Preview of Muskego’s indoor sports facilities
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel got a sneak peek at the upgrades to Muskego High School’s indoor athletic facilities ahead of the grand opening and open house on August 28.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is counting down our top 10 Milwaukee-area football teams for 2024 with analysis and reports from practice visits. These stories will be published in a one-per-day format leading up to the first week of the WIAA high school football season. Follow sports reporters Zac Bellman (@ZacBellman_WNY) and Michael Whitlow (@couldbelikemike) on X, formerly known as Twitter, for clues on the upcoming teams in the countdown.
No. 6 Muskego
Target 2023: 10-2 (6-1 in Classic 8, 2nd), lost in the WIAA Division 1 quarterfinals to Franklin 35-7.
Important losses: QB Bradyn Horn, RB Ashton Krause, RB Max Schneider, TE/FB Aiden Krause, OL Gabe Enerson, OL Dom Schnier, OL Brady Porubcan, LB Jack Ploeckelman, LB Sam Witkowski, OLB Josh Schwulst, DB Justin Buckner, DB Henry Westphal.
Important returnees: QB Joey Shaw, FB Jack Labisch, OL Justin Brunner, OL Ryan Bongey, DL Nick McCullough, DE Liam Shaw, DB Brady Hojnacki.
Visit Takeaways
- Thursday marked Muskego’s first protective gear practice on the third day of camp, and the energy was palpable. Players roared after big plays and ran after every loose ball. Along with the freedom to take a hit, defensive linemen Liam Shaw and Nick McCullough felt free to show their seniority while setting the tone of each rep. “Last year we were like, ‘Where are we stepping? Are we pushing the boundaries?’ because we were junior starters,” Shaw said. “Now (as seniors), it’s, ‘Let’s go for it.’ I want all the juniors to bring momentum, I want all the sophomores. It was a very different environment (Thursday) than (Wednesday).” Shaw (9 sacks) and Harvard freshman McCullough (5.5) each aim to reach double-digit sack numbers in 2024, a number that doesn’t seem unreasonable if the intensity they brought to the first week of practice is maintained.
- Shaw’s younger brother, Joey, will play quarterback in Muskego’s Wing-T offense in 2024. Joey is coming off a freshman season in which he led the sophomore team to a 9-0 record. “He may be a sophomore, but he plays like a junior or senior,” head coach Ken Krause said. The younger Shaw looked good at the practice we observed, confidently calling signals, making crisp passes and not being afraid to offer advice to his teammates. Liam added that his brother was very engaged in morning practices over the summer and seems ready for the varsity stage. “You could just hear it in his voice, as if to say, ‘You know what? Last year? That’s in the past. This year, I’m determined to make sure you get the ring,'” Liam Shaw said.
- Muskego’s new indoor training facility and weight room is another reason for Warriors players and coaches to look forward to work in the morning. The 50-yard indoor turf field and adjacent gymnasium were part of a $44.6 million referendum project approved through two separate referendum questions in 2022. The portion of the project involving the athletic facilities was completed over the summer and provides the Warriors with a tremendous advantage as they prepare for the upcoming season. “It was really nice to walk into our high school facility and see something that rivals a lot of colleges,” McCullough said. “What was also really humbling at the same time was that not a lot of schools have something like this. It was nice to know that our team, who worked so hard, was rewarded by the community with something like this.” Shaw added that struggles at the weightlifting rack are a thing of the past, as there are 40 stations, each equipped for a full workout. “We’re all squatting at the same time, we’re all getting better at the same time,” Shaw said. “It’s beautiful in there, man, I’m so grateful for it. We all are.”
Biggest question mark
Can the offense create consistent movement that is less dependent on the big play?
Muskego has eight games in 2023 where it scored 30 or more points, all wins. In the three games where the offense didn’t score 30 or more points (aside from a walkover win over Waukesha South), the Warriors were 1-2 and averaged just under 10 points per game. Weather and other factors played a role, but the offensive unit’s complementary football was missing in late-season losses, which included an 8-7 loss to Kettle Moraine for the Classic 8 title and a 35-7 playoff loss to Franklin. Krause said the team’s overall goal for 2024 is to stay focused even in one of Wisconsin’s most competitive conferences.
“We just want to make sure we don’t leave practice feeling like we haven’t improved,” Krause said. “So far, we’ve been able to do that. I think our biggest strength is that it’s about us and we just focus on what we’re doing. As long as we can maintain that culture and tradition, the wins will come.”
They said it
“We have a good culture here. That’s probably our strength. The older students did a good job of explaining the standards to the sophomores, and there were a lot of opportunities where the players took the lead in practice, which is really our goal. I was really happy about that. I could just practice and not have to worry about discipline. The kids took care of it. It was a good start. So far, we’ve gotten better with every practice. You can tell the kids want to be coached, and that’s one of the nice things about living in Muskego.” − Muskego head coach Ken Krause
