MONROE — For the second straight year, the Cheesemakers have punched their ticket to the WIAA Division 3 state semifinal. On Nov. 4, Monroe pitched its seventh shutout of the season, drowning West Bend East 35-0.
“Another shutout — unbelievable,” Monroe coach Toby Golembiewski said.
Rain fell constantly throughout the night — sometimes as a drizzle, most of the time heavier — and T.R. Holyoke Field became treacherously muddy. The conditions were not conducive to the Suns (9-3), which hadn’t played a game this season on grass turf. The wet weather also factored into the WBE’s passing game, hampering the ability to complete passes.
“Defensively we did a really good job of taking away their inside run,” said senior linebacker Tucker Markham, adding that WBE needed to then push the ball outside, which was where the linebacking core was waiting on every play. He said that the sloppy conditions only added to the enjoyment of the win. “This was so fun. We came into it knowing it would be raining and hoping it wouldn’t get called off. We knew they didn’t want to come down here — they wanted to be on a turf field.”
Monroe’s strong, speedy and aggressive defense took full advantage, forcing three interceptions and recovering a fumble, all while holding the Suns to just 78 yards of total offense and four first downs — three of which came on a single drive.
“I was surprised they didn’t take a few more shots than what they did. I think they had trouble getting the ball off,” Golembiewski said.
Offensively, the Cheesemakers (12-0) did what they do best: Pound it on the ground. Monroe running backs ran for a combined 332 yards on 43 carries — a 7.7 yards per touch average. Impressively enough, the yards per play average was about two yards shy of Monroe’s season average.
Kaden Kuester was the man of the night, gaining 158 yards on just eight carries and scoring three touchdowns. He had TD runs of 49, 17 and 30 yards, and had a key interception on the Suns’ lone drive that showed promise. Markham also had a solid game on the ground for Monroe, with 87 yards on 10 carries and a monstrous 39-yard catch that set up his first of two touchdown runs. In the third quarter, Markham broke off a 35-yard score that set in the mercy-rule running clock with 7:23 left in the period.
“We knew it was going to be a different game statistically with the weather conditions. If you go back and look at the numbers, the big difference is going to be the turnovers and turnovers on downs. It was about who could protect the ball and not put themselves in a situation where you had to be dangerous with the ball,” Golembiewski said.
In the final 1:08 of the first half, Monroe scored twice and grabbed two turnovers on defense, all but deflating the Suns’ hopes of going into halftime
Defensively, it all started at the point of attack. Monroe ran a series of defensive linemen into the game, and all contributed in stuffing the run and forcing WBE QB Colton Kress into high-pressure passing situations deep into the pocket.
“Their linemen are good, but they’re slow, so we knew our D-Line could in there and get penetration. We knew the running back wasn’t going to get free, so we could go right over the top and get him,” Kuester said.
Isaac Bunker had a sack, and James Seagreaves had several hurries and two knock downs, including one that he was able to bring down for his first interception.
“I just try to get to the quarterback if I can, but a lot of times it’s a lot of quick slants and curls that you can’t get to the quarterback, so you just have to get your hands up,” Seagreaves said. The interception “was really exciting — I’ve knocked down a bunch all year and one finally fell into my hands.”
“James is awesome, and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. All of those guys work so hard in practice, and work so good together and with coach (Tom) Witt,” Golembiewski said.
The win also marked the conclusion to the MHS seniors’ run at T.R. Holyoke Field. With the home winning-streak now at 17 games, the seniors capped their careers in which only a few other classes at Monroe could: Unbeaten.
“This is such a cool experience to never lose on your home field. It’s such a special feeling. It’ll really stick with me for the rest of my life,” Markham said.
Lineman Nathaniel Baker was also pleased with ending his home playing career with a win.
“It’s amazing — a win in our last game at T.R. Holyoke. Now it’s time for some road games and to kick some [butt],” Baker said.
While the defensive line has moving parts, the offensive line has remained untouched for basically two seasons on varsity. Dating back to youth football, the group has played thousands of snaps alongside each other.
“A band of brothers: We know what to do and we trust each other. We get in there, work hard and do our job,” Baker said.
Up next: New Berlin West (10-2)
Monroe’s Level 4 game — the state semifinal — will take place Nov. 11 at Big Foot High School on the newly renovated field turf stadium just off the west shores of Lake Geneva in Walworth. New Berlin West finished third in the Parkland Conference, behind Waukesha Catholic Memorial (12-0, D4) and Pewaukee (8-3), which Monroe defeated in Level 2.
If Monroe were to win, it would be the program’s first trip to Camp Randall since 1996. The Cheesemakers have five state titles and eight state championship appearances in school history: winners in 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994. Monroe also reached the title game in 1987, 1995 and 1996. New Berlin West has just one appearance at state, finishing runner-up in 1988.
On the far side of the bracket remain Onalaska (12-0) and West Salem (11-1). West Salem has three all-time state appearances, with a singular title in 2007. Onalaska has never reached the state championship.
To reach Level 4, the Vikings overcame Port Washington 49-35. The Pirates were up 22-7 in the second quarter, but an injury to their quarterback turned the tides almost immediately. NBW scored twice before halftime to go into the break trailing 22-21, then scored back-to-back TDs in the third quarter, to go up 13. Port Washington quickly scored to bring it back to 35-29 before the end of the frame, but the Vikings scored twice more in the fourth to bury the Pirates, which had one final touchdown with 1:02 left to bring a 20-point deficit back to 14. Troy Blawat had 234 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, as the Pirates gained 347 rushing yards and didn’t pass once in 52 plays.
The Vikings have outscored opponents 411-223 this season, and like Monroe have done most of it on the ground. NBW has 3,700 rushing yards (7.4 ypc) this year, averaging 308.3 yards per game. The Vikings have passed the ball just 48 times this season — an average of four times per game — for 285 yards total, with three TDs and three INTs.
“We’re going to get our studying in immediately. We’re going to have our work cut out for us. It’s going to be a long weekend of scouting,” Golembiewski said.
Meanwhile, Monroe has outscored opponents 523-83 and has rushed for more than 4,700 yards (393.8 ypg) with an average tote of 9.2 yards. Passing, Monroe is 28 of 28 (73.7%) for 555 yards with five TDs and two INTs.
Alex Hernandez leads Monroe in rushing (1,289 yards) despite being hampered by a leg injury in the postseason. Keatin Sweeney has 1,241 yards rushing and 22 TDs, and Kuester is third with 776 yards. Markham (471) and Lane Meier (407) have also gained big chunks of yards on the year. All five have averaged more than 8.7 yards per carry.
For NBW, Blawat is the leading man on offense. He has 1,226 yards (7.2 ypc) on the ground and 95% of the team’s passing yards. Jack Wesolowski has 1,088 rushing yards this year (6.1 ypc) and 21 scores, and Sean Ryan is at 618 yards (7.8 ypc).
“We just need to keep doing what we’re doing and stay locked in at every practice. The coaches make sure we are on our game, and we make sure we are on our game. If we just keep doing what we’re doing, we can win,” Kuester said.
