Thoughts On The WIAA Football Championships

High school football players and fans (Bay Port brought 22 buses down from the Green Bay area!) invaded Madison this past Thursday and Friday for the WIAA Football title games. Champions were crowned in seven divisions, and a few observations from the games I watched.

First and foremost, the big change in offensive philosophy since I started covering prep football in the early 1970's. By and large, most high school quarterbacks can (and will) throw with precision. Long gone are the days of "three yards and a cloud of dust". Oh, sure, there are still programs at schools that will run-run-run to daylight (Edgar in D-7 and Brookfield East in D-2 come to mind).

I watched the D-6 contest between Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs and Eau Claire Regis with interest. I ran across Springs starting in 1972 when, as a college freshman, I was given the Lourdes Academy beat while a sportswriter with the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Springs was coached then by Bob Hyland, who had been on the job two years -- 49 years later, Springs is STILL coached by Bob Hyland.

Yes, 49 years at one school with a Wisconsin-best 478 victories, plus 26 trips to a state football title game. This year, Springs won 7-0 for a third straight title and ninth WIAA overall (out of 12 appearances) since the WIAA absorbed the teams from the WISAA. Hyland took Springs to 14 title games in WISAA, winning another 8 titles there.

This season resulted not only in a state title for the 72-year-old Hyland, but State Coach of The Year honors.

He was coaching a grandson this year, sophomore QB/DE Isaac Hyland, son of 1991 state player of the year Rob Hyland. Says the elder Hyland, "I'm a lot nicer to (Isaac) than I was to my son. He gets away with a lot more, because Grandma would kill me."

In other thoughts

• Stratford, in D-5 entered the game having outscored opponents 649-7 (yes, you read that right!) and led 13-0 before falling 22-13. 
• Deforest knocked off the Menasha Bluejays 8-6 in D-3. Hated the outcome, as Deforest scored with 32 seconds left  and then made the 2-pt. conversion. Felt bad for Menasha, a school I covered back in the day -- they had really dominated most of the way.
• Waunakee lost to Brookfield East in D-2, a wild 32-31 game. Waunakee scored with 8 seconds remaining, but on the PAT kick the ball slid off the tee as the holder was spinning it, and the kicker shanked the attempt. STILL not sure why Coach Pat Rice didn't go for the 2-pt attempt. He wasn't having any real success stopping Brookfield East all day.
• The 8-Man title was won last weekend by Luck, beating Wausau Newman Catholic 42-27 behind Levi Jensen, who rushed 25 times for 432 yards, scored five touchdowns and three two-point conversions. Jensen, a 5-10, 195-pound senior, capped a pretty good campaign for unbeaten Luck -- finishing with 175 carries for 2,321 yards (13.26 average) along with 38 touchdowns and 19 conversions for 266 points.

There are 50 schools now playing 8-Man Football in Wisconsin, with five other programs currently inactive. For those schools seeing shrinking enrollment, and maybe those that lack the co-op opportunity with a nearby school district, this seems to be a growing state trend.

NFL Is Missing The Boat

Every time an NFL player heads to the sideline and into the "tent" for evaluation, I see the league missing an opportunity to make yet more money.

For a league that seems to have every action sponsored by somebody, the NFL has yet to get a sponsors name on the evaluation tent.

May I suggest Budweiser?

And name it the "Bud Light Party Tent".

Maybe I should look into trademark rights? And then get a sweet check from The Shield for it.

Hey, it's gonna snow tonight -- so the mind is wandering a little!

Can The Badgers Keep Jim Leonard?

Now that the unbeaten University of Wisconsin Badgers are top-ranked in the nation defensively, and just posted their fourth shutout of the season, how long will it be before a bigger fish comes along to pile up cash in front of defensive coordinator Jim Leonard?

Leonard will be 37 the end of the month. His defensive approach to football has the Badgers making history (most shutouts in the modern era since 1930!) and headlines. Granted, three of those shutouts came against South Florida, Central Michigan and Kent State -- hardly powerhouse offensive squads.

But Saturday at The Camp, Bucky took the Michigan State Spartans behind the woodshed and stomped on 'em. Giving up just 149 net yards on the day to a Spartan team that had the ball for only 20:50 and forcing a pair of turnovers -- one returned for a touchdown. Take away the 20-yard gain on the fake punt, and Sparty rushed 20 times for 10 yards!

By the way, that's the fourth defensive TD this season for Wisconsin -- which has only allowed four TDs as well.

How good does the defense look?

• has allowed 268 rushing yards, 44.7 per game
• has allowed 129 passing yards per game
• has allowed 173.7 yards per game
• has allowed 3.1 yards per 340 plays
• opposing teams have been successful on third down conversion just 15.66% of the time

Wisconsin, 6-0, is allowing 4.8 points per game. The big tests are ahead with Ohio State, Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota waiting in the wings.

This brings us back to my original thought -- can Wisconsin KEEP Leonard? He's not the highest paid defensive coordinator in the Big Ten, but he's not hurting, either. In 2017 he signed a two-year deal worth $1.25 million -- $300,00 the first year, $325,000 the second. The UW Foundation added $300,000 per year as well.

In comparison, LSU's Dave Aranda (who was at Wisconsin from 2013-2015) was making $1.8 million before getting a nice bump. With Texas A&M in hot pursuit, LSU gave Aranda a four-year, $10 million deal. That works out to $2.5 million a year. In second place is the D-Coordinator from Clemson at $1.7 million.

Shoot, Alabama head coach Nick Saban makes $11 million -- and that doesn't count benefits, like the house 'Bama purchased for him, etc.

So unless Leonard, once a Wisconsin walk-on, gives his alma mater a home town deal, Bucky may not be able to keep the salary wolves at bay.

Just How Good Are The Patriots?

When is an unblemished 6-0 record deceptive?

When it has come against teams that post a combined 7-22 mark -- just 24.14%

That's the problem I have with the New England Patriots this season. Yes, they've scored 190 points (31.67 per game average) and given up just 45 (7.5).

But seriously, WHO have they played? The 0-5 Washington Redskins, the 0-4 New York Jets, the 0-4 Miami Dolphins (a team desperately trying to go winless this season!), the 1-4 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2-4 New York Giants. Hardly a murderer's row.

The only club with a winning record they've faced? The 4-1 Buffalo Bills, a team the Patriots beat 16-10. And in that one, Bills quarterback Josh Allen was knocked out with a concussion, which perhaps taints that a bit.

Granted, you can only play the teams on your schedule. But having the Jets and Dolphins in your division doesn't hurt. Yet playing teams like that week in and week out won't test you.

So, to all those Patriot fans out there --- pump the brakes a little. Yes, your team is unbeaten. But, again, who have they played?

Dear Fox Sports -- Time To Sideline Troy

Perhaps my Green&Gold is showing, but I can't be the only person in America to be tired of Troy Aikman cheerleading for his Dallas Cowboys during Fox broadcasts.

Seriously, can he be even the teenest bit objective? From giving excuses for the Cowboys during Green Bay's 34-24 win to questioning every call that went against Dallas, Aikman was in top form.

Need examples? Green Bay is up 14-0, yet good ol' Troy says that the Dallas offense is having it's way with the Packer defense. Or this gem -- that Green Bay played on a Thursday, giving offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga an extra recovery day, while those poor little Cowboys had to play Sunday night, then travel home.

Boo Hoo.

I've felt like this for a long time, but yesterday just riled me up. Troy may be part of Fox Sports top team (with Joe Buck), but every Cowboys game he is on, his "homer" comes out.

It's time Fox put Aikman on the bench when Dallas is on the field.

Will Brewers Rise From The Ashes?

You have to walk before you can run.

And, before you can reach the mountain top, you gotta struggle a few times. Have your heart broken before you achieve that lofty goal.

That sums up the Milwaukee Brewers' 2019 season. Yes, the team flamed out in somewhat spectacular fashion, with their ace reliever getting tossed around with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and an over-aggressive young outfielder misplaying a single. But Brewer fans should focus on the positives.

As outfielder Christian Yelich suggested after the game, "I think when all the dust settles and you really evaluate the year, we can be proud of a lot of things. I really think we'll be better off for a lot of those experiences."

Yelich, who ended up winning his second straight batting title with a .329 average, went to the Injured List with a fractured kneecap with a crucial three weeks left in the season. Despite losing the defending MVP (contending to repeat there as well), the Brewers went 13-5 down the stretch (and 20-7 in September). Milwaukee narrowly missed catching the division-winning St. Louis Cardinals.

There will be changes ahead for the 2020 Brewers ballclub. Both catcher Yasmani Grandal and thirdbaseman Mike Moustakas have mutual contract options and may not return to the club. Grandal could resign with Milwaukee for $16 million, but will probably hit the free agent market for a long-term (say three year) deal that would probably be north of $50 million. "Moose" could decline an $11 million deal and go free agent as well.

I see Grandal walking away from Milwaukee, but think Moustakas will stay. He likes the club. He likes the city. He likes playing with Yelich and Ryan Braun.

What moves will help the Brewers win the Central Division crown and make the playoffs for a third straight season? Resigning Moustakas, adding a good starting pitcher and getting All-Star closer Corey Knebel back healthy. Ditto Yelich. Oh, and Keston Hiura needs to improve defensively!

Granted, manager Craig Counsell (who should get strong consideration for Manager Of The Year!) will have to adjust to a 28-man down the stretch instead of the 40-man (with 20 pitchers) that he's successfully used the last two seasons to pilot Milwaukee into the post-season.

But as the Brewers celebrate their 50th season in Milwaukee next season, I kind like the team's chances of continuing to build on their success.

Best Wisconsin High School Running Back You Never Heard Of?

Unless you're in the Milwaukee area, the name Nate Valcarcel means nothing to you.

Pity.

This Whitnall senior (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) has run rough-shod over opponents this season. Coming off a 31 carry, 386 yard performance (five touchdowns in a 42-35 loss to Burlington), Valcarcel has run for 1,282 yards and 19 touchdowns in five games. Whitnall is a member of the Woodland East Conference.

Heck, he's AVERAGING 256.4 yards a game.

Pretty amazing. Is the single season record in sight? That was set in 2001 by Adrian Davis of Kenosha St. Joseph -- 3,422 yards.

On another state front, saw that Westfield has pulled the plug on it's high school football season, citing low numbers. After forfeiting to Adams-Friendship last week (recorded as a 1-0 A-F win), Westfield will finish the season forfeiting to Black River Falls, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau & Mauston. Looks like Westfield is yet another candidate to become a co-op team.

Baseball's Changing Times & Milwaukee's Playoff Chances

Hard to ignore the job that Milwaukee Brewers have done so far in September.

After all, a team that goes 15-3, posts an MLB-leading 2.81 ERA and a batting average of .202 is pretty impressive. Give the credit to Manager Craig Counsell for managing that pitching staff accordingly.

All this, mind you, with reigning MVP Christian Yelich on the shelf with an injury.

But pump the breaks a little as well. As of Sept. 1, teams again expanded their rosters from 25 to 40. That bumped up the Brewer staff to 20 -- plus Injured List players Corey Knebel and Bobby Wahl. This on the heels of the trade deadline moving UP from Aug. 31 to July 31.

This won't happen next year. Then, MLB will only expand rosters to 28. While that's the case, I think the baseball powers-that-be will adjust that trade deadline. This year, teams were left handcuffed by the early deadline, a terrible decision.

As I write this, the Brewers are in Cincinnati following their first off-day in 18 games. The club has three games with the Reds, then heads to Colorado to finish the season with three against the Rockies. Milwaukee currently trails Washington by a half-game for the top Wild Card playoff spot, and the Central Division-leading St. Louis Cardinals by three and a half.

The Cardinals have two more games in Arizona following a 9-7 win Monday over the D-Backs. St. Louis will then host Chicago's Cubs to finish the year with three games.

Washington, meanwhile, has five games against Philadelphia, including a double-header today (the Phillies still have an out-side shot at the playoffs) and the Cleveland Indians (also chasing that second Wild Card spot in the AL).

I don't think the Brewers can run down St. Louis. But, stranger things have happened. As it is, I do see the Crew grabbing that home field in the Wild Card game, which plays well for Counsell's pitching staff.

Net Time For MLB Ballparks

Why?

Why has it taken so long for Major League Baseball to recognize a safety issue and address it?

Granted, this is NOT mandated by MLB, but more and more ball clubs are extending the protective netting in front of fans. The Milwaukee Brewers among them.

Several years ago, MLB pushed it's members to extend the netting to include the dugouts. Now, many teams are taking that a step farther. Some have taken the netting all the way to the left- and right-field foul poles. Sounds like Milwaukee is following suit.

Early in the season, there were several fans injured by foul balls -- including children. Last year, a fan attending a Los Angeles Dodger game was killed. Seems like every season there's a number of fans struck, some injured seriously.

Any question WHY baseball needs to protect fans? You hear talk of "exit velocity" and "lift" along with more and more pitchers that can touch 98 to 100+ on the radar gun. Heck, Milwaukee's MVP Christian Yelich fouled a ball off his right kneecap and fractured it for a season-ending injury.

Let's face it, are the majority of those fans in the stands capable of reacting to a screaming foul ball? Probably not. At the games I've attended the last few years, especially so this season, there's a growing number of fans staring at their cell phones, not at the action on the field.

And please, please, please DON'T give me the "it takes away from the experience and the chance for a foul ball keepsake" -- or for pre-game autographs from players. If that's argument, I'm sure they can figure out a way to lower the screens early and raise them for the game. And the netting won't keep fans from chances at those pop-up foul balls.

I've read where, in Japan, the netting has extended to the foul poles for years. No problems or complaints there, where folks put the "fanatic" in fan.

I've sat down behind the screen a time or two at Miller Park. After the first couple of batters, didn't even take notice of the barrier. But was sure glad it was there to stop a screaming foul drive.

ATTENDANCE WAS UP for the Brewers by 72,458 from 2018. Sunday's home finale was the 20th sellout of the season (that's 24.69% of home games). The team finished with 2,923,333 fans for the season. An amazing total for a small market -- thanks to state-wide support AND that retractable roof.

Taking a shot at the NBA

When the starting players in the National Basketball Association take a night off for "load management" purposes, it's always a road game.

Never mind that this may be the only time that, say, LeBron James comes to town -- and his presence has sold a lot of tickets.

Nope. The hell with the fans. Super Star X ain't gonna play. If a marque player is injured, that's one thing. But taking the night off for load management is another.

Need a solution, NBA? Require those stars to play on the road IF it is the team's only appearance in a given city. Need a night off? Sit out at home...

Just food for thought as the NBA season nears.