Making Plays Is What Greendale Is All About

Friday proved to be a day of lots of storylines. First there was the bad weather earlier in the day, which blew out rather quickly.  Then there was the pre-game fundraiser tailgate party in the Greendale High School parking lot hosted by visiting Franklin supporters for Kayla's Krew.  This is all about a little girl named Kayla who is from that area that recently passed away.  Both sides came together to make the game a benefit to raise money for an all-inclusive, all-accessible playground in her memory.  Then the stands filled up for what was to be an exciting football game featuring 2 of the area's top football teams that both featured two of the top quarterbacks in the state in Franklin's Sean McGuire and Greendale's Josh Ringelberg.

In the end it would be Ringelberg that shined as he put up 319 passing yards to lead the Panthers to a rather decisive win over Franklin 37-13. He would go 20 for 31 and connected on touchdown plays of 14, 38, 43, and 46 yards.  The flavor of the night was senior wide out Mitchell Brees who caught 3 of those touchdowns.  McGuire went 18 for 34 and 268 yards but he had 2 interceptions and a lot of dropped balls by his receivers.

The biggest factors in Greendale's victory had to be their ability to make plays from anywhere on the field.  Not only do the Panthers catch the ball well, they run after the catch very well too.  The running game was also effective as they out gained Franklin 161 yards to 40.  Perhaps the biggest surprise of the game had to be the Panther's defense.  Not only did they do a fantastic job stopping the run, they did a nice job at containing McGuire who is the # 1 ranked quarterback in the state coming into this game.  The defense intercepted him twice and recovered a fumble to boot.

In conclusion, I've watched a lot of Greendale football in the last 38 years and I have to say that this team might be the best ever and there have been some good ones already.  They are just well rounded, loaded with talent, and have way too many offensive weapons to try and stop.  Beating the last 2 powerhouse teams the way they did tells me that this isn't by luck.  They are for real!  I think Panther fans might be in store for a very special season.

Greendale will now pack up and take their show on the road next Friday, as they will play Pius XI to start conference play.  This game will be played at Wisconsin Lutheran's Raabe Stadium and will start at 7:00pm.

If you're looking for more stories, pictures, and videos, check out the Greendale Panther Touchdown Club's website at www.greendalefootball.com