It's High School Football Time!!!

I got a chance to head out to Fondy football practice earlier this week and it got the juices flowing for another prep football season. The first thing I have to say is that I’m glad the team found a way to practice over at the new high school. Since they opened Fond du Lac High, the football team has had to get over to the old Goodrich fields for practice every day. Those days are done as the team began workouts right next to the tennis courts behind the school. I’m told the booster club is working on building some storage out at the high school for the football equipment and other sports as well. So that’s exciting.

New head coach Brad Kozaczuk has his team out there bright and early at 6am this week. Coach Koz said that on Tuesday some of his players were out waiting for him at the school at 4:45am. It will be interesting to see how Fondy adapts to the new Wing-T based offense this season under the new coach. One thing I noticed about Coach Kozaczuk during the short time I was out at practice is that he is a very passionate teacher of the game. He’s all over the field full of enthusiasm as he teaches his philosophies and techniques. I know that the veteran assistants Joe Guyette and John Redding are also very enthusiastic about the upcoming season and working with coach Koz this year. Another new addition to the staff is Tom Biolo, who has plenty of football experience and will be a good teacher to the Cards. Let’s hope this group of young men have some early success with the new staff and can make a push for yet another playoff run.

Here are some other tid-bits I’m looking at for the upcoming season as the KFIZ Sports Staff makes the rounds to check in on various area team’s as they get ready for the opener…

The End of an Era….Fond du Lac Springs opens up their 2006 season on the road at Green Bay Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon, August 26th. The game will be played at St. Norbert High School due to some work being done at Notre Dame’s regular field. This is the last meeting between the Ledgers and Tritons. The two long-time rivals are discontinuing the series after this year’s games. Springs has picked up Campbellsport on their schedule in 2007. There were some classic games between Springs and Notre Dame/Green Bay Premontre over the years, and we’ll most likely be highlighting some of those games leading up to the opener. News-Talk 1450 KFIZ will broadcast the Ledger opener live on August 26th.

I’m also looking forward to seeing WLA this season. It will be interesting to see on the Vikings offense shapes up with the graduation of QB Josh McCormick. I’m also anxious to get a look at the new press box at WLA and maybe the biggest thing you’ll notice at WLA this year is LIGHTS! That’s right! WLA will have lights and get to play night games for the first time at the high school. That mean’s WLA will be able to play true home playoff games and also the regular season finale can be played on campus and not at Fruth or North Fondy or wherever they could get a field for a “home game.” When you talk about WLA, you always have to mention the best concessions in the area. The wide variety of food they have at WLA…all I can say is my stomach is rumbling just thinking about it!

It will also be interesting to see how North Fond du Lac does this year. The Orioles had to forfeit most of their games last season because of numbers. In 2006 there is a new staff and an new-found enthusiasm for the program. I think new coach Nathan Lehman will do a great job leading the Orioles. The former Fondy assistant has brought over a handful of former members of the Cardinal coaching staff, including head coach Mike Dressler as they try and rebuild the North Fondy program. I’ve gotten to know the guys covering the Fondy program over the years, and they are all good people and hard workers, and I’m confident that they will again get North Fondy’s program back on the map.

News-Talk 1450 KFIZ will once again be your place to be for the area’s best high school football coverage this fall on Friday nights. Our high school football coverage will begin at 6pm every Friday night with the Trepanier’s Backyard Grill Friday Night Kickoff Show. KFIZ’s Justin Hull will host the show as we preview not only the Fondy game, but also the Springs, WLA, and North Fondy games by talking to the coaches themselves. We’ll also preview other conference matchups and teams throughout the season. John Casper or Doug Whitley of the Fond du Lac Reporter will be joining, Justin, myself, and Bob Hoffmaster for a round table session where we talk about the big stories of the night around the area. Bill Scott will also be back to preview the night in high school football around the state of Wisconsin.

At 6:40pm, we’ll begin in-depth coverage of the Fond du Lac game with our Fondy Pregame Show. You’ll hear from Coach Brad Kozaczuk every week as Bob Hoffmaster and I take you to kickoff.

After the game, as always, it’s scores and highlights from around the state of Wisconsin from 9:30pm to 11pm as Bill Scott hosts Football Friday Night presented by Kremer Pharmacy.

Of course you’ll always get all the high school game previews and recaps every Monday through Saturday morning on News-Talk 1450 KFIZ’s Breakfast Club during the sports at 6:45am, 7:15am, and 7:45am.

It should be a great prep football season and it’ll be fun covering all the local teams again this year. I’ll be posting my thoughts on the season on this blog all year so check back often and as always please either post any questions you may have about the preps here on my blog or drop me an email to wade@kfiz.com

Be sure to stop up the broadcast booth and say hi if you see us out at a game!