MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Aug. 1–8)
FOOTBALL: Prep football practice begins
By Jason Nihles, Fennimore Times
Fennimore hopes to take a big step forward, despite 11 wrestlers not playing this fall
FENNIMORE — The Fennimore football team and the rest of the state began official practice last Tuesday, the first day allowed by the WIAA.
The Golden Eagles will have a drastically different look during Tyrell Rosemeyer’s second year as head coach, but hope to take a big step forward despite its overhauled roster.
“Our effort in the weight room this off-season is really showing up throughout the entire team,” said Rosemyer. “We are bigger, faster and stronger and I’m really excited to see the players’ hard work payoff. We have great team chemistry, maybe the best I’ve ever been around.”
Fennimore lost eight seniors from last year’s team that went just 3–7 overall and 1–6 in the SWAL, including 2021 leading rusher Max Miles (RB/FS), who rushed for 199 yards and 3 TDs and made 27 tackles last year as a senior, despite missing three games with an injury, and leading tackler Dawson Cole (DL, 47 tackles).
Starting outside linebacker Konner Swatek (OLB, 15 tackles, 2 TFL), A.J. Davis (WR/S), Maverick Schauff (LT), Brett Birchman (RB/CB), Brecken Muench (WR/DB) and Justin Trumm (OL/DL) all graduated with Miles in May.
The Eagles also lost 11 returning players — all wrestlers — who have chosen not to play football this fall — for various reasons — as they will be attempting to win a third-straight WIAA D3 Team state title this winter.
Those departed wrestlers include a pair of All-SWAL second-team selections in 2022 leading receiver junior Amryn Nutter (WR/DB, 51 receptions, 588 yards, 5 TDs, 29 tackles) and 2022 leading rusher senior Ian Crapp (RB/DB, 60-218-4 rushing, 35 tackles), as well as last year’s starting quarterback Tristan Steldt. Nutter and Crapp (2nd-team All-SWAL DB) were also starting defensive backs last year as well.
Steldt passed completed 142 of 269 passes (52.8 percent) for 1,626 yards, 13 TDs and 12 interceptions, and rushed for 144 yards and 6 TDs last year as a sophomore. Steldt also won the WIAA Division 3 160-pound individual state wrestling title, Crapp placed second in D3 at 132 pounds, Nutter was third at in D3 at 120, and the trio led the FHS wrestling team to a second-straight D3 Team State title last winter.
Juniors Syler Zdanczewicz (40 tackles, FB/LB), who started at inside linebacker, and Gavin Yoose (OL/DL), who started at right tackle, Ryder Zdanczewicz (RB/LB) and Dalton Wolf (OL/DL), senior Malin Hahn (RB/LB) and sophomores Cade Birchman (RB/DB), Payton Chappell (HB/LB) and Taron Crowley (WR/LB) are also not out for football this fall.
Junior Ethan Sheckler will move from fullback to become Fennimore’s new quarterback this fall. The offense will remain the same, an all shot gun spread formation with one running back, despite the QB change.
Sheckler, who will serve as a team co-captain this year, takes over at QB after completing 9 of 15 passes for 64 yards with three interceptions, and rushing for 144 yards on 75 attempts last year as a sophomore. He also caught 20 passes for 160 yards and 2 TDs.
The Eagles also return second-team All-SWAL center senior Wyatt Miles (OL/DL, 19 tackles), senior Evan Gratz (OL/DL), who missed all of last year, junior Nathan Blaschke (WR/DB, 22-313-2 receiving, 22 tackles), two-way linemen junior Matt Winch (41 tackles) and senior Aidan Peterson (RT/DE, 23 tackles), seniors Trent Hill (41 tackles, 7 TFL) and Wyatt Ahnen (28 tackles), and junior Drew Crubel (14 tackles) and, who all started a year ago. Miles, Gratz, Blaschke, Ahnen and Crubel were also a part of Fennimore wrestling's 2023 Team State championship team.
Winch, who started at guard and defensive end last year, will move to running back and linebacker this fall. Coach Rosemeyer said, “(Winch) had one of the best offseasons I’ve seen a coach. He is going to be an animal.”
Ahnen, one of Fennimore’s two full-time captains along with Sheckler, will move from linebacker to defensive line and will also start at offensive tackle. “He is what an elite level athlete looks like,” said Rosemyer. “He is great at three sports and made the switch to offensive tackle because that’s what was best for the team.”
Crubel will move from defensive end to linebacker and will play Fennimore’s H-back role, a TE/FB combo.
“Our offensive and defensive lines are the most improved areas so far,” added Rosemeyer. “We have five or six seniors who are going to contribute at those positions and all of them have had great practices the first two weeks of the season. Our linemen culture has really been embraced program wide.”
The Eagles will take part in the Prairie du Chien preseason scrimmage Friday at 6 p.m. before opening the regular season Friday, Aug. 18 at home against Iowa–Grant in the annual Milk Can game at 7 p.m. Fennimore opened last season with a 30–12 non-conference road win over the Panthers.
The Eagles will then travel to Richland Center Aug. 25 for a second-straight non-conference game.
