BOSCOBEL - The high school football season opened for 2019 this past Friday night for schools throughout the state of Wisconsin. For the Boscobel Bulldogs, that meant a trip to Ontario for a game against an established Brookwood High School program from the Scenic Bluffs Conference.
Brookwood finished 6-4, and in second place in the Scenic Bluffs Conference last season and returns all but five players from last year’s squad. A tough opening for a Bulldog program that finished 0-9 in the SWAL Conference and is trying to reshape itself under a new coaching staff. The result, a 41-6 victory for Brookwood.
New Bulldog head coach Wayne Otto understood that the task would not be an easy one, and following the opening game, despite the difficult start, believes that the team will improve moving forward.
“Brookwood has good size and they came out and played physical right away.” Otto said. “We were understandably nervous, still learning new systems and to be honest, we have new coaches learning to work together.”
Otto took direct responsibility himself, admitting that his play calling was, as he termed it, “poor.” The offensive system he has installed is dependent upon a solid perimeter attack, and the Bulldogs had only a limited portion installed by Friday night.
“They loaded the box on us inside, and we were not able to get to the perimeter like we needed to on Friday, but we will get there.” Otto said.
Early deficit
The more physical and experienced Falcons took it to the Bulldogs early, getting out to a 35-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and expanding it to 41-0 by the half with 6 more points in the second quarter. Boscobel’s lone score came in the fourth quarter as senior Michael Wiegel scored on a long pass from junior quarterback Rylee Bray, behind good protection from the offensive line.
Otto believed that once his team got over their early nerves and adjusted to game speed, the game became more competitive. Otto and his coaches recognized there are areas they need to address. They also were trying to operate with a limited roster as they were missing some important pieces. A number of players, 11 to be exact, were unavailable Friday for a variety of reasons, including academic ineligibility, injury, and personal. This limited the number of players available and slowed the installation of their offensive and defensive systems as the coaches needed to shift players around to account for missing parts for their opener. On a positive note, Otto stated “The new players who have come out since the season began made a significant contribution, especially on the defensive side of the ball.”
Moving on
As they prepare for next week’s home opener against New Lisbon, another Scenic Bluffs Conference team, Coach Otto and his staff look forward to the return of many of those players missing on Friday. They hope their addition will help settle some of the areas that were an issue in the opener and perhaps allow the team to install more of their offense and defense this week.
This Friday’s opponent, New Lisbon, lost their home opener Friday night to former SWAL member Southwestern by a score of 47-22. The game Friday, August 30, begins with the kickoff at 7 p.m. at Casey Nice Memorial Field.
Tailgate Party
Friday night’s festivities will begin with the annual Tailgate Party beginning at 4:00 p.m. at the Larsen Shelter in Kronshage Park. The Tailgate Party is sponsored by the Bulldog Athletic Boosters and new members are encouraged to join. The introduction of fall sports teams, along with presentations will begin at 5:00. The Bulldog High School Band will also be performing. Bulldog fans are encouraged to attend and kick off the new school year and sports seasons.
