Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

November, 2015

Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

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246853001 246856001 Kathy Schultz, CRTS (262) 336-8113 ̷Ǥ A Total Solution Offices Nationwide • Bonded & Insured Each Office is independently owned and operated. Senior Relocation/ Resettling • Estate Liquidation Organize/ Declutter • Clean Out • Online Auctions • Nationwide Network 246774001 The FREEMAN Brookfield & Elm Grove T H I S M O N T H NOVEMBER 2015 Page 6B SPORTS By Chris Bucher Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — Brookfield Central's foot- ball team accomplished something that has- n't been done since 2006. After a 52-20 win over Greater Metro Con- ference perennial power Marquette the Lancers took control on top of the Greater Metro Conference. A week prior, the Lancers handed in-town-rival Brookfield East a 21-14 loss to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the GMC. Those two signature victories helped Brookfield Central win the outright conference title. "Those two wins were big wins for us as a program," senior quarterback Dominic LaBellarte said. "From a motivation stand- point, they gave us a little more juice and a lot more confidence." Lancers coach Jed Kennedy said he was especially pleased with the way his team clicked on all cylinders against Marquette. "It was a good win for the program," Kennedy said of the Sept. 25 victory. "Mar- quette is a big Division 1 private school, so it was big not only to beat them, but to beat them handily. It gives us a good shot moving forward and gives us some momentum." Brookfield Central closed out the confer- ence season with wins over Hamilton, Wauwatosa East and Menomonee Falls to win its first outright conference title since 2006. "It's important to us," senior cornerback Joe BuBois said about win the conference title. "But it's not our main focus. Our main focus is taking it week-by-week and one game at a time." In 2011, the Lancers shared the GMC title with Marquette and Hamilton and in 2008 they earned a share alongside Marquette. Kennedy said like most teams, he sets a number of goals prior to the start of the season. He added he's pleased they've already accomplished one, but they're not finished yet. "We set three goals every year," Kennedy said. "The first is to make sure we qualify for the playoff and win as much as possible to get a good seeding. Second is winning a conference championship and third is do whatever we can to play best football at end of season and compete for a state title." Brookfield Central's football program has never won a state championship. The Lancers have gotten to this point of the season with a high-powered rushing attack. They finished the season with 35 rushing touchdowns and are averaging 269 yards rushing per game. LaBellarte is the lead runner for the Lancers with 1,038 rush- ing yards and 11 touchdowns, while averag- ing 7 yards per carry in the regular season. Senior running back Malik Turner has done his part totaling 12 touchdowns with 709 yards from the backfield this regular season. LaBellarte said he attributes the domi- nance on offense to a stout offensive line. "Our line busted their butts off in the off- season," LaBellarte said. "Their hard work has paid off. They're experienced and have done a heck of a job this year so far. I'm excited to see that continue." DuBois said the offense has made it easi- er to play on the other side of the ball. He said it makes him feel a lot more relaxed when he's on the field. "It's a great feeling to have," DuBois said. "On defense, it's great to know that our offense always has our back. It really helps us when our offense is unbelievable like it has been." Returning 18 starters from last year's ros- ter, the Lancers have brought back a lot of experience and it's been showing. Kennedy said he thinks that's one of the keys that has separated his team from others. "Every group has a niche," Kennedy said. "We've returned 18 starters from last year. They took some lumps as juniors last year, but knew we'd be experienced this season." Even with the added experience, the sea- son didn't start out with much success. In their first game against Whitefish Bay, the Lancers lost 35-14. DuBois said the loss pushed his team to continue to work harder to achieve their team goals. "It defenitely woke us up and re-motivat- ed us," DuBois said. "After that, we realized we can be beat. It really refocused us and motivated us to keep pushing and continue to play hard every play." Since the Week 1 loss, the Lancers have scored 33.7 points per game while allowing just 14.6 on defense to finish off the regular season. Kennedy said even though the offense has received the accolades up to this point, the defense deserves just as much credit. He said they've been vital in limiting the scor- ing. "The big thing is keeping people out of the end zone," Kennedy said. "We've had some bend moments, but we're not break- ing. I think the biggest thing is that we're improving each week. "When it comes down to it, you have to play some great defense if you want to make a deep playoff run. It's tough to play defense these days with no huddle and things like that, but the kids are doing a great job and we have a lot of depth on that side of the ball. We just need to keep it going." LaBellarte said he's confident in the way the team has been approaching the season and hopes it continues the rest of the way. "If we continue to win the week we'll be fine throughout the year," LaBellarte said. "Our main goal is to win state and nothing less." Email: cbucher@conleynet.com Lancers last won conference alone in 2006 Central football wins GMC title outright Pat Neumuth/Freeman Staff Brookfield Central senior Malik Turner sprints to the end zone for a touchdown against West Allis Central this season.

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