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That's A Wrap!
R. A. Mattrisch - 2/19/12

Well, folks, with the conclusion of the Super Bowl, it's hard to believe that another football season has come and gone. It seems the older I get the faster they fly bye. None the less, rest assured that there will be another one coming right around the corner.

This year proved interesting for all of the football teams we follow here in Greendale. First we had our beloved Panthers who enjoyed another successful regular season capturing the Woodland Black Conference Championship with an undefeated season only to fall in the first round of the playoffs. Then we had the Wisconsin Badgers almost do the same thing but they fell in the Rose Bowl to a very quick Oregon team. Then of course there are our Packers. They too just about ran the table but they laid a surprising egg in their first playoff game. So I asked myself, "What happened?" On paper everyone should have won-right? In discussing these events with the local armchair football professionals, the answers all sounded the same. Filling the wins column with wins is always a good thing but when it comes to the moment to shine, you better be playing your best ball because all of the wins up to that point don't mean a thing anymore. In other words, it's not about your record, it's about who's playing the best football when it counts.

Oh well, no use crying about it anymore because it's all over with. While I am sad that things didn't turn out the way I would have liked, I have to remind myself that football is just a silly game with silly rules. Now if I could just figure out why I'm depressed right now, I would be fine!

Don't worry ball fans, before you know it, we'll be back for yet another football season. First we have to deal with the winter season, the spring season, the summer season, then comes the football season. Notice I didn't say the fall season? That was intentional because someone must have made a mistake way back when they were naming the different seasons.

Enough of the gibberish. It's time to talk about my Greendale guys. They are the ones that are nearest and dearest to my heart.

How about them Freshmen! After a bumpy start, they managed to get it together and finished with a 5-3 record. This bumpy start is very typical at the freshmen level only because this is the first time they are being exposed to the "West Stoltz" offense. The learning curve is huge to say the least but once they get it, it's lethal. That kind of explains the rather lopsided scores they won by as the season progressed. I had the joy of watching everyone of their games and I could see the confidents building as each game rolled by. There are a lot of players that will be exciting to watch as their careers unfold. The one single thing that was obvious to me were the number of players standing on each side line during the games. It was kind of bitter sweet though. It was sweet because Greendale was well stocked, which indicates where the program stands and what direction it was heading. It was someone bitter because the other team's program seems to be slipping away. All I can hope for is that this was a fluke this year and that the other programs will start to pick it up real quick. The freshmen squad also took on a few different faces that were blowing the whistles. Long time offensive guru Jermaine Murry was reassigned the offensive coordinator spot replacing Steve Stoltz who is no longer able to coach because of his job commitment. Another brand new face also joined Head Coach Chris Muench's staff. His name should be familiar to Panther fans for it is Lucas Pohlmann who played for Greendale several years ago. He was in charge of the defensive side of the ball replacing Greg Koch who moved up to the varsity to replace Scott Bond who took the plunge into the college ranks as an offensive line coach for Concordia College.

How about them Varsity Reserves! These guys did it again! In fact they seem to be making a habit of it as they once again took the top honors in the Woodland Black Conference with a record of 8-1. Under the tutelage of Head Coach Keith Ringelberg, these guys pretty much dominated all of the games with the exception of the Greenfield game who seemed to have brought a heavy dose of their upper classmen with them. The Panther's reserve team was blessed with an abundance of talented players at the skilled positions. I don't think there will be any shortage there anytime soon. Linemen, however might be a different story because the varsity has been blessed with some monsters as of late so hopefully the returning linemen will make it a point to get big and tall during the off season. It was very exciting to watch these guys because I knew dog gone well that they are coming back next season hopefully faster, bigger, and stronger. You know what that means-right? It means that the varsity will be in a good position to pick up right where they left off this year. The numbers were also good there as well. Coaching with Ringelberg were Tim Gavinski, Matt Susek, with help from Rob La Plant and Jermaine Murry.

The 2011 Seniors

What about them Varsity guys! Everyone knew that this was going to be an interesting year because the big question was going to be the defense. Greendale lost a lot of players on defense, which meant that there would be a bunch of untested players stepping in to fill the holes. The secondary was the biggest issue. Slowly but surly, a few guys started stepping up and soon the positions were filled. The line backing core though thin was set so that would be OK. The defensive line would also need a few guys to step which eventually happened. The offense was in pretty good shape going in. The biggest problem, however, was depth. This is very important to have especially towards the end of the season. Injuries, which is just a part of the game can mount by then so if you don't have the depth, this could prove costly. Needless to say, those of you that were following Greendale through the season saw that they picked up some major injuries which eventually caught up with them at playoff time. They did finish with a second consecutive conference championship posting a perfect undefeated season at 8-0. As for the suspect defense, that never became an issue as they only allowed a total of 85 points total for all 10 games. For high school, that's incredible. The offensive put up a total of 325 points for the season which is also incredible. That combination will usually get you a conference championship. As what typically happens in high school, this will change for next season. The seniors are now gone and it will be up to the upcoming players to step in and see if they can keep Greendale's 14 conference game winning streak alive. As for the seniors, thank you all for putting in the time and making the team what it was. Good luck to all of you in your future endeavors. You will be missed! Coaching the varsity this year was of course Head Coach Rob Stoltz. Assisting him was Gary Jagodzinski, Keith Ringelberg, Greg Koch, Tim Gavinski, Matt Susek, and new comers Mike Picciolo, Rob La Plante, and Jim Pekar.

Rodney Mattrisch
GPTC Website Manager

This pretty much does it for now. Once again this website will go silent and rest for a while. The good thing is that you can always relive what has happened in the past through the articles, pictures and videos posted on this site. We'll post any news that maybe of interest during the offseason but otherwise you'll all have to wait until the next season begins.

One thing that is always hoped for is that we can continue to support all of the high school football programs. In order to do that, we need the support of all of the parents, fans, and alumni. Please keep that in mind because we are a part of one of the best high school football programs in the state and we along with you would love to keep that going. After all, it's fun to be a part of something successful and as positive as Greendale high school football.

With that, on behalf of Chuck Cairns and Chris Ksobiech, who help me with all of the media coverage here on the website, and all of the members of the Greendale Panther Touchdown Club, we would like to thank you for all of your support and we'll see you all next season in the stands.

Rodney,
GPTC Website Manager

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The 2012 Varsity Schedule