Less than a week before the start of the varsity football season, the future of the Evansville/Albany prep program went up in smoke.
Thousands of dollars? worth of smoke.
Just before midnight Aug. 17, the press box adjacent to the Evansville High School football field burned to the ground. Six fire departments were called to the scene, and onlookers reported that flames rose 20 feet above the facility?s roof.
?It was a total loss. A total loss. Everything?s gone,? said Ron Grovesteen, the Blue Devils? coach for the last 40 years.
Police and insurance investigators are busy trying to determine the source of the fire.
"The origin and cause of this fire is undetermined," Rock County Sheriff's Department Capt. Todd Christiansen said in an email. "Investigators can not say with any certainty where the fire started or by what means."
One thing is certain, though: The bill to replace all that was lost will be astronomical. As one might expect from a press box fire, the public-address system, speakers and scoreboard controls were destroyed. But the real damage took place down below.
Grovesteen said the ground floor of the press box was used to store helmets, pads and uniforms to outfit as many as 190 youngsters in the E/A youth program, along with about 20 sets of spare gear for the varsity program.
?We have about 80 to 90 middle-school players in grades 7 and 8, and our youth program from K through 6, that?s another 90 to 100 kids,? Grovesteen said. ?All the helmets, shoulder pads, pants, everything we?ve stockpiled over the years ? all of that was lost.?
The communities have taken an aggressive approach to getting the youth football program back up and running. Many neighboring programs and businesses have stepped up to help, too.
?We?ve always had our fundraisers for the varsity, the middle school and the youth program, but this is a special occasion,? Grovesteen said.
The coach said youth and middle-school helmets can cost $100 to $150 each, and varsity helmets can go for $260 to $300. Shoulder pads range from $30 for youths up to $200 for varsity linemen. Then there are belts, hip pads, thigh pads, rib pads, practice jerseys, practice pants. ?
?It?s adding up to be quite a number,? Grovesteen said. ?This is stuff we?ve been able to build up over the years, and now it?s all gone.?
The Blue Devil Gridiron Club has put fundraising plans in place to help cover costs above and beyond what the district insurance plan might cover, including what the club said on its website was ?a substantial deductible.?
Grovesteen said youth programs in DeForest, Janesville, Middleton, Milton and Edgerton have contacted the club to volunteer assistance. More importantly, representatives of suppliers Badger Sporting Goods and helmet-and-pads manufacturer Riddell Sports Inc. already have provided the youth program with the gear it will need to start the season.
?We started practice (Monday) and we?ll go three days without pads. By then, we should have enough gear on hand to get everyone fitted,? Grovesteen said. ?Their first games aren?t for a couple of weeks. By then, everyone should be ready to go.?
The Blue Devils got by without their press box on Friday, taking a 30-21 home victory over Union Grove. The team visits Brodhead/Juda on Friday, and then welcomes Walworth Big Foot in a big Rock Valley North Conference game on Sept. 6.
Warming up
This football season has unfolded in unusual fashion, weather-wise. Preseason practices took place under pleasant, even cool conditions. Now, during Week Two of the regular season is here, temperatures have shot up to the 90-degree mark.
Coaches and athletes have been educated about best practices for heat management through an aggressive WIAA program, and they have been conscientious about following those guidelines.
?We know the WIAA policy, and we implemented a lot of those precautions today,? Cambridge coach Mike Klingbeil said Tuesday night. ?We made sure everybody had water breaks and a little extra rest. We took buckets out there with cold water and towels. It worked very well.
?We talked about going half-pads or no pads, but it was a defensive practice and we needed the kids to work with pads most of the time. We tried to make it as little a disruption as possible,? Klingbeil said.
Passing fancy
No, Brandon Matz didn?t have to ice down his arm after East Troy?s 70-52 loss to Delavan-Darien in its season opener at Delavan.
As for the statistician who charted the game? Well, rotator-cuff surgery wouldn?t be a big surprise for that poor guy.
After watching the game film, East Troy coach Eric Sulik confirmed the original numbers credited to the 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior: 34 completions on 43 attempts for 524 yards and seven touchdowns, with one interception and one rushing TD.
?He was a little disappointed. He thought he was up around 600. Truthfully, so did I,? Sulik said. ?Some guys, that?s a year for them.?
Matz?s yardage total ranks third in state history, behind the 612-yard game by Southwestern?s Jeff Skemp in 2002 and the 551-yard game by Lomira?s Steve Sterr in 1965. Matz?s seven-TD passing total joins a long list tied for the state record for a single game.
The game also ranked second in state history for combined point total, trailing only D.C. Everest?s 70-63 victory over Wisconsin Rapids in 1998. The teams combined for 1,104 yards of offense, ranking fourth on the all-time state list.
The Playstation-like numbers were a result of Delavan-Darien running a seven-man front against the Trojans? spread offense. ?With their blitzing linebackers, they had to go with man-to-man coverage on our receivers. That?s a tough sell with a guy who?s as big and moves as fast as Sam Eckert,? Sulik said. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior receiver ? who missed all of last year with injury ? totaled 209 yards on 12 catches with four scores.
Despite the euphoria of the big numbers, the fact that Delavan-Darien scored 10 touchdowns on his defense isn?t lost on Sulik.
?We hurt ourselves with two turnovers inside our own 30 and another on a (line-drive) kickoff that bounced off our guy?s hand,? the coach said. ?But a lot of it was poor tackling. We?ve got some work to do there.?
More big numbers
Weston?s Mark Klang started the season with a bang. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound sophomore raced for 256 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries as the Silver Eagles held off Plainfield Tri-County, 34-25, in their nonconference opener. He was tackled at the Plainfield 1-yard line after a 64-yard run to close the third quarter, then scored on the next play and popped a 65-yard TD run on his next carry, Weston coach Corey Brunett said. Klang also caught a 35-yard TD pass.
Also Friday, Necedah?s Matt Brown ran for 208 yards and three scores, Williams Bay?s John Higgins ran for 203 yards and two TDs and Marshall?s Ty DeForest and Highland?s Austin Yager rushed for 200 yards each, with DeForest scoring three times and Yager four.
Not to be overlooked was the Aug. 22 performance of Madison Edgewood quarterback Bobby Dunn. The 5-11, 190-pound senior threw for 345 yards and four TDs, completing 18 of 26 passes in the Crusaders? eye-opening, 41-35 victory over Waunakee.
Also, Adams-Friendship junior Mario Chavez threw for 309 yards and four scores in a 42-30 victory over Weyauwega-Fremont. The victory snapped a 22-game losing streak for the Green Devils ? whose defense forced 10 turnovers, including a TD on an interception return by freshman Joe Doty.
Another big-play guy on the defensive end was Sam Patterson of Fort Atkinson, who intercepted a pass in overtime to clinch the Black Hawks' 34-27 victory over visiting Reedsburg.
And now, it's official
When the Williams Bay football team beat Kenosha Christian Life, 34-0, in an extra ninth game last October, some said it ended the school's 45-game losing streak.
But some didn't. Kenosha Christian Life claimed it sent a junior varsity team to the game, and as such, it did not count as a varsity victory for the Bulldogs. Among those following that school of thought is Williams Bay athletic director Mike Coolidge.
But the debate ended on Friday, when Williams Bay started its season with a 41-0 pasting of Christian Life's varsity squad.
The Bulldogs' long losing streak dated back to October 2007, relieved only by a forfeit victory over Madison Abundant Life in 2010 and the Christian Life game.
Now, it can be said that Williams Bay not only has a two-game winning streak, it has a two-game shutout streak. The Bulldogs entertain Almond-Bancroft tonight in nonconference play.
Picks to click
? Verona (1-0 Big Eight Conference, 1-0 overall) at Sun Prairie (1-0, 1-0), 7 p.m. Friday: The Big Eight Conference champion could be decided on this muggy August evening. Sun Prairie was ranked third and Verona ninth in the first Associated Press state poll of the season.
? Madison Edgewood (1-0) at DeForest (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday: With six days between starts, Dunn?s throwing arm should be ready for another workout as the Crusaders take on Badger North favorite DeForest. The Norskies? tough and experienced defense was a major factor in last week?s 45-7 romp over Milton.
? Marshall (1-0) at Jefferson (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday: Two teams picked to challenge for championships in their leagues (the Capitol North and Rock Valley North, respectively) throw down in J-town. Jefferson held Watertown Luther Prep to 117 yards in a 49-6 victory last week.
? Black Hawk (1-0) at Cuba City (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday: Both teams broke into the also-receiving-votes category in the AP state small-schools rankings after opening victories. Black Hawk produced 537 yards in a 52-0 victory over Benton/Scales Mound, and Cuba City downed Viroqua, 42-17.
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