DE PERE – West De Pere quarterback Patrick Greisen entered his senior year coming off one of the most prolific seasons in state history after throwing for 3,846 yards and 49 touchdowns in 2024.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Greisen hit another notable milestone in West De Pere’s commanding 52-9 win over Pulaski on Sept. 19.
The South Dakota commit entered needing three TD passes to break the area’s all-time career record of 70 set by both former Ashwaubenon star James Morgan from 2012 to 2014 and Kewaunee’s Lee Waechter from 2000 to 2002.
Greisen finished with four, with the record-breaking pass coming on a throw from midfield that running back Ryan Lutz took to the house in the closing minutes of the second quarter.
He added another one just before half on a 10-yard pass to Judeah Kniskern.
It’s not just that Greisen set the area record. It’s that he did it in only 17 career starts and 22 appearances since breaking in as a freshman backup to Duke Shovald in 2022.
Morgan started 29 games in his last three seasons at Ashwaubenon and played in 31 contests during his decorated career.
He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the NFL draft in 2020.
Greisen appreciates the accomplishment, but it doesn’t matter much to him with more games to be played.
“I’ll look back at the end of the season and be proud of myself,” he said. “But, right now, I’m not focused on that at all.”
What he is focused on is leading the Phantoms to a second straight Fox River Classic Conference-North championship and perhaps an appearance in the WIAA Division 2 state title game for the second time since 2022.
So far, so very good.
The Phantoms have been dominant in their 5-0 start, winning by an average of 35.4 points and forcing a running clock in four of the five contests.
They have won 12 consecutive conference games, which is a program record since joining the FRCC in 2021.
“They can just throw darts and catch the ball,” longtime Pulaski coach Jerad Marsh said. “They carved us up. We were hoping to stop their run game a lot better than that. Their guys up front did a really nice job.”
West De Pere jumps out to early lead
The Phantoms took control on their first drive and never relinquished it.
After forcing a Pulaski punt to start the game, West De Pere marched 52 yards on six plays and scored on a 20-yard run from Lutz.
It extended the lead to 14-0 in the final minutes of the first quarter on a 35-yard TD pass from Greisen to junior wide receiver Landon Kibbe, went up 21-0 on a 2-yard run from Lutz and took a commanding 28-0 advantage on a 30-yard TD pass from Greisen to Kibbe.
Kibbe has four TDs the past two games after finishing with five receptions for 124 yards and two scores in a 50-14 win at Green Bay Preble in Week 4.
Pulaski finally got on the board with 2:12 left in the second quarter on a 2-yard run from Bohdan Schmidt, who set himself up for the score with a nifty 69-yard run on the previous play.
Schmidt finished with 129 yards on 16 carries.
He gave Pulaski some momentum by cutting the Phantoms’ lead to 28-6, but it didn’t last long.
The Phantoms scored 14 points in the final two minutes of the half before Lutz put the game away midway through the third quarter on a 5-yard TD run.
West De Pere coach Chris Greisen wasn’t overly pleased with his Phantoms after their 36-point win over Preble. There were too many mistakes and dropped passes for his liking.
He liked this week a lot better.
“I wouldn’t say it was the effort, to me, it was a lack of execution,” Chris Greisen said. “The understanding the little details that needed to happen. Yeah, it was lacking last week. I don’t think they took Preble lightly, but they refocused. I challenged them.
“I tell you what, I couldn’t be more proud of this team. We knew it was going to be a physical game. It’s always a physical game against Pulaski. It started with our defense on the kickoff and our defense stuffed them. Our offensive line was awesome. They were great tonight.”
Despite some heavy losses to graduation, the Phantoms can make a case that they are even better than last year.
Right, Chris Greisen?
“We will see at the end,” he said, laughing. “You are trying to bait me there. We have a long way to go, starting with next week (at) East De Pere. I don’t care what the records are with that. That’s a crosstown rivalry. That’s a battle for the bridge.
“I think our guys will be pretty hyped to go across the river there and play their buddies.”
But, seriously, the Phantoms somehow might be even better than last season.
Right, Patrick Greisen?
“For sure,” he said. “I think this team is more humble and hungry because of what happened last year. We had a lot of people that are playing on this team that experienced the loss last year (against Rice Lake in a playoff semifinal). We are just more hungry and humble, and we are just going to keep going and get better as the weeks go by.”
One difficult night won’t define Pulaski
There is no shame in losing to the Phantoms. Plenty of teams have fallen to them in recent years.
It doesn’t overshadow what has been a solid season for the Red Raiders, who are 3-2 entering a game at Ashwaubenon in Week 6.
A 28-10 win over De Pere to start the conference season put Pulaski on a good path to make the playoffs again, which got even stronger after a win over Green Bay Southwest.
The Red Raiders have a chance for a few more victories before a regular-season finale at home against Bay Port on Oct. 17.
“It’s a really neat group,” Marsh said. “They know they can get better from (the loss to West De Pere). You put your tail between your legs a little bit at the end of a game like this, but the guys walking off are like, ‘Let’s get better from it.’ What more can you ask for out of a group?”
Pulaski always has a strong rushing game, and this year has been no different.
It is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and has scored 17 times on the ground.
The group is led by Schmidt. He has rushed for 535 yards, is averaging 9.4 yards per carry and has five TDs.
Senior running back Brock Wiedeman has added 241 yards and a team-high six scores.
“We have some really nice tools,” Marsh said. “Some explosive athletes. … We have been physical up to this point. That game (against West De Pere) didn’t allow us to be the type of physical that we have been able to be. They were more physical than us, and that’s how you win football games.”
Bay Port wins third straight
The Pirates appear to be on a crash course for a showdown at West De Pere on Oct. 10 that could decide the FRCC-North winner.
Bay Port improved to 3-0 in league play with a 53-0 win over Ashwaubenon.
It’s the first shutout of the season for the Pirates, who held the Jaguars to 19 rushing yards on 23 attempts and 79 total yards.
Bay Port has scored 53 or more points in each of the last three games, and its offense was dominant against Ashwaubenon. The unit piled up 511 yards, including 339 on the ground.
Week 5 area scores
West De Pere 52, Pulaski 9
De Pere 35, Green Bay Preble 10
Bay Port 53, Ashwaubenon 0
Appleton West 38, Green Bay Southwest 0
Green Bay Notre Dame 42, Manitowoc 7
Menasha 62, Green Bay East 8
Seymour 34, Waupaca 14
Sheboygan North 20, Green Bay West 6
Luxemburg-Casco 44, Sheboygan Falls 6
Bonduel 35, Marinette 6
Wrightstown 29, Two Rivers 16
Little Chute 42, Denmark 7
Southern Door 22, Peshtigo 6
Kewaunee 58, Mishicot 30
Coleman 48, Shiocton 0
Oconto 36, Sturgeon Bay 0
Winneconne 42, Shawano 0
Crandon 40, Northland Pines 7
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: A record night for West De Pere’s Patrick Greisen against Pulaski, plus Week 5 takeaways
Reporting by Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
