MONROE - A bumper-sticker slogan for the Monroe High School football team this year could be streak breakers.

The Cheesemakers won the Badger South Conference championship for the first time in 18 years and went unbeaten in the regular season for the first time since 1995. Winning a playoff game is another hurdle to clear.

The last time Monroe made the playoffs in 2012, the Cheesemakers lost to Mount Horeb-Barneveld 41-6 in the first round. If the Cheesemakers meet Mount Horeb-Barneveld this season in the playoffs it would not come until the state quarterfinals in Monroe.

The last time Monroe won a playoff game was 2003.

This season, the next big step for Monroe (9-0), ranked seventh in the Associated Press medium-school state poll, is a first-round playoff game against Reedsburg (4-5) at 7 p.m. Friday at home.

"It's a one- vs. an eight(-seed) matchup, and it's a David against a Goliath type of thing," Monroe coach Toby Golembiewski said. "They are a Badger Conference school, and we are not taking them lightly. This is do or die. This very well could be our last game if we overlook them. I've been in a position like them as a coach before as a No. 8 seed. They will probably come out with some trickery and gadget plays. I think it will be a good matchup. It may come down to a chess match between coaches."

Reedsburg coach Brian Pottinger has coached for 24 years. He was previously an assistant coach at Rock Island Alleman, Illinois, and served two years as a quarterbacks coach at Augustana College before taking over as Reedsburg's head coach in 2006. Brian's father, Vern Pottinger, who turned a struggling Belvidere, Illinois, football program into a two-time state champion before leaving in the late 1990s, has been inducted into both the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame and the Illinois coaches hall of fame. Vern Pottinger led Rice Lake to two state runner-up finishes and won 19 playoff games in 38 years of coaching, amassing a 232-120 record.

Reedsburg runs a triple-option offense. The inside and outside veer option plays are staples of the Beavers' offense. The Beavers lean on senior fullback Dalton Hahn and junior quarterback Nathan Kruser to make plays in the running game. Hahn has rushed for 641 yards and scored six TDs.

"The Pottinger family is a big football family that has been running the option for years," Golembiewski said. "The quarterback just puts it in the fullback's hands and walks with him. As soon as one guy is out of place he will pull it out and run around the outside. Their main guys go their fullback and then quarterback."

Maintaining gap and responsibilities for hitting and tackling the fullback and quarterback on each play will be key.

"We have to be low, strong and good tacklers," Golembiewski said. "We have to be disciplined. They will grind on you."

Another area that has given the Cheesemakers an edge in many games this season is their depth. They are playing just three players as starters both ways on offense and defense. Seniors Hayden Arneson, Dylan Beaver and Alex Tordoff are two-way starters. With the bulk of the Cheesemakers' defense staying fresh, they have had success at bottling up the running games of opposing teams. Monroe senior Isaac Allen is also used in a defensive end rotation with Arneson and Beaver. However, the bulk of the Cheesemakers' defense remains one-way starters.

"Before the season started coach (Tom) Witt and I wanted to find 22 starters on both sides of the ball," Golembiewski said. "We are just blessed. That is a huge advantage. You can believe how big of a difference that is. I bet there are not many first- and second-place teams in the Badger Conference who have very many kids playing both ways."

The Cheesemakers are averaging 34.2 points and 331 rushing yards per game. Allen has rushed for 1,097 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. He also is the Cheesemakers' leading receiver with seven receptions for 109 yards and three touchdowns. Senior running back Jacob Kind is also closing in on a 1,000-yard season. Kind has rushed for 950 yards and has scored eight TDs. Senior teammate Cole Murray has run for 742 yards and eight TDs this season.

Golembiewski expects Reedsburg will run a five-man defensive front on the line similar to Fort Atkinson. However, the Beavers have shown 4-3 and 3-3 stack defensive looks.

"A guy who runs a three-back offense will know how to defend a three-back offense like the wing-t," Golembiewski said.

Even with home field-advantage, Golembiewski understands nothing is a lock.

"I don't think home-field advantage makes you block or tackle any better," he said. "It doesn't guarantee a win."

Golembiewski expects a big crowd for Monroe's first-round playoff game on Friday.

"I'm sure if the weather is nice it will be a full house," he said. "Get there early if you want to get a seat."