MONROE - The Monroe High School football team has a three-headed monster in its offensive backfield that can only be matched by some of the state's best teams.
The Cheesemakers have three running backs who are on the verge of reaching and eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards in the same season if they can make a playoff run in Division 3 as a No. 1 seed. It's a rare feat that has been accomplished just seven times in the state's football history.
Darlington, the Division 6 state runner-up the past three years, has had three running backs eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in the same season two of the past four years. The Cheesemakers' prolific running trio features seniors Isaac Allen, Jacob Kind and Cole Murray. Allen has rushed for 1,097 yards and scored 19 touchdowns, including 16 on the ground, this season. Kind has rushed for 950 yards with eight TDs, and Murray has rushed for 742 yards and scored eight TDs.
"I have really been blessed to have these three guys featured in the same backfield," Monroe coach Toby Golembiewski said. "From an offensive standpoint running effectively, I wouldn't trade these guys for anybody. I have had some good running backs before as a coach, but I have never had three guys in the same backfield at their peak. I may have had one really good running back that is a junior or sophomore."
The Cheesemakers switch to a wing-t offense this season has been a smooth transition. The Cheesemakers are averaging 34.2 points and 331 rushing yards per game.
The success of the running game has been impressive as the Cheesemakers continue to put up video-game like numbers. The success on the ground has led to a 9-0 mark entering the playoffs and home-field advantage.
"You always strive to win every game," Kind said. "We always said our senior year we would win a lot of games. We won the conference championship and are 9-0. It really has been a dream come true with all of it happening."
Murray also dreams of the Cheesemakers' chances to produce three 1,000-yard rushers this season.
"It would be a huge accomplishment," Murray said. "Having three running backs over 1,000 yards would be an even larger accomplishment than going 9-0. Our main goal on offense is to ground and pound. We like to pound it down the defense's throat. That is how we like to win games."
Each of the three running backs has their own strengths, but they have all been successful in creating big plays.
"We have three great backs, and we all run hard," Kind said. "It's harder on the defense to keep their eyes on all three guys."
Allen is the focal point of the rushing attack and is the hammer the Cheesemakers go with to pick up tough yards inside.
Allen said at the start of the season he wasn't sure if he would be a featured runner in the offense.
"My eyes were opened up because the fullback is a big part of the wing-t," he said.
Golembiewski sees Allen as being a tailor-made fit for the offense.
"In this offense you want a bigger kid who can handle the load," he said. "The kid is more of an iron. He has a burst of speed once he gets in the hole. When we put these kids on the track there is not that big of a difference."
Both Kind and Murray are used more on outside runs. However, both have proven they can spring a big run inside.
"Jacob and Cole have a flash of speed," Golembiewski said. "He (Kind) can run all hard-nosed and blow the doors off of people on the edge."
At 160 pounds, Murray is the smallest of the three backs, but Golembiewski said he may be the best blocker.
The biggest advantage for the Cheesemakers - besides a stout offensive line - has been the versatility of the three backs.
"It has really given us a lot of choices to go to," Golembiewski said. "Isaac is our leading receiver."
Allen has seven receptions for 109 yards and three touchdowns.
Golembiewski said each of the three running backs have displayed an ability to be students of the game.
"They have been able to learn and execute all of the adjustments by the defense," he said. "None of it happens without the execution from the offensive line to the tight end. It's an 11-man game. If one person messes it up it can mess it up for everybody."
Allen said he wasn't sure how the switch to a new offense would work early on.
"Once we got on a roll, we realized how good we could be and we worked to get it down to a T," Allen said. "I think in the first couple of weeks of practice we clamped down and worked on all of the little things in individual drills."
Kind agreed.
"It took a lot of book work to run instead of just going through the motions," Kind said.
The success of the offense has exceeded Allen's expectations.
"It's really been everyone coming together and working hard," he said. "If one person doesn't get their block it could throw off the entire play. I feel like one of my strengths is just running hard and putting my head down. I don't like to make a lot of moves to make people miss. I just put my head down."
There is still a learning curve for the Cheesemakers in the offense.
"At the beginning of the year with a new coach on the job it was a little weird to have a new offense," Kind said. "I think we have gotten better and better every game. We are still improving on it."
And, of course, the coach recognizes that.
"We are still not perfect yet," Golembiewski said of the Cheesemakers' offense. "Here we are at 9-0, and we can still get better."
Locked in a tie game with Fort Atkinson in the fourth quarter with a little more than 2 minutes to go last week, the Cheesemakers leaned on a hurry-up running game. That set up junior Dempzy Foley's game-winning 18-yard field goal. Yet, another way to win.
"I think at the end of the game and half our linemen and everyone get a little more energy and adrenaline running through their veins to make it easier for us backs," Kind said.
The Cheesemakers have three running backs who are on the verge of reaching and eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards in the same season if they can make a playoff run in Division 3 as a No. 1 seed. It's a rare feat that has been accomplished just seven times in the state's football history.
Darlington, the Division 6 state runner-up the past three years, has had three running backs eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in the same season two of the past four years. The Cheesemakers' prolific running trio features seniors Isaac Allen, Jacob Kind and Cole Murray. Allen has rushed for 1,097 yards and scored 19 touchdowns, including 16 on the ground, this season. Kind has rushed for 950 yards with eight TDs, and Murray has rushed for 742 yards and scored eight TDs.
"I have really been blessed to have these three guys featured in the same backfield," Monroe coach Toby Golembiewski said. "From an offensive standpoint running effectively, I wouldn't trade these guys for anybody. I have had some good running backs before as a coach, but I have never had three guys in the same backfield at their peak. I may have had one really good running back that is a junior or sophomore."
The Cheesemakers switch to a wing-t offense this season has been a smooth transition. The Cheesemakers are averaging 34.2 points and 331 rushing yards per game.
The success of the running game has been impressive as the Cheesemakers continue to put up video-game like numbers. The success on the ground has led to a 9-0 mark entering the playoffs and home-field advantage.
"You always strive to win every game," Kind said. "We always said our senior year we would win a lot of games. We won the conference championship and are 9-0. It really has been a dream come true with all of it happening."
Murray also dreams of the Cheesemakers' chances to produce three 1,000-yard rushers this season.
"It would be a huge accomplishment," Murray said. "Having three running backs over 1,000 yards would be an even larger accomplishment than going 9-0. Our main goal on offense is to ground and pound. We like to pound it down the defense's throat. That is how we like to win games."
Each of the three running backs has their own strengths, but they have all been successful in creating big plays.
"We have three great backs, and we all run hard," Kind said. "It's harder on the defense to keep their eyes on all three guys."
Allen is the focal point of the rushing attack and is the hammer the Cheesemakers go with to pick up tough yards inside.
Allen said at the start of the season he wasn't sure if he would be a featured runner in the offense.
"My eyes were opened up because the fullback is a big part of the wing-t," he said.
Golembiewski sees Allen as being a tailor-made fit for the offense.
"In this offense you want a bigger kid who can handle the load," he said. "The kid is more of an iron. He has a burst of speed once he gets in the hole. When we put these kids on the track there is not that big of a difference."
Both Kind and Murray are used more on outside runs. However, both have proven they can spring a big run inside.
"Jacob and Cole have a flash of speed," Golembiewski said. "He (Kind) can run all hard-nosed and blow the doors off of people on the edge."
At 160 pounds, Murray is the smallest of the three backs, but Golembiewski said he may be the best blocker.
The biggest advantage for the Cheesemakers - besides a stout offensive line - has been the versatility of the three backs.
"It has really given us a lot of choices to go to," Golembiewski said. "Isaac is our leading receiver."
Allen has seven receptions for 109 yards and three touchdowns.
Golembiewski said each of the three running backs have displayed an ability to be students of the game.
"They have been able to learn and execute all of the adjustments by the defense," he said. "None of it happens without the execution from the offensive line to the tight end. It's an 11-man game. If one person messes it up it can mess it up for everybody."
Allen said he wasn't sure how the switch to a new offense would work early on.
"Once we got on a roll, we realized how good we could be and we worked to get it down to a T," Allen said. "I think in the first couple of weeks of practice we clamped down and worked on all of the little things in individual drills."
Kind agreed.
"It took a lot of book work to run instead of just going through the motions," Kind said.
The success of the offense has exceeded Allen's expectations.
"It's really been everyone coming together and working hard," he said. "If one person doesn't get their block it could throw off the entire play. I feel like one of my strengths is just running hard and putting my head down. I don't like to make a lot of moves to make people miss. I just put my head down."
There is still a learning curve for the Cheesemakers in the offense.
"At the beginning of the year with a new coach on the job it was a little weird to have a new offense," Kind said. "I think we have gotten better and better every game. We are still improving on it."
And, of course, the coach recognizes that.
"We are still not perfect yet," Golembiewski said of the Cheesemakers' offense. "Here we are at 9-0, and we can still get better."
Locked in a tie game with Fort Atkinson in the fourth quarter with a little more than 2 minutes to go last week, the Cheesemakers leaned on a hurry-up running game. That set up junior Dempzy Foley's game-winning 18-yard field goal. Yet, another way to win.
"I think at the end of the game and half our linemen and everyone get a little more energy and adrenaline running through their veins to make it easier for us backs," Kind said.
