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CATHOLIC MEMORIAL/WAUKESHA SOUTH The FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE 2 • PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2016 By Matt Cohen Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — Catholic Memorial and coach Bill Young, entering his 39th season, will have a core group of seniors looking to return to Camp Ran- dall Stadium in the middle of November. Despite the end goal of every team, state title talk doesn't enter the locker room from the coaching staff. "We never talk about end results," Young said. "The bot- tom line for everybody is to play 14 games and win the last one and that gets you where you want to go. We don't talk about that kind of stuff because there are a lot of variables that occur during the year." One of the the variables that Young mentioned is staying healthy, which is one of his keys during practice. "I think we have a bunch of really good players and the thing is to stay healthy and to know how hard to practice dur- ing the week and keep them fresh for games," he said. "That's the bottom line." The veteran squad and the "bunch of really good players" Young is referring to will include senior wide receiver Max Cooper (6 foot, 175 pounds), who led the Classic 8 Confer- ence a season ago with 865 receiving yards. Cooper has committed to play football at Central Michigan University next season and will be a focal point of the air attack. On the ground, senior run- ning back Josh Karfonta (5-7, 186) will likely get the majority of carries this season. He ran for 1,559 yards on 203 attempts and reached the end zone 15 times last season, which placed him second in the conference scoring. Jaylen Campbell (6-1, 195) is in the mix at the running back position and at defensive end, coming off an all-conference honorable-mention selection at both positions last season. The player handing Karfonta and Campbell the ball is still in question. "Tony Wojonowski and Ben Nimz are two quarterbacks bat- tling right now," Young said. "We'll have a better idea (of our team identity) after our scrim- mage." Senior QB Wojonowski (5-10, 185) and junior QB Nimz (6-3, 172) look to fill the spot Alex Bray left open after graduating. Bray was third in the confer- ence with 1,729 passing yards and received all-conference honorable mention. Despite having returning starters who impacted last sea- son all over the field, the coach- ing philosophy doesn't change for Young. It's one game at a time for the Crusaders and always will be. "The nice thing about playing underclassmen is we got a lot of experience coming back. When you've got a veteran team, you'd better make sure it's about play- ing great defense, field position and being able to develop an offense," Young said. "I think our kids are working hard, and the biggest thing doesn't change from year to year. The biggest thing is to win four and get into the playoffs. "We get an 1-0 mentality and worry about that team for that week, then go get a win, and then go back to worrying and working for the next one." On the defensive side of the ball, speed will be abundant, especially in the secondary. Mike Oechsner (6-0, 181) and Dylan Shubbe (5-10, 170) are members of the Catholic Memorial track team and Shubbe won a state title as a member of the 4x400-meter relay. The secondary lost first team all-conference selection Matthew Lechner to gradua- tion, but Young knows the depth of the secondary will build as the season moves forward. He thinks Cooper and Karfonta will be in the rotation at corner- back along with fellow senior Tommy Fleming (5-10, 170). When it comes to stopping the run, seniors Tevin Smith (5-11, 258) and Travis Verette (6-0, 255), and junior CJ Goetz (6-3, 219) return to wreak havoc in oppo- nents' backfields again this sea- son. Smith was a first-team all- conference selection last year and recorded 12 tackles for loss, while Goetz received honorable mention as a sophomore. The linebacker recorded 56 tackles last year, which ranked fourth in the Classic 8. Despite the returning talent on both sides of the ball, Young knows the importance of com- ing ready to play, especially in the tough Classic 8. "You got to be ready every week," he said. "Better be dialed on just that game and that game alone. "You have to run the ball, stop the run and play good pass defense and score one more point than your opponent. But the bottom line is you better be dialed in each week to compete at your highest level because wins are really difficult to get in our league." Email: mcohen@conleynet.com Staying healthy will be key Seniors trying to return to title game Catholic Memorial Coach: Bill Young, 39th season 2015: 11-3 overall, 5-2 Classic 8 Key returning players: senior WR Max Cooper, senior RB Josh Kar- fonta, senior OT Bruce Mesa, senior OT Bruce Mesa, senior OT Chan Bargielski, senior RB/DE Jaylen Campbell, senior DT Travis Verette, senior DT Tevin Smith, senior DB Mike Oechsner, senior DB Dylan Shubbe, senior CJ Goetz Promising newcomers: sophomore LB Luke Hubley, junior WR Mike Naze, junior WR Scott Hartford Key graduation losses: Alex Bray, Fletcher Metz, Zach Taylor, Matthew Lechner Charles Auer/Special to The Freeman Catholic Memorial senior running back Josh Karfonta returns to a potent Crusaders offense. 2016 Schedule (all games 7 p.m.) Aug. 19: Milwaukee Riverside Aug. 26: Germantown Sept. 2: at Kettle Moraine Sept. 9: Waukesha South Sept. 16: at Muskego Sept. 23: Arrowhead Sept. 30: at Waukesha West Oct. 7: Mukwonago Oct. 14: at Waukesha North By Matt Cohen Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — For first year Waukesha South coach AJ Raebel, winning isn't everything. He would rather have his players compete dur- ing every snap and learn from every success or failure. "I don't necessarily care whether we win or lose," Raebel said. "I want to make sure our kids are competing no matter what the score- board says. "If we're up by 20 points, I would expect our kids to go 100 per- cent. I would be hoping to try to call them off. I would expect them to be so competitive that they're going non-stop. Same if we're down 20 points. I want to make sure our kids are learn- ing from every single success as well as fail- ure." Raebel has a list of four steps he's following in order to take over the program. During camp and throughout the beginning of the season, he'll be on step No. 1. "The first is you have to learn how to com- pete," Raebel said. "That's my goal right now. To make sure we're competing and we're in the game in the fourth quarter." The Blackshirts were winless in conference play and finished 1-8 overall last season, so Raebel has work to do. He and his players are doing just that to prepare for their opener Friday at Nicolet. They've Raebel has four-step plan South worrying about competing Pat Neumuth/Freeman Staff Waukesha South senior Luke LeCaptain (24) looks to lead on both sides of the ball. Waukesha South Coach: AJ Raebel, first sea- son 2015 season: 1-8 overall, 0-7 Classic 8 Key returning players: sen- ior T.J Garrity, senior QB Charlie Peterson, senior RB/S Luke LeCaptain Promising newcomers: senior RB Jalen Pickett- Vance, Key graduation losses: QB Nolan Heck, RB Anthony Johnson, WR Tyler Knigge, WR Ryan Larke, LB Gabe Rasmussen, LB Justin Hol- bach 2016 Schedule (all games 7 p.m.) Aug. 19: at Nicolet Aug. 26: Oconomowoc Sept. 2: Mukwonago Sept. 9: at Catholic Memorial Sept. 16: Kettle Moraine Sept. 23: Waukesha North Sept. 30: at Muskego Oct. 7: Arrowhead Oct. 14: at Waukesha West See SOUTH, PAGE 4