W-F to host Cashton in opener
By Greg Seubert
It hasn’t happened since 2007, but it’s one of the big goals for the latest version of the Weyauwega-Fremont football team.
“To build the program, we want to try and make the playoffs,” said Pat Fee, who is starting his fifth year as the Indians’ coach.
“If we can do that, the sky’s the limit,” he said. “If we’re able to become playoff-eligible with our schedule, then you never know. We set goals and that’s what our kids want. They want to uplift the community and the school population. What a great thing if we could extend our season a little.”
Qualifying for the WIAA playoffs requires a .500 or better record in conference play and the Indians will again have their hands full in the Central Wisconsin Conference-Large, which also includes defending Division 6 champion Iola-Scandinavia, four-time Division 5 state champion Amherst, Bonduel, Manawa, Shiocton and Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
“When you’re talking about a state champion, (Iola-Scandinavia is) the one to knock off,” Fee said. “I think there’s going to be more parity this year. Amherst is going to be very strong again and Manawa had a nice team last year with a lot of quality guys. It’s always a good league to play in and our elite teams go a long way.”
2018 ended with a win
The Indians are 7-29 in Fee’s four seasons, but snapped a 19-game losing streak dating back to the 2016 season with a 34-26 win over Shiocton in the final game last year.
“We want to try to get that first win in week one instead of week nine,” Fee said. “In our conference, you have to be ready to play every week. You have to be at a high caliber to be successful and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’re a competitor, you have to play the best to be the best. That’s what we’re looking to do every year.”
The Indians will open the season with a pair of nonconference games with Cashton and Brillion before beginning CWC-Large play at home against Iola-Scandinavia.
The schedule also includes a nonconference game in week six at Wild Rose, a team the Indians have never faced.
“They’ve been a very good school in the CWC-Small and we haven’t been successful in the last few years in the Large,” Fee said. “Our fans can travel easy and our communities know each other.”
The Indians have to replace second-team all-conference tight end and linebacker Tyler Wetzel and quarterback Kolden Baehman.
“I think our line is little ahead of our skill guys right now,” Fee said. “We had a lot of guys that put a lot of time in that were young last year. They kind of grew through the season. We started four sophomores on our O-line in the last game and it was a successful game for us. It was kind of a foundation builder.”
Two vying for QB
The Indians opened practice Aug. 6 with two prospects to replace Baehman: junior Mason Marquette and sophomore Quinn Dittman.
“Mason’s done it longer, so he looks a little more polished, but Quinn has extremely good athleticism,” Fee said. “We’re just working through it with them and hopefully, we’ll be coming to a verdict after our scrimmage.”
Other returning players include Junior lineman Ben Strehlow; junior running backs Max Meyerhofer and Colton Reeck; junior linebacker Logan Bartel; and sophomore running back Muluken Rucks. All five saw varsity action last year as a freshman or sophomore.
“They’ve had some open fields where they’ve run their own stuff and that’s had better numbers throughout the summer,” Fee said. “We had some captains’ practices that they ran on their own in the spring. All of those are the stepping stones to being good and finding success. We’re starting to see that, so we’re pretty excited.”
Value of weight room
While success will happen on the football field, it starts in the weight room. Fee is counting on Weyauwega-Fremont’s new weight room to pay dividends down the road.
“The biggest thing is work in the off-season,” he said. “They have to realize all the effort that has to be put in in the off-season. We’ve seen an uptick in that with our new facilities. We’re stronger this year than we’ve been in the last few years.”
That work begins in the weight room.
“It’s huge,” Fee said. “When you look at football in small schools, it’s probably the biggest thing when you want to keep continued success. We see that with Edgar, we see that with Stratford. We have to find a way to get some success on the field and that will push them more to do that. That’s what my job is.
“We have that family dynamic and that’s kept the wheels from falling off,” he said. “Kids are respectful, coaches are respectful, the community is behind us and it’s joy to coach here. You get a couple wins and the student body comes around. We’re in it to compete.”