Lake Country This Month
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/209124
The FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE Lake Country THIS MONTH INSIDE NOVEMBER 2013 'I'm so proud to say I'm from Pewaukee' Watt comes home to hero's welcome as high school retires number Already prepared foods for the holidays 2A Barbara Eash antiques column 5A Calendar of community events 6A PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WAUKESHA, WI PERMIT NO. 3 Arrowhead senior works way to becoming a Badger 1B By Evan Frank Special to The Freeman PEWAUKEE – In the beginning, it was pretty simple for J.J. Watt. One dream, one goal. "As a kid growing up in this city, you don't really dream of playing in the NFL," Watt said to a packed crowd at Feuerstein Field. "You don't really dream about playing for the Badgers. What I dreamt about was playing on this field on Friday nights." The Houston Texans defensive end was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season and has kept close ties to his hometown of Pewaukee. Watt was only the second Pirate athlete to have his jersey number retired after former Wisconsin Badger and NFL first-round selection Chris McIntosh was honored nearly 12 years ago. His family at his side, Watt expressed his admiration for a town he will always call home. "I love this city," Watt said. "Anytime anybody has asked me about my hometown, about where I'm from, I'm so proud to say I'm from Pewaukee." Despite being a first-team all-state selection as a senior at tight end and honorable mention all-state at defensive end during his high school career, Watt was considered a two-star recruit by some publications and used that as motivation to become better. "It's always fun proving people wrong," Watt said in a press conference following the halftime celebration. "The people in my circle and I believed in myself and they believed in me. That's all that mattered. "I've never been really big on recruiting rankings or player rankings or things like that. People can say whatever they want. What matters is what you do on the field. That's what I try to do, I try and go out on the field, every single day, prove what I'm worth." Derek Watt, a sophomore redshirt starting fullback for the Badgers, said of his brother, "I'm proud of him." T.J. Watt, the youngest Watt brother Hello, Lake Country! Lake Country This Month is free and will arrive in your mail the third week of each month. In each month's edition we will take an indepth look at an issue, person or other story in Lake Country. We will also provide other important information such as community activities and updates on local stories. We encourage you to subscribe to the daily Freeman or the weekly Enterprise for coverage of Lake Country and other parts of our area. To subscribe, to reach one of the editors with story ideas or for photo reprints, call 542-2500. We hope you enjoy this month's edition. – Freeman and Enterprise editors Photos by Mary Catanese/Special to The Freeman J.J. Watt is hugged by his former defensive coordinator, Mike Lechner, during the halftime celebration retiring his number. Watt took Lechner with him to New York when he was in the NFL Draft. and freshman tight end on the Badgers, isn't taken aback by J.J.'s success. "It's not as surprising as many people would think," T.J. Watt said. "Yeah, he's this really iconic player, but a lot of people don't see how hard he works behind the scenes. I've seen his workouts and they're really intense. He deserves every bit of this." Pewaukee High School Principal and football announcer Marty Van Hulle credited the Watt brothers for handling their success the right way . "The one thing that all the Watt boys were is really good kids who everybody pulled for," Van Hulle said. "They did it the right way; they weren't impacted by the peer pressure. "J.J. in particular was never one of those kids who followed the crowd. He was always the one who was setting the pace, which was awesome." J.J. Watt looked back at his time in high school and offered advice to current players. "High school is just a bunch of guys, not necessarily the best athletes, not necessarily the best 22 guys to play a football game," Watt said. "But when you come together and you create that bond it's something special. "Cherish that bond, cherish those memories, cherish the moments before and after games because you're not going to get that too many times in your life." Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WaukeshaFreeman Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WaukeshaFreeman The Comfort of the Patient Always Comes First Pewaukee Dental Michael J. Schneidler, D.D.S. & Associates Experience the Difference! 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