Freshman   

One Of Those Days
R. A. Mattrisch 10/9/08

We all get up in the mornings not knowing what's in store for us each day. The goal is to have an eventful and productive day. In other words, a good day! If every day was like that we would always be happy. The one thing you hope doesn't happen to you is having one of those dreaded bad days. Those are the kind of days where nothing seems to turn out right. Everything you do maybe crashes and burns or you are always hearing bad news. In a sick demented way, you almost need one of those days once in a while, because then how would you tell if you were having a good day? Well, the Greendale Panther Freshman football team had one of those bad days this past Thursday night as they fell victim to the New Berlin Eisenhower Lions by a score of 37-14. As remarkable as it seems, this loss was the first loss to a high school Panther football team this year, which is very rare, especially with less than two weeks to go in the season. It's just a reminder as to how strong the entire program is. In the end, however, it was lack of execution, turnovers, and an uninspired defensive performance that did them in. It was just a bad day!

The Panthers would kick to start the game. Eisenhower would start rolling down the field primarily running between the tackles. They managed to get to the Greendale 6-yard line in 8-plays before they fumbled of which Sam Brick would recover for the Panthers.

Greendale would now start deep in a hole. Making use of their spread offense, they crawled their way to midfield before being forced to punt. That kick would make it to the end zone so Ike would take over on their 20-yard line.

Seven plays later, the Lions would cross the goal line from 1-yard out for the game's first score. They went for the 2-point conversion and converted making the score 8-0 with 2:05 remaining in the 1st quarter.

Greendale would start their next drive after the ensuing kick from their 33-yard line. They put a 15-play drive together only to give it up on downs at the Eisenhower 21-yard line.

The Panther defense seemed to show a little life as they forced Ike to punt after going 3 and out.

After a poor punt, Greendale would now bring their offense out and set up shop on the Lion's 37-yard line. Two plays later, Sebastian Garcia-Bakowski would take a hand off and scoot 27-yards for Greendale's first score of the night. The try for 2-points failed making the score 8-6 in favor of Ike with 4:04 now left in the 1st half.

On the ensuing kickoff, Ike would get a good return and would start from midfield. Then disaster struck for the Panthers as one of Eisenhower's running backs ran around the left end and scored on a 52-yard run. The point after kick was good making the score 15-6 in favor of Ike with 3:14 left in the half.

Greendale would try to answer that but were intercepted as Greendale's quarter back Brett Nethery threw an interception after only 4-plays. Eisenhower would run just 2 plays before the 1st half came to an end.

The Panthers would get the ball to start the 2nd half. They managed 4-plays before rolling the dice on a 4th and 1 in their end of the field but came up short. Ike would now have a short field starting from Greendale's 34-yard line.

Five plays later, Ike found the end zone again with a 2-yard run. The point after try was good increasing their lead to 22-6 with 6:47 left in the 3rd.

Greendale's struggling offense would be forced to punt after going 3 and out.

Ike would take over on their own 16-yard line and put a 10-play scoring drive together as they would run it it from 3-yards out. They lined up for a 2-point try after there was an offside penalty for the extra point and converted - blowing the game wide open by a score of 30-6 with 1:39 still left in the 3rd quarter.

Greendale would get the ball and start from their 34-yard line, but they were intercepted on the very first play thus giving Ike another short field to work with.

Three plays later, Ike would score on a reverse from 24-yards out making the score 37-6 with just :05 seconds left in the 3rd.

Greendale would take the ensuing kick and start from their own 30-yard line. Nine plays later, they would find the end zone as Nether would scamper up the middle for a 16-yard touchdown run. Greendale's Evan Just would take the hand off and make it to the end zone for the 2-point conversion. The score was now 37-14 with 6:32 remaining in the game.

Greendale would try an on-side kick but failed to get the ball thus giving it to Ike on their own 48-yard line. The Panthers forced them to punt after going 3 and out.

Greendale would take possession on their 43-yard line but were intercepted again after just 3-plays.

Ike would run 8-plays before the game clock finally ran out.

The final score would be 37-14. As amazing as this is, this was the first loss this year on the new turf with only two weeks remaining in the season. Greendale's Freshman record now drops to 4-1 for the year. They will play the Brown Deer Falcons next week at home. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30pm.

Photos by Rodney Mattrisch

Varsity Reserve   

The Will To Win!
R. A. Mattrisch 10/6/08

For those people that don't understand what the term "Will To Win" means, all you would have had to do was watch Greendale's Varsity Reserve team play Monday night and you would know. On a side note, you would have had to made sure that you were in good health too, because this game would have tested your ticker. Did the bleacher seats have backs on them? Nope! That's OK because you wouldn't have needed them anyway. Everyone that was there was sitting on the edge of their seats all night long.

The Panthers made the trip west to play the New Berlin Eisenhower Lions and when it was all said and done, they came out victorious by a score of 14-13 to remain undefeated for the season. This game featured big plays, big hits, and some serious defense by both sides. In the end, it boiled down to whether Eisenhower would go for the tie or the win. They chose to go for the win by going for the 2-point conversion after a late touchdown, but their pass fell incomplete. As a result, they would come up 1-point short.

Greendale would receive first to start the game. The Panthers would set up their spread offense on their 20-yard line. They would put 7-plays together before they were intercepted on Ike's 24-yard line.

Seven plays later, the Lions would score by way of a 13-yard run. The point after try was good making the score 7-0 with 3:50 left in the 1st quarter.

Greendale could have easily felt dismayed by this, but their will was too strong. They would start their next drive on their 36-yard line. They marched down the field in 5-plays to the Eisenhower 30-yard. Then the weirdest play I have ever seen happened. Greendale's quarterback Ernie Valente would drop back to pass and was looking way down field towards his receiver Eric Shuerman, who was covered by a much taller defender. The Eisenhower defender ended up intercepting the ball just inside the end zone as Shuerman fell to the ground. The defender then started running and all of a sudden, he just dropped the ball. Shuerman was in the process of getting up off the ground when he seen the ball rolling around in the end zone. He then quickly crawled over to it like G.I Joe and covered it up for the touchdown. The try for the 2-point conversion failed making the score 7-6 in favor of Ike with 1:10 still left in the 1st quarter.

Eisenhower would take the ensuing kick off and ran 6-plays before they were forced to punt.

Greendale's Dan Wisniewski would grab the ball and returned it to the Panther's 47-yard line. That wasn't before he inflicted his will on a few defenders. Let's just say that you wouldn't want to be standing in front of him when he is running with the ball. Three plays later, Valente would find Jo Jo Sardina running loose in the secondary. After picking up a great block down field by Alex Najera, he would get on his horse and take it to the house for a 54-yard touchdown. The 2-point conversion failed again making the score 12-7 with 7:21 remaining in the 1st half.

Ike would start on their own 34-yard line before the Panthers willed them to punt after 4-plays. The snap was high thus forcing the punter to take more time then he normally would. As a result, the kick was partially blocked giving the Panthers the ball on Ike's 12-yard line. Two plays later, Valente would inadvertently throw his second interception on the night giving the ball back to the Lions on there own 8-yard line. It was here when the will of the Panther's defense would come through again. On Ike's 3rd play, the quarterback dropped back for a pass. He may have dropped back farther than he should have for soon it was raining Panthers on him. With nowhere to hide, he was forced to protect himself and the ball but was on the wrong side of the goal line. As a result, Greendale would collect the 2-points for a safety. The score was now 14-7 with 2:25 left in the 1st half.

On the ensuing free kick, Greendale was forced to punt going 3 and out.

The Lions would now have the ball on their own 20-yard line. Two plays later, Greendale's Even Goyette would intercept the ball and take it to the Lion's 46-yard line. Greendale would manage only 4-plays before the clock went to zeros.

The second half was a little different, as we would see both punters working overtime.

Ike would punt going 3 and out. Greendale would punt after 4-plays. Ike would punt after 9-plays. Greendale would kick going 3 and out again. It wasn't until Eisenhower's first series in the 4th quarter when Goyette of Greendale, inflicted his will again with another big interception. He would return this one 35-yards before being tackled near midfield.

The Panthers would only manage 5-plays before turning the ball over on downs on the Eisenhower 20-yard line.

The Lions would now start this drive with 2:27 left in the game. They strung 15-plays together converting two 4th downs before finally finding the end zone. It appeared that they were going to go for the tie and put the game into overtime, but they then called time out. They must have took a straw poll on their side line for when they came back out onto the field, it was with their offense instead of their extra point team. When the ball was snapped, the quarterback rolled out right looking for someone in the end zone to throw to. That never happened as the ball ended up falling to the ground instead thus coming up short on the scoreboard. Greendale would now hold a 1-point lead with :37 seconds left in the game.

Everyone knew what was coming up next so Greendale would take a time out to set up their hands team for the up and coming onside kick. As the Ike kicker kicked the ball, it would roll to Greendale's Drake Barczak who smothered it to seal the deal. The only formation the offense would need now was their victory formation, as Valente would take a knee to run the clock out to end the game.

Afterwards, an emotional Coach Murry would address the team in tears as he said that he has never been more proud of a team's performance than the one he saw tonight. He told his players that, "With will, you can do anything."

The Varsity Reserve team will now take their 7-0 record over to Brown Deer next week to play the Brown Deer Falcons. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30.

Photos by Rodney Mattrisch

Varsity   

It Was A Special Night!
R. A. Mattrisch 10/3/08

Everyone always talks about the offense and the defense when it comes to football games, but no one ever talks about the special teams. Why? Probably because this team only sees the field 6 or 8 times a game. The thing about special teams is that anything can happen and if it does, it usually results in some kind of game changing event. Well, Greendale had a few of those Friday night as they had back-to-back punt returns for touchdowns for a 37-7 victory over the Cudahy Packers for their 28th consecutive Woodland Conference victory in a row. The Panthers found themselves in the red zone 4 times and failed to score, which is very uncharacteristic of them. The special teams, however, picked up the slack for the win.

Greendale would receive to start the game. They would march almost the entire length of the field but on their 7th play of the drive, quarterback Chris Ridgway would have the ball stripped away from him on the Cudahy 3-yard line. There was a little controversy on this play for it appeared that a rouge whistle blew from somewhere that stopped the play. After the officials discussed the matter, they had no choice but to give it to Cudahy even though the defender who took the ball was still on his feet running. They would place the ball on the 11-yard line.

Cudahy's offense would now take to the field for their first series of the night. They only manages 7-plays before being forced to punt.

The Panthers again would scale the field but on a 4th and 2, Ridgway would slip as he was about to head through a huge hole that was punched opened by his veteran offensive line. He came up short and Cudahy would take over on down on their own 11-yard line.

The Packers took possession and pulled off 6-plays before being forced to kick the ball away.

Greendale would start on a shorter field this time as the offense lined up on the Cudahy 35-yard line. They would run 8-plays before turning the ball over on downs at the Packer's 4-yard line. This was the 3rd time that the Panthers were deep in the red zone and failed to score.

The Panther's defense forced Cudahy to kick after going 3 and out. They would start that drive on the Packer's 48-yard line.

Five plays later, the Panthers would finally hit pay dirt as Ridgway ran it in from 1-yard out. Andrew Brees's extra point kick was good making the score 7-0 with 4:28 remaining in the 1st half.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Cudahy return man would slip and fall on his own 1-yard line. The Packer's offense managed just 4-plays before fumbling the ball. Greendale would recover it and take over on the Packer's 3-yard line.

On the very next play, Ridgway would take it himself as he walked in untouched for the Panther's 2nd TD of the night. Brees's kick was good increasing their lead to 14-0 with 2:08 left in the 1st half.

The Packers would go 3 and out on their next drive and have to punt. As soon as return man Mike Picciolo caught the ball, he was hit hard but still stayed on his feet. After a quick assessment of all of his body parts, he proceeded to start sprinting up the field and to the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown return. The point after try was good moving the score up to 21-0 in favor of the Panthers with 1:29 still left in the 1st half.

Greendale forced the Packers to 3 and out again. This time the punt would come to Greendale's Ben Ericksen. In an attempt to show his buddy Picciolo that he could do it too, he zigzagged his was back and forth before sticking it in high gear up the side line for another 51-yard punt return for a touchdown. Brees would find the uprights making the score 28-0 with :12 seconds left in the 1st half.

Cudahy would run 1-play before the 1st half came to an end.

The Packers would get the ball first to start the 2nd half. They strung 5-plays together before having to kick the ball away.

This time the Panthers were relegated to a rare 3 and out and had to punt the ball back to Cudahy.

The Packers then were forced to punt after 5-plays. On Greendale's first play, running back Jordan Biller, who was having a huge game, coughed up on a rare fumble giving new life back to the Packers with their best field possession of the night.

Three plays later, the Packers would score as running back Abe Sanchez would take it in from 6-yards out. The extra point try was good making the score 28-7 with 6:38 left in the 3rd.

Greendale would start on their 32-yard line after the ensuing kick off. Five plays later, Ridgway would throw an interception giving the ball back to Cudahy on their own 20-yard line. They would put 13-plays together before turning the ball over on downs on Greendale's 17-yard line.

The Panthers would drive deep into Packer territory before Ridgway threw his 2nd interception of the night. That occurred in the end zone so Cudahy would start on their 20-yard line.

The Black Cat's defense backed Cudahy up and forced them to punt after 3-plays. This time the snap sailed over the punters head of which he had no choice but to fall on the ball and take the safety. The score was now 30-7 with 5:11 left in the game.

The Panthers would take the free kick and score 5-plays later as Biller ran it in from 3-yards out capping off a 50-yard drive. Brees's kick was good making the score 37-7 with 3:15 left in the game.

The Cudahy offensive line couldn't handle Greendale up front and were forced to kick after 3-plays again.

Greendale would run 2-plays before fumbling the ball back to the Packers.

Cudahy would run 2-plays and almost scored after being stopped on the Panther's 1-yard line. No one knew exactly how much time was left as the score keeper turned off the scoreboard before the players even finished un-piling from the play. I guess the officials just assumed the game was over and Greendale would come out on top by a score of 37-7.

"I was not very happy with the offense tonight," said Head Coach Rob Stoltz. "You can't be in the red zone that many times and not come away with points. There were too many breakdowns, to many mistakes, and too many turnovers that we need to clean up."

The Panthers will now return home next week, as they will host one of the biggest games in the Woodland Conference this year. They will host the New Berlin Eisenhower Lions who are also undefeated in conference play. This same situation happened last year when these same two teams met. Greendale ended up winning that game in triple overtime by a score of 28-27 in the rain and the mud. Mud won't be an issue this year and if it doesn't rain, everyone will be able to see what both these teams are really made of. Everyone better plan on getting there early, as it is expected to be a packed house. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00.

For game stats, click here.

For game pictures, click here.

For video highlights, click here.

Photos by Chuck Cairns

Freshman   

Cudahy Hits A Golden Brick Wall
R. A. Mattrisch 10/2/08

It's not every game where you will find a football player that can turn everything he touches into gold. It's not the gold you find in Fort Knox. It's not the gold you find in jewelry. It's not the gold you find in fillings. It's the end zone gold. That coveted area that football teams strive to reach. It's that golden 6 points you get after you cross the 'gold' line. Well, Greendale's Sam Brick had one of those nights. When the game was finally over, he caught a 59-yard touchdown pass that was first tipped by a defender and then fell into his hands; he intercepted a ball on defense and returned it for a 70-yard touchdown, and then did it again on the very next series returning that one 51-yards for a touchdown. One could say that he had an OK night.

Actually, he and the rest of his freshman teammates also had a 'Golden' night as the Panthers defeated the Cudahy Packers on the road by a score of 45-28. It was the same old story as the last 3 games. The other team can not stop Greendale's spread offense. It's not just here at the freshmen level, it's all the levels. Yes fans, we are just over the halfway point of the season and all three of the Greendale High School football teams have yet to lose a game. That is truly amazing to say the least! This proves one thing. If you have a solid core of coaches with a solid program in place; a bunch of players with a serious attitude about the sport that are willing to work hard both on and off the field, it can be done.

Greendale would receive the opening kickoff to start the game. It only took 7-plays for the Panthers to travel 65-yards and score as quarterback Brett Nethery would sprint up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown run. He also handles the kicking chores of which was good making the score 7-0 with 6:49 left in the 1st quarter.

Cudahy would start their first drive on their 35-yard line. Three plays later, Greendale's Evan Just would intercept a pass and zigzag his way 59-yards before being dragged down on the Cudahy 1-yard line. Three plays later, Just would find the end zone from 1-yard out for the Panther's 2nd score of the night. The kick was blocked making the score 13-0 with 4:21 still remaining in the 1st quarter.

The Packers offense would line up on their 34-yard line for their next series. The Panthers forced them to punt after 3-plays but Greendale's return man fumbled the ball back to them thus breathing new life into the Cudahy offense. Three plays later, the Packers would score a touchdown on a 2-yard run. They missed the point after thus changing the score to 13-6 with 1:16 left in the 1st.

The Cat's offense would take charge of the ball on their 42-yard line after the ensuing kick. Six plays later, Nethery found wide out Mike Phillips for a 12-yard scoring strike for Greendale's 3rd TD of the night. Nethery's kick was good making the score 20-6 with 8:03 now in the 2nd quarter.

The Packer offense would now come out and start on their own 5-yard line as Greendale pinned them deep on the kick. Here they would put a 15-play scoring drive together as Cudahy completed a 5-yard pass on 4th and goal. The try for 2-points failed making the score 20-12 in favor of the Panthers with :59 seconds left in the first half.

Greendale's kick return team would line up following the touchdown. As the ball left the kicking tee, Greendale's Evan Just would catch it and raced 75-yards the other way for an apparent touchdown. There was a flag thrown on the play so the score didn't count and Greendale would instead start at their own 41-yard line. With only :59 seconds left on the clock, the Panther coaching staff decided to make an effort to score versus downing the ball to run the clock out. On their very first play, Nethery would throw deep over the middle to where there were a bunch of players converging. A Cudahy defender managed to get a hand on the ball, but all he did was tip it to Greendale's Sam Brick who grabbed it and took it to the house completing a 1-play 59-yard touchdown drive. The kick was wide left leaving the score at 26-12 with :34 seconds left in the 1st half.

Cudahy would run 4-plays before the half came to a close.

Things quieted down a bit to start the 2nd half. Cudahy was forced to punt going 3 and out and the Panthers turned it over on downs near midfield by coming up inches short on 4th down.

Cudahy would get a little drive going via the airways. They may have threw one to many passes for this was when Greendale's Brick would jump an out route to intercept the ball and raced 70-yards for his second TD of the night. The extra point kick was no good extending Greendale's lead by a margin of 32-12 with 1:48 left in the 3rd quarter.

The Packers would get good field position near midfield on the following kick return. Three plays later, Brick would jump the same route to intercept the pass again and took it to the house once more. This time he covered 51-yards on the run. Nethery would find the goal post this time to make the score 39-12 with :09 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.

Cudahy was a little reluctant to pass now so they went back to the run. They did put a nice 14-play scoring drive together as their big bruising running back finished the deal with a 2-yard run for a touchdown. They went for 2-points and converted making the score 39-20 with 4:01 left in the game.

Greendale would now start playing players from their depth chart. They were forced to punt after 4-plays.

Cudahy came out to see if they could keep it going but they fumbled 2-plays later of which Greendale's Ryan Kopczynski would recover.

The Panthers had their complete 2nd offense in the game. In a 3rd and long situation, Greendale quarterback Kenan Goyette would find Nate VanElls on a bubble screen who than out legged the defenders to the outside and raced 27-yards up the field for another Panther score. The kick was no good making the score 45-20 with 1:23 left in the game.

Cudahy came back and score in 5-plays as they completed a 17-yard pass for a touchdown capping off a 63-yard drive. The try for the 2-point conversion was good making the score 45-28 with just :10 left in the game.

Greendale would get the ensuing onside kick and assume the victory formation to run the clock out. Overall, the game was fun to watch for there were a lot of big plays made. Greendale will now head back to the friendly confines of home next Thursday as they will host the New Berlin Eisenhower Lions. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 pm.

Photos by Rodney Mattrisch

Varsity Reserve   

The Domination Proclamation!
R. A. Mattrisch 9/29/08

After five games this season, the Varsity Reserve Panther football team is letting it be known that they don't fool around when it comes to playing and winning football games. Teams better bring their "A" game or something close because if they don't, they will be dominated in pretty much all aspects of the game. Cudahy came to town this past Monday and they didn't bring their "A" game. As a result, they were crushed by the Panthers by a score of 50-14. The 14 points came late in the game when Greendale had their 2nd and 3rd groups in. Otherwise, it could have easily been 50-0.

Greendale's record now improves to 6-0. The one very obvious thing when you watch them play is that they have fun. "It doesn't get any better then to win games and have fun at the same time," said Assistant Coach Tim Gavinski. "We only get a few hours a week to practice as a unit so our guys don't play together that much. I will say that they sure do have fun together."

Greendale started the game on offense first. By using their seemingly unstoppable spread offense, they would score in 6-plays as Luke Drumel carried one in from 15-yards out. Quarterback Ernie Valente would run a keeper for the 2-point try to make the score 8-0 with 7:59 left in the opening quarter.

Cudahy would then line up to take the kick, but they fumbled on the return giving the ball back to the Panthers on the Cudahy 29-yard line. Three plays later, Valente would find Jo Jo Sardina for a nice 16-yard touchdown pass. The Panthers made good on the 2-point conversion as Valente would find Sean Givens on a slant route to make the score 16-0 with 7:11 left in the 1st quarter.

Cudahy would take the ensuing kickoff and only put 3-plays up before being forced to punt the ball. There was a penalty on the play against Greendale so the Packers would get a new set of downs. They burned up 3-more plays before being forced to punt again. This time there was a bad snap so Greendale would now come out of this with a short field in front of them.

The Panthers only ran 4-plays before turning the ball over on downs.

Cudahy would bring their offense out again but the Panther's defense was all over them like a cheap suite for 3-plays later, Greendale's Brandon Cannistra would intercept a Cudahy pass and took it to the Cudahy 24-yard line.

Three plays later, Valente would find Alex Najera completing a 22-yard pass for Greendale's third touchdown of the night. The try for 2 failed changing the score to read 22-0 with 9:50 now left in the 1st half.

The struggling Packers would now try and get something going on offense. I guess when it rains, it pours because they fumbled 4-plays later as Greendale's Jackson Zingshsheim would fall on it. The Panthers now had the ball on the Cudahy 37-yard line.

Bobby Mikorski was now in at quarterback for the Panthers as he and Valente split time together. Five plays later, Mikorski would sneak in from 2-yards out for another Panther score. They would try for the 2-point conversion again, but the pass was too high. The score was now 28-0 with 5:38 remaining in the half.

Cudahy was forced to punt after 4-plays. This time the punter kicked the ball into the back of his own players resulting in another short field for the Panthers.

Three plays later, Mikorski would find Givens again for a nice 8-yard pass for a touchdown. Luke Drumel would take a pitch and scamper in for the 2-point conversion. The score was now a lopsided 36-0 with 3:07 still remaining in the 1st half.

The Packers would go 3 and out and the Panthers would run 3-plays before time ran out in the half.

Cudahy would get the ball first to start the 2nd half. They were relegated to 3 and out again by the Panthers. This time, return man Dan Wisniewski would take the punt and sprinted 70-yards to the end zone for another Panther touchdown. Valente would complete a pass to Eric Shuerman for the 2-point conversion making the score 44-0 with 6:43 left on the now continuous running clock.

Both teams would go 3 and out to each other to end the 3rd quarter.

Cudahy, whose offense seemed stymied all night, finally made something happen. On their first possession in the 4th quarter, their running back would break loose for a 77-yard touchdown run. The try for 2-points was good making the score 44-8 with 8:48 left in the game.

Greendale's # 3 offense was in the game but fumbled on their very first play. Cudahy would march down and score in 3 plays. The try for 2-points failed as Greendale's middle linebacker, Drake Barczak, laid a "snot-bubbler hit" on the running back as soon as he got the ball. For those of you who don't know what a "snot bubbler hit" is, it's when a player hits another player so hard that a little bubble forms from out of the player's nose who just got hit, and then pops! OK... It might be an urban myth, but in theory it could happen.

Greendale would take the ensuing kickoff and march right down for their last touchdown of the night as Mikorski would run one in from 4-yards out. The try for 2 failed making the score 50-14 with 3:27 left on the clock.

Cudahy would manage to get off 4-plays before the clock finally ran out. The final score was 50-14. The Panthers will now travel to New Berlin Eisenhower to take on the Lions for what will probably be the biggest game of the year. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30.

Photos by Rodney Mattrisch

Varsity    

Depth Charged!
R. A. Mattrisch 9/26/08

At a location by the lake, you naturally will find Mariners. That would be the St Francis Mariners of course. Greendale took to the road Friday night to pay a visit to them for the 5th game of the season. When it was all said and done, the Panthers blew the Mariners out of the water by a score of 35-7. It was, however, by way of a time delayed explosion that actually didn't happened until the 4th quarter. That is when Greendale finally pushed the button. Up until then, the game was actually close. "We knew that this was going to be our toughest game of the season thus far," said Head Coach Rob Stoltz. "They have a very strong running game that we needed to take care of, and they have an experienced quarterback running their offense so we diffidently knew we had our hands full."

The Mariners were coming in at 3-1 with their only loss coming against Whitnall. They dominated in stats for that game, but it was the mistakes that led to their downfall. Tonight's game was also anticipated to be a high scoring one going in, but that never materialized as the Mariners had no answer for Greendale's pass attack. They shouldn't feel too bad for no one else has had any luck up to this point either.

St Francis would kick to Greendale to start the game. As the teams lined up, Greendale Head Coach Rob Stoltz noticed that St Francis was playing man to man with no safety help on his super weapon, Ben Ericksen. Seeing that, he signaled in a play to his other weapon, quarterback Chris Ridgway. As the ball was snapped, Ridgway would see Ericksen getting behind the defender and connected for a game opening 50-yard pass play. Five plays later he would find Ericksen again in the seam for a 26-yard scoring strike. Travis Kahl's kick was good, as Greendale would draw first blood by a score of 7-0 with 10:14 left in the opening quarter.

Greendale's once no-named defense came out and forced the Mariners to punt after going 3 and out.

The Panthers would start on their 43-yard line for their next series. They managed 5-plays before having to punt back to the Mariners.

St Francis would now start from their 20-yard line. They knew that they needed to keep the game close and control the ball so that they could keep Greendale's offense off the field. They managed putting together a 14-play drive before Greendale’s Ryan Korsmo would intercept a Cory Knapp pass and return it to the 44-yard line. There was a penalty on the play so the Panthers would end up starting from their 23 instead.

Six plays later, Ridgway would find Ericksen on a deep 26-yard post pattern for Greendale's 2nd score of the night. The Panthers would line up for the kick but faked it as Ridgway found Mike Picciolo for the 2-point conversion. The score was now 15-0 in favor of Greendale with :25 seconds left in the 1st quarter.

Greendale forced St Francis to punt after 3 and out again as Panther defensive end, Andrew Thompson would drop Knapp for a major loss.

The Panthers would get a short field following a poor punt and set up shop on the Mariner 32-yard line. They put together 9-plays before turning the ball over on downs at the Mariner 1-yard line.

St Francis would only get 3-yards before having to punt again from deep in their own end zone. It was here where St Francis made one of their many costly penalties for they seemed to have Picciolo down at their own 45-yard line, but there was a penalty however, forcing them to kick again. This time Picciolo made them pay as he returned this kick all the way to the Mariner 6-yard line. On the very next play, Ridgway would hand the ball off to "The Train" Jordan Biller, who busted his way into the end zone for another Panther score. Kahl's kick was no good making the score 21-0 with 4:58 left in the 1st half.

The Mariners would start on their 30-yard line following the ensuing kick. Three plays later, Greendale's Cordney Wren would intercept a Knapp pass and return it to the Mariner 35-yard line. After some discussion, the officials brought the ball back as they said that his knee touched the ground back at the Panther 35.

Greendale would start their next attack through the air again. Six plays later, Panther receive Adam Goad failed to secure a pass of which the Mariners would grab for the interception.

St Francis would run 5-plays before the 1st half came to a close.

The Mariners would start with the ball to open the 2nd half. On their very 1st play from scrimmage, running back Will Frisch would take a handoff and race 78-yards for a Mariner touchdown. The point after try was good making the score 21-7 with 11:36 left in the 3rd quarter.

The Panthers would take the ensuing kickoff and start from their 30-yard line. They gashed the Mariners in 2-plays as Ridgway found Ericksen for a 20-yard pass, followed by a 47-yard run by Biller. They failed to score again however, and were forced to turn the ball over on downs at the Mariner 1-yard line.

It was here when St Francis put a 21-play drive together using up almost a complete quarter. They managed to get deep into Panther territory and found themselves in a 4th and 6 situation. They called a draw play of which the Panthers would stop to take over on downs.

Eight plays later, Ridgway found Ericksen for a 15-yard scoring strike capping off a 5-play 85-yard drive. Kahl's kick was good increasing their lead to 28-7 with 6:55 left in the game.

The Panthers would force the Mariners to punt going 3 and out again.

Ridgway and company would punch in again and start their job from their own 49-yard line. Seven plays later, Ridgway would fake a handoff and walk in from 15-yards out around left end for the Panthers 6th touchdown of the night. The kick was good making the score 35-7 with 4:32 left in the game.

The Mariners were forced to punt after 5-plays. Greendale would bring in their 2nd group to burn up the rest of the clock.

The game would finally end but not before seeing a yeoman effort by St Francis's running back Will Frisch, who finished the night with over 250 yards on the ground, and Greendale's Ben Ericksen, who had a record performance finishing the night with 9 catches, 3 touchdowns, and 234 yards.

Greendale would win by a score of 35-7 and have now won 27 Woodland Conference games in a row. They will head back to the lakefront next week, as they will play the Cudahy Packers. The game will start at 7:00 pm.

For the stats of the game, click here.

For more pictures of the game, click here.

For the video highlights of the game, click here.

Photos by Eric Campbell Vince Cameranesi

Freshman   

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover
R. A. Mattrisch 9/25/08

When you show up to a football game and you look at the teams on the field, you develop this impression-thus, the term, "First impression." The St Francis Freshman team had plenty of players and those players had some size. Greendale, on the other hand, also has good numbers but they just didn't seem as big for some reason. Was it the uniforms? Was it the lighting? Was it the fact that the crown on the field was so high that the players seemed taller? I couldn't really say exactly what it was. At the end of the evening, I confirmed one thing that my parents always taught me. "It's not what's on the outside, it's what's on the inside that counts."

Then the game started and it was evident that both teams were going to be pounding away on each other all night long. In fact, this was the first time that Greendale was taking body shots this year. The question now would be how would they react to these shots? By the end of the game, the Panthers and their spread offense, of which no one seems to have an answer for, prevailed as they defeated the hosting Mariners 34-6 for their 3rd consecutive win of the season. You wouldn't have thought that this game would have ended like this because the score was only 6-6 at the end of the 1st half. The Panthers, however, came out the 2nd half with a rejuvenated attitude and started making plays on both sides of the ball to seal the deal.

The Panthers received the opening kick to open the game. They managed only 4-plays before turning it over on downs after failing to convert on a 4th & 1.

St Francis would line up for their first play on offense but fumbled right away giving the ball back to the Panthers on their 47-yard line. They would manage 6-plays before quarterback Brett Nethery would throw his first and only interception of the night.

The Mariners would now line up on their 17-yard line. On the very next play, one of their running backs broke through and raced all the way to the end zone for what looked to be a score. One of their players however, threw an unnecessary block in the back away from the play thus nullifying the 67-yard touchdown run. This drive would continue for 8 more plays but would soon end on the Greendale 15-yard line. This is when a Panther defensemen blew through the offensive line and created a collision at the exchange point causing a fumble of which the Panthers fell on. They would run 4-plays before they had to punt back to the Mariners.

The Cat's defense was now swinging the big blows. They forced St Francis to punt after 3. It was here were things got a little interesting. The snap was high for the Mariner punter so by time he gathered the ball, he could see that there was no way he was going to get the punt off so he started running right up the field. At the last minute, he then decides to punt the ball anyway while he was on the run. He did manage to get it off. The problem was that right after the ball left his foot, he was clobbered by Panther pursuers for they though he was running. The rule states however, that as long as he stays behind the line of scrimmage, he is still the punter and can kick whenever and wherever he wants so as a result, a roughing the kicker penalty was called. Needless to say, the Mariners would be given new life and now seemed to have the momentum. They would put together 10 more plays before Greendale's Kennedy Ringelberg intercepted the ball in the end zone thus terminating the Mariner's drive.

Greendale's offense would take over on their 20-yard line. This was when Greendale's offensive coordinator Steve Stoltz would open the playbook and turn to the chapter on passing. Seven plays later Greendale found themselves in the end zone as Nethery scooted 4-yards through the middle for the first score of the game. The extra point kick was no good making the score 6-0 with :50 left in the first half.

St Francis would get a good return on the ensuing kickoff and would start on Greendale's 47-yard line. Low-n-behold, 2-plays later, the Mariners would find the end zone by way of a 46-yard half back option pass. Then another interesting thing happened. In the process of celebrating the touchdown, the receiver did a back flip in the end zone thus causing a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. This would now turn a normal easy short extra point kick to a harder, longer 18-yard kick attempt. The kick was short thus tying the score at 6 apiece as the 1st half came to an end.

The halftime speech in the Greendale huddle must have worked for they forced the Mariners to punt after 3 to open the 2nd half.

Greendale would now take possession and put a 4-play scoring drive together as Nethery found Sam Brick open for a nice 17-yard touchdown pass. The try for 2-points failed making the score 12-6 with 7:14 left in the 3rd.

This time, the Panthers forced St Francis to punt after 4-plays and would start with the ball at mid-field. Six plays later, Nethery would call his number again as he sprinted straight through the heart of the defense for a 15-yard touchdown run. The try for 2 was good making the score 20-6 with 3:18 still left in the 3rd quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, St Francis would start their next attack on their 25-yard line. Two plays later, however, Greendale's Jack Bosanac would pick off a bubble screen pass and raced 25-yards the other way for the Panther's 4th touchdown of the night. Nethery's kick was good making the score 27-6 with 1:47 left in the 3rd.

It was now into the 4th quarter when the Panthers forced the Mariners to punt after 5-plays. Instead of relying on the airways this time, the Panthers decided to try the ground game. Here is when Evan Just would take a handoff and race almost the entire length of the field to the Mariner 6-yard line where he was finally tackled. While he was still gasping for air, they gave the ball to him again to finish the job as he powered his way from 6-yards out for the Panther's 5th touchdown of the night. The point after kick was good making the score 34-6 with 6:48 left in the game.

Both teams would punt going 3 and out by each other before the game finally came to an end. Greendale now moves their record to 3-0 for the year. Next week they will play just a few blocks to the south as they will play the hosting Cudahy Packers. The game is scheduled for a 6:30pm start.

Photos by Rodney Mattrisch

Varsity Reserve   

Speed Kills...
R. A. Mattrisch 9/23/08

While you were growing up, you always heard commercials talking about what happens when you're driving to fast in your car. You probably always heard reminders from your parents that speed kills. What is it about speed anyway? Everyone always seems to enjoy the feeling of going faster. Roller coasters, for example are ways that people can satisfy that thirst for speed. The feeling you get when riding on trains will also give you that exhilarating excitement. Some people are born with it in their blood like racecar drivers. In fact, it doesn't have to be cars. It could be boats, bikes, airplanes, and snowmobiles, just to name a few other forms of racing. People risk life and limb just to see how fast they can go.

Not all speed is bad however. Speed on a football team can be a good thing! Well, let me clarify that a bit. If you are on the team that has speed, then it's a good thing. If you are playing against a team that has more speed than you, then it's a bad thing. The St Francis Varsity Reserve football team felt that first hand the other night. In fact, all of the opponents that Greendale's Varsity Reserve team has played have felt that.

This past Monday night, the Greendale Panther Varsity Reserve team cut another notch in their belt as they defeated the visiting St Francis Mariners 44-0. The visitors had no one that could keep up with Luke Drumel who finished the game with 153 yards rushing. OK… sit down on this one... He only played the first half. You also had other big playmakers like Jo Jo Sardina, Eric Shuerman on offense who were getting behind the defense all night. You have a very mobile defense with the likes of Bobby Hall, Ryan Bender, Drake Barczak, and Ryan Becker. These guys and others can get in the backfield before the ball carrier can even tuck the ball away. The common denominator here is speed.

Speed is one of the most important attributes needed if a team plans on winning football games. For the most part, you are born with it. You can't really coach it so don't blame the coaches. That's not saying that you can't help develop it because you can. That's what the Greendale High School football coaching staff does in the off-season. Speed camp baby! Do you think it works? You bet your sweet bib-bee it does! Did you every wonder why Greendale has been so successful in the last 5 or 6 years? Come watch a game and find out first hand. St Francis did!

Greendale would start with the ball first as the game began. They only had it for a few seconds as the return man fumbled the ball giving it to the Mariners on Greendale's 32-yard line. The Panther defense held anyway as they forced the Mariners to punt after going 3 and out.

The Cats would then start on their own 40-yard line. Seven plays later, Drumel would run one into the end zone from 5-yards out. The try for 2-points failed making the score 6-0 with 6:37 left in the 1st quarter.

St Francis would run 5-plays on their next possession before they fumbled of which Ryan Becker of Greendale would recover. Behind some nice long and adventurous runs by Drumel and quarterback Ernie Valente, the Panthers found the end zone again as Valente ran it in from 3-yards out. The try for 2 failed again making the score 12-0 with 2:39 left in the 1st quarter.

The Mariners would have to punt again after going 3 and out. This time it took just 3-plays as Valente found wide out Jo Jo Sardina for a 6-yard TD pass. The try for 2 failed again moving the score up to 18-0 with 8:41 now in the 2nd quarter.

Guess what? The Mariners went 3 and out again and were forced to punt.

This time Greendale would start from their own 29-yard line. Five plays later, Drumel busted out a nice 36-yard run for another Panther score. The try for 2 failed once again making the score 24-0 with 4:43 left in the 1st half.

OK… Three and out again!

The Panthers would score their 4th TD of the night, as quarterback Bobby Mikorski would find Eric Shuerman for a 30-yard touchdown pass. OK… the try for 2 failed again! However, those few extra points would seem insignificant as the Panthers now led 30-0 with 1:24 left in the 1st half.

The Mariners would try to right the ship (no pun intended), but were intercepted on their very first play by Brandon Cannistra, who zigzagged his way down to the St Francis 10-yard line. Four plays later, Mikorski would find Shuerman again for a 21-yard touchdown pass. I'll forgo the extra point part. The score was now 36-0 in favor of the Cats as the first half came to an end.

St Francis would start with the ball to open the second half. They reeled off 4-plays before being forced to bring out their punter once again. It was here where Shuerman would return the ball to the Mariner 12-yard line capping off a 55-yard return. Greendale's Dan Wisniewski would bull his way in from 1-yard out for the Panther's 6th touchdown of the night. NEWSFLASH! The try for 2-points was GOOD as Valente would run it in himself making the score 44-0 with 2:19 left on the now continuous running clock.

St Francis would get the ball and managed 7-plays before eventually turning it over on downs.

Greendale, who now had a lot of different players in, would take control of the ball on their 27-yard line. On the second play from scrimmage, the ball sailed over Mikorski's head of which he had to quickly try and retrieve but couldn't. When everyone un-piled, St Francis would have the ball on Greendale's 5-yard line. This would be Greendale's biggest challenge of the night. Could they keep the Mariners out of their end zone and preserve the shutout? It was interesting because from the sideline, it looked like one team was moving in fast motion and the other one was in slow motion. I'm not going to bother telling you which one was which but 4-plays later, Greendale's Drake Barczak would drop the Mariner quarterback for a 10-yard loss forcing them to give the ball up on downs. The refs would put the ball in play on Greendale's 17-yard line. The defense actually pushed them backwards because of their speed and quickness.

Greendale would now run 6 more plays before the clock finally ran out. Greendale would defeat St Francis 44-0 and will move their record to 5-0 for the season. They will host the Cudahy Packers next week here at home. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30pm.

Photos by Rodney Mattrisch

Varsity    

Unbelieeeeeeevable!
R. A. Mattrisch 9/19/08

The setting was perfect! It was homecoming, the weather was comfortable, the stands were packed, and the hotdogs were done to perfection. All we needed were some football teams. Well, they did manage to make it as the Greendale Panthers crawled out of their den, and the Wauwatosa West Trojans crawled out of the taxi so that they could butt heads for their 4th game of the season. When all of the head butt'in was finished, the Panthers found themselves on the winning end by a score of 42-0. The Trojans just seemed to be out matched and fell to 0-4 while the Panthers have now jumped to 4-0 for the year.

Probably the most amazing stat of the night was the Panther's defense holding the Trojans to minus 7 yards of offense for the game. Holding a varsity team to that in 48 minutes is something that very rarely occurs. Nonetheless, the young Panther defense is now obtaining an identity as they have held teams scoreless in the last two games.

Greendale would receive the opening kick first to start the game. It would only take 2-plays before Panther quarterback Chris Ridgway would find Ben Ericksen, who was being triple covered down the left sideline for an amazing 64-yard scoring strike. Travis Kahl's extra point kick was good making the score 7-0 with 11:13 left in the first quarter.

The Panther's young defense would take to the field on the ensuing kickoff and forced Tosa backwards. You can't get a first down going that way so they were forced to punt back to the Panthers.

Three plays later, Panther running back Jordan "Freight Train" Biller would cross the goal line from 25-yards out behind some serious blocking at the line of scrimmage by his offensive linemen. The point after was blocked making the score 13-0 with 7:37 left in the 1st.

The Panther's defense repeated their earlier performance and forced the Trojans to kick again.

With 5:50 left in the 1st quarter, Greendale would set the table on their own 33-yard line. Three plays later, Ridgway would find another member of his lethal receiving corp. in Mike Picciolo for a 54-yards scoring pass. Kahl's kick would split the uprights making the score 20-0 with just a little over half of the 1st quarter gone.

Tosa West would now start their next drive on their own 23-yard line. They would be intercepted, however, by Greendale's Cordney Wren on their very first play of that series. Greendale would end up turning the ball over on downs as they failed to score from the 1-yard line.

The Cat's defense loves this for they now were in a position to score with a safety. Well, 2-plays later that is exactly what happened as they dropped Tosa's quarterback in the end zone for the 2-points. The score was now 22-0 with 11:26 left now in the 2nd quarter.

The Panthers would line up for the ensuing free kick but two players ran into each other causing the football to become lose of which the Trojans fell on.

It didn't matter for Tosa was forced to punt after 3 again.

The Panther offense would start out this drive deep in their end of the field. They managed to get to the Trojan 40-yard line before fumbling the ball for the second time of the night. A Trojan player would pick it up on a gimmie bounce and looked to be easily heading into the end zone. But like a ghost out of nowhere, Ericksen would appear and tackle the ball carrier on the 9-yard line.

Tosa now had their best field position of the night. However, bad luck struck again as they fumbled on their 4th play from scrimmage. Greendale's "Johnny on the spot" Joel Sirus would pick the ball up and race 84-yards for another Panther touchdown. This was his second defensive touchdown of the year. The point after try was good making the score 29-0 with 6:55 left in the 1st half.

The Trojan's offense had no answer on how to get past the Panther defense. They were forced to punt after going 3 and out again.

It was here when Ericksen would put on another one of his patented dances as he returned the punt 48-yards to the end zone for an apparent touchdown. The play would be called back however, because of a pre-possession change penalty, which would make Tosa have to kick again. This time they dropped Ericksen at midfield.

It would be just a matter of time before the Panthers would be knocking on the door again. This time the Tosa defense finally made a play by grabbing a tipped ball in the end zone for a touch back.

Tosa's defense managed to make a play, but their offense could not do the same as they were forced to punt again.

Greendale's powerful offense would now come out and score 5-plays later as Ridgway found Ericksen again in the end zone completing a 19-yard pass play. Kahl would have a rare miss on the extra point making the score 35-0 as the first half came to an end.

Because of the 35-point rule, the game clock would now keep running. Tosa would be getting the ball first but were picked off 4-plays later by Greendale's Evan Goyette on the Trojan's 28-yard line.

Four plays later, Biller would bust one up the middle again from 21-yards out for another Panther score. Kahl's kick was good making the score 42-0 with 6:22 left in the 3rd.

At this point, it turned into a tennis match as both teams started kicking the ball back and fourth to each other. Tosa was still looking for their 2nd first down of the night while the Panthers had other ideas. There were a total of two more exchanges before the running clock zeroed out to end the game.

The final score would be Greendale 42, Wauwatosa West 0. Greendale will now leave the comforts of home as they will travel next week to play the St Francis Mariners. The Mariners are 3-1 and are coming off a great 1-point victory last week against Fond du Lac St Mary's Springs. The game time is 7:00pm.

For the stats of the game, click here.

For more pictures of the game, click here.

To see the video highlights, click here.

Photos Chuck Cairns

Freshman   

Splash Two!
R. A. Mattrisch 9/18/08

The Panther's freshman team surfed the turf Thursday night as they dropped visiting Wauwatosa West into the drink for their second victory of the year. When the clock on Greendale's jumbo-tron read zeros, the posted score read Greendale 40, Wauwatosa West 16. Wauwatosa only had 19 players on their team but don't tell them that for they brought with them some speed and a strong will to win. In the end, it was the Panther passing mentality that would do them in just like it has been doing other teams at all levels of play. This victory actually marks the 9th one of the season for all Greendale High School football teams against no loses. "It’s kind of funny," said assistant coach Steve Stoltz. "All of us coaches here at the high school are constantly teasing each other about not being the first team to lose on the new field. I think all of the players are doing the same thing. The odds are that this will happen at some point in time, but it wasn't tonight."

Tosa would start with the ball to open the game. After 5-plays, they were forced to punt the ball away. It was this play that started the Panther scoring barrage. Return man Sebastian Garcia-Bakowski, would catch the ball and race his way down the right sideline where he picking up a major "rock-your-world" block from a teammate and would scamper all the way to the Tosa West 19-yard line. On the very next play, he would get the handoff and finish the job he started as he zigzagged his way into the end zone for the game's first score. Kicker and quarterback Brett Nethery would drill the ball through the uprights making the score 7-0 with 6:28 left in the 1st quarter.

The Panther defense forced the Trojans to 3 and out. Three plays later, Nethery would find Mike Phillips for a perfect 38-yard touchdown pass. This time the kick was no good adjusting the score to read 13-0 with 3:44 still left in the 1st quarter.

The Panther's stingy defense forced the Trojans to punt after 6-plays. Three plays later, running back Evan Just broke lose for a nice 28-yard touchdown run. The kick was no good again making the score 19-0 with :59 ticks left in the 1st quarter.

Following the ensuing kick, West would start their next series on their 46-yard line. The Cat's defense would deny them of a first down again forcing them to punt.

This time Greendale put 7-plays together before they were forced to attempt a 31-yard field goal. Nethery's kick was just short leaving the score at 19-0 in favor of the Panthers with 6:04 left in the first half.

By rule, Tosa would start with the ball on the 20-yard line. Two plays later, however, they would fumble as Phillips fell on it for the Panthers. Two plays later, Nethery would hook up with wide out Sam Brick for an 8-yards pass play for a score. Nethery would find the poles again making the score 26-0 with 4:36 remaining in the 1st half.

Tosa West would again be forced to punt after 3-plays. Then Greendale would make their first mistake of the night by botching a snap that was too high for Nethery to handle. The Trojans would fall on it at midfield.

With time running out in the half, they went to the air. They did manage to hook up a 46-yard touchdown pass, but it was called back on a penalty. The half would then come to an end.

Greendale would get the ball first and wouldn't waste time as Just would score from 16-yards out capping off a 5-play drive. Nethery's kick was good now making the score 33-0 with 6:58 left in the 3rd quarter.

After the kick, West finally got on the board with their very first play from scrimmage as they completed an 85-yard touchdown pass. The try for 2-points was good making the score 33-8 with 6:35 left in the 3rd.

Greendale would now take control again as they put a whopping 11-play scoring drive together as Nethery would eventually sneak it in from 1-yard out. The point after try was good making the score 40-8 with 2:37 left in the 3rd.

Tosa would get the ball next but were intercepted on the very first play by Even Just of Greendale. The Panthers would now bring in their reserve players and manage 4-plays before having to punt the ball away. It was this kick where Nethery aimed for the sideline and dropped it perfectly at the Tosa 1-yard line.

Tosa West would then come back with the longest drive possible on a football field as they marched all the way to the other end in 10-plays. They eventually scored as their quarterback would sneak it up the middle for their second touchdown of the night. The try for 2-points was successful making the score 40-16 with 4:28 seconds left in the game.

The Trojans would then try for an onside kick, which didn't go far enough so the Panthers took over at midfield. Things then started getting a little sloppy as Greendale fumbled on their 2nd play from scrimmage. Tosa would then be intercepted as Greendale’s Carsyn Lenz got in between the quarterback and the receiver.

Greendale then had to punt after going 3 and out. They would get it right back 3-plays later as Cody Reeve would intercept the ball on Greendale's 30-yard line. The Panthers needed just 3 plays before they could line up in their favorite formation. "The Victory Formation."

The final score was Greendale 40, Wauwatosa West 16. Greendale will now be on the road for the first time this year as they head east to play the St Francis Mariners next Thursday night. The game starts at 6:30.

Photos by Rodney Mattrisch

Varsity Reserve   

Defense-O-Rama
R. A. Mattrisch 9/15/08

The 2008 Varsity Reserve took a drive out to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin to butt heads with the Wauwatosa West Trojans on a cool Monday afternoon. Even though the grass was as long as the rough for PGA events, the Panthers managed to not trip and come out with a victory by beating the Trojans 20-6. The grass was so long that big #21 Luke "Jig Saw" Drumel was called down by the officials because they said his knee hit the ground when in fact, he was standing straight up. There was another time when the referee put the ball down and when the center came out of the huddle, he could find it! OK, it wasn't that long... I just had to say that! Actually... when you consider all of the rain that just recently fell, the field was in perfect playing condition.

If you like defense, this was the game for you. If you like offense, well, sorry I guess. Of course penalty flags didn't help the offenses either as there were numerous big plays called back for both teams.

The first half was very uneventful as both teams could not find the end zone. Greendale started out with the ball and ended up going 3 and out.

Tosa would do the same on their next drive.

The Panthers finally put a monster 16-play drive together that lasted almost a whole quarter only to end up turning it over on downs at the Trojan's 5-yard line. They were actually in the end zone once but it was nullified by a penalty flag.

Tosa West had something going for a bit, but they ended up punting after 7-plays.

Greendale then took possession but was forced to punt after 6-plays.

Tosa came out and turned it over on downs after failing to convert on a 4th and 3.

Greendale then was intercepted after 2-plays as Ernie Valente was trying to get a pass off while surrounded by players with a different color jersey.

The Trojans managed 1-play before the 1st half came to an end. I think when the gun went off, it woke up some of the spectators in the stands.

The second half was a lot better... at least for the Panthers. Tosa started out with the ball but the Panther's defense forced them to kick after only 3-plays.

Greendale would get a short field as they would start from the Tosa 25-yards line. Five plays later, Valente would cross the goal line via a 1-yard run up the middle for a touchdown. The try for the 2-point conversion was no good making the score 6-0 with 5:58 left in the 3rd quarter.

Tosa would have to punt after going 3 and out again.

Bobby Mikorski, who was now in at quarterback for the Panthers, lined his team up on the Tosa West 35-yard line. Six plays later, he connected with Jo Jo Sardina for a 33-yard touchdown pass. The try for 2-points was no good again increasing the Panther's lead by a margin of 12-0 with 1:23 left in the 3rd.

Greendale's defense was now at the top of their game as they forced the Trojans to punt after 3 again.

Greendale then came out and reeled off 8-plays before eventually turning it over on downs.

The Panthers let the Trojans run 4-plays this time before they were forced to punt for the 6th time in the game.

Greendale ended up with another short field as Valente was now back in at quarterback. Five plays later, he would hook up with Sardina again for a nice 20-yard touchdown pass. Luke Drumel (aka: "Jig Saw" but friends call him "Saw") took a pitch and zigzagged his way in for a successful 2-point conversion. The score was now 20-0 with 4:20 left in the game.

Tosa would finally get their offense going as they kept a 10-play drive together and scored from 6-yards out. The 2-point try failed making the score 20-6 in favor of the Panthers.

Everyone knew what was coming next as the Trojans lined up for the onside kick. Greendale would get it as shortstop Drumel (no pun intended) would scoop it up for the Panthers.

Greendale needed to run 1-play before they could line up in their victory formation to end the game. The final score was Greendale 20, Wauwatosa West 6. The Varsity Reserve Panthers will take their undefeated record and return to the rug next week as they will host the St Francis Mariners. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30.

Photos by Rodney Mattrisch