Posted: Oct. 7, 2009 |(0) Comments

Whitefish Bay — It's no small task to beat a program like the defending state champion Homestead football team.

In Whitefish Bay coach Jim Tietjen's opinion, it's a multi-layered task requiring more work than you could ever possibly imagine.

"You're not the king until you beat the king," said a respectful Tietjen, whose 5-1 Blue Dukes will visit 6-0 Homestead on Friday for the undisputed lead in the North Shore Conference. "… It would be a heck of a win. I asked our kids the other day: 'Are we ready to play this game?' because they're always ready. They're a great team, and I use the word team in the best sense of the word.

"To beat them, you have to beat their program, you've got to beat their school. You have to beat their players, their youth programs and their coaches. I have a picture on the wall in my office. It's of Bear Bryant (the legendary Alabama college coach). On it, it says 'Program wins the close games.' The picture itself is of rain gear piled up on a field on a perfectly sunny, cloudless day.

"In short, it means you just have to be prepared for everything."

Homestead is NSC king

And the Blue Dukes will try to be, because Tietjen knows the Highlanders will be. Homestead is riding a 51-game North Shore Conference winning streak that stretches back to 2002. They are 122-12 since 1999 (.910) with three state titles (1999, 2006 and 2008), one state runner-up (2007), four state semifinal appearances (2001-03 and 2005), and they have virtually owned the North Shore Conference since 2001.

To emphasize Tietjen's point, just talk to defensive end Ryan Greve, who was a reserve last season, but who is now a stalwart on a completely rebuilt defensive line, and running back Bryan Bronaugh, who was part of a cadre of good backs last season, but who is now the featured ball carrier this fall.

"We always have questions (about our performance), because we're never satisfied," said Greve, after the Highlanders stifled a high-powered Cedarburg team two weeks ago.

"We can't take any team for granted," said Bronaugh. "We have to play every game hard, because when you've won 50 games in a row (in conference) everyone is out to beat you."

Blue Dukes a tough out

And Bronaugh has a point. In the first part of the decade, the Highlanders had epic games with Cedarburg and Germantown (Cedarburg gave them their last league loss in 2002) but in recent years, it has been Bay that has proven to be a needle in the Highlanders' bagpipes, threatening to deflate their well-honed melodic air.

In 2006, the Blue Dukes had one of their top defensive backs knocked out temporarily when Homestead was sitting on its own three yard-line trailing the Blue Dukes, 13-6, in the third quarter. Highlanders coach Dave Keel noticed that momentary disability and with great chutzpah had quarterback Brett Boyer throw a long pass to speedy end Brian Gensrick for a 97-yard TD connection.

That proved to be the difference in a 20-15 decision.

Then a year later in overtime, on the opening night of Bay's new Lubar Stadium, the Blue Dukes were ahead, 14-7, and the Highlanders were facing a do-or-die fourth and seven situation. Gritty quarterback Casey Barnes threw a hard out pass to Justin Howard on the Highlanders' side of the field. Howard lunged for the goal line and the side judge said he was in. Many from the Bay sideline thought he was not.

No matter, the Highlanders hustled the offense back onto the field and went for the win, with Mike Hahn burrowing up the middle for the decisive two-point conversion in a 15-14 final. Tietjen was disappointed at the time but said it was a gritty set of decisions by Homestead.

"It just goes to show," Tietjen said. "They've been there. They've trotted out their stuff against the best year-in and year-out and they've been in almost every situation that you can think of. There simply isn't much they haven't seen."

And Keel intends to use that to his advantage.

"In all games, solid defense and protecting the football are always important," he said. "They're even more a key to success in a game like this."

Showdown in Mequon

Bay seeks to break Homestead's NSC stranglehold

WHAT: Whitefish Bay (4-0 North Shore, 5-1 overall) at Homestead (4-0, 6-0), 7 p.m. Friday.

BREAKDOWN: Homestead - offense, 37.5 ppg, defense, 7.5 ppg; Bay - offense, 27.2 ppg, defense, 4.5 ppg (three shutouts).

KEY PLAYERS: Homestead - Bryan Bronaugh, running back; Justin Barber, leader of a veteran offensive line; Lucas Speaker, linebacker and John Laihinen and Ryan Greve (leaders of the rebuilt defensive line). Bay - Brian Kroll, safety/running back ; Cal Ehrke, quarterback ; Gabe Aleman, defensive back and Will Hagerup, punter.

TIETJEN: "The difference this year is that we have an offense. In the past, it would always be 'three and out' and 'three and out.' This year, we can move the ball a littler bit so the defense gets a breather." Beat Grafton, 32-0, last week.

KEEL: "It always comes down to preparedness. They (the Blue Dukes) always seem to be so well prepared. They understand what they need to do to be successful." Beat Nicolet, 44-0, last week.