On the surface, the WIAA Germantown baseball sectional scheduled for Friday looks like it could be mailed in, with top-seeded Menomonee Falls (32-10) riding a 12-game winning streak and with by far and away the best record on the docket.

But the Indians will have to be wary of sectional semifinal opponent and Greater Metro rival Brookfield Central (22-22) as the Lancers were the last team to beat the Indians back in late June. Besides, these teams have an intense history with one another that dates back more than a decade with many high-level games deciding state berths and conference titles.

Falls coach Pat Hansen will no doubt remind the Indians of what happened three weeks ago as the senior-laden squad looks to put a state tournament berth and maybe more on top of what already has been a great 2009-10 athletic year for the Indian boys.

"But no doubt he (Lancer coach Jeff Bigler) will be reminding them of all the times we beat them," said Hansen in a cautionary note.

A nice story in that sectional is the return of Germantown pitcher Tyler Thicke to full-time duty. Thicke pitched all seven innings for the first time this season and helped the Warhawks upset third-seeded Sussex Hamilton, 4-3, on Tuesday.

Thicke, a NCAA Division I recruit bound for Indiana, has been on limited duty all summer as he continues to recover from last year's "Tommy John" surgery on his elbow. It is not known if Thicke can come back on short rest for the Friday sectional. Coach Parrish Wagner, himself a former collegiate pitcher, has been very catious and careful in his usage of Thicke this summer.

Wagner's side will take the field in the late semifinal at Germantown's "Dream Field", against Slinger, which pulled another upset special, this time by a 4-1 count against second-seeded Brookfield East. Wagner coached at Slinger before coming over to lead his alma mater after the retirement of Warhawk legend Chuck Ritzenthaler.

That's not the only sectional with a curious aspect to it.

It looks fairly one-sided over at Cedarburg as well, as top-seeded Nicolet (25-11) buried its Friday sectional semifinal opponent Whitefish Bay, 12-2, back on July 5.

But Blue Duke coach Jay Wojcinski will try to conjure up memories of an early season one-run loss to Nicolet, when the youthful Bay squad (only one senior in the line-up) had the Knights on the ropes before Nicolet pulled out a late victory.

Also in Nicolet's favor, however, is that if the seeds hold and the Knights meet North Shore rival Grafton (19-9) in the 4:30 p.m. Friday finale, they will likely not have to face Milwaukee Brewers draft choice Conor Fisk, as Fisk, who had 14 strikeouts in leading the Blackhawks past Port Washington, 6-1, on Tuesday, will likely go against an underrated Brown Deer squad (17-15) in the second semifinal.

And don't look past the Falcons either, as they look like they might be reprising their Rodney Dangerfield "I ain't got no respect act" from two years ago, when they beat Nicolet in the sectional final to earn a state tournament berth. Ironically, that 2008 sectional was also played in Cedarburg.

Brown Deer got an impressive relief performance from senior Joey Mattefs in upsetting third-seeded Cedarburg on Tuesday night.

And one thing is for certain, the Falcons are clearly on Nicolet's radar this time around.

"Boy, that's a dangerous team," Knight coach Dick Sykes said a few weeks ago. "When they get going, they can hit the heck out of the ball." Nicolet will also have to sharpen up its defense as the last few games have been a little sloppy with some people playing out of position due to injuries.

But like the Falls, the Knights are a senior-dominated team and they are getting healthy. First baseman D. J. Peltz served as DH in the 13-4 win over Shorewood Tuesday night and picked up two walks and a sacrifice fly. It was the first action for Peltz in two weeks since being hit in the face by a foul ball two weeks ago in Brookfield.

SECTIONAL BASEBALL PAIRINGS

At Germantown

SEMIFINALS

#1 Menomonee Falls vs. #4 Brookfield Central, 11 a.m.

#6 Germantown vs. #7 Slinger, 1:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP----4:30 p.m.

At Cedarburg

#1 Nicolet vs. #4 Whitefish Bay, 10:30 a.m.

#6 Brown Deer vs. #2 Grafton, 1:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP----4:30 p.m.

STATE TOURNAMENT IS IN STEVENS POINT, JULY 28 AND 29

There were close to 20 new records set at the WIAA State Track meet June 4 and 5 in La Crosse, many of them by a deep, talented and motivated senior class.

In a couple of instances (the boys DI 800 relay for example), more than one person or relay exceeded the old barrier.

To put that number in perspective, any time there are 10 or more records set in a state meet, it is time for giddy excitement in the track community.

"The quality of track, the depth of it has just gone up a notch, maybe several notches," said Dan Benson, the coach of D1 state boys champ Homestead.

And so has the caliber and character of the individuals participating in it and participating at an extremely high-level.

Gabe Genovesi was the beating heart and competitive soul of that Homestead's boys' squad, not only taking down Joe Kapheim's 29-year old record in the 800, but also carefully measuring his opponents and then bursting by them with the fierceness of a lion to anchor two victorious relays that were at the center of the Highlanders' title.

He also likes to organize sock drives for children, raise money for needy organizations and also play a little high-level soccer (he will attend NCAA Division I runner-up Akron next fall on scholarship).

And he loves competition. Just days after setting his state record, he traveled to Illinois to take part in a distance gala. In an e-mail he sent out a few days before he left on the trip, he indicated that his ambitions were still high.

"I'd like to take some time off my 800," he wrote.

He did, losing in what must have been a highly entertaining race to an Indiana runner by just .18 of a second.

Genovesi is a heavy favorite for Wisconsin's Gatorade Male State Track of the Year to be announced later this summer.

But it's not like the 2009 recipient of the award, Matt Widule of Menomonee Falls, went away quietly or anything like that.

All Widule did was repeat as state champion in the 110 high hurdles and lead off the 800 relay team that set that aforementioned brand-new standard. Then, just for good measure, he almost stole what was arguably the most thrilling race of the meet from Lechein Neblett of Madison Memorial in the 300 intermediate hurdles.

Neblett had to tie the old state record of .37.49 to beat Widule by the barest of margins (.01) as five runners, all but one of them a senior, went under 38 seconds in the 300 race, something that has never been done before in Wisconsin history.

Widule did all this while exuding a charming combination of confidence and humility that was downright ingratiating. He said he wanted that relay title more than any individual race he could ever run and you believed him.

He could praise opponents and coaches equally and feel genuine sadness when mishaps befell rivals (the disaster that happened to long-time friend Dexter Schleis of Germantown in the 110 high hurdle trials was shocking to him), making you believe that he felt it all and more. 

Then, a week after his state triumphs, he made his way out to Platteville on the morning of his graduation for a major regional all-star meet. There he won the highs in a wicked-fast time and then made it back in time to smile and wave in the procession at the graduation ceremonies later that afternoon.

No wonder his coach Mike Burling answered with a sarcastic "You think?" when asked "You're going to miss him more than you know, aren't you?"

Meanwhile, Whitefish Bay's Megan Palmer didn't set any records in the distances at state, but still left an indelible impression.

Since a storied start to her career some four years ago that began with a sectional cross country championship in which she showed more maturity and savvy than any freshman had a right too and a sophomore year state 800 crown in track, there have been a few bumps in the road.

Illness, and the pressure of being the top runner at a school famed for women so fleet of foot that the quickest autumn breeze seems slow in comparison, took its toll from time-to-time.

But the spring of 2010 brought her rewards in abundance--North Shore Conference track titles both indoor and out and more importantly, a coveted WIAA Scholar/Athlete award that was earned not only for her unique combination of brains and ability, but also for a personality that Blue Duke Athletic Director John Gustavson  said made her the most popular person in the school.

"She's friends with everybody in the building," he said.

Palmer was more than pleased that her final state prep medal was as part of the Blue Dukes' placewinning 1,600-meter relay team, celebrating that honor with her teammates as they indulged in a pie a track mother had brought.

And there were other seniors of note too. They included Germantown's middle-distance aces Liz Wendt and Andrea Sielicki who carried on the newly-built Warhawk tradition of success in this area begun some years ago by school recordholder Kate Lydy.

Wendt had the overarching skill (five top six state track medals in the last two years), the character (running a hard 800 race at state in a driving rain) and the heart, serving as the unofficial welcoming committee and den mother to freshmen members of the cross country and track teams. Sielicki, meanwhile, was the soul of the distance unit, with an intensity and a desire that carried over to younger members of the crew.

And then there was Schleis, who could have been bitter when his state meet turned out to be a disappointment (only one relatively low-level medal when he was expecting two high honors). He was happy for his friend Widule and was still determined to see if later this summer, he could get the Germantown record in the high hurdles that is held by his 2005 state champion older brother Adam.

"It's all good, I'm happy," he said with a wry smile on his face.

And people were happy to know all these kids, happy to be a part of the state throng of close to 19,000 who over the course of that early June weekend, witnessed a unique group doing truly special things at a state meet that few will forget soon.

The athletes knew that too.

"I think it has been a great year for Wisconsin track athletes," said Genovesi, "and I'm glad I could contribute."

Dan Benson Sr. came within a point of a gold WIAA state championship boys track trophy back when he was coaching Wauwatosa West in 1964.

Now his coach son, Dan Jr. at Homestead would like to do him one better, as his Highlanders will enter this weekend's WIAA State Division I test as heavy favorites. It would be the first state team title in the man's storied 22-year career, which is riddled with individual WIAA champions and conference triumphs too numerous to mention, including this year's North Shore triple crown.

And he's working very hard at keeping a low profile as his team prepares for Thursday's trip to La Crosse.

When asked how he was feeling over the weekend, after analyzing the state heat sheets and looking at wissports.net's pre-scored standings, which has the Highlanders as easy winners, he said: "What a great question?"

Which he then elaborated upon.

"There are too many thoughts to start," he said. "The number one thing that I'm thinking about is that we qualified someone in every event group. Every coach we have on staff is represented. Usually a team favorite has one or two great areas they build upon, but this is the first time in my career that I can say we have everything covered."

To that end, long-time assistants like Jeff Mehring (pole vault) and Dan Claussen (distances), along with trusted aides like Steve Manor and Adam Schleis (hurdles), Bill Richards (weights), and Todd Brawner (long sprints) are going to be called upon to keep their young charges focused and make sure they are prepared for the ultimate test.

Benson, who himself will handle the jumpers, including top-ranked high jumper Dan Schiller, has confidence in all these people.

However, it is Brawner, the former state championship winning coach of long-time Homestead rival Germantown, whom Benson says may be the "ace of the pyramid" in this situation, as Brawner will continue to hone his work with the state's top-seeded 800-meter runner Gabe Genovesi, along with the top-ranked 1,600 and 3,200-meter relay teams.

Brawner came over from Germantown last season and he and Benson fell into an easy partnership based on mutual respect.

"His experience in being in these kind of situations (Germantown won a title in 2006) is invaluable," said Benson. "He brought a lot of situational focus to that group. He's a true professional and his experience and success in the long sprints we all know through his great results."

"We had a good group of kids for him to work with in the junior class when he started. It took a year for them to learn his system and then a year to execute."

And the Highlanders have been executing across the board all season, with eight major meet titles, including no losses to a Wisconsin school. They dominated an intense field at their own sectional last Thursday, and advanced 10 individuals and two relays to state.

Five of those entries (Genovesi and the two relays, Schiller and Justin Barber in the discus) have the top seeds going into the state competition that begins Friday at UW-La Crosse's Memorial Stadium.

Benson knows that he has high-caliber people with big future plans in those top spots.

Genovesi likes to organize charity drives and is an all-state soccer player going to 2009 NCAA Division I national runner-up Akron on a scholarship. Barber and Schiller just recently announced DI track rides of their own to Minnesota, while long jump qualifier Brad Pelisek may be the brightest person in the building at Homestead, and is slated to go to Princeton where he will major in economics.

These people and others learned much during the Highlanders' ninth-place state meet finish of a year ago.

"We were a little nicked up and wide-eyed going into that meet and we came home soaked to the bone (after a soggy finals Saturday)," Benson said, "but it served its purpose beautifully. They were disappointed and pretty determined to come back and do something big."

So now Benson sits with this opportunity with this high-caliber team that has great expectations attached to it.

How worried is he?

Not as much as you would think.

"Brawner likes to say that the process is rather boring and tedious," Benson said,  "but if the kids have the patience and the tools for success, it doesn't matter what meet it is, the process itself does not change."

"They're excited, and they're prepared and that kind of situation tends to lead to better performances. We're going to be competing (at the higher levels) against a lot of the same people (we've seen all season). If you don't have to rely on lightning-in-a-bottle performances (like some teams have won state with), you should be OK. That's what is called responding to pressure."

He said he has spoken with his long-retired father about being faced with the very real possibility of a state championship and said the talk helped.

So has a season's worth of success.

"The reality of the situation is, is that I'd rather be in this spot than having to worry about guys moving up," Benson said. "The whole process of the season keeps us calm and very business-like."

"We're ready."

Last year, the WIAA division I track sectional that was hosted by Homestead had the top three teams on the boys side of the ledger in the state meet (and four in the top 10) while on the girls side, there were five squads among the first 13.

Further, seven state event champions came from the boys side while eight were posted on the girls side.

It didn't matter if it was beautiful and sunny like the first day of competition, or rainy and cold like the second day, the kids from this sectional responded.

And simply put, this northwest Milwaukee suburban sectional has been producing for close to a decade now, especially on the boys side, with six team state champions since 2001.

So, what does this mean as far as this Friday and Saturday's annual state test in La Crosse is concerned?

Look for more of the same, as the top of the state heat sheets are littered with athletes who burnished their credentials against the best on that same Homestead track last Thursday.

Based on the heat sheets, the Homestead meet could produce a preposterous nine state champions on the boys side alone and a solid five on the girls side. Further, meet champions Homestead of the boys and Arrowhead of the girls, are going to be considered among the heavy favorites for state team honors when the trophies are presented Saturday afternoon.

Needless to say, some are exhausted from beating their heads against the wall year after year.

"It's just a ridiculous sectional," said defending boys 110 high hurdle champ Matt Widule, who won his specialty last week at Homestead, but could only finish second in the 300 intermediates and didn't even make it back for the long jump, an event he placed in state last year.

In fact, Widule was more concerned for other athletes from other teams, who didn't advance simply because the sectional was too deep.

"I mean, look at Taylor Ruffin (of Homestead)," Widule said. "He was only fourth (in the long jump) and he went 21-6. I know that in other sectionals, he would not have only qualified, but he would have probably won. He's got to make it that event!"

Alas, Ruffin did not make it in the long jump, but he will in the 300 hurdles as he was right behind Widule in third at sectional. And Widule was right in his assessment, Ruffin would have easily made it to state in the long jump out of other sectionals in other parts of the state.

And on the girls side, nowhere was the excellence more on display than in the 1,600 relay. Germantown and Whitefish Bay earned the second and third seeds in state with their sectional times and Milwaukee Riverside also has a  top eight slot, but other fearlessly fast squads like Menomonee Falls (4:01.95), Nicolet (4:03.7) and Watertown (4:03.91) failed to make it to state, because the event, both in the sectional and the state this year, was simply too swift.

All three of those squads who didn't make it to state, would have advanced out of other sectionals without breaking a sweat.

"Sometimes I wonder if the WIAA wouldn't be better off spreading some of these teams out a little bit,"
 said Nicolet coach Brian Sommers. "...It is a little unfair to the kids, because there are just so many great athletes right here."

The problem won't be easily solved, because the Waukesha/Brookfield area sectional also has great pockets of excellence that make shifting any of those teams into the northwest suburban event nothing more than an even swap of excellence.

What would you have, say on the girls side? The best 3,200 relay teams in the state (Arrowhead and Homestead) swapped out for one of the best sprint crews ever seen in state history (Bradley Tech)?

People are going to get left out no matter what.

"As you know, this sectional means you have to be at the top of your game both physically and mentally, just to get into the top three, just to get to state," said winning boys coach Dan Benson of Homestead.

That's an understatement.

Top three state seeds coming out of the boys side of the sectional, include the following: Nick Hughes of King and Dan Schiller of Homestead in the high jump (tied for first at 6-10); Matt Widule of Falls (second at 14.28) and Dexter Schleis of Germantown (third at 14.4), in the 110 high hurdles. Falls 800 relay (first 1:28.25). Riverside 400 relay (first at 42.65). Schleis in the 300 hurdles (first at 38.18). Gabe Genovesi of Homestead in the 800 (first at 1:53.32). Jason Gillie of Riverside in the 200 (third in 22.09). Homestead in the 1,600 relay (first at 3:18. 8) and Arrowhead (third at 3:20.69). Justin Barber of Homestead in the discus (first at 178-11). Josh Dixon of Cedarburg in the triple jump (first at 48-5). Homestead in 3,200 relay (first at 7:50.26) and Milwaukee King (third at 7:55.2).

Top three state seeds for the girls side of the sectional, include the following: Courtney Walden of Oconomowoc in the pole vault (first at 11-6) and Abby Croft of Germantown and Cami Gilson of Arrowhead (tied for second at 11-3). Sherice Hewett of Vincent in the triple jump (third at 37-1). Arrowhead (first at 9:20.94) and Homestead (second at 9:21.79) 3,200 relay teams. Marissa Savitch (first at 14.2), Hewett (second at 14.49) and Madeline Emme of Watertown (third at 15.05) in the 100 high hurdles. Arrowhead in the 800 relay (third in 1:42.97). Crystal Malone of Riverside in the 400 (third in 57.46). Arrowhead in the 400 relay (third in 48.91). Liz Wendt of Germantown in the 800 (first in 2:16.27). Gabby Levac of Arrowhead in the 3,200 (first in 11:08.61) and Mandy Prom of Oconomowoc (third in 11:10.28). Bay (third in 4:00.25) and Germantown (second in 4:00.24) in the 1,600 relay.

The northwest Milwaukee area Division I track sectional has been the 800-pound Gorilla in the room for Wisconsin thinclad fans for many years now as state champions both individual and team have been almost as numerous as grains of sand.

Last year did not disappoint as Arrowhead and Menomonee Falls finished one-two in the state boys team team standings.

Look for something similar this time out in what promises to be a red-hot WIAA sectional qualifier on Thursday at Homestead (4:15 p.m.start). The top three in each event advance to the WIAA State meet in La Crosse, June 4 and 5.

The girls competition alone has in the works a minimum of four red-hot races beginning with a rematch between returning state 100-meter hurdle champion Marissa Savitch of Homestead and Sherice Hewett of Vincent who are currently one-two in the event on the state honor roll.

Savitch beat Hewitt on a chilly afternoon a few weeks ago on this same track at the Highlander Invitational but both look to be in good form as both posted sub-15 second times in regional competition on Monday.

But Savitch will have to fly if she wants to make another trip to state in the 300 low hurdles as Hewitt (45.68), Germantown freshman Sammie Gassner (45.88) and Kelly Koier of Menomonee Falls (46.47) have all posted regional times faster than Savitch's best of 46.77 and are in the state's top 10. Look for possible extra qualifiers coming out of this race. Gassner took up the event just a month ago and has improved her time every race out.

Then there is the stacked open 800. 2008 state champion Megan Palmer of Whitefish Bay has rounded her way back into top form again after an illness-plagued 2009. She beat 2009 state runner-up Liz Wendt for the North Shore Conference championship in this event last week after taking the lead at the start of the second lap. Wendt got caught up in traffic, but was closing hard at the finish.

The rematch should be delicious, but should either of the pair falter, there's a plethora of 2:23-or less runners capable of stepping in including Germantown's Andrea Sielicki and Homestead's Keali Bjork. Bjork, a musical wonder who belongs to three choirs at Homestead, has a knack for the big race, as she turned in several top performances at the North Shore Conference Relays two weeks ago.

But as exciting as that race may be, the best is saved for last on the girls' program, because as in every sectional, there are events people crowd toward or run away from depending on need. The girls' 1,600 relay is drawing teams like a fallen ice cream cone draws ants on a hot summer's day.

Three teams from the Grafton regional (Nicolet, Bay and Riverside) all ran 4:05 or better, while if a team didn't run 4:04 or better like Germantown, Watertown, Falls and Oconomowoc did on Monday at Falls, they were out of luck.

Arrowhead, a traditional state finalist in the event, could not make it out of that Falls' regional despite an otherwise fast 4:05 clocking. The possibility of extra qualifiers is high in this race if the weather cooperates.

The drama should be just as good on the boys side.

It starts with a relay team that hasn't even been on the state honor roll since the indoor campaign, but anyone who knows anything about state track knows that the Homestead 3,200 relay team will not stay hidden for long. Anchored by 1:51-capable 800 runner Gabe Genovesi and with two other 1:57 runners in Doug Mueller and Nate Routhier, look for the Highlanders to post a state best time, likely well under eight minutes.

Genovesi and Mueller, along with Andrew Holtorf and Mike Collins, showed that they're ready to have some fun in the 1,600 relay, as the unit posted its second state best 3:19 time of the season.

"We just wanted to stretch our legs and see what we could do," Collins said.

Homestead assistant coach Todd Brawner will not say how fast the relay can go, but he coached a state championship Germantown relay in 2006 that turned in a 3:17 clocking. You have to believe Brawner is thinking that this crew can go after Nicolet's 20-year old state mark of 3:16.

Another race that was looking for some leadership and got it was the 800 relay, as the Menomonee Falls crew of Brad Tietyen, Matt Christensen, Travis Townsend and Matt Widule turned in a smoking state best of 1:28.57. It is the second straight season that the Indians find themselves atop the state leaderboard after regionals.

Last season, the Indians lowered their bests in the event into top three all-time state-best territory with 1:27 times in both the sectional and state preliminaries, but foul weather hampered them in state finals and left them in second. You know that this senior-dominated team (only Christensen is an underclassman) is looking for some redemption.

In 2009, a total of five 800 relays qualified out of the Homestead sectional. That possibility is there again, as both Arrowhead and Vincent are in the 1:29-range and Whitefish Bay and Homestead both recorded 1:30-plus clockings.

Homestead, which has not lost to a Wisconsin team this season, will look to put the hammer down in the open 800 as Genovesi and Mueller look to go one-two against a field that features six sub-two minute runners including 2009 state qualifier Stewart Van Horne of Falls.

And then there is the neighborhood mutual admiration society that is the rivalry of 2009 state high hurdle champion Widule of Falls and Dexter Schleis of Germantown. The good friends and rivals have met several times this season. Widule edged Schleis in the highs at regionals while Schleis took the 300 intermediates. 

The pair have dominated the state honor roll for most of the season.

Last week, Widule turned in an all-time state best of 13.96 in the high hurdles at the Greater Metro Conference outdoor meet. A videocam viewing of the nearly perfect race is available from Falls assistant Jim Geisthardt. Widule is looking to ramp up his form to the level that won him 2009 Gatorade State Track Athlete of the Year honors while Schleis would like to join his brother Adam (high hurdles in 2005) in the state championship circle.

Anyway their races turn out, they should be among a cavalcade of performances from athletes from this sectional  who should have little trouble mounting the awards' podium in La Crosse frequently next week at state.

Adam Schleis couldn't help himself.

The 2005 state 110-meter high hurdle champ for Germantown and current assistant coach for Homestead was doing his job at the North Shore Outdoor meet on Tuesday in Whitefish Bay when he got a text message from Menomonee Falls, site of the Greater Metro Conference meet.

The message was simple, defending state champ Matt Widule of the Falls had broken through the barrier, running the fastest fully automatic 110 high hurdle time in state history with a 13.96 second clocking.

So what does Schleis do? He, of course tells his little brother Dexter of Germantown about it right before Dexter was to run his own 110-meter final. Dexter Schleis and Widule have been dueling for state hurdling bragging rights all spring in both the 110 and 300 intermediate distances.

"I couldn't help myself," Adam said.

No matter, little brother held his composure and easily won the highs in a time of 14.46, an effort that tied his personal best.

"No, it didn't bother me," Dexter said that night. "Though that time is now definitely stuck in my head. That's fast, that's really fast. But we both know that it's really a mental game and that you can't get caught up thinking about it too much. I did just send him a text message, though, saying '13.96, I love that!'"

"I can't wait for the next couple of weeks (WIAA regionals, sectionals and state). I know we have a couple of 37s in us (in the 300s)."

Widule was pleased that his old hurdling buddy took the effort with good grace and he by no means thinks he's got things easy going into the WIAA championship series.

"He (Dexter) did that to me with his (state best) 55 time indoors," he said, "So now we've done it to each other. I know he'll still be right there at the end. I have no doubt about that."

And it's not as if the pair have a mortal lock on state titles in the two races. At the Monona Grove Invitational last Friday, Madison Memorial's Lechein Neblett, himself a returning state placewinner, temporarily knocked Widule off the top stand of the high hurdles with a 14.32 effort and slipped Schleis to second and Widule to third in the intermediates with a smoking clocking of 38.29.

"That 300 time really caught Matt's attention," said Indian coach Mike Burling. Neblett continued to raise the level of his game at Tuesday's Big 8 Conference meet, as he turned in a high hurdle time of 14.18, which also ranks in the state's all-time top five.

Burling, who sent out an e-mail to all those concerned Tuesday night that simply said '13.96' with multiple exclamation points behind it, thinks this relentless game of oneupmanship is good for the sport.

"I think we're in for something special (in the next couple of weeks)," he said.

Widule also has no doubt about that.

"Hey, it's the hurdles, anything can happen," he said.

No, there wasn't a lot of snoring on the bus and "wet willies" to the unfortunate sleepers were few and far between, when the Menomonee Falls, Homestead and Brookfield Central boys golf teams recently shared an overnight bus trip up to the Onalaska Invitational.

It was a chance to share tall tales, get to know your local competitor, see a great golf course (the La Crosse County Club) plus a little bit more, said Falls coach Tony Pritchard and Homestead coach Steve O'Brien.

"We really hung out together," said Pritchard. "We all stayed in the same hotel and went to the same restaurants. It was good for us to do that with two perennial state teams and see how they reacted at a high-level meet."

"It was also good for the kids to see their coaches not throw stuff at each other for once (big laughs)."

Falls got invited last year to the meet (Whitefish Bay was on that trip too), and Pritchard worked with Riteway Bus to get a large enough coach bus to accommodate all the coaches and the players, including Central and its coaches Brian Scrobel and Dan Wandrey.

"That's the beauty of our game," said O'Brien. "Certain coaches and players can come together and really bring sportsmanship into focus. There we are, three or four teams on a bus, talking and having fun. We're still competitors, but we also learn something too."

"It's also a safer trip too, with a professional driver. To incorporate all those things, well, it''s just something the kids really enjoy." 

The teams played reasonably well on the hilly track ("I had to remind them that it wasn't a vacation, that we were out there to perform," said O'Brien), but that was sort of incidental to all the other good things going on like simply getting to know your neighbor.

"I thought it was a great life lesson," Pritchard said. "It showed that we can respect each other. Sure there are giggles on the bus but the kids also learn how to handle themselves in a public situation. Just a great team-building exercise."

Relay meets in track are designed to make a favorite nervous. Only one entry is counted per team, and a no-height in a field event or a dropped baton in a race can make a surefire team champion an also-ran in a matter of seconds.

Homestead boys coach Dan Benson, whose team will go into Wednesday's North Shore Conference Relays at Cedarburg as heavy favorites understands that all too well. Though his squad has not lost to a Wisconsin team all spring (five invitational level titles so far), he knows that his talented team has soft spots and can be exploited by a Germantown unit that has depth, talent and confidence.

"There is just very little room for error in a meet like this," he said, "but we're excited. Who knows how it will turn out? We'll just make sure that we're ready to go and do our best to hang in there."

Compounding things is the fact, that there is a lack of depth in the league this season and  little anyone can do in this top-heavy event to prevent Homestead and Germantown from going one-two in many events on Wednesday. Cedarburg in the jumps and Whitefish Bay and Nicolet in the short sprints is probably as close as anyone can come to causing either team serious trouble, 

The Highlanders will likely dominate the field events with sheer talent as Danny Schiller leads the state honor roll in the high jump at 6-10, Justin Barber is leading the state shot and discus rolls and super-smart Brad Pelisek (36 score on the ACT) continues to astonish as a proven 22-foot long jumper, a steady 6-2 high jumper and in his first attempt at the event last Friday in Wauwatosa, a 43-foot triple jumper.

Further, the Highlanders will likely put a heavy crimp in anyone's plans in races that involve the 400 and the 800-meter lengths. Homestead is a ticking time bomb in both the 1,600 and 3,200 relays as Gabe Genovesi is a sub-50 second 400 and sub 2-minute 800 runner and teammates Mike Collins, Doug Mueller and Nate Routhier are also state-caliber performers at those distances (and in Routhier's instance, beyond that).

Elsewhere, the Highlanders can hold their own in the hurdles (Taylor Ruffin leading the way) and in the distances (Routhier is a state honor roll 3,200 runner too).

That's where the Warhawks will have to make their headway. They have abundant talent in the distances with Tim Trapp (honor roll 3,200), Nick Skidmore (2-flat 800), Adam Schueller, Kenny Haferkorn and Gary Hackney. Their secret weapon is hurdler Dexter Schleis, who is trying to unseat Menomonee Falls neighbor Matt Widule for state high and intermediate hurdle honors and who also provides a steadying link on the sprint relays.

In the shot,put,  they should also hold their own, as Bryan Keys has made his way up the ladder of the state rolls with a 56-foot effort that is a new school record.

Warhawk co-coach Andy Bavlnka, whose team almost caught a Highlander squad that put on the brakes a little too soon at the league indoor last month, sees winning the relays as a difficult but not impossible task.

"I'm sure they've totaled up the numbers and we have our own numbers too and in both cases, it's probably very close," he said. "It will take a very good day by us with no mistakes."

Imagine this.

Another earthquake, in another poverty-striken, over-populated region of the world. The usual players, the Red Cross, CARE, and the World Bank all come into play providing rescue and medical service, promises of aid in rebuilding and emotional support for the grief-laden survivors.

But along with those voices, comes another. Someone with a "Q" rating off the charts. Someone who, now even in his current diminished state, could rally thousands, maybe even 10s of thousands to donate preposterous sums to the relief effort.

He could do with a mass e-mailing off his website or he could spend a little of his vast fortune buying full page ads in major newspapers around the world.

Imagine the response.

Imagine Tiger Woods doing this.

And it could be him, if he really wanted to do something positive with his life right now.

Yes, the man has much work to do. He is trying to repair his probably already fatally damaged marriage, a process made all the more difficult by the daily reports of still more women having shared his bed.

A process he made even more difficult himself by his hubris, his arrogance, the insular nature with which he carried on his lfe for so many years in his singular reach to be the greatest golfer of all-time. He set up foundations and gave money to charity, but he has never  truly reached out to people.

He set himself above us all.

Phil Mickelson has only a fraction of the major titles Tiger has, but Mickelson is beloved by the fans, because he slaps five with them along the fairway, because he puts his face on public education projects, and because he stood by his wife and took time for her during the worst of her cancer scare.

Tiger could be that way, but can he change himself enough to do it after a lifetime of shielding himself from the regular world?

A start, before any grandiose thoughts of global outreach in a time of crisis, would be a sitdown on major network television, with a respected voice in sports journalism., Others have suggested Oprah or even Matt Lauer, but I would like to see him meet with someone like Rick Reilly or Bob Costas, someone from within the sports world, who has history, perspective and a record of objectivity that's unassailable.

Someone who knows how jocks rise and fall and occasionally rise again.

There would be no preconceived format, no limit on the scope of the questions. It would be an honest Q and A. We would then see how much Tiger really wants to get back into the world's good graces. How much he really wants to escape his self-created hell.

His forthrightness would speak volumes.

And if he does that, and starts the process back, we can watch and see if really transforms himself in a way we can recognize.

Will he stop the cursing and muttering and club-tossing after every little golfing slight?

Will he rein in his tendency to dismiss the gallery as just a nuisance and occasionally shake the hand of a well-wishing fan after a good shot?

Wil he laugh openly and give free-ranging, genuine, honest answers in post-round press conferences?

And will he set a real example of real involvement, in an all-too real world with problems that could use more people of influence like himself taking a stand?

We would no doubt get our answer soon enough in a situation like that.

It's going to be difficult, but if he invests just a fraction of the effort he puts into making himself the athlete that he is, he can become in the paraphrased words of his late father, "Something truly great."

Besides, it can't be anything near as difficult as this "death-by-a-thousand cuts" experience he's going through right now. He has no control over anything currently in his life and that just has to be killing him.

Arnold Palmer once said that he admires Woods for his accomplishments, but in no way does he envy his life. What the true golf legend means, is that Tiger, because of his enormous popularity, can't possibly live a normal life, including going out for a casual dinner at a restaurant, or to see a movie at the multi-plex without drawing mass attention to himself.

And yes, you can feel a smidgen of pity for him in that instance, but this is the life he chose, from his very first professional swing at Brown Deer Golf Course at the late, lamented Greater Milwaukee Open, to his gritty win on one leg at the U.S. Open two years ago.

He wanted to be the best golfer in the world and he has achieved that.

Now he can reach for something more--Being a real honest human being.

Imagine that.

.

Both Paul Wagner and Kris Kuells Tsakonas took the all-around route in gaining their recent induction into the Germantown Hall of Fame.

They were stars in multiple sports, continued their athletic endeavors beyond high school and always sought to make their teams better.

I remember Wagner's breakthrough moment clearly.

He was already seven years clear of Germantown stardom when it happened, having earned a full baseball scholarship to Illinois State, and having twice been named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference team as a pitcher while there.

It was 1992 and one day Wagner was throwing for one of the top minor league squads of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the next moment he was jet-lagged and happily bleary-eyed after getting a mid-season call-up to the big squad.

"They liked my live arm," he said at the time.

It was the major leap forward in a 12-year professional odyssey for the former Warhawk multi-sport star that included a one-hitter in 1995 and stints with Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Cleveland and New York before injuries hastened his retirement in 2001.

Not bad for a person who is in the Germantown top five all-time in scoring in basketball, was a sure-handed and sure blocking tight end for Warhawk football teams dominated by running back Jamie Meulemans and was just about everything for the Chuck Ritzenthaler-coached "Boys of Summer" baseball teams. 

He was first-team All-Braveland Conference in football, basketball and baseball, the only Germantown athlete to earn that honor. Germantown's conference affiliation history includes the now-defunct but well-remembered Scenic Moraine and Braveland organizations as well as the current North Shore.

Meanwhile, Kris Kuells Tsakonas is remembered well by long-time Germantown coach and teacher Dennis Kloth as a top-flight all-around athlete in the late 1970s back when girls' high school sports were just getting off the ground.

"She was good at almost anything she did," Kloth said.

Indeed, as the long-time Waukesha School District teacher was a four-year varsity letterwinner in tennis, basketball and track. An original 12-letter girl back when that feat was exceptionally rare.

She played first singles in tennis, leaped a school record 5-4 in the high jump and teamed with fellow GT Hall of Famer Amy Nickel to form some of the best Warhawk girls basketball teams ever.

Kuells Tsakonas was second-team All-Scenic Moraine Conference in hoops in 1977 and 1978 and earned first-team all-league and team MVP honors in 1979. She earned the area American Legion Athletic medal for her achievements in 1979.

While at UW-Platteville, she earned two letters in badminton and three in track. Kuells got her undergraduate degree at Platteville and her masters at Whitewater. She's been teaching and coaching in the Waukesha area since 1984 and has also coached at St. Mary's School and in the Little league organization.

So it was a fine evening when the pair were honored at a recent basketball, looking scarcely a day older when posing for pictures with their plaques.

Ironically, the photographer was none other than Ritzenthaler himself.

Thursday was the rare day in the tenure of outgoing Homestead Activities Director Charlie Gross where not a lot got done.

His secretary, the efficient and well-organized Julie Burke, made sure of that as people got a chance to celebrate and shake hands one more time with Gross before he heads off to be Associate Athletic Director at UW-Milwaukee on Monday.

Burke took an old cheerleading trophy and plastered Gross's likeness on it.  Engraved on its surface was something to the effect "Charlie Gross, I survived Homestead High School 2002-2010". There were also photo montages of himself and staff members while Burke also made him wear a little #1 medal throughout the day.

There were also doughnuts and other treats plus a parade of visitors. A very nice touch were both red and white balloons symbolizing his soon to be past of Homestead and black and gold balloons representing his future at UWM.

Burke and others chipped in on small presents like a giftcard for gas and a little Matchbox toy car that were symbols of the effort and the mileage Gross put in representing Homestead these past eight years.

Gross was touched and pleased with the effort on his behalf as he will continue to wear his dual hat of Homestead athletic director and area recreation department director right through Sunday, where he will be supervising a Slammers' youth basketball event.

"That'll be good," he said of Sunday. "I'll be able to see a lot of community members that day."

An interim activities director will be named shortly as the search to replace Gross on a full-time basis continues.

Gross's work at UWM will begin promptly at 8 a.m. Monday.

"I'm exuberant and enthusiastic," Gross said of his new job, "and a little anxious too. It's a new adventure."

When it comes down to the WIAA’s highly successful 34-year old state football playoff series and its needed modifications, it is as Germantown head coach Phil Datka said:

"We can’t have our cake and eat it too."

No, the state’s football coaches can’t. There are just too many issues on the plate right now with too many competing voices.

The WIAA’s Board of Control kicked it back to the coaches association late last month after defeating the redistricting plan by an 8-2 count.

In its rejection, the WIAA asked its own executive staff to create football-only conferences for the most in-need members and it will revamp the current end-of-season scheduling, which has teams playing three games in a 10-day span, from the last game of the regular season through the second-round of the playoffs.

Like WIAA staff have said: "They succeeded in getting a conversation started."

And something will come out of it despite the uneasiness of coaches and athletic directors with change of any sort.

Surveying the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) polls on proposed solutions, WIAA Deputy Director Wade Labecki noticed that most of the membership were widely against almost all the ideas.

That situation is untenable, he said.

"Something will have to be prepared," Labecki said, "and the Board of the Control will have a look at it."

Meanwhile, the conversation continues, such as on the scheduling issue, which is being revamped for the long-term health of the players.

"We’ve never advanced past the second round of the playoffs," said WFCA Hall of Fame member Tom Swittel from Wauwatosa East about the scheduling issue. "because we were always out of gas."

But past president of WFCA, Homestead’s Dave Keel, didn’t see a problem with the current schedule. His teams have failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs only twice since 2001.

"There’s no evidence supporting the assertion that that’s unreasonable," he said of the three games in 10 days scenario. "If that’s the case, why do we have three hockey games in three days, or three soccer games in three days or three basketball games for that matter (all are state tournament scenarios)?"

"…We ask the WIAA for evidence, but they don’t have it. If you have a concern over injuries please present it, but just don’t say there’s a problem and not tell us why it is a problem."

But Keel’s old rival, Germantown’s Phil Datka does see the problem.

"I’d love to minimize the impact on the kids," he said. "Studies are saying a 1,000 little hits are as traumatic as two or three big hits. If we can change it, I’d be all in favor."

And that’s just one issue. The current playoff situation and conference alignment will remain in place next fall, but the WIAA would like changes in place by 2011. Coaches will have four options to deal with some of the current scheduling problems.

*The regular season could be reduced to eight games giving teams more time to prepare for the playoffs.

*Practice could be moved up four days further stretching out the schedule.

*The scrimmage could be eliminated (most people spoken to did not like this idea at all).

*Or the state finals at Camp Randall could be moved back to the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Labecki said that that final option was recently put in jeopardy by the Big 10 Conference moving its collegiate football schedule back a week, potentially putting the finals in conflict every year with a Wisconsin home game.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The original redistricting plan was to put schools of equal size in the same rough geographic area into eight-team leagues (separate from the other conference sports, which would remain the same).

But transportation costs (mostly for outstate schools) involved in that plan were a primary reason the Board of Control shot down the overall redistricting.

"The district plan took care of all of the issues," said WIAA Associate Director Deb Hauser. "We knew that smaller schools were falling by the wayside (when it came to qualifying for the playoffs out of conferences with bigger schools), but the travel costs just got so high."

"Medium to small schools are just so strapped right now."

So the Milwaukee area will still have football conferences next fall with teams from three disparate enrollment divisions (the North Shore and the Classic 8 being chief among them), creating potential hardships for the smallest schools in those leagues.

"It’s all based on the ability to make the playoffs," said Swittel, whose school is the smallest in the Greater Metro and whose team is almost always the smallest (30-35 varsity players at the best) in the league. "…No one had any idea of how difficult this would be. We just have to be creative and find a way to make it work."

Swittel did find it interesting in the polling of his own area coaches that most division 1 schools (with the largest enrollments) were not in favor of the original plans, while the division 2 and 3 schools were.

"What can you draw from that?" he asked.

Another issue is maintaining area rivalries. Both redistricting plans did away with a lot of the traditional games that make fall Friday nights a joy.

Homestead would have been shifted well north and west of its traditional rivals in the North Shore and other schools had similar problems.

"I honestly like being in the Greater Metro Conference," said Brookfield East coach Sal Logue. "I’ve been associated with it most of my life."

But then he saw the handwriting on the wall.

"There are always going to be good years and not so good years for you," he added, "but it gets hard maintaining success. The Elmbrook district is declining. In three or four years we’ll be down to 1,100-1,200 students while other schools in the conference like Falls, Marquette and Hamilton will go up to 1,600-1,700 and so a plan like this makes sense."

"Football is different, numbers do count."

"My idea would be to keep some rivalries for the first couple of weeks of the season, but in my mind the idea of keeping my kids competitive trumps all other issues. Give your kids the best chance possible (to make the playoffs)."

The re-arranging of freshmen and junior varsity schedules was also considered a nightmare, noted some coaches, as the school’s original conference schedules would remain in place for them, making coaches work with multiple gameplans, while having athletic directors work up additional (and more costly) bus schedules.

The original redistricting plan was first proposed late last summer and it got one major revision when schools objected to where they were placed. It then went through a series of procedural votes.

The Board of Control vote became predictable after the WIAA’s Advisory Council unanimously turned down the plan. That was after Sports Advisory Committee voted 11-2 against it.

Interestingly enough, the Football Coaches Advisory Committee voted 6-1 in favor of continuing discussion on the plan back in December.

Franklin Athletic Director Don Kurth felt the whole process had a rushed feel to it.

"Normally the WIAA is so methodical and detailed, sometimes to the ‘Nth’ degree about things," he said. "They started this process, then we didn’t hear much about it for awhile and then all these votes came up so quickly."

"We (the schools) want a viable option, just don’t rush us into something. They’re (the WIAA) normally so methodical, but this all felt so hasty. I wanted to say ‘What’s the rush?’ If they wanted to get everyone’s attention, they certainly got it."

Datka, who coached Kurth back in the mid-1980s, and who started his 40-plus year career back when playoffs weren’t even a topic tossed about during post-game bull sessions, had his own ideas.

"I’d personally like to revisit the all-play format (for the playoffs)," he said. "It would solve some problems but not all of them. You’d still have the Milwaukee problem (a noted lack of competitiveness in the playoffs over the last 20 years), but maybe you could seed some teams to avoid some bad match-ups (an idea Hauser didn’t like for the distinct advantage it brought to the rested team)."

"But whatever district you take teams out of, you’re losing an allegiance with people and that can be a nightmare for coaches."

"One thing is for certain, we’re not going to get everything our way."

The thought that getting a consensus on the next plan will be difficult was an idea everyone could agree with.

"This is going to be a tough decision anyway you cut it," said Logue.

It's come down to this.

Adult coaches who are  fierce competitors, traditional rivals, and respected foes have taken to texting each other like teenagers moments after their games are completed to figure out the latest direction of the convoluted and contorted North Shore Conference boys basketball race.

Take what happened to Germantown boys basketball coach Steve Showalter less than an hour after his team pulled off a harrowing 65-63 upset of league-leading Port Washington last Friday.

"Both Ray Curry (Homestead) and Paul Hepp ((Nicolet) texted me saying ''Way to help the league!,'" said Showalter, "and I responded 'Hey, I'm just trying to win some games here!'"

And in a somewhat off-the-record comment, Showalter said something along the lines of "Thanks for nothing!" to Curry for the Highlanders successful denting of the Warhawks six-game winning streak the week before.

Such is the life in the NSC these days.

With the Germantown win and the Nicolet upset of Bay the same night, you now had one hard-pressed rabbit (Port) at 6-2 with a pack of baying, hungry hounds (Bay, Homestead and Germanrtown) right on its heels at 5-3 with  two hopeful hunters (Nicolet and Milwaukee Lutheran) at 4-4 still thinking that they can clean up the mess at the end.

Bay Athletic Director John Gustavson, himself a veteran of harrowing league races while the successful head of the Nicolet girls program in the 1990s, said he wouldn't be surprised if the league champion has a minimum of three or four losses.

And it just gets more interesting every week.

Further confusing things, Bay coach Kevin Lazovik had to miss his team's one-point loss to Nicolet last Friday as his wife gave birth to their first child earlier that day. He also missed the subsequent day's nonconference win over Hartford, but the happy father was slated to be back when the Blue Dukes hosted Germantown on Tuesday night in another NSC battle.

No word on whether he was going to give Showalter a candy cigar to celebrate, because in this league, no one can celebrate any one win for too long.

That's because this league is full of migraine-inducing talent.

Port's Wisconsin recruit Josh Gasser is tossing in 23.9 points a game, while Chip Rank of Cedarburg has exactly the same total (334 points in 14 games). Chim Kadima of Milwaukee Lutheran (20.5), Zak Showalter of Germantown (18.0), Myles Henry of Nicolet (15.9), John Johnston of Bay (15.4) and Coy Smith of Homestead (15.4) are just a few of the other selected hotshots who have coaches packing Pepto-Bismol tablets on a nightly basis.

Complications are likely to arise tonight with the Germantown at Bay game and the Homestead at Milwaukee Lutheran contest and Hepp himself could be the subject of congratulatory text messages himself if he can somehow knock off Port Washington at home tonight.

Nicolet is a  puzzling unit. Senior-dominated and guard-oriented they seem built for the long haul, but recent frustrating losses, including a bad one to Cedarburg (3-5), left the Knights in a lurch until the thrilling one-point win over Bay.

"We believe we can play with anyone on our schedule (if we do things right)," Hepp said.

Meanwhile, the healthy Lazovik baby was the least of Bay assistant coach Joe D'amato's concerns, as the rebuilt Blue Dukes looked like they were going to stun everyone and repeat as champs despite the loss of Princeton recruit Jimmy Sherburne and several others off the NSC title team of a year ago.

But a first quarter injury to Johnston put Bay on the defensive in a loss to Lutheran and even with Johnston back, a raft of turnovers did them in against Nicolet, despite a heroic effort by junior Ron Patten, who battled back from a second quarter knee injury to almost carry the Blue Dukes to victory in that contest.

"Until we get all four quarters," said D'amato. "We're still likely to have some trouble."

And go figure Germantown. A week after looking every bit like the skinny, inexperienced sophomores they are in taking a beating from a physical, senior--heavy, football-player-filled Homestead squad, the Warhawks were back at it against Port, racing out to an 18-point lead before hanging on for dear life at the end.

Showalter pointed to seniors like Jordan Infield and Jake Keefe for stepping up and doing the little things to help out the four sophomore starters and give the Warhawks back some of the swagger they had gained in the six-game winning streak that Homestead broke.

"That game (Homestead) we were a little full of ourselves and it brought us back to reality," said Coach Showalter. "After that, we had a great week of practice."

"This (the Port win) puts us in position of having a chance down the stretch. It's just so close."

And likely to get closer on Friday as Bay will get a chance at a season sweep when it visits Port Washington, Germantown will host Milwaukee Lutheran and Homestead gets a visit from Cedarburg.

"It's really going to be a war down the stretch," said Curry.

Call up the trackwrestling.com site and you'lll find dual meet and tournament results, and little tidbits to keep the hard-core grappling fanatics happy and looking for more.

Like selected recent histories of top wrestlers nationwide such as Germantown's two-time WIAA state champion and multi-time national champ Jesse Thielke.

Already a legend of sorts in area wrestling circles, Thielke has filled a case as high and wide as an enviable home's large picture window with trophies big and small, garish and simple. In the past year, the junior 130-pounder has defeated college-age opponents in open all-comers meets, won Cadet national titles in both the folkstyle and greco-roman traditions and in one two-day tour of dominance won four regional tournament titles in high school, open and junior categories in both freestyle and greco-roman fashion (The Purple Pummel event)

And just for good measure, he has won his first five high school tournaments this winter for a solid Germantown team, working with a new coach (former Warhawk state placewinner Casey Gabrielson), and fortfying his almost clinical technical dominance and already formidable mental toughness.

In short, it seems that he has picked up the intensity just a little bit since that epic, attention-getting loss to Arrowhead's Jake Sueflohn in the WIAA sectionals last February. Thielke avenged the loss the next week in the state 125-pound championship match and has won 16 other tournaments on varying levels since then.

"It's been going very well," Thielke said after a recent Germantown dual meet win over Nicolet, in which he dispatched a good opponent in just 1:14 en route to running his record to 30-0 for the season. "Ever since I made that decision in summer to change my perception. My goal right now is to go out there and completely dominate. Give everything I've got until its done."

So it would seem. He still does the classic superior wrestler trick of not wasting energy trying to pin an opponent everytime.  He takes him down, lets him go and takes him down again and again until he wins by technical fall. But there are more pins involved in the process this year, less patience to give up a point to an opponent.

And there should be. Gone is the skinny 112-pounder of two years ago who used his vast technical skill and exceptional experience to overwhelm opponents. Oh those qualities are still evident in abundance, but now they're matched up with a youth growing into a man's body. The back, the chest and shoulders are more chiseled and deeper with muscle mass.

That strength allows him to control his opponents more easily and he doesn't have to struggle as hard to get to where he wants: a quick technical fall or a quicker pin. It leads to swift, technically-efficient matches that are a coaches' dream or nightmare, depending upon your perspective.

For example in the recent 65-team Oshkosh on the Water Tournament, he won five matches, three by pin and two by technical fall. His final three matches, against wrestlers all of whom had one loss or less going in, were decided by two technical falls and a pin.

As a result, he's seen a few more forfeits this winter than he has in past years. Gabrielson comprehends this concept and even respects it as coaches don't want to risk injury when their grappler is overmatched.

"Kids don’t want to wrestle him or coaches bump their kids around for strategic reasons," Gabrielson said. "I understand, smart on their part. ...I (just) wish he could have had five matches though, not three and two forfeits (in a given tournament)."

And even when he is picking up nothing but forfeits, Thielke has won "wrestler of the tournament" in almost every high school event he has competed in this winter. Sueflohn has been doing the same at 135 pounds, having beaten four-nationally ranked opponents this season. It is not known what weight class either will wind up at when the state tournament series rolls around or if they want to match up again like they did last season.

No matter, Thielke just wrestles whomever is in front of him as he hurtles towards his third state championship. He's also appreciative of Gabrielson's efforts this winter.

"I can't really tell you how this match or that match went, I just try to go out there and do the best I can," Thielke said. "...and Coach Casey has been a big help. He's done so much for this program already."

And Gabrielson knows what kind of athlete he's working with.

"I've had a few coaches come up to me and say, “Wow, he is good and he has my vote for wrestler of the tournament,'” said Gabrielson. "I just respond 'He is.'"

I admit it, for the last decade I've been spoiled rotten by the hard work and excellence of the high school football programs I've been privileged to cover.

Three state titles (Germantown 2003 and Homestead 2006 and 2008), along with two runner-up slots (Homestead 2007 and Menomonee Falls 2009) will do that to a person, not to mention the fact that at least one team I've covered each year since 2001 (and in the cases of 2002, 2003 and 2007 even more) has made it to the state semifinal round.

In short, I've made it a habit to make sure my gloves are firmly in my pocket, my sweater pulled snuggly over my head and my car is loaded up with anti-freeze and gas, because it's almost a certainty I'll be traveling and then standing outside in the sometimes capricious and sometimes almost evil November chill (the conditions for the 2001 state semifinal in Menasha where Homestead lost to Marshfield were among the most bone-chilling cold and raw I can remember).

But as monotonous and time-consuming as those precautions are, they are just a happy nuisance when I get to cover things like the heartening and most encouraging out-of-the-blue run of my hometown Falls team this fall. 

The Indians were a veteran team, led by savvy and determined co-captains like John Cording, Joe Henningsen, Max Poeske and Cole Myhra who firmly believed in the old adage that they were indeed worth more together than the sum of their individual parts. They were humble and smart kids, who failed to win a game as sixth graders, but who through hard work, dedication and a firm belief in the team concept achieved far more than anyone had given them a chance for. 

Their attitude began from the top down, from NOW Newspapers Coach of the Year John Baker, who is now famous for saying "I'm just a piece of the puzzle". Several of his players have publicly stated that they would not have won 12 games or made it to the state finals without his leadership.

Baker is a fine inheritor of the mantel worn by past Falls coaches like Bob Hessler, Jim Jeskewitz, Pat Cerroni and Bob Vitale. His concept of returning pride to the Falls program after missing out on the state playoffs the last three seasons resonated throughout the community and the school system.

Even further in some instances.

Hessler's son Jim, a former coach and athletic director in the Falls before moving over to Hartland Arrowhead, where he is the offensive coordinator for the Warhawk juggernaut, couldn't help but manage a wistful smile at what happened in his old stomping grounds this fall.

"You bet I'm happy for them," he said. "They still have most of the guys on staff that I hired (when he was AD). John (Baker), Jamie (offensive coordinator Doyle), Erich (Rutsch), Dave (Weber). ..You like seeing them do well."

"And I tell you my Dad (Bob) and Jes (Jeskewitz) went up to the state finals together. They had a really good time and it really brought back a lot of good memories for both of them."

And for me too.

So much so, that I want to thank the Indians of 2009 very much for rousing my sense of hometown pride and also praise all the other great teams and individuals of this remarkable decade. You made for great copy, you provided me with incentive, you humbled and amazed me with your humility and grace and skill and above all, you made Friday nights in the fall terrifically good fun.

A DECADE'S BEST

2000--Germantown (state level three). Best moment--When Warhawk sophomore quarterback David Pietrowiak, who had filled in for the injured Jeff Holzbauer four games earlier, threw four TD passes to lead Germantown to victory over Whitefish Bay in the regular season finale and North Shore Conference championship game. It was only the beginning of  the four-sport star Pietrowiak's heroics.

2001--Homestead (state semifinals). Comment: "That left side of their offensive line is like a total eclipse of the sun, " said then Falls coach Vitale. Vitale said that after the Highlanders rolled  past what had been a surging Falls team in the second-round of the playoffs using a dominating ground game.

2002--Homestead and Germantown (both state semifinals). Best moment--PIetrowiak again, scoring on the very next play after Germantown star linebacker and fullback Jeremy Franke was knocked from the game with a knee injury in the level 3 contest against Ashwaubenon. His effort and Ryan Flasch's relentless running paved the way in an emotional rally.

2003--Germantown (state D2 champions) and Homestead (state semifinals). Best moment--The game of the decade, Homestead's win over host Germantown in the regular season finale for the North Shore Conference title. Quarterback Derek Watson led a harrowing last-minute drive and capped it off with a bullet pass to David Harkensee for the gamewinning TD. Tight end Blair Grover had a critical fourth down catch to earn a first down on the march. It's a game people still talk about and served as powerful and painful incentive for the Warhawks strong run to the D2 championship

2004--Menomonee Falls (state semifinals): Best moment--On a rainy night in mid-September, Brett Hartmann kicked two field goals, the final one made possible by a leaping grab of a Henry Lau pass by Ryan Gorecki as the Indians beat Marquette, 6-3. But the most wrenching moment came minutes after that gamewinning kick as Hilltopper coach Dick Basham went over to address the Falls team. Basham had just buried his wife the day before and many Falls people had come to the service. Basham wanted to thank them for their support in what was a very difficult time for him. Class personified on both ends.

2005--Homestead (state semifinals): Strange days indeed--In the level three game between host Homestead and Falls, the weather gods decided to have a little fun. They made it rain and storm and rain and storm some more. They got through the first half, but then lightning forced a delay. And every time the teams came out to warm-up, a flash of lightning came across the sky again, forcing another 30 minute delay. After five hours of this (during which, fans took refuge in the high school), the WIAA alllowed game officials to postpone the event and finish it on a much drier Sunday evening. Homestead won 13-7.

2006--Homestead (state champions): Best and strangest moment--The night of the state semifinal game between Homestead and Stevens Point at UW-Oshkosh, it was raining in Milwaukee, snowing in Menomonee Falls, sleeting in Fond du Lac and snowing some more in Oshkosh. The Homestead buses were delayed by the weather, leading to a 40-minute setback of the kickoff (boots were a must this night). It finally cleared for a cold, but palatable evening of football, as the Highlanders shook off four successive losses in the state semifinal round with a decisive win, which preceded their state championship victory over Arrowhead a week later. The Highlander defense was arguably the best of the decade (no offense to the 2009 Marquette unit).

2007--Homestead (state runner-up) and Germantown (state semifinals): Best moments--Homestead coaches deserved accolades galore for their rebuilding job following the title run of 2006. The Highlanders had to play four unbeaten teams in a row in the playoffs (Bradley Tech, Hartford, Stevens Point and Arrowhead) and they beat all but Arrowhead, losing the rematch of the 2006 title game. Germantown also had an encouraging end to an otherwise blah 5-4 regular season. The Warhawks caught fire in the playoffs, beating Sussex Hamilton, Brookfield Central and Waterford before falling to eventual D2 runner-up DeForest.

2008--Homestead (state champions): Best moment--The Highlanders bruising state championship win over Arrowhead, where the Highlander defense, paced by all-state linemen Shelby Harris and Ben Gardner, held a potent Warhawk offense almost completely in check in earning their second title in three years. Defensive back Tommy Engel, who was badly hurt in a second-round win over Marquette, was back in the line-up and contributed a "Pick 6" interception return for TD in the first half that turned momentum in the Highlanders' favor for good.

This was supposed to be the year in swimming where everybody was going to be in transition mode.

New restrictions on the permeability and amount of coverage that can be had through "fast suit" technology was supposed to slow everyone down.

Combined with an enormous rash of flu-related illness running through the state this fall, it was alll looking like it would be a blah and boring girls state meet.

But don't tell that to Menomonee Falls/Hamilton coach Jim Weitzer whose top 50 freestyler Amanda Siehs missed out by .06 of a second despite a razor-quick 25.27 sectional time last Saturday.

Or explain that to Germantown coach Sara Petric, who saw mutli-time state qualifier Shannon Miller fall short in the 100 free, despite a standout 55.34 clocking.

"Without the suits and the illness, man, it's still pretty quick out there," said Warhawk coach Sara Petric, a former state champion herself while at Homestead.

And really don't talk to Brown Deer/University School co-coach Bob Van Lieshout after his 400 free relay crushed a program record in the sectional but still fell short of the Division 2 qualifying standard by .05 a second.

It seems that swimmers statewide aren't being bothered by the lack of high-powered suits very much and that they are getting over their colds quickly.

"At the top, it seems that the standards have been lifted quite a bit," Weitzer said. "It's a combination of a lot of things. Better training, better nutrition, better facilities. But in my mind, it has always come down to the desire of the athlete to better themselves. The best ones find it wherever they can."

So don't be surprised if a few state records fall this weekend when the girls Division 1 and 2 state meets are held at the UW-Madison Natatorium.

Even when not many were expected.

"All these changes are fine with me," said Homestead coach Mark Gwidt, whose team won a  division I sectional title for the 10th straight year. "I wish we had done it before. Now with a whole bunch of records having been broken (with the suit technology in the last few years), we have to play catch up with the clock."

But he agrees with Weitzer that the catch-up time will go faster than most people think.

"Still, we'll have kids swimming faster with or without the suits," Gwidt said. "It's not the suit that makes the swimmer. It still comes down to the athlete."

The restrictions were made first by FINA, the international governing body of swimming and by USA Swimming, because it was felt that the sport was becoming more about the technology than the effort and talent that was put into it. The ludicrous number of records that were destroyed time and again at the 2008 US Olympic Trials and then at the Olympics themselves bore testament to that concern.

Following that decision, like dominos, all sorts of other federations followed suit (so to speak), including Wisconsin's WIAA. In doing so, an aggressive and debilitating arms race where swimmers would spend more and more on the latest and best technologies leaving some people out in the cold simply because of affordability, was stopped dead in its tracks.

According to Gwidt, the state of the art Blue 70 suits, which helped many an athlete craft a state or national record, are now illegal and can't be used anymore. Further, there were limits made to the amount of beading that could happen on the suits (the permeability factor) and that suits are of to be of one piece. No fasteners or zippers. Further restrictions limited the amount of body coverage there is, especially in men's competition suits (they have to be above the knee according to one guideline).

So with all those restrictions and with all the concern about H1N1 flu and its related maladies going about, how does Gwidt explain the tremendous depth this year in the state field, where times that might have gotten on the medal stand just a few years ago are now struggling just to make the field?

"Swimming for girls is a very popular sport," he said. "A lot of schools outside the Milwaukee and Madison areas are now able to compete much more effectively in the past because of the larger number of athletes they have to pick from."

"It's a lifelong sport that people can really enjoy."

In a normal cross country universe, Germantown girls coach Nancy Pietrowiak would be making plans for her eighth-ranked in state team to work hard and then possibly celebrate a league title this Saturday when the North Shore meets at Tendick Park in Saukville on Saturday.

After all, the Warhawks have won three major meets this season including the last two in a row and come in on a roll.

But instead, when the 11:10 a.m. race rolls around, Pietrowiak will likely put on her normal intense game face, mix it with an air of resignation and then hope that her talented team can take a strong third.

Because she knows that it will be very hard for her squad to get past the human sonic booms that are top-ranked in state and defending WIAA champ Whitefish Bay and number two ranked Homestead.

And did I mention that Port Washington is ranked sixth in state Division 2 polls and that Nicolet is vastly improved?

"We know that we have our work cut out for us," she said, "but we are concerned with what we need to get done, not with what other teams are doing."

Such is the way of the CC world this brisk and swift fall close along the northern suburban Milwaukee Lake Michigan shore.

That's because Bay and Homestead will likely stage a race for the ages if conditions are good. Germantown won the Port Washington Invite by a substantial margin last week at Tendick and turned in some scorching times, while the veteran-laden Blue Duke and Highlander squads will be getting their first looks at it this season though their veteran-laden teams are well-familiar with the layout.

Homestead stunned an illness-ridden Blue Dukes early in the season at the Arrowhead Invite where new Highlander coach Victor Vilar announced that he "has the utmost respect for Bay" and noted that it wouldn't be long until the Blue Dukes were back in peak form.

Try just about a week later, when a healthier Blue Duke squad took advantage of tight course condittions at Kletzsch Park in Bay's Vanden Avond Invite and dominated the Highlanders in a rematch.

Since that time, the pair have rolled virtually untouched, laying waste to the state's best competition and doing some decent work out-state too (Bay was seventh in the large school division of the powerful Griak Invitational in Minnesota a few weeks ago)..

The Highlanders have buried fields in Janesville and in Madison and for good measure, sent their junior varsity to a 16-team varsity meet in Racine, where that unit demonstrated Homestead's depth by taking a respectable eighth.

Meanwhile, the Blue Dukes won the Purgold Invite at Sheridan Park, though in less than spectacular fashion by coach Mike Miller's demanding standards. The Blue Dukes have owned the North Shore Conference this decade not having lost a meet and  frequently winning by wide margins.

But make no question about it, this meet will likely be very close.

Bay will come in with the emotional baggage that every defending champion has: that sense that there is a very large target painted on their backs.

The Blue Dukes have championship experience at all levels. Emma-Lisa Murphy and state 3,200-meter track champion Kenzie Vicker were all-state in the Blue Dukes CC title run last fall and Megan Palmer was state track 800 champ in 2008 and was all-state in CC in Bay's runner-up charge of 2007.

Homestead will come in with an enormously large and motivated senior class. A sophomore, Lauren Holtz, has been their frontrunner and she recently won her first individual title out in Madison, but hard-charging and tight-packing seniors Kelsey Boyle, Caity Bobber and Sarah Miller are the guts and soul of this team, frequently making their marks in the top 10.

They also have extra motivation, as they are running for their late coach Andy Edington, who passed away suddenly on a training run last spring. These Highlanders have worn their hearts on their sleeves ever since but have their tactics and determination firmly planted in Edington's bedrock principles.

"I've spoken to the girls, and I've learned what a great man he (Edington) was and how much he meant to them," said Vilar in an earlier story on the topic. " I'm going to try and help them keep moving forward. ... I'm going to give them the opportunity to run for him."

And for the honor of the sport.

Both teams will have been off two weeks when they sprint away from the starting line on what is expected to be a cool but dry day in Saukville. Both coaches are understandably nervous about the competition, but anxious to get going.

"This just speaks so well to the state of cross country in the area," Vilar said. "The competitive spirit has picked up a great deal. We're really excited about the opportunity. I like the idea that we have a chance to really push things and I  hope we're ready to take advantage."

"This will be no doubt the best conference meet anyone has seen in 10 years," said Miller. "...It's going to be a great race. We're just practicing hard and hoping to stay healthy while also hoping that we're emotionally and mentally ready for the championship portion of the season."

Shortly after the Homestead boys socer team's hard-fought 1-0 victory over Port Washington on Sept. 29, forward Gabe Genovesi sat on the bench with a towel over his head rubbing his aching foot.

It got stepped on as he tried to finish up a breakaway in the final two minutes of the game (he was frustrated when the shot caromed off the crossbar) and as it started to feel better, he could start putting the last few weeks as well as the evening itself in full perspective.

Not only had it been both senior and parents night (with the requisite roses being handed out to hard-working and deserving mothers), but a musician in full tartan and bagpipes came out during introductions to lead the teams onto the field with a stately and finely-tuned version of the "Highland Fling".

Later in the game, long-time announcer and retired Homestead orchestra director Shelby Dixon announced that it was Genovesi's fellow co-captain and goalkeeper Chris Browne's 18th birthday. Browne received a nice round of applause for the milestone.

So it was an evening to celebrate on many fronts, but no more so in Genovesi's eyes than that of the team's sock drive that was the centerpiece of  this night.. An almost all-consuming passion for the last several weeks for Genovesi (his bedroom was full of them, he said), he and his teammates collected new socks for the Sojourner Truth House for battered women and children in Milwaukee.

Three large blue plastic tubs with a jaunty sign "Got Socks?" attached to them stood by the ticket booth near the soccer stadium. A quick inspection of their contents revealed that they were almost all full.

Which brought a smile to Genovesi's face and relief to his aching foot.

"After counting the socks last night (Tuesday, Sept. 29), I wanted to let you know that the drive collected 540 pairs of socks," he said in an e-mail to me. "I anticipate having well over 600 pairs of socks by the time I turn them over to the Sojourner Truth House this weekend."

"We found more socks in our mailbox this morning and received several e-mails and phone calls from people who are going to be dropping socks off."

The venture was aided greatly, Genovesi added, by the excellent response from Homestead's opponents in Port Washington. He had e-mailed the school's assistant principal and principal about the drive and was stunned when EVERY (the caps are his way of emphasizing the point) player and coach from Port brought socks.

Very friendly enemies indeed.

"I sent over a letter to the high school this morning thanking them for their invaluable involvement," he said.

The overall gesture was very timely and heartening too, Genovesi wrote, as he discovered that in these days of a stumbling economy, earthquakes, tsunamis, and just general uncertainty:

"Isn't it nice to have some positive news for a change?!"

Yes, it is.

Admittedly, school and Bob Kronenberg weren't always the most compatible mix.

But as a member of the most recent class of inductees into the Menomonee Falls Athletic Hall of Fame, he did remember many good things that happened during his time in high school: and they weren't all on the football field or on the track.

In fact, enough good things happened in the classroom that he was able to earn a hard-won diploma and begin a 20-year odyssey in football that still isn't done.

It has included small college All-American status, tours in the Canadian Football League (a member of their All-Rookie team 16 years ago) and NFL Europe (a two-position star). Currently, he is happily an area scout for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons (In the process, he has gotten to know the check-in counters at Marriott Hotels very well).

And he knows he wouldn't have gotten this far without help, a lot of it.

"It's an absolute thrill to see all of you again," he said at ceremonies in the school cafeteria on Sept. 18. "I have a seven-year old daughter now. The priority of my world, and I tell you if she can have the kind of support system (in school) that I had, it would mean so much to me."

"...It's 20 years after high school, and my best football memories are still those four years spent here. I had a very special opportunity while I was in the Falls. It's just a real thrill to be a part of all this."

Kronenberg's thoughts were echoed in one form or another by the other five inductees in the sixth annual class of the Athletic Hall of Fame.

"I'd like to thank the academy," chuckled track and basketball star Andreas Klotz at the opening of his remarks. "...Wow, I just see so many people who were my mentors. People who took me under their wing and taught me right from wrong. It makes me feel blessed."

"I'm here because of what I gave back to them (in terms of performance), but it's only because of what they gave back to me that I'm here. Thank you to everyone who ever put their time into me."

And appropriately enough, Klotz is returning the favor, putting his time into children as a coach at St. Mary's School in the Falls.

One of those people Klotz referred to, coaching nominee Ron Burling, also got his moment in the sun. He was not only the one who first told Klotz to throw a discus (Klotz would eventually make the Olympic Trials in the event), but  he also helped with Kronenberg and fellow inductee, basketball and baseball star Mike Ehler.

Burling is one of those happy warriors who doesn't seem to know when to quit. He spent long years as  the leader of the successful boys track program, was also a savvy football assistant and even spent time with boys gymnastics. He was coaxed out of retirement recently to help with the weightmen by his son Michael, who is now plowing through the paperwork that his father used to dread as head track coach.

Michael, who was in attendance at the event, happily gave his old football teammate Kronenberg a punch in the arm when Ron rose to give his speech.

It was short and to the point. Ron was ecstatic that so many of his children (three of them) also decided to enter the teaching and coaching ranks. One of them made a long trip up from the southern suburbs from a football game he was coaching and made it just in time to hear his father say how proud he was of all his kids.

Ron too, laid his honors right at the feet of those he thought had earned them.

"The athletes, they were the ones who got me where I am today," he said. "They and the support of my family and my wife, which I could never have gotten along without."

Ehler's humility echoed that of Burling's. He looked around the room and the plaques of the previous five classes of inductees and found himself amazed to be included among them.

"It is a special honor," he said. "To look at these people and see what they accomplished is amazing. I'm still an old Falls North guy, so I still bleed a little purple and white (the old school colors). I see people like Mr. Petroff (Athletic Director Dave Petroff) and know how much they meant to me. I remember my teammates and the good teams, the special teams that I was on. Very good teammates who made it fun to be a part of it all."

"Just like it's fun to be included in all this tonight."

The youngest and the oldest of the inductees knew that point well too.

For state champion and All-American swimmer Megan Grunert, who is currently working on her doctorate in chemistry, the 10 years between her high school graduation and this moment are just like a drop of iodine in a flask.

Here and then gone, but with a meaning that is not lost.

"I came home over the summer," she said, "and I grabbed a scrapbook full of old articles and stickers. And looking at our tie-dyed t-shirts and dyed hair, I can see that there was never going to be anything like high school ever again. Singing the songs, laughing on the bus."

"And then a few weeks after that, I get this letter, telling me that I was inducted. I looked at the newspaper and I realized that this was only the sixth class, the sixth year of the hall, and I'm in shock and awe to be included so early."

Terry and Lenny Ullsperger, Jr., who were there on behalf of their father, the late Leonard J. ("Lenny") Ullsperger, Sr., understood Grunert's intensity of memory, because in their large, extended family, memory is built in layers, one generation after another.

"Lenny" was a high school sports star in the 1930s, a strong advocate of the Land O' Lakes baseball program and a famous long-time sportswriter for the old Falls News. That would be enough to get almost anyone induction, but if he would have been around to speak for himself, he probably would have told everyone that he was getting in for his family's accomplishments as much as for anything he ever did.

A total of 11 Ullsperger children and grandchildren have lettered at various Falls High Schools and they are still not done.

"If my Dad were here tonight, he would have had a hard time saying anything because he probably would be crying, because so many of them (family) are here tonight," Terry said. "An emotional man, a kind man who really would have appreciated this very much."

"On behalf of him and the family, we're really grateful for all this."

That sentiment was unanimous this night.