Cheers and Jeers
Sportswriter Steve Tietz will use this blog to try to duly reward the great, praise heartily the hard-working, uncover the unsung, and take to task the spoilsport, the foul-mouth and the crass in the local prep sports scene. He'll try to remember that kids are just kids and that coaches aren't in it for the money. He'll try to gently remind parents that the kids are playing for fun, not for profit and that the officials, though occasionally human and therefore prone to error, are there to ensure fair play and not out to get anyone.
Joyful Falls run caps a heady decade for area gridiron teams
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.
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