MONROE — It took a quarter to get going, but once the Cheesemakers got into a groove it was impossible for Evansville to stop them. Top-ranked Monroe went on to win running away 41-0 on Sept. 9 in Week 4 on Senior Night.
“We didn’t really warm up very well. You could tell this was maybe in the making a little bit,” said Monroe coach Toby Golembiewski. “Maybe the Senior Night affected them a bit. These guys are very routine-orientated. When there’s a change in routine (like the pregame honors), it affects that routine a bit. Who knows if that’s the reason, but we definitely were flat — flat on offense and flat on defense.”
The Cheesemakers had 73 yards in 1 ½ drives in the first quarter, with the first drive ending in an interception. Evansville’s first two drives finished in a turnover on downs and an interception in the end zone by senior Keatin Sweeney.
“I think they saw the writing on the wall that if we didn’t get our stuff together, this was going to go south real quick,” Golembiewski said.
The rest of the way Monroe collected nearly 400 yards and scored six touchdowns, with the only noticeable blemish being missed extra points.
“We had to probe them a little bit, but as soon as we had their guys narrowed down and where they would be, we had them,” Golembiewski said.
Junior QB Ethan Rosenstiel made his first varsity start, replacing George Brukwicki, who is recovering from a shoulder injury and could return within a week or two. When he entered in Week 3 against McFarland, he found success right away. Against Evansville, his first drive ended in an interception, quickly returning him back down to earth.
“It was kind of an ‘Oh, shoot’ moment,” Rosenstiel said, adding that getting thrown into the first in Week 3 and then taking the first-team reps for Week 4 was an experience unlike he’s seen before. “It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but we settled in. It was a good week of prep, and in the end, it feels good to come out with the win.”
The Blue Devils threw quick slants and out routes on the following drive, eating up chunks of yards at a time. Evansville reached the Monroe 6 with a first down, but two plays later QB Bennett Keller’s pass to the flat was tipped by Monroe’s Tucker Markham, with Sweeney pulling it down on a tippy-toe catch in the back of the end zone for an interception.
Monroe marched down the field in just six plays, with Markham, a senior, bullying his way 14 yards to the end zone on the first play of the second quarter to put the Cheesemakers ahead 6-0.
“I’m getting more and more touches every week. Me and (Kaden) Kuester are really working that right half, and it’s paying off for us right now,” Markham said. “Our linemen are doing a really great job.”
The Cheesemakers stepped up on defense, getting a quick 3-and-out, and on Monroe’s first snap of the next possession, Kuester, a junior, hit the left edge and scored on a 66-yard run.
Evansville gained just 19 yards on the ensuing possession before punting again. The Cheesemakers then marched 67 yards in nine plays, with Markham scoring for a second time with 2:39 to go in the half. The Blue Devils struggled on their next possession again, as James Seagreaves had a big sack, and a punt with 1:34 left gave the Cheesemakers one final possession of the half, which was capped just 78 seconds later on a 12-yard TD run by Kuester to go up 28-0 at halftime.
“(Isaac) Bunker is the guy I give credit to. He’s the one out there pancaking everyone and giving me lanes to run through,” Kuester said.
The score worked even further in Monroe’s favor, as the Cheesemakers were set to receive the second half kickoff. Evansville’s defense then worked Monroe to a quick fourth down after just three plays. However, Monroe hadn’t punted all season, and opted to go for it from their own 42. Golembiewski called a sweep to the left, which panned out, as Kuester took it 58 yards to the house again. A missed PAT left Monroe ahead 34-0, one point shy of a running clock.
Evansville again couldn’t find any offense, as the Cheesemakers made the necessary adjustments to mitigate gains on the dink-and-dunk passes. Monroe took over again at its own 38.
That’s where Markham did his best impression of Marshawn Lynch’s “Beast Quake” run— a Cheese Quake, if you will. Markham found himself fighting off tacklers just past the line of scrimmage, but instead of going down or getting pushed back, he found a way to wiggle out of swarm of Blue Devils and then muscled his way for a 20-yard gain, igniting both the crowd and the sideline.
“I don’t know what was happening. Right away it looked like it was going to get blown up with two guys there. I had like three guys on me, and I felt it loosen up, so I kept going,” Markham said. A defender tripped him at his ankles from behind, momentarily halting another long TD run. “I almost broke it loose.”
The Cheesemakers scored seven plays later with Sweeney waltzing in at the right pylon with 4:11 left in the third — the final score of the game.
Monroe gained 444 yards on the ground and 468 total — Rosenstiel hit Drew Indergand for a 24-yard strike down the sideline on a pass in the first half. Kuester had 181 yards and three TDs on nine rushes, while Alex Hernandez had a workman-like 116 yards on 15 carries. Markham finished with 48 yards on four rushes, and added nine tackles on defense. Sweeney had 41 yards on seven totes. Rufenacht and Seagreaves each had two sacks, with Charlie Wiegel adding another sack. Evansville had 146 yards.
Golembiewski said that Kuester and Markham have brought a spark to the offense when running with the ball, especially given that running to the left behind the seal blocks of Sweeney and all-conference linemen Isaac Bunker and Sean Rufenacht. However, Markham and Kuester themselves still have room for improvement as blockers.
“Sweeney is not the benefactor of their good blocking. Sweeney is anchoring that side, so those guys (Markham and Kuester) can have some success, but those guys aren’t always on queue. It’s tough, some guys can’t go offense and defense and do everything right all the time, so we have to find a way to get their retention up so Sweeney can take advantage, too,” Golembiewski said. Sweeney had 1,370 yards rushing a year ago, averaging 9.6 yards per carry and 105.4 per game. This year he has just 239 total, averaging 6.5 per carry and 59.8 per game.
Of note, the Cheesemakers punted for the first time this season in the fourth quarter, as the reserves faced a 4th-and-10 from midfield. Brukwicki is the team’s designated first-team punter, but Kuester made the kick, which netted just 14 yards.
Monroe had 23 first downs to Evansville’s seven. The Blue Devils gained just one first down in the second half. Monroe held time of possession for 27:18.
Up next for the Cheesemakers is Jefferson, which graduated 20 seniors, has a new coach, and a new offensive system. The Eagles (0-4) used to run a somewhat similar triple-wing option offense, rarely passing. This year, with a new coach and personnel smaller in stature than in year’s past, the Eagles are spread out wide and sling it.
“They’re going to come up with something, but we’re going to have to worry about ourselves and make sure we’re doing us and not worrying about their program and their situation,” Golembiewski said.
The game will also represent the first home game during Cheese Days weekend since 2008, which could offer fresh distractions, somewhat similar to Homecoming Week. Markham isn’t just preparing for the game, but preparing to be a team leader as a senior and help navigate the younger players through some of the distractions
“For the younger guys, they have to keep focused and work hard and know that they do have a role on this team,” Markham said.
Golembiewski isn’t worried about the festival going on downtown, as much of the events kick off downtown and are during and after the game. However, Golembiewski is interested to see what kind of crowd shows up — really big with returning alumni coming to watch, or a small crowd, with many spectators getting pulled to the Square.
“I’m wondering how many people are going to show up. It’s either going to be a lot, or it’s not going to be many,” Golembiewski said.
