MADISON – This is probably how it always should have ended.
The Green Bay area had the most prolific quarterback in the state this season. It had the most prolific running back, too.
So, it only was fitting West De Pere senior quarterback Patrick Greisen and Green Bay Notre Dame running back Kingston Allen helped lead their teams to the WIAA Division 2 state title game Nov. 21 at Camp Randall Stadium.
This might not happen again, at least not in the record-breaking fashion that Greisen and Allen pulled off this season.
Greisen started his final prep campaign with an excellent chance to throw more career touchdown passes than any player in area history.
He accomplished the feat by Week 5, surpassing the 70 that Kewaunee’s Lee Waechter had from 2000 to 2002 and Ashwaubenon’s James Morgan matched from 2012 to 2014.
Greisen became the only player in state history with 100 career TD passes by the end of the season, putting the exclamation point on the achievement by finishing with 102 after throwing for 304 yards and two TDs in the 28-14 title game win over Notre Dame.
But despite being the only QB in state history with back-to-back seasons of 3,500 passing yards and 40 TDs, the résumé wouldn’t have felt totally complete without a state championship to go with it.
The quarterback is often the unquestioned leader of a team, getting the credit when they win and the blame when they don’t.
Greisen must have felt the weight of the world on his shoulders in the days leading up to the game. There was only one more chance to get it done before heading off to play at the University of South Dakota next season.
Except, he didn’t look at it that way.
“You know, pressure is a privilege,” Greisen said. “But I didn’t feel any pressure. I trusted my teammates to make plays, and that’s what they did.
“Shoutout to (senior) Judeah (Kniskern), the best wide receiver in the state.”
Greisen did that a lot this season.
He made sure to give teammates credit for getting open and for catching his passes, whether it was a star talent in Kniskern who finished the year with 75 catches for 1,304 yards and 18 TDs or the junior duo of Landon Kibbe and Darian Acevedo-Ortiz, who combined for 75 more receptions for another 1,163 yards and 14 scores.
He’d give running back Ryan Lutz praise for his talent in both the rushing and receiving games, the man who caught his area record-breaking 71st TD.
He would point out the work of the offensive line.
Just like a leader.
After every milestone, Greisen would acknowledge he appreciated it but that he wasn’t focused on the numbers. He could do that when the season was over, hopefully after a state championship that he was determined to win back in training camp after a stinging loss to Rice Lake in a semifinal during his first year as starter in 2024.
The season is now over. The state championship has been won.
Greisen finished with 3,864 yards and 49 TDs. He completed his career with 7,990 passing yards, which ranks sixth all-time despite being a starter for only two seasons.
In his final game, he became the first player to throw for more than 300 yards in a D1 or D2 title game.
Not a bad season and career, right kid?
“I’m going to look back and all the hard work that I put in,” Greisen said. “The early mornings before school every day. I’m going to look back, and just no regrets.”
Notre Dame’s Kingston Allen finishes off historic season
Former Notre Dame running back Christian Collins became the second player in state history to rush for 3,000 or more yards when he accomplished the feat as a senior last season, finishing with 3,084.
Only Adrian Davis of Kenosha St. Joseph had a bigger season than Collins did, rushing for 3,422 yards in 2001.
Until now.
Allen is the new all-time single-season rushing king after finishing with 231 yards and two TDs on 43 carries against West De Pere before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injury.
He did it on the same field he might call home someday, considering he holds an offer from the University of Wisconsin.
Allen finished the season with 3,436 yards, while his 57 rushing TDs shattered the previous record by 10. Kimberly’s Blair Mulholland had 47 in 2015.
Allen had more all-purpose yards than anybody in the state with 3,548 and the most combined TDs with 58.
Davis averaged 7.8 yards per carry during the season he set the record. He had 440 carries.
Allen averaged 9.6 yards per carry. He needed 83 fewer touches to set the mark.
Much like Greisen, Allen always praised others for his accomplishments. Notably an offensive line that helped pave the way for him all season.
He was soft-spoken and humble after games. His play did all the talking.
Allen looked heartbroken after the loss to West De Pere, one year after he was part of a state title team as the backup to Collins.
Only one of the record-breakers on this day could walk away with the gold ball.
Greisen was the one, but Allen still has another season of prep football remaining.
He has left observers a chance to anticipate just how dominant his numbers could be by the time he’s done at Notre Dame.
Whether Allen is the greatest prep running back in area history is something that can be debated, but he has left little doubt he deserves to be in the conversation.
He just wasn’t celebrating it after the loss.
“It will mean a lot at some point in the future,” Notre Dame coach Michael Rader said about Allen’s season. “Certainly, not today.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: West De Pere’s Greisen, Notre Dame’s Allen finish off historic seasons
Reporting by Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
