Hortonville to open season on the road

By Greg Seubert

Hortonville struggled in the Valley Football Association last year.

The Polar Bears posted a 1-6 record in conference play, with the only win coming on a forfeit victory over Wausau East.

The nonconference schedule was another story, however, as Hortonville picked up wins over West De Pere, Pulaski and Colby, a team that went on to play for a Division 6 state championship.

Third-year coach Ben Stumpf has several holes to fill from last year’s team, including first-team all-conference kicker Drew Klein; second-teamers Sam Dodd (quarterback), Bodie Schanhofer (offensive lineman) and Hunter Miller (return specialist); and honorable mention players Aiden Leist (wide receiver), Hunter Strange (running back), Zack Roovers (defensive lineman) and Marshal VanHandel (defensive back).

“We played a lot of kids as sophomores on varsity and that’s going to be huge for them this year,” he said. “A lot of those kids are going to be looked at as leaders.”

Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau West and Stevens Point shared the VFA championship last year. The conference also includes Appleton West, D.C. Everest and Marshfield.

“It’s a great conference,” Stumpf said. “There are some teams in there that year after year are making some deep playoff runs. It’s just going to make us better for the postseason if we can get there. Last year, we had way too many losses, but we were in a lot of those football games with a lot of youth. That should help us out this year.”

Hortonville will open the season Friday, Aug. 19, at West De Pere and will host Pulaski Friday, Aug. 26.

“We’re going to look a little different on offense with some new stuff going in,” Stumpf said. “You can tell that they’ve got themselves in the playbook. They’re picking it up quickly.”

The VFA opener is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2, in Stevens Point.

“We don’t have any long-term season goals like going undefeated, that kind of thing,” Stumpf said. “That’s not what we do. We don’t put a number on wins and losses. It’s about preparing right, limiting mistakes, controlling what we can control and not turning the football over.”

There’s plenty of community support for Hortonville’s football program and that includes its youth teams, according to Stumpf.

“The numbers for our youth program have doubled in the last two years,” he said. “We’re getting more kids out at the younger levels. That was one of my main emphases when I was hired two years ago. You want them to have a good, positive experience when they’re young. Every kid is playing. It’s not about wins and losses. It’s about a good experience and making it fun.”

Stumpf said it’s too soon to tell what impact recent improvements to the school’s weight room will have on the football field.

“The big message there is the community and the administration supported us,” he said. “We have this beautiful facility, but how do we use it? We were almost 100% in attendance in the summer. It will pay dividends, it’s just going to take time.”

Hortonville Football Schedules

Varsity
Friday, Aug. 19 – at West De Pere, 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 26 – vs. Pulaski, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 2 – vs. Stevens Point at Goerke Field, Stevens Point, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 9 – vs. Appleton West, 7 p.m..
Friday, Sept. 16 – vs. Wisconsin Rapids, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 23 – Open date.
Friday, Sept. 30 – vs. D.C. Everest, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 7 – at Wausau West, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 14 – vs. Marshfield, 7 p.m.

Junior Varsity
Monday, Aug. 22 – vs. West De Pere, 5 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 29 at Pulaski, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 6 – vs. Stevens Point, 5 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 12 – at Appleton West, 6 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 19 – at Wisconsin Rapids, 5 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 26 – vs. Wausau East, 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 3 – at D.C. Everest, 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 10 – vs. Wausau West, 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 17 – at Marshfield, 5 p.m.

Freshman
Thursday, Aug. 18 – at West De Pere, 5 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 25 – vs. Pulaski, 5 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 1 – vs. Stevens Point at Goerke Field, Stevens Point, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 8 – vs. Appleton West, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 15 – vs. Wisconsin Rapids, 5 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 22 – at Wausau East, 5 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 29 – vs. D.C. Everest, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 6 – at Wausau West, 5 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 13 – vs. Marshfield, 6:30 p.m.