard, sr., LB, Greenfield: The two-time all-Woodland East pick is another reason to fear the Hawks' defense. An all-district selection as a junior, he finished with 84 tackles, 38 solo, with nine tackles for a loss and four sacks.
Connor Suszek, sr., LB/WR, South Milwaukee: There might not be a more active defensive player in the area. He notched 104 tackles, 45 solo, last season.
Burning questions
A look at every area team.
Will the Falcons be rewarded for their largest senior class in what coach Rob Green says is six or seven years? Keeping seniors engaged in the sport when victories have been hard to come by isn't easy, but with 13 seniors the Falcons have a legitimate shot of their best season since when Zack Baun last suited up for the team in 2014.
Can Bryce Barbian maintain his efficiency? The four-year starting quarterback improved his play as a junior by taking much better care of the ball. Barbian threw for 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions in 2019 after 15 scores and 13 picks over his first two years. Upholding that efficiency will be key for the Packers offense.
How far can the ground game take the Trojans? With standout quarterback Mac Dudkiewicz lost to graduation, East Troy will rely on the run game to remain competitive in the Rock Valley and ease the transition to first-year head coach Steve Collins.
How do the Panthers younger classes develop? Greendale's senior class is both deep and talented.
Had there been a typical fall season, the Panthers likely would have made a deep playoff run. While the seniors gets to finish off their careers with a season that had been in doubt, will the team's top sophomores and juniors gain the experience that can make Greendale a contender in the upcoming fall seasons?
Greenfield: What is the answer at quarterback? The Hawks have 10 returning starters on offense and eight on defense. The lone offensive position without a returning starter is quarterback, where junior JC Compton is expected to step in.
Milwaukee Lutheran: Can Kaleb Daniel continue his big-play ways? The senior takes over at quarterback after leading the Red Knights with 670 yards rushing and receiving last season. Now he'll touch the ball every snap. That should mean good things for Lutheran.
What can the Popes accomplish with a veteran offensive line? The unit led by seniors Neko Toporsh and Jesse Zarate is the strongest of coach Kyle Henry's four years in the program. With strong-armed senior quarterback Gabe Zeilinski guiding the offense, optimism reigns in Popes country.
The Eagles qualified for the playoffs last season for the first time since 1997. Can they finish above .500 this year? The team must replace a strong senior class, but it has a shot against the rebuilding programs of the Woodland Red.
Will the Rebels' youth serve the competition? Like many teams, the pandemic and change of season has hurt senior numbers. Horlick has just five, which has opened the door for the team's talented sophomores to take on meaningful roles. Eight will start on offense, including Blake Fletcher, the returning No. 1 quarterback.
Racine Park: How will Trey Kelley transition to quarterback? The Panthers senior was an all-conference receiver who averaged 16 yards per catch last season. This year he takes his big-play potential to quarterback where he could help Morris Masten's first year as head coach a success.
Will Vaile, jr., TE-LB, Greendale:
Ryan Dorow, sr., RB, Whitnall:
Alex Boyko, sr., RB/DB, Greenfield:
Will Brust, sr., QB, Greendale:
Brown Deer:
Cudahy:
East Troy:
Greendale:
Shorewood/Messmer:
Two years ago Messwood won the Woodland East title. Last year it slipped to 2-7. How far into the rebuild will the Greyhounds get?
Where does the offensive production come from? The Rockets return four all-conference players on defense, but just one on offense. They graduated a first team offensive lineman and running back, as well as honorable mention quarterback and utility player.
South Milwaukee:
West Allis Central:
The Bulldogs have a new coach, large freshman and sophomore classes and general sense of enthusiasm during the first couple of weeks of practice. How quickly can they jump start the rebuild with on-the-field results? The alternate season could hasten the process as the Bulldogs are placed with a handful of rebuilding program in the Woodland Red.
How do the Huskies adjust to not being in the Greater Metro? The Huskies struggled to find their footing in the difficult GMC and have not qualified for the playoffs since 2008. They find themselves in the Woodland Grey with the likes of Cudahy, Greendale, Greenfield, South Milwaukee and Whitnall. The change of scenery could benefit Hale.
How do the Falcons replace the trenches and their star running back? Whitnall is filled with talented skill position players on both sides of the ball but has to replace all its starters on both lines. They also no longer have two-way standout Nate Valcarcel, who as a senior led the state in rushing before getting injured in the regular season finale last year. He also started at safety.
West Allis Hale:
Whitnall: