MONROE - Many of the names associated with each jersey number may have changed, but when the Monroe High School football team takes on Reedsburg in the season opener Friday, the Cheesemakers will already have a familiarity with the Beavers' playbook.

"When we watch the tape it was fresh (in their minds) for some of the guys," Monroe coach Toby Golembiewski said. "We did that prep at the end of last season."

The season opener for Monroe at Reedsburg is a rematch of last year's first-round WIAA Division 3 playoff game against the Beavers in which the Cheesemakers rolled to a 21-0 win. It marked the first time the Cheesemakers have won a playoff game since 2003. Now, the Cheesemakers will try to repeat history.

"I think we have to put a lot of last year behind us," Golembiewski said. "If we want to win a conference championship we will have to go back and earn everything one week at a time."

Reedsburg runs a flexbone triple option offense.

"I feel like the top priority is stopping the fullback," Golembiewski said. "You need to stop the fullback and hit the quarterback every play. The more we can make the quarterback pitch it and stretch the play out the better."

When Reedsburg played Monroe last year, the Beavers slowed the game down, milked the clock and tried to limit the possessions by keeping the ball away from the Cheesemakers.

The Beavers, like the Cheesemakers, return two starters on offense. Reedsburg averaged 10.7 points per game last year.

Reedsburg will be breaking in a new starting quarterback in Nathan Kruser, new fullback in Joe Lichte and new running back in Ben Horzewski, who rushed for 379 yards and scored one touchdown last season. Kruser rushed for 238 yards and scored three touchdowns in a limited role last year.

"If we play our run fits and don't chase the ball we will be just fine," Golembiewski said.

The top playmakers back for the Cheesemakers are senior linebacker Travis Wolf, who had a team-high 135 tackles last year. Other playmakers the Cheesemakers can rely on defensively include senior Sam Kind at defensive back (61 tackles), senior linebacker Mitch Bartelt (52 tackles, 2.5 sacks), senior safety Brayden Zettle (55 tackles and four interceptions) and senior defensive linemen Tyson Welsch.

The Cheesemakers will kick off the season with nine new starters on offense. The season opener will be a chance to see the Cheesemakers' offense in action for the first time after three running backs eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards last season. Wolf will get some work at fullback and junior Jordan Montgomery, Kind and sophomore Nick Bansley each have the speed to break long runs at running back if they get an opening. Montgomery was one of the top sprinters in track in the Badger South Conference last spring. It will be interesting to see how Golembiewski uses his two quarterbacks - senior Brayden Zettle and junior Anthony Hernandez.

Golembiewski said it would be great to start the game with a long touchdown drive.

Monroe fullback Isaac Allen was the team's leading rusher last year with more than 1,300 yards. It will be interesting to see how the touches and carries are divided up against the Beavers.

"It was not by design that the fullback was the leading rusher last year," Golembiewski said. "We will not try to force the ball to a player. We are not worried about who gets the carries. We just want to score more points in the end."

The Cheesemakers were adept at spreading the carries and yards among three running backs last season. Making opposing defenses defend the entire field is also an area where the Cheesemakers thrived last year.

"You can ask any coach in the state and they don't want the pre-snap penalties right now," Golembiewski said. "We want to avoid turnovers. We don't want to beat ourselves."