A few highlights, history and perspective

As we near 2023, it is a good time to look back on a few highlights of the fall high school sports season, back before blizzard warnings were a thing.

Grafton’s football team was one of the biggest success stories, winning the Woodland Conference outright. It was the first league title for the Black Hawks since tying Homestead in 1995 and the first outright title since winning the Braveland Conference in 1984.

I remember this year’s conference-clinching game, a 45-21 blowout of defending league champ Greendale on Oct. 14. Light rain danced on the area, and it brought its friends, breezy and chilly.

The rain I had prepared for, donning my attire that acts as a sail if it catches the wind just right, and not even bothering to take notes — that’s futile even in drizzle while trying to take photos.

Wind chill in the 30s was another story; I was evidently more concerned with keeping my aging camera dry than me warm. Well, batting .500 isn’t bad, right?

The rain, of course, subsided sometime in the second quarter, leaving just the cold to handle. The student section came prepared, bundled in whatever shade of pink they could wear — in honor of fighting breast cancer — and layers of sweatshirts regardless of color over or underneath that.

The football team didn’t seem to care about the conditions in building a 21-0 lead. Their edge ballooned to 38-7 in the fourth quarter, and coach Jim Norris started putting in reserves as anticipation and excitement built on the sideline.

Four touchdowns were scored in the game’s final 3 minutes and 13 seconds, delaying the inevitable and making underdressed reporters stand out in the cold all the longer.

By the end of the game, everyone had started going crazy, and the Hawks made sure to reward their beloved head coach who led them to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons with the team and this year an outright conference championship.

They dropped a bucket of ice water on his head.

The usual fan and team celebration was delayed by Woodland Conference Commissioner Ken Schimpf presenting the league trophy to the Black Hawks. Then students and families stormed the field for hugs and high fives. Conference Lineman of the Year Josh Lee-O’Bryant, who turned 18 that day, put on cool shades, then blew out a candle on a small birthday cake.

Before I could talk to Norris, he began ushering people to the gym. I figured he wanted to get inside and warm up, but it was to continue the festivities by adding the team’s banner to the conference title poster in the gym. Lee-O’Bryant in his cool shades was sent up a ladder to do the honors as the team and fans roared.

A look back at Grafton’s last two conference-title winning teams reveals a couple of unique connections.

Grafton’s legendary coach Kip Cramer,  a member of the Wisconsin High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and a charter member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, was the leader of those 1995 and 1984 Hawks. The school dedicated a pavilion next to the field in his honor in 2021 while commemorating the 1981 state title team, and Cramer gave a speech to the current squad before a 43-6 drubbing of Shorewood/Messmer.

The 1995 team had some similarities to this year’s Hawks.

Mike Lempke, who stood 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighted 196 pounds, was named North Shore Conference Player of the Year in 1995. He caught an NSC record 39 passes for 752 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Lempke’s nephew, Mason, was an all-conference defensive back for this year’s Hawks and a threat at wide receiver.

Grafton’s quarterback in 1995 was NSC Offensive Back of the Year. Kyle Van Sluys went 81-for-163 passing for 1,226 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. His twin, Kraig, was an all-conference guard.

They are the uncles of standout linebacker Tyler Van Sluys, who had his season cut short this year when he  sustained a knee injury after intercepting a pass against Port Washington.

In 1995, Hawk Jarryd Rutter was named Defensive Lineman of the Year. He had 59 tackles, including 13 sacks. This season, Lee-O’Bryant was named Woodland Conference Lineman of the Year.

Cramer and Homestead legend Dave Keel shared Coach of the Year honors in 1995. Norris won the Woodland Conference award this year.

Grafton’s 1984 team lost the state title, 13-12, to Ashland, in the Hawks’ third appearance in the final in four seasons.

The 1995 team beat Sheboygan Falls, 21-20, in overtime in the first round of the playoffs before losing, 37-31, the next week to New Berlin Eisenhower.

This season, Grafton beat Wisconsin Lutheran, 28-7, in the playoffs before losing at Port, 24-14.

The tears naturally flowed after that loss, but minutes after the clock hit zero running back Chase Norton was already putting it into perspective.

Norton was named Woodland Conference Offensive Player of the Year last season. This year, he dislocated his elbow in the first conference game and missed several games. He worked hard to get back into the lineup late in the season.

One of Norton’s biggest fans, a 10-year-old boy, encouraged him to keep going. The two embraced after the playoff game.

“This is Cooper. This is my guy. Cooper had a couple of brain surgeries early and he always came out  to the basketball games and we became good friends then,” Norton said.

“After I dislocated my elbow, the next game he gave me a note and said, ‘I’ve been through some of this stuff. You’ll be fine.’”

That strengthened the pair’s bond and made an impact on Norton he will always remember.

“It just means so much to me. Because when you dislocate your elbow, you think the world’s over, game’s over, season’s over,” he said. “For him to tell me you can keep going — at such a young age going through so much. It just puts your life in perspective on how special everything is and just changed my point of view on life.”

CG-B continues Player of Year stretch

Cedar Grove-Belgium’s football team finally didn’t have its quarterback named the Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

The honor, of course, still went to a Rocket. While Colton Sellin had an outstanding season, it was Gabe Egan that was the difference maker in the conference. Coach Dan Schreurs said no other coach even offered another candidate.

Egan caught 44 balls for 1,165 yards and 20 touchdowns, and ran 46 times for 389 yards and three scores. He was the focus of every defense except Oostburg’s — he missed that game due to an injury.

Egan keeps a ridiculous stretch alive of Rocket offensive royalty. A Rocket has been named Big East Offensive Player of the Year six of the past seven seasons. Others — all quarterbacks — include Logan Arrowood (2021, 2022), Michael Navis (2018), Jason von Heimburg (2017) and Josh Weiss (2016).

Ozaukee senior runs into history

Ozaukee’s Owen Klaus had his own special season in cross country.

The senior shattered the 5,000-meter school record of 16 minutes, 29 seconds set in 1983 by Ron Schacherl. Klaus ran 16:13 at the Big East Conference meet in Reedsville on Oct. 15.

“I knew I had a shot to get close to it or beat it but I didn’t think I’d beat it by the margin that I did,” Klaus said.

Dedication and sacrifice are keys to his success, and it doesn’t hurt that he has legs like telephone poles and a stride as long as an elk.

Klaus also blamed his teammates for accomplishments.

“I don’t think I could have gotten a school record if it wasn’t for the team — that’s something they pushed me for,” he said.

The boys’ and girls’ teams often wore shirts in “Top Gun”-themed lettering that said “Need for Speed,” along with aviator sunglasses, and Klaus and Aaron Nehls like to play Maverick and Goose.

Klaus finished ninth at state and Nehls was 54th, and the team finished sixth. No Ozaukee boys’ team has finished worse than sixth under coach Andrew Pfeuffer

Klaus and Nehls praised Pfueffer and their assistant coaches Roger and Delaney Sinnen for their own and the program’s impressive run.

“The positivity all three coaches bring every single day. They make us laugh at practice every day,” Klaus said.

“He (Pfeuffer) is way too humble of a guy and he doesn’t like to take credit for anything,” Nehls said. “We wouldn’t be here with out him. He makes the training plans. He’s the mastermind.”

CG-B soccer kicks itself into history

The Rockets’ boys’ soccer team finished 9-10-1 overall, its best season since at least 2010.

My favorite highlight was when one of the team’s most loyal fans, Newman the dog, picked up a soccer ball before either a goal kick or corner kick and trotted off with it for several feet. That caused poor Newman to be leashed for the rest of the Rockets’ 5-0 blowout of University Lake/Trinity Academy.

Port volleyball goes on a run

The Port Washington girls’ volleyball team was a handful of points away from winning the North Shore Conference — all three losses came in close fifth sets — 15-11 to Nicolet, 20-18 to West Bend West and 15-12 to NSC champ Hartford — and the Pirates went on a playoff run that reached the sectional final.

That’s either deeper or as deep as any Port volleyball team has ever gone in the postseason.

In the inaugural edition of “What you can get away with as sports editor,” I talked to Port’s dominant middle blocker Elyse Karrels after a team-high 16 kills in a four-set win at Pewaukee, the team that ended Port’s season last year.

Me: You’re a beast.

Karrels: Thank you.

A McWinter McSeason McHighlight

As long as winter has started, here’s a marketing tip.

Grafton junior Michael McNabb Jr. recently scored his 1,000th career point in basketball and already has offers from Division 1 universities.

The Village of Grafton has a McDonald’s.

If there’s not some kind of food item named after McNabb by the end of next season, money and creativity are being thrown out the window like McNabb fires basketballs through a hoop.

McNabb McNuggets? McNabb McGriddle? McDoughnuts to dunk into your McCafe coffee? McNabb McFlurry because he scores points in a hurry?

A smaller version of a sandwich or meal since Jr. is already part of his name?

A McNabb McDouble in honor of Michael and his sister, Gracie, a solid starter on the girls’ team?

You’re welcome, McDonald’s. Corporate may contact me for my rates.