MONROE — With the preseason to the postseason out of the way, the top-ranked Cheesemakers can lock in their focus to the ultimate goal: A march to a state championship.
On Oct. 14 in Week 9, Monroe decimated Whitewater in the final hurdle to an unbeaten regular season, 47-0, capturing the program’s third straight conference title and the 15th straight win at TR Holyoke Field.
“On those congratulations, you have to lump in all those guys that were involved in those three championships,” Monroe head coach Toby Golembiewski said. “Because if you don’t get the first one, you’re not here on the third one. It’s just been a great, great several years of kids that have come through here that have wanted to work hard and play hard and play unselfish Cheesemakers football.”
In fact, outside of a 21-point nonconference Week 2 win over Mount Horeb-Barneveld (8-1, 7-0 Badger Small), the Cheesemakers (9-0, 7-0 Rock Valley) were hardly contested at all this fall. Monroe finished the regular season with six shutouts. In fact, Monroe’s lone deficit to this point all season was a 5 ½ minute stretch in the second quarter against MHB.
In the win over Whitewater (0-9, 0-7), the Cheesemakers showed off their smash-mouth style of play to the dozen Whippet fans in attendance from the get-go. Monroe needed just two plays on its first possession to score — a 46-yard run by Keatin Sweeney, followed by a 10-yard scamper by Sweeney for a TD. When Monroe got the ball back minutes later, the Cheesemakers needed six plays to go 57 yards and score, this time Kaden Kuester from 8-yards out.
Monroe’s third possession lasted just one play. After Drew Indergand picked off a Whippets pass, Sweeney dashed 61 yards to the house on the next snap to make it 21-0. Sweeney also joined teammate Alex Hernandez in the 1,000-yard club for the season on the play.
“It’s pretty cool,” Sweeney said. “It’s all on the linemen — they deserve all of it. I can’t thank those guys enough; and Coach G for giving me the ball.”
Monroe gained 347 yards rushing on 30 carries against Whitewater. In fact, the Cheesemakers let their senior QB sling it around a bit — George Brukwicki finished 3 of 4 passing for 74 yards, which included a 39-yard TD to fellow senior Charlie Wiegel. Wiegel also had a pair of fumble recoveries on defense.
Sweeney, who finished the game with 157 yards and two scores on just eight touches, had 1,370 yards and 19 touchdowns a year ago, averaging 9.6 yards per carry. This year, he’s averaging 11.8 yards per touch and has 18 touchdowns.
Hernandez touched the ball just four times against Whitewater, gaining 50 yards and a score. So far this season he has 1,159 yards (10.1 ypc) and 12 touchdowns, far-outpacing last year’s mark of 1,378 yards, 14 TDs and 5.9 ypc.
The pair of seniors aren’t the only backs benefitting from arguably the state’s best offensive line. Kuester has 541 yards on just 47 carries, Tucker Markham 291 and Lane Meier 191. Meier had 62 on two carries off the bench against Whitewater, while Nathan Fuchs had a 1-yard score and 16 yards.
Going further, Ben Gatdula had 139 yards on just 11 attempts in five quarters before a shoulder injury caused him to miss the rest of the regular season.
In fact, the Cheesemakers lead the entire state by nearly 600 rushing yards with 3,762. Their mark of 10.3 yards per carry is the only program in the state rushing at that clip, and they have 59 rushing touchdowns — eight more than the next team.
“We’ve been working so hard and have been doing this since sixth grade, working hard every day in the weight room, and watching film, and then just executing on the field on Friday night,” Sweeney said.
Monroe, the top-ranked team in Division 3, even leads the entire state in total yardage at 4,189 — which could be a lot more if not for playing nearly every second half with the second and third strings on the field and a running clock. The Cheesemakers only punted four times all season, and only twice used their No. 1 punter, Brukwicki — both times against Whitewater in the second half with a running clock.
“We (seniors) have to make sure everyone is going hard at all times and that we’re ready to go four quarters for a game,” Sweeney said.
“We practice hard so we can get our younger guys in there” at the end of games, Monroe senior lineman Austin Fuchs said. “We know they are going to be leading this team next year.”
In all, Monroe outscored its regular season opponents by nearly a 10-1 mark at 417-42. The average lead at halftime was 31 points. The defense has allowed just 1,353 yards total — 835 through the air, and 518 on the ground at an average of 2.5 yards per carry.
Up Next:
WIAA Division 3 Level 1
vs. Portage (4-5, 3-4 Badger Small)
At T.R. Holyoke Field, Monroe
The Warriors closed the regular season on a 3-game losing streak, falling to Stoughton, Monona Grove and MHB by two or more scores in each.
Portage runs 2/3 of the time, though the Warriors gained more yards (1,115) through the air than they did on the ground (1,049). Portage was outscored 246-168 in the regular season.
Gavin Thompson is the quarterback, completing just shy of 51% of his passes for 1,072 yards and 10 TDs with five INTs. Keagan Hooker is the team’s leading rusher with 435 yards (5.5 ypc). Two other runners carried the ball more than 30 times, but neither averaging more than 4.1 yards per attempt. Ashton Krasovec was the team’s leading receiver with 15 catches for 377 yards and five TDs. Ian Karpelenia had 12 grabs for 282 yards and two scores. Hooker has 10 catches for 129 and two scores.
Should Monroe advance, the Cheesemakers would host the winner of Plymouth (7-2) and Pewaukee (7-2), the state’s defending champion that also stunned Monroe in the second half of the Level 4 state semifinal in 2021. Beyond that, familiar foes MHB, McFarland and Stoughton reside, along with West Bend East.
“Last year was a good humbling moment for us. We didn’t think we were going to make it that far,” Fuchs said. “Now this year, everyone knows that there is high expectations that we go far. I think that’s the biggest thing with everyone — we want to go to state, and we want to win state.”
Outside of talent and execution, Fuchs is confident simply in those he lines up with every day. The entire offensive line returned from 2021, and are playing bonded and as if they have something to prove.
“It’s a great pleasure that we get to keep playing, and I am glad I get to play through with these guys. All I’ve got to say is we’re a family. Me and (Isaac) Bunker, we’re best friends, we’re real tight,” Fuchs said. “We’re so close. This is a family. A lot of us on the O-line are the same age and have been playing football together forever.”
