Caitlin Prochaska
Caitlin Prochaska Seniors Carter Hellenbrand (#69) and Sam Decorah (#9) take down the ball carrier during the Warrior’s 35-0 victory over the Stoughton Vikings.
The high school football season heated up over the weekend, with Madison Memorial surging past previously unbeaten Middleton on the foot of junior kicker Karl Hummel — whose field goal with three seconds left lifted the Spartans and first-year head coach Adam Smith to a 31-28 win on the Cardinals’ home turf at Breitenbach Stadium last Friday.
Wyatt Cook Silvern
Coach Adam Smith of Memorial offers new hope to the Spartans.
Smith arrived at Madison Memorial this season after serving as head coach of the semi-pro Madison Mustangs, and with a 4-2 record, he’s already won more games than former Memorial coach Mike Galindo did all last season.
Jake Ferguson, grandson of UW athletic director Barry Alvarez, plays for Memorial, and Alvarez was on the interview committee that hired Smith. Talk about pressure.
While Middleton and Madison La Follette (which beat Janesville Parker on Friday, 20-3) share the lead in the Big Eight Conference, Madison Memorial may end up being the Big Eight’s big story this season.
Waunakee High School is ranked No. 9 in the state by MaxPreps.com and remained undefeated Friday by blowing out Portage, 63-20. The Warriors led 49-13 at halftime and piled up more than 450 yards of offense.
Monona Grove High School, the only other area team ranked in the state’s top 30, with a 5-1 record, barely escaped Monroe on Friday. A late-game fumble recovery kept a Silver Eagles drive alive and secured the 10-6 win.
With three weeks remaining in the season and the state playoffs scheduled to begin Oct. 23, the Big Eight leaders face a soft schedule, as does Monona Grove. Waunakee, on the other hand, will contend with stiff competition against DeForest (4-3) on Friday and Reedsburg (5-2) on Oct. 9. But if any area team is up for the challenge, it has to be the Warriors. Waunakee has outscored its six opponents this season 241-54, and they are disciplined — committing few turnovers and keeping penalties to a minimum.
That said, they allowed Portage almost 300 yards of total offense last weekend. If Waunakee wants to make a serious run at a sixth state title since 1999, the Warriors will need to play even better football down the stretch. And with teams like Waterford, Waukesha West and Monona Grove likely awaiting Waunakee in the playoffs, things are only going to get tougher.
