Conley Publishing - Special Sections
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Rochester St., Mukwonago Hours: T-F 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-noon, Eve by appt. 2 5 1 4 1 6 0 0 2 OFF 10 % Ready Made School Wear Dragonfly Exp. 9/30/16 From Page 8 The Indians, a traditional conference powerhouse, have qualified for the playoffs 21 times dating back to 1983 — winning their only state championship in 2004 under legendary former coach Keith Hensler. For coach Clay Iverson, entering his fifth season at the helm, the ongoing chal- lenge of competing within the state's best conference remains a great motivator. "It's always an exciting experience so we're looking forward to it," said Iverson. "Looking at last year from a straight win-loss perspective, we certainly could've used one or two to change the course. That said, from an effort standpoint, we worked hard to put a good product on the field and attempted to make the community proud. It's something that we've used as a great learning experience and will continue to build on it heading into the upcoming year. "With the long-standing winning tradition of the pro- gram, there's always a lot of enthusiasm surrounding every game. Through my eyes, it's really as close to 'Friday Night Lights' as you can get in the state of Wiscon- sin. We're just going to keep working hard and do our best to put together another suc- cessful season. We have a lot of good, experienced players and strong leaders coming back so we're encouraged by the possibilities." The Indians, who use a two- platoon system, will miss the leadership of top running back Collin Radowicz, first team all-conference defensive end Evan Major, second team running back Liam Chones, second team center Tanner Belland, second team defen- sive lineman Matt Vertz and honorable mention guard Erik Hendriksen. Depth and the experience of 12 returning starters (six on offense and six on defense), including four all-conference selections, will be vital to the team's growth and progres- sion. Senior quarterback Gabe Cizauskas (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) returns to lead Muk- wonago's option offense for a second-straight year. Senior all-conference hon- orable mention running back Zach Genrich (5-10, 185), sen- ior first-team guard Mason Krebs (6-0, 200), senior line- man Joey Carlson (6-3, 275), senior wide receiver Brandon Wozny (5-9, 145), senior line- man Nick Kelly (6-1, 240) and senior wide receiver Alex Gehl (6-1, 165) will bring sta- bility to the offense. Senior honorable mention kicker/defensive lineman Alec Benzinger (6-0, 220), sen- ior second team-outside line- backer Nick Tanguay (6-1, 190), senior inside linebacker Connor Anonich (5-10, 190), senior lineman Matt Wilinski (6-0, 205), senior defensive back Dan Crawley (5-8, 165) and senior defensive back Zack Siewert (5-10, 175) will solidify the defense. With the depth and parity of the Classic 8, Iverson said the race for the conference cham- pionship will be an intense battle to the end. "The conference is really up for grabs," added Iverson, whose team is scheduled to host Franklin in a nonconfer- ence season opener at Hensler Field on Friday. "Every team is good and has improved (also noting the progression of Kettle Moraine, Waukesha North and Waukesha South), so it will be difficult to get a victory each week. At this point, we're just trying to get better every time we step on the field and make the most of every practice. It's early on in camp, but the kids are already competing with a sense of urgency and playing with confidence. From beginning to end, we'll show up and play hard, so it will be interesting to see how it works out." Mukwonago Mukwonago Coach: Clay Iverson, fifth season 2015: 4-5 overall, 3-4 in Classic 8 Conference Key returning players: senior quarterback Gabe Cizauskas, sen- ior running back Zach Genrich, senior tackle Mason Krebs, senior linebacker Nick Tanguay, senior kicker Alec Benzinger Key graduation losses: running backs Liam Chones and Collin Radowicz, defensive end Evan Major and center Tanner Belland 2016 Schedule (all games 7 p.m.) Aug. 19: Franklin Aug. 26: at Oak Creek Sept. 2: at Waukesha South Sept. 9: Muskego Sept. 16: at Arrowhead Sept. 23: Waukesha West Sept. 30: at Waukesha North Oct. 7: vs. Catholic Memorial at Carroll University Oct. 14: Kettle Moraine Robert F. Borkowski/Special to The Freeman Mukwonago quarterback Gabe Cizauskas returns to take snaps behind center in 2016.