MONROE - As the Monroe football team kicked off the first day of practice, coach Toby Golembiewski challenged players that there will be days when they are hot and sore, but they will be champions by persevering through the grueling days.
The Cheesemakers won the Badger South Conference championship last year and went unbeaten in the regular season before losing a heartbreaker to Pewaukee 7-3 in a Division 3 state quarterfinal game. It marked the first time Monroe had won a conference title in 18 years and it was the first unbeaten regular season for the Cheesemakers since 1995.
Trying to recapture and duplicate the success the Cheesemakers had last year won't be easy. Monroe is looking to reload after graduating most of their starters on offense, including three running backs who eclipsed more than 1,000 rushing yards in the same season last year.
"I think for our seniors and the guys who were here last year it (making a run to the state quarterfinals) was a great motivation," Golembiewski said. "For the new guys, I'm not sure. I think the guys are a lot more excited. I think there is a lot more competition for positions this year. It's wide open. We will see how badly they want it."
There are more challenges ahead this season as the Cheesemakers look to repeat as conference champions. Watertown, with an enrollment of more than 1,300 students is joining the Badger South this year. Monroe will play at Watertown on Sept. 8. Due to the addition of Watertown to the Badger South and Beaver Dam to the Badger North, Monroe will only play two non-conference games this year instead of three as in previous years.
Monroe will play at Reedsburg in the season opener on Aug. 18 and host DeForest in the home opener Aug. 25. Another pivotal conference game will be when the Cheesemakers host Division 2 state runner-up Monona Grove Sept. 22, which Monroe beat last year 10-7.
Both Watertown and Beaver Dam are joining the Badger Conference after the Little Ten Conference folded due to a reshuffling of conferences in the Milwaukee area. The Cheesemakers will play at Watertown Sept. 8.
"With Watertown it changes the win dynamic for what is needed for the playoffs," Golembiewski said. "I think they (Watertown) will fit right in to the level of play in the Badger Conference. It will change some of the dimension to our travel. We are so far south that there really is no one really close to us."
Monroe football players did weight lifting and conditioning tests Tuesday morning before kicking off their first official practice Tuesday night.
Players were tested in the bench press, squats, 300-meter shuttle and in a 20-yard pro agility shuttle.
During the first official practice, players worked on calling plays in the huddle, running plays from various offensive formations, down blocking and offensive individual skills.
Golembiewski said the projection is for 70 total players at all three levels: varsity, junior varsity and freshman.
"We are excited our numbers are going up," Golembiewski said. "We are happy to have three self sustaining levels of football. It's very important for player development."
Monroe is not the only team that will have changes in its conference this year. There will no longer be South and North divisions in the Rock Valley Conference this year for football. That affects Brodhead-Juda which will compete for a conference title and a playoff spot in a 10-team conference. Every Friday game will be a conference game for the Cardinals.
Darlington, the Division 6 state runner-up four straight years as a member of the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League, will have one less conference game this season after Riverdale moved into the Ridge and Valley Conference for football starting this year. The SWAL now has seven teams instead of eight. It's the first time the SWAL has had seven teams since 2004.
The conference change for Riverdale means the Redbirds will have three non-conference games this year instead of just two. Darlington will host Westby in the season opener Aug. 18 and then play at Prairie du Chien Aug. 25. The third non-conference game will be Sept. 22 at Cambridge.
The Cheesemakers won the Badger South Conference championship last year and went unbeaten in the regular season before losing a heartbreaker to Pewaukee 7-3 in a Division 3 state quarterfinal game. It marked the first time Monroe had won a conference title in 18 years and it was the first unbeaten regular season for the Cheesemakers since 1995.
Trying to recapture and duplicate the success the Cheesemakers had last year won't be easy. Monroe is looking to reload after graduating most of their starters on offense, including three running backs who eclipsed more than 1,000 rushing yards in the same season last year.
"I think for our seniors and the guys who were here last year it (making a run to the state quarterfinals) was a great motivation," Golembiewski said. "For the new guys, I'm not sure. I think the guys are a lot more excited. I think there is a lot more competition for positions this year. It's wide open. We will see how badly they want it."
There are more challenges ahead this season as the Cheesemakers look to repeat as conference champions. Watertown, with an enrollment of more than 1,300 students is joining the Badger South this year. Monroe will play at Watertown on Sept. 8. Due to the addition of Watertown to the Badger South and Beaver Dam to the Badger North, Monroe will only play two non-conference games this year instead of three as in previous years.
Monroe will play at Reedsburg in the season opener on Aug. 18 and host DeForest in the home opener Aug. 25. Another pivotal conference game will be when the Cheesemakers host Division 2 state runner-up Monona Grove Sept. 22, which Monroe beat last year 10-7.
Both Watertown and Beaver Dam are joining the Badger Conference after the Little Ten Conference folded due to a reshuffling of conferences in the Milwaukee area. The Cheesemakers will play at Watertown Sept. 8.
"With Watertown it changes the win dynamic for what is needed for the playoffs," Golembiewski said. "I think they (Watertown) will fit right in to the level of play in the Badger Conference. It will change some of the dimension to our travel. We are so far south that there really is no one really close to us."
Monroe football players did weight lifting and conditioning tests Tuesday morning before kicking off their first official practice Tuesday night.
Players were tested in the bench press, squats, 300-meter shuttle and in a 20-yard pro agility shuttle.
During the first official practice, players worked on calling plays in the huddle, running plays from various offensive formations, down blocking and offensive individual skills.
Golembiewski said the projection is for 70 total players at all three levels: varsity, junior varsity and freshman.
"We are excited our numbers are going up," Golembiewski said. "We are happy to have three self sustaining levels of football. It's very important for player development."
Monroe is not the only team that will have changes in its conference this year. There will no longer be South and North divisions in the Rock Valley Conference this year for football. That affects Brodhead-Juda which will compete for a conference title and a playoff spot in a 10-team conference. Every Friday game will be a conference game for the Cardinals.
Darlington, the Division 6 state runner-up four straight years as a member of the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League, will have one less conference game this season after Riverdale moved into the Ridge and Valley Conference for football starting this year. The SWAL now has seven teams instead of eight. It's the first time the SWAL has had seven teams since 2004.
The conference change for Riverdale means the Redbirds will have three non-conference games this year instead of just two. Darlington will host Westby in the season opener Aug. 18 and then play at Prairie du Chien Aug. 25. The third non-conference game will be Sept. 22 at Cambridge.
