Lake Country This Month

Page 4B • FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY December 2015 Give the Gift of a Lifetime! GRANDFATHERS WALL • MANTEL CHIME CLOCKS CUCKOOS • ALARMS Little Swiss Clock Shop 270 W. Main St. • Downtown Waukesha • 262-547-2111 Mon.-Thurs. 9-5:30pm • Fri. 9-8pm • Sat. 9-5pm www.LittleSwissClockShop.com THE ALFORD Stunning cherry finish with olive ash burl overlays. 81 1 ⁄4" high Beveled glass Illuminated dial and case Mirrored back Westminster Chime with night off option Reg. $4,304 NOW $2,499 Enjoy the elegant sounds of a grandfather clock! By Chris Bucher Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — There was little stopping The Wauke- sha Freeman's co-Players of the Year this season. Although playing different positions, Arrowhead senior offensive tackle Ben Bredes- on and Brookfield East junior running back and linebacker Sam Santiago- Lloyd boast similar charac- teristics. The explosiveness, ability to be quick on their feet and power through opposing players was something Bre- deson and Santiago-Lloyd showed nearly every game. "I really appreciate all of them," Bredeson said of the accolades he's received over his four years starting for the Warhawks. "It's the cul- mination of a lot of work put in by all of the guys on our team. We work together so hard and it's nice to get a little recognition. But I wouldn't be there without the running backs making me look good and Johnny (Duranso) making the throws. I owe everything to those guys. They've pushed me twice as hard as I ever could push them." Bredeson — a University of Michigan verbal commit and 58th recruit in the nation according to ESPN — made it nearly impossible for defenses to get by him and get to the quarterback and played a key role in the Warhawks running for near- ly 3,000 yards. He won the Joe Thomas award, given to the state's top senior offen- sive lineman, while he was also named first team all- state by the Wisconsin Foot- ball Coaches Association. In a conference that sent three teams to state champi- onships (Arrowhead, Waukesha West and Catholic Memorial), Bredes- on was a standout player and was named the Classic 8 Conference's Offensive Play- er of the Year. "There's a lot of great players in the state of Wis- consin, but I have a hard time believing there's any- body better than Ben," Arrowhead coach Greg Malling said. "He's been a phenomenal player from freshman year on. He's a great leader off the field as much as he is on the field. He has a chance of starting next season as a freshman on Michigan. He's every- thing you could ask for. He's an incredible talent and in my time coaching, he's the best player I've ever seen at any position." Bredeson played in four consecutive Division 1 state championship games in his high school career. This sea- son in the thrilling season finale against Kimberly on Friday, Bredeson made his 54th career start. It's an extremely rare feat that not many, if any, players have been able to accomplish. "He started 54 games. I think that alone tells you what kind of player he is," Malling said. "It's the lead- ership, selflessness that's encompassed into every- thing that being a football player is. It's amazing seeing his humility and intangi- bles. "He's big, strong and he's the best player in the state." Putting it all together on the field, Bredeson said it was an honor to be sur- rounded by such a team and program that continuously motivated each other. "Our main goal was go to Madison," Bredeson said. "We wanted to 'max out' the biggest number of games that we could and we did. It's a shame we couldn't pull the last one out, but we've done what no other team in the history of the state has done, making it four times. It's a big honor for us." This season, the Warhawks didn't have as many blowouts as they were used to in previous years, but Bredeson said that made for an even more interesting dynamic as they entered the playoffs. It was those times where Bredeson's talent showed the most on the field. Malling tried to get the most out of Bredeson's skillset late in the season, using him at nose tackle on defense in a number of situations. "This was a really tough team. We'd been in really close games and almost every time we pulled it out," Bredeson said. "That's what I was most proud of and I wasn't surprised that when things went wrong, we pulled together and finished the game." The 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman said a large part of his success came from the coaching staff at Arrow- head. He said they worked around the clock preparing him not just for incredible high school runs, but also playing at the next level. "From Day 1, they started coaching me and it still has- n't stopped. I doubt it ever will," Bredeson said. "It's always on you to be the best you can be and they give you someone to talk to, they're there for you. They want the best out of everyone. The brotherhood they created in my four years is unbeliev- able." With his team playing against Bredeson once a year, Catholic Memorial coach Bill Young has had the chance to see the raw ability of him firsthand. He said Bredeson offers everything you could want in an offen- sive lineman. "He's got a great skill level and is a real technician as a tackle," Young said. "He has a mean streak and plays right up to the edge of the whistle. If he can stay healthy, he will be playing on Sundays." While Bredeson hasn't played against him, he's said he's watched a little bit of Santiago-Lloyd on tape and has been nothing but impressed. "From the things I've heard he's a heck of a play- er," Bredeson said. "It's always fun blocking for a back that could make you look good, that's what you enjoy as a lineman. I'd love to block for that kid, he sounds like he does the right things for the line to suc- ceed." Santiago-Lloyd headlined an East offense that found major success running the ball for more than 3,000 yards. As a running back, he tallied 2,251 yards on 266 car- ries with 32 touchdowns, scoring at least one touch- down in every game this sea- son. East coach Tom Swittel said Santiago-Lloyd's ability out of the backfield enabled the Spartans to transform from a defensive-led team to a run-heavy offensive jug- gernaut. "He allowed us to play a different style of football than we've played previous- ly," East coach Tom Swittel said. "We were a very run- oriented team and Sam made us become a triple- option team. Sam was a heck of a first option for us and teams certainly had to respect him." The bruising tailback was given the ball in short yardage situations and made the most of it, often shedding or trucking would- be tacklers on the way to the end zone. He offered shifty moves to go along with his hard-nosed running style. "Every handoff I tried to hit the hole hard," Santiago- Lloyd said. "If you you're in front of me, I would just try to run you over." Santiago-Lloyd was able to play in his first full season for East after breaking his collarbone in his first game as a sophomore. He returned the last game of the season, but got injured once again. "It was bizarre. Last year he played slightly more than one-half of football and two plays — both plays he got hurt on," Swittel said. "As a freshman we had some injuries at running back and we brought him up and he had a big game against Sus- sex (Hamilton). But the next game on our first play of the game he got a high ankle sprain and missed next few games." With his chance to shine for the Spartans in his junior season, Santiago- Lloyd delivered nearly every game. His yardage mark was fourth in the state and he was tied for six th in touch- downs. In 12 games, Santia- go-Lloyd average 187.6 rush- ing yards per game. "I really wanted to help the team win and prove that I could play a full season of football," Santiago-Lloyd said. He was named first team all-state at running back, was on the all-region team and was selected as the Greater Metro Conference's Offensive Player of the Year. But it didn't stop there. It was on defense that San- tiago-Lloyd showed he had a special ability to leave an impact on games. As a linebacker, Santiago- Lloyd tied for the conference lead with four interceptions, including one for a touch- down. He was third on the team with 76 tackles, with seven for a loss and 2.5 sacks. He was also named first team all-state as a linebacker and was the GMC's Defensive Player of the Year. "It shows that hard work pays off," Santiago-Lloyd said. "I wanted to have a good season and I'm happy I did." Swittel said Santiago- Lloyd was one of East's biggest assets on defense and brought a multitude of different skills to the field. "Sam does really every- thing well defensively," Swit- tel said. "He's not only a good run stopper or some- one who's effective as a blitzer. He had tackles for losses and sacks, but also tied for the conference lead in interceptions. He wasn't one-dimensional defensively. He played good all-around on defense and was a key to our success." No stranger to solid offen- sive lineman, Santiago- Lloyd said it would be a thrill to run behind such a dominant force as Bredeson. "He destroys everyone that gets in his way," Santia- go-Lloyd said. "That would be a pretty nice combo." Email: cbucher@conleynet.com Arrowhead's Bredeson co-Player of the Year Senior will attend Michigan At a glance Who: Senior Ben Bredeson School: Arrowhead High School Age: 17 Family: Mom (Debra), dad (Michael), brother (Jack) and brother (Max) Accolades: First team all-state offensive lineman, the Classic 8 Conference offensive player of the year, Joe Thomas Award winner, four-year starter, started in 54 games in four years Freeman file photo Arrowhead offensive tackle Ben Bredeson (74) has been named The Waukesha Freeman's co-Player of the Year for his suc- cessful senior season. He will be attending the University of Michigan next year on a football scholarship. OFFENSE QB: Conor Blount (Waukesha West), 6-2 192, senior QB: Johnny Duranso (Arrowhead), 6-1 195, senior ATH: Dominic Labellarte (Brookfield Central), 5-11 155, senior RB: Nick Bastien (Arrowhead), 5-8 160, senior RB: Josh Karfonta (Catholic Memorial), 5-8 172, junior RB: Malik Turner (Brookfield Central) 5-7 185, senior WR: Kendall Gould (Waukesha North), 6-2 165, junior WR: Max Cooper (Catholic Memorial), 5-11 162, junior WR: Nick Daniels (Waukesha West), 6-1 160, senior WR: Ryan Kolasinski (Brookfield Academy), 5-10 160, junior TE: Zach Zimmer (Waukesha West), 6-5 205, senior TE: Jake Rastas (New Berlin Eisenhower), 6-2 190, senior OL: Matt Henningsen (Menomonee Falls) 6-5 260, junior OL: Cal Dassow (Hamilton), 6-6 295, junior OL: Mike Olsen (Arrowhead), 6-1 240, senior OL: Julio Perez (Kettle Moraine), 6-2 296, senior OL: Jack Hanley (New Berlin West), 6-2 200, senior K: Bryce Wesling (New Berlin Eisenhower), 6-0 163, junior DEFENSE DL: Brandon Hughes (Brookfield Central), 6-2 250, senior DL: Nathan Schultz (Arrowhead), 6-4 260, junior DL: Tevin Smith (Catholic Memorial), 5-11 259, junior DL: Sam White (Muskego) 6-4 260, senior LB: Ty Botsford (Hamilton), 6-2 215, senior LB: Ezra Heinritz (Lake Country Lutheran), 6-0 215, junior LB: Reggie Jennings (Brookfield Central), 6-1 190, sopho- more LB: Collin Thiel (Arrowhead), 5-11 200, junior LB: Jake Rastas (New Berlin Eisenhower), 6-2 190, senior LB: Joey Scaffidi (New Berlin Eisenhower), 5-9 175, junior DB: Mitch Mikulsky (Brookfield East), 5-10 170, senior DB: Tyler Remmers (Waukesha West), 6-2 185, senior DB: Dakota Grzesk (New Berlin Eisenhower), 6-0 170, senior P: TC Swittel (Brookfield East), 5-11 165, senior SECOND TEAM OFFENSE QB: Alex Bray (Catholic Memorial), Sam Carey (New Berlin Eisenhower), Brennan Demark (Waukesha North), Ian Francis (Brookfield Academy), Nolan Heck (Waukesha South), Caleb Wagner (Muskego) RB: Liam Chones (Mukwonago), Sam Herriges (Hamilton), Ethan Kennedy (Lake Country Lutheran),Ayden Malcomson (Muskego), Colin O'Neill (Muskego), Joey Scaffidi (New Berlin Eisenhower),Alec Wandler (Pewaukee) TE: Michael Hauser (Brookfield Central) WR: Adam Mielke (Lake Country Lutheran) OL: Blaze Beltran (Pewaukee), D.J. Dean (Arrowhead), Jack Halquist (Brookfield Acade- my), Zack Hansen (New Berlin Eisenhower), Mike Keller (New Berlin Eisenhower), Sam Ockwood (Brookfield Central), Ryan Tobin (Muskego) K: Parker Jensen (Brookfield Central),Antonio Sanchez (Waukesha South) DEFENSE DL: Dominic Cartier (Brookfield East), Daniel Cevilla (Brookfield Academy),Anthony Gatzow (Hamilton),Adam Lancaster (New Berlin Eisen- hower), Noah Young (Lake Country Lutheran) DE: Pete Hirt (Lake Country Lutheran), Xavier Straub (Pewaukee) LB: Collin Guest (Brookfield Academy), Zach Edwards (Lake Country Lutheran), Gabe Ras- mussen (Waukesha South), Jake Roy (Brook- field East) DB: Jordan Canady (New Berlin Eisenhower), Joe DuBois (Brookfield Central),Will Schmidt (Brookfield East) P: Ryan Kolasinski (Brookfield Academy), Carl Renz (Pewaukee) HONORABLE MENTION LINEBACKER: Sam Santiago-Lloyd, junior, Brookfield East LINEBACKER: Austin Lambrecht, senior, Muskego DEFENSIVE BACK: Jordan Canady, senior, New Berlin Eisenhower DEFENSIVE BACK: Matthew Lechn- er, senior, Catholic Memorial DEFENSIVE BACK: Antonio-Jose Ramos, senior, Arrowhead FIRST TEAM TIGHT END: Brett Samson, senior, Oconomowoc LINEMAN: Ben Bredeson, senior, Arrow- head LINEMAN: Sam Heckel, senior, Waukesha West LINEMAN: Mike Caliendo, senior, Brook- field East LINEMAN: Joey Koppelman, senior, Brook- field Central LINEMAN:Mike Olsen, senior, Arrowhead DEFENSE END: Evan Major, senior, Mukwonago END: Cameron Wolf, senior, Oconomowoc LINEMAN: Zack Taylor, senior, Catholic Memorial LINEMAN: Seth Bickett, sophomore, Pewaukee LINEBACKER: Jaylen Campbell, junior, Catholic Memorial LINEBACKER: Sam Hietpas, senior, Waukesha West SPECIAL TEAMS KICKER: John Mack, senior, Arrowhead PUNTER:Alex Bray, senior, Catholic Memorial COACH OF THE YEAR Bill Young, Catholic Memorial OFFENSE QUARTERBACK: Ben Nienhuis, junior, Oconomowoc ATHLETE: T.C. Swittel, senior, Brookfield East RUNNING BACK Jair Scott, senior, Wauke- sha West RUNNING BACK: Anthony Johnson, senior, Waukesha South RUNNING BACK: Brett Finke, senior, Muskego RECEIVER: Zach Clayton, junior, Oconomowoc

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