Wisconsin's elite high school football programs share common threads to success

STEVENS POINT - November arrived last week. And just as predictably as temperatures and snowflakes falling, Wisconsin's elite high school football programs were playing deep into the postseason. 

Followers of programs like Edgar, Kimberly, Saint Mary's Springs, Stratford and, more recently, Amherst have higher expectations than most.

While not all of them advanced to this week's state semifinals, all are teams that could comfortably wear the title of dynasty, having won multiple state championships in the recent past. And all share a common recipe for successful programs: consistency, talent, player development and confidence.

"Staying (at the top) is just expected here at Saint Mary's Springs," venerable Springs coach Bob Hyland said. "Kids understand what is expected year after year. I think that is the key thing.

"Teams that generally are in the playoffs year after year and are making deep runs have consistency in the coaching, and I guess you want to say philosophies of their program."

RELATED:Houses of horror? High school sports venues can be scary

RELATED:High school coaches not in it for money

Hyland took over the program in 1971 and went 1-15-2 in his first two seasons. Once he had his coaching staff in place and redefined the culture, Springs took off.

Since joining the WIAA in 2000, the Ledgers have won six state championships and finished runner-up three times. Only twice did they fail to make the playoffs.

"If we have anywhere near the talent, if everything is equal, we feel we will beat the other team," Hyland said.

The beat goes on

It's no fluke that the same traditional state powerhouses repeatedly are in contention for the gold footballs handed out at Camp Randall Stadium in November.

Consistency within the football program was a common refrain among coaches when pinpointing the reason for being in the state title hunt just about every season.

Kimberly owns a 67-game winning streak and has its eyes on a fifth straight Division 1 state title. Not even a coaching change could slow the Papermakers Express.

Steve Jorgensen led them to state titles in 2007 and 2008. Steve Jones, an assistant on those championship teams, took the handoff from Jorgensen.

"I think at times this may look easy from the outside, but it's definitely not easy," Jones said. "It's a lot of hard work and a lot of time and commitment from a lot of different people. My vision was just to continue to grow and build the program.

"One thing we wanted to get rid of were the words 'maintain' and 'sustain.' I think those two words are boring and don't excite many people, including the kids. We did that through a heavy dose of leadership development and a lot of focus on our culture."

Nothing excites the kids and the community more than winning, Stratford coach Jason Tubbs said.

Coaches leave and longtime assistants fill the void. In 2013, Tubbs took over for the highly successful Cal Tackes, who led the Tigers to six of their seven state championships.

That helps make for a smooth transition and maintains a time-tested formula for success with perhaps a tweak here or there.

Stratford has qualified for the WIAA playoffs 26 years in a row.

The Tigers won six championships in a row from 2003 to 2008. Only three times in the past 26 seasons were they one-and-done in the playoffs.

"The more you win and get to (the third and fourth weeks of the playoffs), you get more kids out at all levels," Tubbs said. "Guys coming into the program and want to play football for Stratford are going to do it the Stratford way.

"I think you have to have high expectations. The only way to play football is to expect to be great every year."

New kid on the block

A newcomer to the annual state championship-hunt party is Amherst.

No traditional state powerhouse conversations prior to 2010 involved the Falcons, who have crashed the party during an eye-opening seven-year run.

Mark Lusic took over the program in 2010. He went 4-5 his first season at Amherst after serving as an assistant coach at a strong Waupaca program.

"At the beginning, our goal was to make the playoffs," said Lusic of a Falcons football program with a total of two playoff appearances without a postseason win prior to his arrival.

"I was hoping one day we would be a state (championship)-caliber program, and it's become that I think. You want to chase state. That's why you get into coaching."

Amherst is now an official member of the state's elite football club. Over the past five seasons, the Falcons have won three Division 5 state championships and finished runner-up once. They have a shot at a three-peat and a fourth consecutive trip to the state title game.

Lusic owns an 88-12 record in his seven-plus seasons, including an 84-7 mark since 2011.

"There's no doubt I wanted to get to the top. That was our goal," Lusic said. "It's tough staying on top and it was tough getting there. It's always a grind. Changing the culture; changing everything."

Reloading, never rebuilding

Down years would seem inevitable, especially at small schools.

Players come and go. Special classes with special athletes are bound to come along. 

But not every class can be filled with gifted athletes. Those players who, when a play breaks down, can make something out of nothing. Talents who cause coaches sleepless nights scheming to stop.

None of that seems to matter to the Edgars and Springses of the world. Consistent coaching staffs develop the talent on hand.

Edgar has won seven state championships overall, including four since 2000, with the program's most recent title coming in Division 7 in 2016.

Wildcats coach Jerry Sinz, who won the first state championship in 1979, admitted that not all of his teams are blessed with outstanding talent. That is where player development comes in.

"The talent level changes a lot," said Sinz, who won his 400th game on Sept. 15. "We want to be peaking around the eighth or ninth game. We're not overly concerned how we're doing the second week or fifth week."

He added that there is no measuring the benefit of up to five extra weeks of practice every player receives when teams make a habit of deep postseason runs.

Part of the formula for consistent success is getting the players to buy into being coached. In return, they put their faith in the coaches to put them in a position to win a state championship.

The bottom line for Lusic is that talent wins. He points to his 2012 state championship team as proof.

Current University of Wisconsin contributors Garrett Groshek and Tyler Biadasz were freshmen on that squad. Three years later, Biadasz and Groshek formed an unmatched nucleus for a 2015 state title run.

Not often are Division 5 or 6 programs blessed with a pair of Division I Big Ten Conference-caliber athletes, however. That makes player retention and development even more paramount.

"The biggest thing for us and small schools is keeping your numbers up," the Amherst coach said. "If you have a couple small classes, then all of a sudden you're in a tough spot."

Staying at the top 

Getting to the top is one thing. Being able to contend for conference and state championships year after year is another.

More often than not, success isn't sustainable. Many of the programs who make it to Camp Randall in a particular season aren't heard from again. Or at least not for several years.

That's what separates the traditional powerhouses from the rest of the state.

"When I think back over 40-something years, to think that we maybe had a 7-3 or 6-4 season in there somewhere, it's pretty amazing," Sinz said. "All our players understand the routine. When the playoffs start, there is a new level of energy, concentration and intensity."

Part of establishing your program as an annual state title contender is being able to embrace and relish the role of being the hunted.

No one game is more important than another during the season. Every contest is about moving one step closer to Madison.

Having a bull's eye on your back comes with the territory.

"I do relish (having a target) on us and I think our kids do, too," Hyland said. "Right now, we're talking about a (state) quarterfinal game (Nov. 3). We know the prize of playing at Camp Randall is there, but we have to play hard the next two weeks to achieve that prize."

Don't be surprised if you see the Ledgers or some of the other usual suspects in Madison again this year.