Got the monkey off their back.
That’s what Green Bay Southwest football coach BJ Hill told his players after their thrilling 33-13 win over Sheboygan South on Aug. 21.
You’ll have to forgive Hill for thinking this was the Trojans’ first victory in seven years. It’s difficult to blame anybody in the program for feeling it’s been that long with all the losses that have piled up in recent seasons.
Although Southwest was awarded a forfeit victory over Appleton West in 2024, it won for the first time on the field during the regular season since beating Green Bay Preble on Sept. 9, 2022.
It also was the first time Southwest scored 30 or more points since putting up 35 against the Hornets in that game four years ago.
Hill had tears in his eyes before approaching his team after the game. As he walked up to them, they tossed him a game ball autographed by several of his players.
“This was a long time coming,” said Hill, a former Green Bay Blizzard star and IFL Hall of Famer who is in his second season with the Trojans. “It means everything. We haven’t won a game [in a long time]. To get this weight lifted off of us, of everyone who has been losing in the past, it feels good.
“But we have got to keep going.”
Southwest scored on the opening drive after a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Broder to wide receiver Carsen Zeuske on third down.
It never trailed in the game, leaning on a rushing attack led by Traevaughn Weaver.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior running back had the most memorable game of his varsity career, finishing with 31 carries for 201 yards and three TDs. He had another 85 yards called back because of penalties.
“It’s surreal man, it’s surreal,” Weaver said. “I can’t even believe it right now. It’s ridiculous. I mean, coming on three years, two different coaches, we see all types of different emotions, games.
“We have been close to winning games, lost it. We had to make sure we went 100% the whole game. It really came down to who wanted it more, how much time we put in the offseason and who was working hard.”
Green Bay Southwest still has plenty to work on
The best thing about the win?
When Hill and his coaching staff meet with players after a day of celebrating and start preparing for a Week 2 game at Green Bay East, they will be able to show them plenty of things to work on if they hope to get a few more wins this season.
Although they led at halftime, the first 24 minutes were not exactly aesthetically pleasing. It instead was downright brutal at times.
∎ Southwest had three delay-of-game penalties in the first quarter.
∎ A block in the back wiped out a punt return touchdown.
∎ An illegal motion penalty erased a successful extra point try that led to an unsuccessful one.
There were more glaring mistakes, including a bad snap on a punt attempt that gave South the ball deep in Southwest territory.
“We have got a lot to clean up,” Hill said. “We have got to get guys more in shape. We have got to get our JV caught up to what we are doing on varsity. There are a lot of things we can work on.
“That’s what our job is. To get these guys more prepared. It’s good to be able to win the game and still have so many things to correct. I’d much rather it be a win and we can smile about these things on Sunday versus it being another one of those film sessions that is a drag.”
Southwest has a chance to win two straight games for the first time since beating Green Bay Notre Dame and Sheboygan North to end the regular season in 2019, which also was the last time it made the WIAA playoffs.
The 2027 class had never won a varsity game, but despite all the defeats, it has kept coming back for each practice and season.
“No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just don’t get it,” Weaver said. “But you have got to keep working. At the end of the day, you have to keep working, otherwise you are not going to get it ever. What is quitting going to do?”
Weaver allowed himself to dream about even bigger and better things after the game.
Winning can do wonders for confidence.
“We come out here, me and my boys, we work really hard,” Weaver said. “We are going to take it one game at a time. We are going to try to get one more win every week. We are going to focus on next week, and the next week and the next week.
“We are going to see how it turns out. Our goal is the playoffs this year, man. We are going to see what we can do.”
West De Pere has new quarterback, gets same result
The defending WIAA Division 2 state champion was elevated to D1 for 2026, but it appears the Phantoms can compete with anybody.
They started the season with a 42-20 win at Sun Prairie East, becoming the first team to put up that many points against the Cardinals since Week 2 in 2024.
West De Pere junior quarterback Andrew Greisen has the difficult task of replacing his older brother, Patrick, as the team’s signal caller. But Andrew played much like Patrick did the last two seasons while becoming the only player in state history to throw 100 career touchdown passes.
Andrew completed 26 of 38 attempts for 385 yards and five TDs, with five players accounting for 40 or more receiving yards.
The total included nine catches and 109 yards for junior Parker Diedrich and 103 yards on five catches for senior Darian Acevedo-Ortiz.
The Phantoms have a new coach in former defensive coordinator Kegan Wirtz, but the offense showed no signs of a drop-off playing against a Cardinals team expected to be one of the top squads in the Badger-Large Conference.
As for Andrew, his debut was almost exactly like the one Patrick had in his first start against Hortonville in August 2024.
West De Pere won that game 45-0 while Patrick threw for 324 yards and five TDs.
Bay Port starts with dominating win
Bay Port and Middleton have met to open the season each of the last six years, and the showdown has always been competitive.
Not this time.
The Pirates had a dominant showing in a 56-15 road win over the Cardinals, kicking off their quest to reach the D1 state title game for the third straight season in impressive fashion.
Bay Port piled up 605 yards of total offense, scored the first two touchdowns of the game and led 42-7 at halftime.
The defense had three interceptions, including a 39-yard pick-six from sophomore defensive back Ramon Houston that made it 49-7 with 4 minutes, 58 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
It was the second-most points scored against Middleton in at least the last 24 years and the most since Verona put up 61 in August 2019.
Questions about who would replace the big production lost after the graduations of quarterback Matt Stevens and running back Brady Moon were answered, at least for one week.
Bay Port alternated at QB between the junior duo of Braydon Maney and Bray Babich, and neither did anything to show they aren’t worthy of being a starter.
Babich completed all four of his passes for 211 yards and two TDs while rushing two times for 60 yards and a score, including a 51-yard run that capped the scoring with 7:32 remaining.
Maney completed 6 of 9 passes for 100 yards and a TD and rushed seven times for 40 yards.
Bay Port running back Ryder Timmerman did his best impression of Moon, finishing with 135 yards and a TD on just eight carries. He had 120 yards on six attempts in the first half.
The Pirates get another good test in Week 2 when they host Kimberly on Aug. 27.
The teams have met in the regular season each of the last three years, with the Papermakers winning all three.
Week 1 scores
West De Pere 42, Sun Prairie East 20
Bay Port 56, Middleton 15
De Pere 47, Manitowoc 0
Pulaski 47, Appleton East 7
Green Bay Preble 40, West Bend West 37
Green Bay Notre Dame 56, Neenah 53, OT
Green Bay Southwest 33, Sheboygan South 13
Ashwaubenon 28, Oshkosh North 20
Green Bay West 20, Omro 13
Appleton West 40, Green Bay East 18
Seymour 27, Waupun 14
Oconto Falls 34, Waupaca 14
Winneconne 21, Wrightstown 20
Luxemburg-Casco 37, Kewaskum 27
Fox Valley Lutheran 42, Kewaunee 0
Algoma 44, Wausau Newman Catholic 6
New Holstein 35, Southern Door 15
Wausau East 28, Shawano 0
Denmark 35, New London 14
Oconto 39, Mishicot 0
Coleman 26, Peshtigo 0
Brillion 41, Sturgeon Bay 6
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Southwest football earns first win since 2022, more from Week 1
Reporting by Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
