Where Have The High Schools Gone?

 In a previous life, as a sportswriter with the Oshkosh Northwestern, I got acquainted with the newspaper's agate page. Well, addicted is more like it. I enjoyed scanning through the long list of type, looking for scores from schools I followed.

Those of you who still read newspapers (physical or on-line) know the agate page. Maybe not by name, but by sight. It's the page in the paper that carries the smaller type -- scores, standings, soccer, golf and NASCAR lists, etc. Pretty much a hodge-podge of information. It used to carry a long strip of high school scores (football and basketball) that wrapped up the entire state., but this is long before the internet.

The Wisconsin State Journal no longer carries those high school results. And while I'm far removed from those sportswriter days, I am still addicted to looking over the state's scores, following schools I am familiar with. I fill that addiction now via a Wisconsin High School Sports website. Sometimes the scores carry full results (scoring plays, yardage, etc.) and others just the score. But it fills the need.

The present high school season is a couple of weeks old, and I noticed something with a couple of  small schools I follow. THEY AREN'T PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ANYMORE!

Well, at least not at a varsity level. Their varsity schedule has been cancelled, and I've learned they are only playing JV due to a lack of numbers. Other small schools are opting to co-op with nearby districts. I keep wondering when Wild Rose will do this with my alma mater, Wautoma, for example.

Still others are going the 8-man football route. This is an especially popular move in the northern half of Wisconsin. Better for costs and roster sizes.

I quizzed a long-time friend in Eagle River, where Northland Pines High School had cancelled it's varsity football season, as to what was up.

"We just don't have the numbers," he said. "When my girls were in school, enrollment was around 800. Now it's nearly half that. We get retirees moving in, and that doesn't help the numbers. We're starting to see younger families with kids moving in. But interest in soccer has grown, and that takes the fast kids away from football. So we're playing a JV schedule and hoping for the best."

Am sure what is playing out in Eagle River and Wild Rose is happening all across Wisconsin. Not necessarily a trend I'm happy to see.

The Green Bay Packers get their regular season going on Sunday down at Chicago against Da Bears. Some of the Las Vegas lines have put Packer wins at 7 1/2. I'll bet the over on that one, as I think Jordan Love and Company will surprise fans, especially as the season continues and the team grows together.

Every fan I've spoken with over the past few months is optimistic AND excited. Let's hope patience factors in as well.

Speaking of the Packers, noticed going through one of the NFL magazines I pick up that most professional coaching staffs number anywhere from 26 to 28 members. That's a lot of specialty coaches for teams that number 70 (53 regular roster, another 17 on the practice squad.

Back with the 1961 Packers, the 11-3 NFL champs (shutting out the New York Giants, 37-0), the 40-man roster was coached by Vince Lombardi and four (count 'em four) assistants! There was a defensive coordinator (Phil Bengston, who succeeded Lombardi as head coach), plus coaches for the defensive backs, defensive line and offensive line.

By the 6-8 1970 squad, rosters had grown to 47, but still had just four assistant coaches.

Just proves what a big, BIG business professional football has become.

Back at the end of March, I predicted 90 wins for the Milwaukee Brewers. Many thought I was insane. But here we are with 23 games to play and the BrewCrew stands at 77 wins, just a game and two games in front of the Chicago Cubs.

Milwaukee has a fairly tough schedule left: three games with the New York Yankees and Washington, seven with Miami and St. Louis before wrapping the season with three home games with the Cubs. In fact, The Brewers have 13 home games remaining, including their final six.

Meanwhile, those pesky Cubbies have six with Arizona, seven with Colorado, three with Atlanta and the three at Milwaukee. Only 10 of the final 24 are in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

Thinking that the Brewers will win the division and secure three Wild Card playoff games at home, while Chicago qualifies as a wild card. In fact, division foe Cincinnati could also snag a wild card spot.