HSBlitz's Blog

SHOW US YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT!

Every week, you choose what high school football match up will be our 'Game Of The Week.'

Cast your votes, then tune in Friday nights to FOX 6 News at 10 p.m. to see if your pick is our 'Game Of The Week!' The game will be featured on FOX 6 and on FoxHiLitesMilwaukee.com.

The first time you vote, register and create an account (if you don't have one already). Then, you can vote simply by entering your e-mail address and password. Polling ends 6:30 p.m. each Thursday. Watch FOX 6 News at 9 & 10 Thursdays to find out if your school is our 'Game of the Week!'

This week's match ups are:

• Waukesha West vs. Wisconsin Lutheran
• Port Washington vs. Brookfield Central
• Hartford vs. Germantown
• Cedarburg vs. Menomonee Falls

Remember, you can vote once an hour -- so vote early and vote often!

And, don't forget to tell your friends!

Click here to start voting http://witi.4wmt.com?go=game

There's a new way to show off your video clips and let others in on the action. Whether you're into football, theater, cheerleading or band...

FoxHilitesMilwaukee.com lets you upload videos with a couple clicks of the mouse!

You select a category for your clip, upload it...and then others can rate and comment on it.

If you don't have a video to upload, there's still plenty of clips to browse through.

How do you get started? If you're already a registered blogger on MyFoxMilwaukee.com, that username and password will work on FoxHilites. Otherwise, the sign-up process is easy.

FoxHilitesMilwaukee.com - Get in the game and upload your videos now!

Well, the final High School Blitz aired on Friday. There will be no more prep pigskin flying around football fields across Southeastern Wisconsin until next year...but what a year it was!

There were many local teams that exceeded expectations; coming from nowhere to to change the prep football landscape. Milwaukee Pius, West Bend West, Kenosha Bradford, and West Allis Hale are just some of the teams that proved a football program isn't about what's on paper or what history the school may have. It's about the players becoming a TEAM and starting their OWN tradition. I believe these teams and some I didn't mention are examples to kids across the state, that they can build a winner through hard work in the offseason, teamwork, and dedication to the program.

There was also the case of Milwaukee Riverside; a City Conference school that wasn't given much chance to succeed outside the conference season, because well, they play in the City. Think again. They were 1 play away from punching their ticket to Madison. Riverside definately showed heart and proved that you CAN play good football in the City. Again, hopefully other schools will try to match Riverside's success. I don't suspect the Tigers momentum to stop either...

Finally, what a tournament from the local squads from the area. 5 of the 6 teams in Divisions 1 through 3 were from Southeastern Wisconsin. We had area teams battling each other in D-1 and D-2 for the first time...EVER. Greendale was 1 defensive play on 4th down from winning 3-0, but that doesn't take away from their great season. Congrats to Waupaca for pulling that game out. In Division 2, Brookfield Central received thier 1st loss of the season to State Champion Franklin...in dramatic fashion. What a game! In a back and forth affair, Central tied the game on a long touchdown pass down the sidelines that was breathtaking, followed by a 2-point conversion thrown BEHIND the QB's head! Fittingly, it took an Overtime period to decide things. Homestead supringsly shut out Arrowhead to win the D-1 Title. Turnovers were the key to victory for the Highlanders, as the Warhawks never really recovered.

FRANKLIN AND HOMESTEAD: STATE CHAMPS 2006

Congratulations to all of the teams that competeted their hearts out all season long. It's been a pleasure bringing you the highlights, scores, and feature stories all season long. We hope you enjoyed watching, and possibly reading this blog! See you next year!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:

Tom Pipines: for running around the area and adding your special creative powers to become the backbone on the blitz.

Jen Lada: for jumping into our humble show and not missing a beat.

Steve "Sparky" Fifer: for putting down the radio headset and being ready to do whatever, whenever.

Mickie Leach: for getting the best video in town and making Sparky look good.

Andy Konkle: for hustling to who knows how many high school games on the year, getting sound, editing video, and making my jumbled plan actually work. A special shout-out to his assistant, as well!

Jonathan McWalter: for doing everything else while I was consumed with this High School thing.

Tom Kurtz (me): for staying sane working with this group of people!

Without these hard working souls, our Blitz wouldn't have been what it was. Thanks again.

TK

The Blitz is back on Saturday during the Fox 6 News at 10 for the Semifinals of the prep playoffs. The winners of each game will punch their ticket to Madison. With 7 local teams remaining, there is the possibility of 5 teams getting to State, as 2 games pit Milwaukee area schools against one another. Here are the games this week, as we should have highlights of all of them...

FRIDAY

Homestead vs Stevens Point @ Titans Stadium (Oshkosh)
**Last week the Highlanders went to Bay Port, this week it's off to Oshkosh. The North Shore champs haven't been tested of late, but it should change Friday Night---as there are no easy games left. The winner faces the Arrowhead/Riverside victor in the Finals in D-1.

SATURDAY

Hartland Arrowhead vs Milwaukee Riverside @ Germantown
**The other Division 1 Semifinal is a marquee matchup and our Game of the Week. Classic 8 co-champ and perennial power Arrowhead, meets the City Conference up-start Riverside Tigers. Don't sleep on Riverside--they have looked impressive and are trying to be the 1st City team since 1986 to reach Madison!

Brookfield Central vs Ashwaubenon @ Manitowoc Lincoln
**The Jaguars have 4 losses on their record, but in reality, are undefeated like Brookfield Central. The 4 games were wins, but were turned to losses because of an ineligibility issue. This should be a great game, with Central having a slight edge because of an injury to the Ashwaubenon QB.

Franklin vs Mononoa Grove @ Oconomowoc
**Tom Pipines should be roaming the sidelines during this matchup, so you know the fans will be rowdy! The Sabers looked strong in dispatching Pius last week, with their offense running on all cylinders. They really have the look of a Champion, but must beat Monona Grove (a Madison area team) before looking ahead to being in actual Madison.

Greendale vs Kewaskum @ West Bend
**Two local teams battle to determine who will go for the Division 3 crown in Madison. The Panthers are led by QB Mike Hennessey, who looked strong last week in their win over Madison Edgewood. Kewaskum has been on the Blitz a lot the last few weeks, really flying under the radar. They could surprise a lot of people, especially playing near the home in West Bend. It could be a home field advantage for them.

Jen Lada will be giving you all the score and highlights Saturday night during the Blitz, which as always, is found inside the Fox 6 News at 10. Good Luck to all the teams in getting to State!

*Games are Subject to change*

TK

Congratulations to the 7 Southeastern Wisconsin prep football squad's that won this weekend and moved 1 game closer to Madison. They are:

Homestead
Hartland Arrowhead
Milwaukee Riverside
Brookfield Central
Franklin
Kewaskum
Greendale

There are a lot of good stories, but Milwaukee Riverside has to be at the top of that list. They are definately proving you CAN play top notch football in the City Conference. If you saw the highlights from their win during the Fox6 News at 10 on Friday night, you saw an exciting finish against Marquette. It was what prep football is all about! What I liked, though, was the reaction of the players and coaches--they were obviously happy, but you could sense they had bigger goals on their mind. That's good because they are really in uncharted territory, as they face a seasoned Arrowhead squad in the Semifinals. Riverside's only loss on the year was a close defeat to still undefeated Brookfield Central, who by the way, are still going strong in Division 2. That matchup--with high scoring Franklin--should be electric! Too bad for this area that they couldn't play in Madison for the trophy!
One team flying under the proverbial radar is Greendale. They were in the tough Woodland, but they happen to be in the weaker half of the conference (South)...as the North division was stronger this year. After losing to Waukesha West in week 1, the Panthers have reeled off 11 straight wins. QB Mike Hennessy used the Quarterfinals as a coming out party...Wow, what a performance! He will need to do the same this weekend against a tough Kewaskum squad that has only 1 loss. They came back to win against Waupun this week after being down 19-0.
All of that, and we haven't even mentioned Homestead yet! All they do is keep winning for head coach Dave Keel. After getting a scare from Germantown in early October, in their next 5 wins, the Highlanders have outscored their opponents 179-17, with shoutouts! They face Stevens Point next.

Once the matchup times and locations are announced, I will let you know what games we will be covering on the Blitz this weekend. One more Blitz and then we will take our show on the road to Madison for the finals! Good Luck to all the teams left!

TK

We are now down to 11 Southeastern Wisconsin teams left vying to go to Madison. Two more wins to get to a State Final. There are teams that have felt this pressure in the past, and those who are here for the first time. In fact, two of those perennial powers--Arrowhead and Homestead--could meet in the Final in Division 1. Usually the brackets do not work out like that. We will be covering a few games on Friday night, and then we will give you a FULL High School Blitz on Saturday during the Fox6 News at 10. Here's the games we will be covering...

FRIDAY
-------
Racine Lutheran @ Deerfield (Division 6)
Milwaukee Marquette vs Milwaukee Riverside (Division 1)

**The Marquette/Riverside game was moved to Waukesha North High School at 7pm. The Hilltoppers struggled early in the season, losing a few close games, but have really hit their stride. Riverside is trying to make the City Conference proud with each advancing round.

SATURDAY
--------

Cedarburg @ Brookfield Central (Division 2)
Madison Edgewood @ Greendale (Division 3)
Homestead @ Bay Port (Division 1)
Milwaukee Pius @ Franklin (Division 2)

**A lot of interesting matchups on Saturday for the Blitz. Brookfield Central tries to stay undefeated against a very tough Cedarburg squad led by RB Lee Lauters. The Bulldogs only loss came to Homestead. The Highlanders have to travel to the Green Bay area to face Bay Port, which is a team that has a lot of tradition. Pius continues to just win, beating Waterford by a single point last week, while Franklin needed a goal-line stand to beat Hale. A cold weather, low-scoring game favors Pius. Franklin would like to pump up the scoreboard and air it out. It should an exciting weekend of high school football!

Tune in on Friday and Saturday night for all your scores and highlights...

(Games are subject to change)

TK

Well, the 1st week of the High School playoffs went mostly to form, but as usual, there were a few upsets. One of the favorites in Division 3, New Berlin Eisenhower, lost a close game to Fort Atkinson on Tuesday. In a game you saw on the Blitz, Little Ten Co-Champ West Bend West received an early dismissal from red-hot Waukesha North. Still, a great season for West. In another great story, Brookfield Academy won by 1 point over Oshkosh Lourdes in their 1st trip to the playoffs...in only their 2nd season of fielding a varsity football team! They face Racine Lutheran next in Division 6.

The preps do not get much time to rest, as they hit the field again this Saturday for Level 2 of the playoffs. By my very unofficial count, there are 26 local teams left, in 5 of the 7 divisions. I am counting southeastern Wisconsin schools. As the brackets dictate, however, many of these schools will play (and thus) eliminate each other. Fox 6 will be at many of these contests on Saturday, as we bring you another special edition of the High School Blitz. Here are the games we will be sending cameras to...

DIVISION 1

Hartford Union (9-1) @ Hartland Arrowhead (9-1)
**Both teams lost late conference tilts, thus tying for their respective conference championships. Hartford lost to aforementioned West Bend West, costing them their #1 State ranking and setting up this early clash with Arrowhead.

DIVISION 2

Cedarburg (9-1) @ Germantown (7-3)
**These two North Shore combatants met in week 5, with Cedarburg winning a close game 28-21, as RB Lee Lauters scored his 4th TD for the winning margin. The Bulldogs lone loss came to conference champion Homestead. The Warhawks come in on a roll, knocking off previously undefeated and #1 seed Kimberly on Tuesday -- in convincing fashion.

Waterford (6-4) vs Milwaukee Pius (8-2) @ Wisconsin Lutheran
**Pius comes in off a dream season, as they came out of nowhere to share the Classic 8 with Arrowhead. Waterford is no slouch, beating a tough Burlington squad in round 1.

West Allis Hale (7-3) @ Franklin (10-0)
**Hale is another team that really came on this year without many high expectations. They will be a tough out for Southeast champion Franklin, so that means this game will be our GAME OF THE WEEK. Steve "Sparky" Fifer will be at this contest for us, in a battle of contrasting styles. Franklin likes to air it out, while Hale keeps the ball on the ground. The winner will play either Waterford or Pius.

DIVISION 3

Kewaskum (9-1) @ Port Washington (7-3)
**Kewaskum showed how good they were, pulling away from Pewaukee on Tuesday despite a load of turnovers. They will have to be more secure with the ball against Port, a team that has given the North Shorte elite some problems.

Our Blitz will have all the Playoff scores and highlights on Saturday Night during the Fox 6 News at 10...following the World Series. Keep it on Fox for the rest of the high school season, as we will be giving you the Blitz through the State run to Madison!

(Games our Subject to Change)

TK

It's Playoff time in prep football! The temperature is dropping, conference titles are wrapped up, and interesting matchups around the state are abound. 7 Divisions. 7 State Champions. The Fox 6 High School Blitz team will be all over the playoffs until those champions are crowned in Madison. It all starts on Tuesday when the playoffs kick off at 7pm around the state of Wisconsin. We will have our regular Blitz during the Fox 6 News at 10, following World Series baseball. We will be blitzing later in the week as well, with Saturday being Round 2, so check back for information regarding that.

Here are the games we will be covering on Tuesday...

DIVISION 1

Milwaukee Marquette vs Milwaukee Rufus King @ Custer Stadium
Sheboygan North @ Homestead

DIVISION 2

Waukesha North @ West Bend West
Wauwatosa West @ Brookfield Central

DIVISION 3

Pewaukee @ Kewaskum


Our GAME OF THE WEEK is the Waukesha North/West Bend West matchup. WSSP'S Steve "Sparky" Fifer will be live during the Fox 6 News at 6pm from this game, and have post-game reaction during the Blitz. West has had a dream season, tying for 1st in the Little Ten Conference. North lost its first FOUR games of the year, before rallying for a playoff berth in the tough Classic 8.

Sports Director Tom Pipines will travel to Brookfield Central to see the #2 seed and undfeated Lancers face battle-tested Tosa West. The Woodland was strong and deep this year, so they will not be intimidated by Central.

As stated earlier, please tune into the Fox 6 News at 10 on Tuesday following the World Series to catch the Blitz. We will have highlights and all the scores from the 1st round of the playoffs. You can always view it on this website as well!

***games are subject to change***

TK

Well, it seems like Week 8 just ended, but another High School Blitz is just around the corner. Since the playoffs start a week from Tuesday, the last week of the regular season is always bumped up a few days...so the final regular season Blitz will be airing on WEDNESDAY NIGHT. That's right, Wednesday, so don't miss it! We'll have all the scores, highlights, and updates to who captured the conference crowns.

Here are the games we'll be covering this Wednesday on the Blitz:

Milwaukee Riverside vs Milwaukee King @ Pulaski Stadium
Kettle Moraine vs Milwaukee Pius @ Wisconsin Lutheran College
Mukwonago @ Hartland Arrowhead
Brookfield East @ West Allis Hale

and our GAME OF THE WEEK....

Greendale @ Pewaukee

WSSP's Steve "Sparky" Fifer will be at Pewaukee for the battle between the two Woodland powers. Tom Pipines will be roaming the sidelines at the Kettle Moraine/Pius game, so be on alert for Pip if you're going to at Wisconsin Lutheran College for that. Thanks for tuning into the Blitz, we'll keep "blitzin'" until the State Champions are crowned!

**Games are subject to change***

TK

Here are the games we are covering this week on the Blitz:

Thursday (tonight): Franklin @ Kenosha Bradford

Friday:

Homestead @ Cedarburg
Marquette @ Brookfield East
Port Washington @ Milwaukee Lutheran
New Berlin West @ Brown Deer

GAME OF THE WEEK: West Bend West @ Hartford

Tune into the Blitz during the 10pm newscast on Friday Night for all the scores, and highlights from the above games.

TK

It has been an interesting year thus far on the High School Blitz and in prep action in general. Last week two traditional powers, Arrowhead and Homestead, came back from defecits to remain undefeated. When our photojournalists sent back the game highlights to air on the Blitz, I couldn't believe how they both escaped with victories. They certainly have enough winning experience to know how to do it, and needed every bit of it on Friday. The games got me thinking, though...both those teams have yet to loose, yet they look to be more vunerable than maybe in years past. Homestead, for example, now has a 31 conference winning streak, but that streak could have been snapped a few times already this year. Other teams that have tradionally been good in years past, have not been so lucky. Oak Creek, Milwaukee Marquette, Mukwonago, Menomonee Falls, and defending state champion Racine Park are all teams that are having "off-years" by their past accomplishments.

They have been replaced by teams, that in some cases, have made dramatic jumps in record after being at the bottom of the standings for the last few years. One example is Milwaukee Pius. They had won only 3 games in the past FIVE years combined. Today they alredy have 5 wins on the SEASON, while sitting in 2nd place behind Arrowhead in the Classic 8.

Kenosha Bradford will meet Franklin this week in a battle of undefeated teams in the Southeast Conference. Bradford had been a middle of the pack squad the past few years before breaking out big time this season. They really throw the ball well, so if you like that syle, the Franklin game will be a sight to see.

West Bend West didn't even win a conference game last year, and have been under .500 for a long time. In 2006, West only has 1 loss and travels to #1 ranked Hartford for a chance at winning the Little 10 Conference. That matchup is likely to be our GAME OF THE WEEK on Friday on the High School Blitz, so you won't want to miss that! Check back in the next day or two, as I will post all the games we will be covering this week.

Until then, congratulations so far to the teams that have turned it around this year...and to those I did not have time to mention. That's why prep sports is such a joy to watch and cover, as you just never know which team will capture lightning in a bottle and make that magical run to State. Good Luck to everyone in Week 8!

TK

In the NFL the schedule is a 16 game grind, with 4 pre-season games added in for kicks. A level below that, the NCAA usually has an 11 game season, but a 12th can now be added by playing an opponent from a lower division...plus a bowl game. One loss usaully means no National Championship. High School? The preps play a relatively short 9 game schedule, which means in Week 7, we are now two-thirds of the way through the season! Time certainly flies when you're having fun.

Well, gone are the days (when I was in high school) that there were strict rules on getting to the playoffs. You now only have to finish with a winning record. That would mean 5-4. This is the time of the year that teams are sorting out conference races, or starting to think of that post-season berth. Kickoff is only a little more than 2 days away. Here are the games we're scheduled to cover on the High School Blitz this week...

Rufus King vs Milwaukee Madison @ Custer Stadium
Homestead @ Germantown
Pewaukee @ New Berlin West
Racine Lutheran @ University School

Game of the Week: Waukesha West @ Hartland Arrowhead

Watch out for Sportsradio 1250's Steve "Sparky" Fifer roaming around the Game of the Week. He will be live during our 6pm newscast, and get all the post-game reaction. Sports Director Tom Pipines will be on hand as the U.School takes on undefeated Racine Lutheran for 1st place in the Midwest Classic Conference. It should be a good week, tune into the Blitz for all the scores and highlights from Friday Night.

**Games are subject to change**

TK

If you've watched the High School Blitz before, you've probably noticed that we have a music open to our show. Normally, we gather up the best plays from the week prior and weave them into a song that tries to encapsulate everyting that high school football is. I usually look for music that is fairly new and popular, exciting, fast, and with words that could easily translate to what the kids are doing on the field. I don't always know what I'm looking for, but when I hear a song, I instantly know if it could work for the High School Blitz.

Now, every day I get further and further away from being in high school. In fact, my high school class is "celebrating" its 10th reunion in November. That being said, my first criteria of being "new and popular" is getting harder and harder to find. I am not exactly at the cutting edge of what 17 and 18 year olds are listening to. This is where you, the viewer/blogger, can help. If you have any song ideas that you think would be PERFECT and meet my said criteria, please respond to this and post a comment. I would certainly appreciate it. Who knows, I may be able to convince Jen Lada to say your name on air if we do happen to use your song choice!

To those of you watching on Friday nights (or usuing TiVo/DVR to watch later), or even viewing online, the High School Blitz team thanks you. Please come back to this site in a few days to view the slate of games for the upcoming week.

TK

As we have all season, we are chasing down as many big games as we can...and if they have a storyline added on top of the game itself, well, then that just becomes a bonus. We feel that we have at least two of those games this week.

St. Francis moved from the old Parkland this season to the Woodland. In doing so, they set up a rivalry game that never got going because of conference alignment. They share Lake Drive with another Woodland school, Cudahy. The two schools are less than a mile from each other on that same street. I would say the two teams meeting this week would be cause for some intrigue! Oh, and it's Homecoming for St. Francis. Sports Director Tom Pipines will be at the festivities...I will advise him to wear earplugs, as I expect the atmosphere to be electric.

Our GAME OF THE WEEK is another rivalry game, but this time between 2 schools from the same city...New Berlin. Eisenhower and West are both undfeated at 5-0, and in 1st place in the Woodland North. WSSP'S Steve "Sparky" Fifer will travel to West High School with photojournalist Mickie Leach to capture all the action. We will be live during our 6pm sportscast, and have highlights and post-game reaction on the Fox6 news at 10 during the High School Blitz. Other games we will be covering include:

Hartland Arrohead @ Kettle Moraine
North Division vs Milwaukee Hamilton @ Pulaski Stadium
Nicolet @ Homestead
Franklin @ Burlington

Tune in to the High School Blitz this Friday during the Fox6 News at 10!

**Games are subject to change**

TK

I've been the guy behind the scenes of the High School Blitz now for 3 seasons. The show has changed hosts a few times, we've tweaked the format, and added different features. What has stayed the same is our commitment to showing kids perform on a different medium with the idea that friends, family, and those in the schools community, can enjoy these special times with each other.

Every year we send out a letter to all of the area high schools and ask for rosters, pronunciation help, and remind them to call in their scores every Friday night so we can get them on Fox6 for our 10pm newscast. Usually, we get a pretty big response from this. That letter also asks if there are any unique kids that they coach, either on or off the field. We'd like to know if there is a certain team that does things a little different than the others, or a player that excels with a certain story to tell. We always are looking for ideas to do features on during the week in preperation for the High School Blitz. We do not usually get a lot of responses from that request...and we KNOW it's not because there aren't any unique student/athletes out there! I was hoping that if those same friends, family members, and their community check out this site, they TOO can give us some feedback when they hear of and/or experience something that would be a neat feature for Fox 6 to highlight.

I remember how cool it was for my parents to see my team on television when I was in high school. I get emails all the time from proud parents asking if they can even see that 1 play their son was in again, in case they missed it on the way home from the game. Now, with this website, we can play back those memories every week, so you don't have to rush home on a Friday night...or stay up late to see it. With that, I also am hopeful that we can get those feature stories on our air AND online as well. Jen has already profiled Ben Johnson from Shoreland Lutheran (which has been on this site), and we are hoping for more.

We'll take your idea's; we'll give you the best high school show we can every Friday night at 10:20!

TK