MCFARLAND — The Cheesemakers entered their WIAA Division 3 playoff clash with DeForest as the biggest underdog in any division across the state. Monroe, the only 7-seed remaining in any of the seven divisions, had already knocked off the second- and third-seeded squads in the bracket.

“We just have heart. We’re small and we have heart — that’s all it is,” Monroe senior lineman Deion Hargrove said.

Monroe was originally seeded 8 to begin the tournament, but coach Toby Golembiewski appealed for the No. 7 seed.

“I’ll guarantee you that if you were to ask someone six weeks ago that we were going to be playing DeForest in Round 3,” Golembiewski said of the original 8-v-1, “We definitely defied those odds to make that happen.”

DeForest, meanwhile, was unbeaten and the unquestioned top seed. No team in the regular season, nor in the postseason, had stayed within three touchdowns of the unbeaten Norskies (12-0), which dropped from Division 2 to Division 3 after Week 9.

In the Level 3 playoff game, the Cheesemakers punched the bear in the nose and took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Then DeForest awoke from hibernation. By the time the clock struck zero in the fourth, the Norskies had scored 45 straight points to end Monroe’s season with a 52-14 win at McFarland High School Nov. 8.

“We were very proud of ourselves and our team. We were really happy we did as well as we did. We worked so hard to get this far,” senior lineman Bodie Minder said. “It was just an indescribable experience with family and friends and hardships and victories. It’s sad that it’s over, but while it was going on it was the happiest thing I’ve ever been through.”

Trevor Rodebaugh had 124 rushing yards for Monroe, while Tyler Matley had 26 and Nick Bansley 46. Bansley had both of Monroe’s touchdowns — a 4-yard catch that tied it at 7 on the first play of the second quarter, and a 1-yard plunge with 5:00 to go before halftime. 

“I just wish we could have kept going and taken the lead into halftime,” Bansley said.

The Cheesemakers (7-5) went three-and-out on the first possession of the game. DeForest then needed just three plays to score, with Gabe Finley scampering into the end zone from 35 yards out just 2 minutes, 13 seconds into the game.

Monroe’s next possession amassed 85 yards on 18 plays and ate up nearly 10 minutes off the clock. The Cheesemakers were flagged twice for false starts on the drive, and two other times deep in DeForest territory had no-calls on what appeared to be blatant pass interference fouls on the Norskies. With the ball at the DeForest 39, after back-to-back no-calls, quarterback Max Golembiewski heaved a third straight pass to JT Seagreaves, who again was brought down prior to the ball arriving. This time a flag was thrown, giving a fresh set of downs.

On the next play, Rodebaugh burst free up the middle for 17 yards. After a 4-yard run by Bansley to put the Cheesemakers inside the 5, the first quarter came to an end. On the next play, Max Golembiewski rolled to his left and heaved a pass to the back corner of the end zone, overshooting Seagreaves, only for Bansley to complete the wheel route to perfection and make the catch with two feet inbounds.

“We’ve played teams just as big as them and we knew that size didn’t matter. We went out there and did our best: we stuck with them in the first half and then kind of let go from there,” Bansley said.

DeForest then looked for another quick-strike score and nearly got one. On second-and-2 from the Norskies’ 36, Finley broke free for a score, only for a holding penalty to negate the big gain. DeForest QB Trey Schroeder then threw low on the next play and scrambled for four years on third-and-16. The drive was the only time Monroe held the Norskies without a score in the game, other than the final drive that DeForest ran the clock to zero.

Monroe’s next possession lasted 10 plays with a steady diet of runs. Twice on the drive Max Golembiewski threw passes — both of which were crucial completions. On the third down Alex Witt was wide open in a post route on a play that went for 26, and on another third down moments later Seagreaves reeled one in for a 15-yard gain to get down to the 1. Bansley scored on the next play.

“We kept it out of their hands. You could see that when they had a number of opportunities, things were definitely in their favor,” coach Golembiewski said.

DeForest scored two snaps later as Alex Endres burst through the middle from 6 yards out. Monroe then went three-and-out on the next drive, punting the ball away with 1:39 left before halftime. The Norskies then marched down the field using the sideline as their friend. An 11-play drive collected 58 yards and Schroeder scored on an option keeper with 11 seconds before halftime to make it 21-14.

“I think they were stunned by the way we were playing in the first half. They changed up a lot of things and adjusted to our offense, which helped them. After that, we kind of lost our focus and our mentality and came out flat in the second half. It was rough,” Monroe senior lineman Patrick Rielly said. “Those guys — they have a lot of horses on that team. They are a tough team; they are a good team. I have them winning the state championship.”

The second half was all DeForest, which scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams. 

“We throw a pick-6, we don’t field a special teams play as aggressively as we could and we end up in bad field position; we did some things to ourselves — mistakes — that DeForest is not going to let you get away with. They are too good; they are too fast; they don’t make mistakes,” coach Golembiewski said. “I think we used up what we had to get those two drives to score. They made some adjustments. They made it hard enough that was just going to be the end of the line.”

DeForest finished the game with 332 yards rushing on just 25 attempts (13.3 yards per carry). Finley had 161 yards and three TDs on eight rushes (18.9 ypc), while Endres had 96 yards and two TDs on three rushes (32.0 ypc). Schroeder was 3 of 6 passing for 31 yards and added another 42 yards rushing and a TD on seven carries.

“It’s sad to know it’s all over. I wish we could be moving on, but I’m proud of my team for making it here. We had our ups and downs and kept working hard — we deserved to be here,” Bansley said.

Year 4, Level 3

The 2019 season was Toby Golembiewski’s fourth at the helm since taking over for Curt Miller. In the first season in 2016, Golembiewski’s team caught lightning in a bottle. A solid group of seniors had endured a tough 4-5 season in 2015, barely missing out on the postseason.

But a change in the offensive scheme saw Monroe win its first 11 games in 2016 under coach Golembiewski before bowing out in a Level 3 loss to Pewaukee. The triple-wing offense saw the Cheesemakers rise to the top of the state’s rushing attack that season.

The following year, Monroe again made the postseason, but finished 4-6 overall, and in 2018 the Cheesemakers were just 2-7 overall.

“It’s hard to compare. We went unbeaten in that one year, and it was the first year of any type of preparation as a group — new systems being installed and whatnot,” coach Golembiewski said. “This year, there was some continuity system-wise. We found a way to get seniors to where they needed to be, and that was the key the last time around.”

The 2019 season was Monroe’s final in the Badger South. The season opened with back-to-back 1-point decisions, with Monroe losing the opener to playoff-bound Sauk Prairie and then squeaking by Portage. The Cheesemakers blew a 10-point lead at Monona Grove in Week 3, only to stun Watertown with a 35-13 win in Week 4. Watertown, a Division 2 playoff team, was expected to make a run at the conference title.

Monroe then blasted winless Fort Atkinson in Week 5, only to struggle in Week 6 at home against Oregon.

“The Oregon game was a real blunder for us where we played a little mindlessly — I’d love to take that one back,” coach Golembiewski said.

The coaching staff challenged the players to reset their focus on the season — and the players answered the bell. The following week, Monroe handed co-conference champion Milton its only loss of the regular season. Stoughton then came into T.R. Holyoke Field and embarrassed Monroe 53-18. The Cheesemakers rebounded with a dominating 42-6 win over Edgewood and then playoff road upsets against Onalaska and Stoughton in Levels 1 and 2.

“We all knew we could do it; we just had some minor mistakes in our past games. We all took the step forward that we needed to,” Minder said.

Of Monroe’s vaunted “three-headed monster” running back trio this year — Bansley, Rodebaugh and Matley — only Bansley graduates. Rodebaugh finished with 1,509 rushing yards and 13 TDs this season as the primary back, while Matley had 539 yards and six TDs. Bansley had 1,140 yards rushing and 21 TDs this season, and over 2,100 total yards of offense and 30 touchdowns in his varsity career.

“The one thing about scholastic sports — no matter how hard you work or how far you went, the very next year it all resets and you have to work just as hard to get back to where you are at,” Toby Golembiewski said.

Max Golembiewski is a junior and will return next year, as will Seagreaves, the team’s No. 1 wideout and a defensive end.

“We have to re-group. We have to find out who wants to be a part of things next year and who is going to want to work hard again. None of the teams we are going to play next year are going to care about this (Level 3 berth),” coach Golembiewski said. “We lose a lot of seniors, so we have to rebuild a bit and go back to square-one. Maybe because we’ll be a little younger, we’ll have to work harder to get back here.”

The unsung heroes

Where Monroe will be hurt moving forward is on the offensive line and at linebacker. Five seniors lined up on the O-Line for the first nine weeks of the season, only for Julian Gruber to go down just two plays into the playoffs, which thrust junior Logan Clark into the lineup. At linebacker, Witt, Patrick Rielly, and Jack Garthwaite were the main backers, with Michael Kundert and Aidan Sweeney seeing playing time increase when Garthwaite was lost midseason to an injury.

“They were like my brothers. We treated each other like family and took care of each other and looked out for each other when we needed it,” Minder said. “Even though we lost Julian, we still kept all of us in as a family. Even though they weren’t starting, the scout players were a part of the family, too — it wasn’t just the seniors. The seniors were the closest because we’d played together for years.”

Rielly and Gruber were joined on the O-Line with Bodie Minder, Dusty Gough and Deion Hargrove. The five down linemen made it their mission to not only protect Max Golembiewski, but to be the bullies on the line of scrimmage and open holes for Rodebaugh, Bansley and Matley to run for big gains.

“We’ve always had a friendship; we’ve always played together since fifth grade and we’re used to each other. It’s been an amazing season with them,” Hargrove said. “It’s really hard to know that (I won’t step back on the field with them). I’m going to miss it so much.”

All five also saw time on the defensive side of the ball, with Minder, Hargrove and Gruber taking up space up the middle, while Rielly dropped back to play linebacker.

“It is really special — always playing with my brothers. I’ve been playing with them forever,” Rielly said. “It’s an awesome experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Their work ethic is awesome, and man, it’s just crazy. I love those guys so much.”

As the team huddled at midfield after the loss to DeForest, Minder and Gough embraced in tears. For these seniors, it was the last time they would suit up together.

“It’s indescribable. We’ve worked so hard over these years, for it to all be over — it’s something I probably won’t get back again. It was fantastic, getting to go down with my teammates. We did everything we could,” Minder said.