MONROE - Senior James Frankowski didn't start playing football until eighth grade, and he missed last season with a back injury that forced him to play soccer.
"When I was sitting in the stands last year I missed playing football," Frankowski said. "I wanted to get back out on the field."
Frankowski's return to the field did wonders Friday night. Frankowski rushed for 101 yards on 18 carries and scored one touchdown to lead Monroe to a 28-13 homecoming win over Oregon. For the Cheesemakers (2-4, 1-3 Badger South), it marked their first conference win.
"It was a must-win," Frankowski said. "We haven't won on homecoming in a long time. It's my senior year and it feels awesome to get the win."
If the Cheesemakers can defeat Milton and Stoughton in their last two games, they would be playoff eligible.
The Cheesemakers racked up 248 total rushing yards. Senior Trent Wyssbrod rushed for 98 yards on 15 carries and scored one touchdown.
"It feels like it will start our playoff run for us," Wyssbrod said. "If it wasn't for the guys up front it wouldn't be there. I have to give a shot out to them."
The Cheesemakers got off to an inauspicious start. Oregon sophomore Josh Sromovsky rumbled for a 58-yard TD on the first play of scrimmage to give the Panthers a 6-0 lead. The Panthers rushed for 102 yards on their first two drives, but the Cheesemakers bottled them up from there. The Panthers had six straight runs for either a loss or no gain. Monroe sophomore Joe Dahmen and junior Ryan Hughes each had sacks to short-circuit drives.
"We took a timeout because we were concerned," Monroe coach Curt Miller said. "We made some small adjustments and our kids got focused. We took the momentum from their side and turned it to our side in a hurry."
After Oregon shanked a 18-yard punt late in the first quarter, the Cheesemakers' offense came alive and capitalized when they took over at the Panthers' 33-yard line. Four plays later, facing a third-and-7, Monroe senior Alex Barenklau zipped a 11-yard TD pass to Noah Thompson, and Kevin Klopfenstein kicked the extra point to give the Cheesemakers a 7-6 lead.
Barenklau completed 6 of 12 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
"We haven't won on homecoming game in a while," Barenklau said. "To win this one feels good. We have to put it to rest now."
Another turning point in the game was the Cheesemakers' kickoff unit. Monroe excelled at covering kickoffs, as the Panthers started drives inside their 20-yard line on three straight possessions in the second quarter.
The Cheesemakers continued to roll in the second quarter with a four-play, 42-yard drive culminating in Frankowski's 8-yard TD run to give the Cheesemakers a 14-6 lead.
Barenklau capped a 10-play, 50-yard drive late in the second quarter connecting with junior Charlie Kind on an 11-yard TD pass to give the Cheesemakers a 21-6 lead with 4:14 to go. The Cheesemakers had a golden opportunity to take a three-touchdown lead before the half. With the Cheesemakers facing fourth-and-6 from the Panthers' 30-yard line, Miller took a timeout with 2.9 seconds to go before the half. Barenklau tossed a 29-yard pass that Kind jumped up to grab, but he came just short of sneaking inside the pylon for a touchdown. Kind had three receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown in the game.
"That's a tough call," Miller said. "I told the official I'm glad he had to make the call, and I'm glad I didn't have to make that one. Alex made an excellent pass and Charlie did a great job of going up to get it. It gave us momentum going into the second half knowing we could have had seven more points on the board."
The Cheesemakers had a long drive in the third quarter fall apart as the Panthers recovered a Monroe fumble at their own 15-yard line. The Panthers responded with a 13-play, 85-yard drive that was capped by Matt Sampson's 2-yard TD run to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 21-13. The Cheesemakers answered with an 11-play, 69-yard drive in the fourth quarter, culminating in Wyssbrod's 2-yard TD run to put the game away.
Barenklau said there were several drives where the Cheesemakers forced the Panthers into three-and-outs.
"We kept the defense fresh," he said. "We had to stop them in the second half to win it."
Monroe will play at Milton next week, with their playoff hopes still on the line. The Red Hawks haven't won a conference game yet, but they had a big lead on Madison Edgewood last week before the Crusaders came back to win. The Red Hawks also scored 22 points against Monona Grove on Friday.
"They are a really explosive team," Miller said of Milton. "They are playing for one or two wins, and we are playing to become playoff eligible. We have a lot to play for."
"When I was sitting in the stands last year I missed playing football," Frankowski said. "I wanted to get back out on the field."
Frankowski's return to the field did wonders Friday night. Frankowski rushed for 101 yards on 18 carries and scored one touchdown to lead Monroe to a 28-13 homecoming win over Oregon. For the Cheesemakers (2-4, 1-3 Badger South), it marked their first conference win.
"It was a must-win," Frankowski said. "We haven't won on homecoming in a long time. It's my senior year and it feels awesome to get the win."
If the Cheesemakers can defeat Milton and Stoughton in their last two games, they would be playoff eligible.
The Cheesemakers racked up 248 total rushing yards. Senior Trent Wyssbrod rushed for 98 yards on 15 carries and scored one touchdown.
"It feels like it will start our playoff run for us," Wyssbrod said. "If it wasn't for the guys up front it wouldn't be there. I have to give a shot out to them."
The Cheesemakers got off to an inauspicious start. Oregon sophomore Josh Sromovsky rumbled for a 58-yard TD on the first play of scrimmage to give the Panthers a 6-0 lead. The Panthers rushed for 102 yards on their first two drives, but the Cheesemakers bottled them up from there. The Panthers had six straight runs for either a loss or no gain. Monroe sophomore Joe Dahmen and junior Ryan Hughes each had sacks to short-circuit drives.
"We took a timeout because we were concerned," Monroe coach Curt Miller said. "We made some small adjustments and our kids got focused. We took the momentum from their side and turned it to our side in a hurry."
After Oregon shanked a 18-yard punt late in the first quarter, the Cheesemakers' offense came alive and capitalized when they took over at the Panthers' 33-yard line. Four plays later, facing a third-and-7, Monroe senior Alex Barenklau zipped a 11-yard TD pass to Noah Thompson, and Kevin Klopfenstein kicked the extra point to give the Cheesemakers a 7-6 lead.
Barenklau completed 6 of 12 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
"We haven't won on homecoming game in a while," Barenklau said. "To win this one feels good. We have to put it to rest now."
Another turning point in the game was the Cheesemakers' kickoff unit. Monroe excelled at covering kickoffs, as the Panthers started drives inside their 20-yard line on three straight possessions in the second quarter.
The Cheesemakers continued to roll in the second quarter with a four-play, 42-yard drive culminating in Frankowski's 8-yard TD run to give the Cheesemakers a 14-6 lead.
Barenklau capped a 10-play, 50-yard drive late in the second quarter connecting with junior Charlie Kind on an 11-yard TD pass to give the Cheesemakers a 21-6 lead with 4:14 to go. The Cheesemakers had a golden opportunity to take a three-touchdown lead before the half. With the Cheesemakers facing fourth-and-6 from the Panthers' 30-yard line, Miller took a timeout with 2.9 seconds to go before the half. Barenklau tossed a 29-yard pass that Kind jumped up to grab, but he came just short of sneaking inside the pylon for a touchdown. Kind had three receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown in the game.
"That's a tough call," Miller said. "I told the official I'm glad he had to make the call, and I'm glad I didn't have to make that one. Alex made an excellent pass and Charlie did a great job of going up to get it. It gave us momentum going into the second half knowing we could have had seven more points on the board."
The Cheesemakers had a long drive in the third quarter fall apart as the Panthers recovered a Monroe fumble at their own 15-yard line. The Panthers responded with a 13-play, 85-yard drive that was capped by Matt Sampson's 2-yard TD run to cut the Cheesemakers' lead to 21-13. The Cheesemakers answered with an 11-play, 69-yard drive in the fourth quarter, culminating in Wyssbrod's 2-yard TD run to put the game away.
Barenklau said there were several drives where the Cheesemakers forced the Panthers into three-and-outs.
"We kept the defense fresh," he said. "We had to stop them in the second half to win it."
Monroe will play at Milton next week, with their playoff hopes still on the line. The Red Hawks haven't won a conference game yet, but they had a big lead on Madison Edgewood last week before the Crusaders came back to win. The Red Hawks also scored 22 points against Monona Grove on Friday.
"They are a really explosive team," Miller said of Milton. "They are playing for one or two wins, and we are playing to become playoff eligible. We have a lot to play for."
