Defense aims to step up for Ashwaubenon

ASHWAUBENON – Here’s the skinny on the Ashwaubenon football team this year.

Its defense is hungry.

The Jaguars are coming off a season in which they allowed 352.6 yards per game to rank ninth in the Fox River Classic Conference.

After taking their bumps, expectations are high for the defense as it aims to take charge to extend the squad’s WIAA playoff streak to 21 straight seasons.

“I’m really excited about the defense this year to be honest with you,” Ashwaubenon coach Mark Jonas said. “I’ve told people since we started this a couple months ago, I think we’re going to have to win with defense this year. I really, truly believe that. The kids have been buying into that thought process quite a bit. They’ve been doing a great job in practice so far.”

Follow Preps Agenda on Facebook

Advertise with Preps Agenda

It has become expected at Ashwaubeon that it will put an explosive offense on the field, like last year when it ranked second in scoring (40.1 points per game) and total offense (406.3 yards per game) in the FRCC.

While the offense is looking to reload with only one returning starter, the defense is champing at the bit to make a name for itself.

The “Skinnies” will have to lead that effort.

That’s what the Jaguars’ experienced linebacking corps has been dubbed. Three of the four “Skinnies” are returning starters, including senior Cam Wheeler, who is a three-year starter and earned second team all-FRCC accolades last season.

Wheeler is flanked by fellow seniors Austin Helstad and Marcus Wagner.

Senior Riley Siudzinski also returns at safety after making four interceptions a year ago, while seniors Kenny Brooks and Junior Murdock are back on the defensive line, a.k.a. the “Super Skinnies.”

“We have a strong connection with each other,” said Murdock, who leads the team with a max bench of 405 pounds and max squat of 680 pounds.

“We want to get our name out there that Ashwaubenon also has a great defense, and we’re able to shut people down.”

The Jaguars were nearly shut out of the playoffs for the first time since 1997 last year before it won their last two games of the regular season to sneak into the postseason.

It’s hoping for a much better start this year after sustaining an eight-point loss to Green Bay Preble in Week 1 and a three-point loss to Green Bay Notre Dame in Week 2 last season.

Jonas isn’t sure yet who will be leading his offense at Preble next Thursday for the season opener. Senior Ashton Steinike and junior Dawson Dembroski are competing to replace Anthony Guararscio, who lead the FRCC with 2,044 passing yards and 22 touchdowns last year.

“This is my 10th year here and this the first time we really don’t know who the quarterback is coming in,” Jonas said.

“We haven’t talked a whole lot about Preble to be honest with you. We’re really trying to focus on just what we do, and what we do right. But the kids know about the (playoff) streak. It’s not talked about outside of Day 1, but they know. It is a sense of pride here. There are not many schools in the state that have longer streaks. We’d like to keep it going.”

The “Skinnies” want to make sure they do their part to continue it.

“We don’t really want to be the group to lose that,” Wheeler said. “That’s a big tradition for us, the playoffs. We’ve always been known to have a very good team, and we want to continue that on. There are a lot of new faces, and I’m hoping we all step up as a team to make that happen.”

Ashwaubenon at a glance

Coach: Mark Jonas, 10th season, 59-33 record

Last year: 4-6

All-conference players to replace:

Anthony Guarascio, QB/P, 1st team/HM

Nolan Reese, OL, 2nd team

Will Adair, WR, 2nd team

Alex Stanko, RB, 2nd team

Diego Zastrow, DB, 2nd team

Katayen Gardner, OL/DL, HM

Evan Wood, TE, HM

All conference players returning:

Cam Wheeler, sr., LB, 2nd team

2018 Schedule

Aug. 16 at G.B. Preble

Aug. 23 G.B. Notre Dame

Aug. 30 De Pere

Sept. 7 at Bay Port

Sept. 14 G.B. Southwest

Sept. 21 at Manitowoc

Sept. 28 Pulaski

Oct. 5 at Sheboygan North

Oct. 12 Sheboygan South

Alums playing NCAA Division I college football:

Emmit Carpenter, University of Minnesota

James Morgan, Florida International University

Airon Servais, Syracuse University