SPORTS

How the great football teams stay great

Scott A. Williams
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Powerhouse programs like Edgar, Amherst, Stratford, SPASH and Assumption don't get put together easily.

STEVENS POINT - Alex Hafferman will be one of those individuals savoring the moment as he runs out to greet his teammates in the middle of the field for pre-game introductions for the opening night of high school football this week.

However, when the Edgar senior running back/linebacker pulls his green jersey with "Wildcats" stitched into the front of the chest over his head and shoulders pads, and buckles up his helmet tight, Hafferman will have a different mentality.

He won't hope to to pile up W's this season. Edgar players expect to win games, a lot of them every season, and championships. That means titles in the ultra-competitive Marawood Conference, and yes, a state championship.

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"There is a little bit of pressure, but I think (we) players kind of live in that pressure," Hafferman said. "We expect it and we come to love it. That pressure and expectations motivates you (to work harder).”

Mention Edgar and Marawood rival Stratford football to just about any coach in central Wisconsin and the reactions will range from deep respect to awe and envy. The small-school dynamos are synonymous with championship football in Wisconsin. Year in and year out, the Tigers and Wildcats seemingly are viewed as potential state champions.

Despite both teams playing in the Marawood conference, the Stratford and Edgar football programs have each had their share of success.

They are the definition of a powerhouse, and both just so happen to reside in the Marawood Conference. Coincidence or not?

To ascend to the top of the prep football world is one thing. It's not uncommon for schools throughout the state to enjoy nice runs over a three- or five-year period. Coaches ride an athletically talented class or two into never experience before or since prosperity.

What separates programs such as Edgar and Stratford is how they built programs and then sustained an elite level of success to remain at or near the top of the Marawood and in contention for state championships.

The Wildcats own six state titles spanning four different decades, and grabbed state runner-up finishes four times. Stratford won its first state title in 1986 and then ran off six straight from 2003 to 2008. In addition, the Tigers and Edgar have combined to win outright or share all but 11 conference titles since 1965

"Does (their continual success) blow me away? No. Does it awe me? Yes. Do I reek  with envy? Yes," said SPASH coach Pete McAdams. "I think it goes to that old adage, 'It takes a village.' Everybody's role in the community is important. If you're a male athlete, (football) is what you do in the fall."

Edgar football coach Jerry Sinz knows what it's like to build a football program from the ground up and sustain success.

Building a power-house from ground up

Jerry Sinz was the architect in Edgar.

He started coaching the Wildcats in 1976 after serving as an assistant for four years. He took over the program when Edgar was considering dropping football. Three years later the Wildcats won a state championship. With an undefeated mark.

“I think it’s still tougher to build a program," Sinz said. "Teams that traditionally have not won, there is such a barrier to break through to get there. ... It is easy to lose it, though. We won the state title the first time in ’79 and everyone thought it was going to be easy. Well, we never got back to state until ’91 and we got beat in the state semifinals four or five times in the 80s, like 13-12 and 20-14.

"It’s like, ‘Well, guys, it’s not as easy as it may have looked.’ But then in the early 1990s we got it going again."

It's about changing the mindset of an entire community. The taste of success trickles down to the athletes. The players are indoctrinated into "Edgar football" at the youth levels.

Players learn how to win and what it takes to succeed in seventh grade. Then success feeds off success has they climb the ranks of competitive football. By the time the players reach the varsity level, winning has been ingrained in their competitive DNA.

"For us, it starts with a foundation at our youth program," said fourth-year Stratford coach Jason Tubbs, who served as an assistant under legendary coach Cal Tackes. "The youth coaches run the same drills, use the same terms and run the system that the high school team does. Whether it’s flag or tackle football, the kids are learning our system.

"We talk about our tradition here. It’s unrealistic to think we’re going to have a run like we had in the 2000s, but with each group we want to try to strive for that and represent our school and community the best we can."

With three appearances in the Division 5 state championship game in the past four seasons, Amherst will see if it can pass the longevity litmus test to be considered a powerhouse program in central Wisconsin.

New kid on the block

Amherst is the new kid on the powerhouse block. Since the arrival of coach Mark Lusic six years ago, the Falcons have undergone a transformation from Central Wisconsin Conference 8 dormat to state champion two times over.

Lusic, who arrived at Amherst seven years ago after a stint as an assistant coach at a traditionally strong program at Waupaca, was told by people in the community he would be lucky to win three games. It was impossible to win.

Apparently not if you have a plan in place and student-athletes willing to buy in. More importantly, coaches and players alike have to be willing to put in the hard work in the offseason, including a relentless weight training regimen or film study.

"You have to have talent. Talent wins," said Lusic, who won Division 5 state championships in 2012 and 2015, and picked up a state runner-up finish in 2014. "When people ask how we've won, I say you have to have talent, but you also have to develop talent. And you have to hold on to players. If you look at any successful program, they're usually senior-ladern. You can't let kids walk away (from football)."

Lusic emphasizes two rules in regards to the youth levels. No. 1 everybody plays, and secondly, he wants the coaches to make sure the kids have fun. The record at the youth levels means nothing. All that matters is making sure the players enjoy football and want to stick with the sport.

Now the question is whether the Falcons are here to stay or are they one of the countless football programs scattered around the state benefiting from an extraordinary run of talented athletes?

Amherst will need another 10 years or so of dominant result to be considered the next Stratford or Edgar on the central Wisconsin prep football scene, where winning seasons are the norm, and conference and state championships are an annual rite of passage.

“We said 9-3 is alright for some schools, but it’s the worst record we’ve had in 10 years," Sinz said. "It’s kind of like the Packers in recent years. If you are a favorite to get to the Super Bowl, but you don’t get there, well then, you didn’t have a good year.”

Scott A. Williams can be reached at 715-345-2282, or on email at ssswilliam@stevenspoint.gannett.com. Find him on Twitter as @SPJScottWill.

Tim Johnson and Marrk Massoglia contributed.