Waukesha West, Hale lead Week 3 football takeaways
WAUKESHA - Don't count out Waukesha West just yet.
Better yet, don't do it at all.
The Wolverines uncharacteristically dropped their first two games of the season, but seemed to find their groove Friday night against upstart Oconomowoc as conference play kicked off across the state.
West's woes that plagued them defensively were largely absent and the offense was its familiar relentless machine in a 42-17 win.
After allowing 40 points to Hartford in Week 1 and then 46 to Wauwatosa West, the Wolverines held the previously-unbeaten Raccoons to less than 300 total yards and forced two timely second-half turnovers.
The offense, meanwhile, was explosive for West.
Quarterback Brady Foster scored on a 74-yard run late in the first half after Oconomowoc had just cut the deficit to 13-7. On the team's first drive of the second half, Foster found Ben Cook on a deep pass for a 40-yard score to make it 28-17.
To cap things, midway through the fourth quarter, Ryan Paar extended the lead to 35-17 and sealed the win with a 70-yard run.
The Raccoons had been dominant in their first two games of the season and were looking to make a big early-season splash, but ran into a silver-and-blue wall most of the evening.
It was the kind of win that reminded the rest of the Classic 8 that Waukesha West isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
West Allis Hale making big progress
It was just over a month ago that West Allis Hale found itself in a precarious situation when head coach Scott Flood resigned days before the start of the season. Flash forward to Friday night and interim head coach Scott Pritzl's Huskies are suddenly flying as high as they have been in recent memory. Hale improved to 2-1 by defeating one of the Greater Metro Conference's perennial contenders, Brookfield Central, 21-14.
Ty Clark's 43-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter gave the Huskies a lead. On their next drive, Zach Drake's plunge from the one-yard line all but sealed the deal.
The win was no fluke, either. Hale outgained the Lancers by more than 200 yards of offense and ran nearly twice as many plays. A handful of turnovers hindered the Huskies, but their defense held serve time and time again.
The win marked major progress in not only the past month, but even the past two weeks for Hale; in a Week 1 loss to Wauwatosa East, it allowed 62 points.
The Huskies have plenty of work ahead if they are to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2008, but, with a forfeit win over West Allis Central already locked in, they find themselves two wins away from doing so.
Catholic Memorial's ‘D' superb
Stop me if you've heard this before:
Catholic Memorial's defense could be a problem for opponents.
The Crusaders shut out New Berlin Eisenhower in a 53-0 win, improving to 3-0 in the process. The Memorial defense has allowed only one touchdown in the first half through its three games and has also given up just one score in its last eight quarters. That was a last-minute touchdown by Antioch (IL) in a 44-8 game last week.
The Lions rushed for just 12 yards on 31 attempts Friday night with their longest rush going for eight yards.
Memorial has another favorable matchup next week against New Berlin West before the competition heats up with Pewaukee and Wauwatosa West in consecutive weeks.
Muskego-Mukwonago showdown is on
The stage is set.
With wins in Week 3, both Muskego and Mukwonago will be undefeated heading into their blockbuster showdown next Friday.
The Warriors are ranked No. 2 in the area by the Journal Sentinel and are winners of 40 straight. Mukwonago is one spot behind at No. 3.
While Muskego's closest call during its winning streak was a one-point victory over Catholic Memorial where the defense stopped a game-winning twopoint conversion attempt, Mukwonago has been its most consistent challenge. The average margin of victory for Muskego in the four matchups since 2018 is 15.5, which, while not a nailbiter of a number, is closer than what any other Classic 8 foe has been able to do.
Wauwatosa teams scoring at will
Good luck finding a municipality with better offense anywhere in Wisconsin than Wauwatosa, where the city's two schools are racking up the points in the early going.
Wauwatosa East, in improving to 2-1, scored 38 points in a defeat of Milwaukee Lutheran and actually recorded its lowest point total of the year. This season, the Red Raiders are averaging 46.3 points per game.
Wauwatosa West, meanwhile, is on a pace unmatched by any team in the state. After scoring 60 and 46, respectively, in impressive wins over West De Pere and Waukesha West, the Trojans defeated Pius XI, 90-8. They are now averaging 65.3 points.
The two rivals face off in Week 5.