BRODHEAD - If the Cardinals want to advance to the third round of the WIAA Division 4 football playoffs, they will have to stop Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau's running game.
The G-E-T Redmen (8-2) have rushed for an average of 3,145 yards through 10 games, including a 468-yard performance in Tuesday's 42-14 win over Montello-Princeton-Green Lake.
"Their offense is pretty explosive and they will come right after us," Brodhead-Juda head coach Jim Matthys said. "It's tough to make a whole lot of adjustments in two or three days of practice. We just have to go out and be aggressive."
The first five games this season, G-E-T's rushing attack gained more yards game-by-game, starting with 255 yards in a Week 1 win over Tomah to a 346-yard game against Westby. In Week 6, the team's production slipped, if only a little, gaining 338 yards on the ground.
"They are going to come right after us. We have to be aggressive and go right back at them," Matthys said.
Brodhead-Juda (8-2) has been no slouch on the ground either, gaining 3,589 yards this season - 444 more yards than the Redmen.
The Cardinals will be without senior Brayden Fritsch, the team's second leading rusher, who broke his ankle in Tuesday's 47-0 win over New Glarus-Monticello in the playoff opener.
"It definitely hurts us. We're working on some depth now. We've got to have some guys step up now," Matthys said. "Brayden has been a great back this year for us. It hurts us as a team depth-wise, but any time you lose a senior, especially one that's had a great year, it hurts you because he worked hard and had such a great year. It's a little disappointing, for both us and Brayden, to lose him this time of the year."
Like Brodhead-Juda, G-E-T runs the wing-T offense well. The Redmen have scored 334 points, while allowing just 148. On the flip side, the Cardinals have scored 372 points in 10 games, while giving up just 126. G-E-T's two losses were to defending state champion Wautoma, 35-15, in a non-conference game in week three and to Coulee co-conference champion Black River Falls, 34-14, in week seven.
The Redmen have five players that will see carries in each game: Derek Smidt, Trey Sharpe, Dylan Kunz, Tyler Daffinson and Corwin Nichols.
"The last couple weeks, starting with the Parkview game, we really started to get some momentum going," Matthys said. "You win with seniors and this senior class has really done a good job. I don't think they want it to end. They don't want this to be their last game."
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau starts seniors in nearly every position on the field, and Matthys admitted that the Redmen will want to continue playing football just as much as Brodhead-Juda.
"We're going to be fighting for the same thing. It all comes down to desire. Nobody can possibly sit down and come up with a big game plan in just a couple of days. Bottom line is that it is going just going to come down to who executes. The better team will probably win," he said.
Fortunately for the Cardinals the game will be played in Brodhead at 4 p.m. Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau plays its games in Galesburg, which is north of La Crosse, about 190-plus miles away.
"It's definitely better to stay here than traveling three hours or whatever to go up there. It's probably a good enough of an advantage. But I have to be honest, they are a good team - a good program and well coached - and they will be ready to play," Matthys said.
"If we're fortunate enough to get by this game we'll have a week off before the next one. But it's not like (G-E-T) hasn't played three games in 10 days or whatever it is like us. They are probably a little sore too, but will be ready to go on Saturday."
The G-E-T Redmen (8-2) have rushed for an average of 3,145 yards through 10 games, including a 468-yard performance in Tuesday's 42-14 win over Montello-Princeton-Green Lake.
"Their offense is pretty explosive and they will come right after us," Brodhead-Juda head coach Jim Matthys said. "It's tough to make a whole lot of adjustments in two or three days of practice. We just have to go out and be aggressive."
The first five games this season, G-E-T's rushing attack gained more yards game-by-game, starting with 255 yards in a Week 1 win over Tomah to a 346-yard game against Westby. In Week 6, the team's production slipped, if only a little, gaining 338 yards on the ground.
"They are going to come right after us. We have to be aggressive and go right back at them," Matthys said.
Brodhead-Juda (8-2) has been no slouch on the ground either, gaining 3,589 yards this season - 444 more yards than the Redmen.
The Cardinals will be without senior Brayden Fritsch, the team's second leading rusher, who broke his ankle in Tuesday's 47-0 win over New Glarus-Monticello in the playoff opener.
"It definitely hurts us. We're working on some depth now. We've got to have some guys step up now," Matthys said. "Brayden has been a great back this year for us. It hurts us as a team depth-wise, but any time you lose a senior, especially one that's had a great year, it hurts you because he worked hard and had such a great year. It's a little disappointing, for both us and Brayden, to lose him this time of the year."
Like Brodhead-Juda, G-E-T runs the wing-T offense well. The Redmen have scored 334 points, while allowing just 148. On the flip side, the Cardinals have scored 372 points in 10 games, while giving up just 126. G-E-T's two losses were to defending state champion Wautoma, 35-15, in a non-conference game in week three and to Coulee co-conference champion Black River Falls, 34-14, in week seven.
The Redmen have five players that will see carries in each game: Derek Smidt, Trey Sharpe, Dylan Kunz, Tyler Daffinson and Corwin Nichols.
"The last couple weeks, starting with the Parkview game, we really started to get some momentum going," Matthys said. "You win with seniors and this senior class has really done a good job. I don't think they want it to end. They don't want this to be their last game."
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau starts seniors in nearly every position on the field, and Matthys admitted that the Redmen will want to continue playing football just as much as Brodhead-Juda.
"We're going to be fighting for the same thing. It all comes down to desire. Nobody can possibly sit down and come up with a big game plan in just a couple of days. Bottom line is that it is going just going to come down to who executes. The better team will probably win," he said.
Fortunately for the Cardinals the game will be played in Brodhead at 4 p.m. Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau plays its games in Galesburg, which is north of La Crosse, about 190-plus miles away.
"It's definitely better to stay here than traveling three hours or whatever to go up there. It's probably a good enough of an advantage. But I have to be honest, they are a good team - a good program and well coached - and they will be ready to play," Matthys said.
"If we're fortunate enough to get by this game we'll have a week off before the next one. But it's not like (G-E-T) hasn't played three games in 10 days or whatever it is like us. They are probably a little sore too, but will be ready to go on Saturday."
