FIRST AND GOAL
Four storylines to watch for during the high school football season.
The streak
Muskego, a winner of 37 straight games, is just past halfway toward equaling Kimberly's state-record 70 straight wins. The Warriors are, however, within striking distance of of the other longest winning streaks in state history: Monroe (1990-93) 43 games, Spring Valley (1972-76) and Wausau (1040-46) 46, Stratford (2003-06) 47 and Manitowoc (1984-87) and Waunakee (2009-12) 48.
Parity in the Greater Metro
Picking a favorite in the Greater Metro is nearly impossible this season. We gave Marquette and Germantown the early nod in our preseason rankings, but realistically there isn't much separating those teams and Brookfield Central, Brookfield East, Menomonee Falls and Sussex Hamilton. The conference was senior-heavy last season and the graduation losses were spread throughout those teams. Our fearless prediction is that the conference winner won't got undefeated. Heck, two losses might be good enough for a share of the title this year.
Welcome back MPS
One of the unfortunate effects of the pandemic was that the Milwaukee Public Schools were not able to compete last year. It was the only area district that didn't suit up for the fall or alternate fall (spring) season. The year away was a blow for a conference that despite its struggles to compete outside the league had entertaining and competitive games inside the league. With the year away, it's impossible to predict how play in the league will look. Reestablishing every program and having every team finish the season would mark a successful return to play.
COVID outbreaks
While life appears to have returned to normal compared to last year at this time, we're not home free yet. The pandemic isn't over. In fact, cases of the COVID-19 delta variant virus are growing and some teams have already had to cancel scrimmages or games as a result of outbreaks. The message here is simple: Be careful and continue to strictly follow protocols. An ill-timed outbreak could cost a team dearly. Just look at what happened to Franklin last season.