2024 Story of the Season

A New Conference, a New Backfield and a One-Point Finish: Monona Grove Rebuilds Its Identity and Returns to Level 2

One point.

That was all that separated Monona Grove from another week of football when the 2024 season finally ended.

On November 1 at Rice Lake, the Silver Eagles and defending Division 3 state champion Warriors spent four quarters doing exactly what everyone expected them to do: run the football.

They combined for 573 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Monona Grove junior Tremayne Habeck carried 41 times for 233 yards and four touchdowns. The Silver Eagles led 34–28 in the fourth quarter and were nine minutes away from advancing to WIAA Division 2 Level 3.

Then Rice Lake produced the decisive drive.

Quarterback Jakob Kunz completed a rare 31-yard pass to Zach Orr, sneaked into the end zone from the 1, and Rice Lake chose to attempt the extra point rather than its customary two-point conversion. Jack Larson, who had not attempted an extra point all season, made it.

Rice Lake 35, Monona Grove 34.

MG received one more meaningful opportunity. Senior Chase Yinko helped move the Silver Eagles downfield, but Rice Lake intercepted a pass with four minutes remaining. The Warriors then ran the football eight consecutive times, converted three first downs and exhausted the clock.

Season over.

8–3.

But reducing 2024 to that final point would miss what the season actually represented.

Monona Grove entered the fall changing quarterbacks, replacing an All-Region running back, moving from the Badger Small into the more difficult Badger Large and attempting to build an offense around several players assuming substantially larger roles.

By November, the Silver Eagles had developed one of Wisconsin's most productive rushing attacks, beaten two state-ranked conference opponents in consecutive weeks, qualified for the postseason again, hosted their first playoff game since 2018, survived a wild Level 1 game against Menomonie and produced the Badger Large Defensive Player of the Year in a sophomore.

The 2024 season did not end with a deep playoff run.

Instead, it became the foundation for one.

A Season of Change Began With High Expectations

Monona Grove entered 2024 with an interesting combination of certainty and uncertainty.

The certainty was on defense.

Seven of MG's top 10 tacklers from the previous season returned, including six players who had already received All-Conference recognition. Senior Chase Yinko returned after a unanimous First Team season. Will Knoeck, Jenner Zeutzius, Jesus Garcia, Tyler Donkersgoed and Brayden Maxson gave the defense veteran experience, while junior Collin Hablewitz returned after contributing 37 tackles the year before.

Then there was sophomore defensive lineman Deangelo Clay.

Clay had already started playoff games as a freshman.

The preseason question wasn't whether MG had defensive talent.

It was how good that group could become.

Offensively, considerably more had to be settled.

Senior Jace Thomsen and senior Mason Weise competed for the quarterback job after serving as backups in 2023.

The running back room had to replace All-Region runner Gavin Hablewitz. Beckwith described the group of Yinko, Clay, Colin Hablewitz and Tremayne Habeck as potentially one of the deepest running-back rooms MG had possessed.

The offensive line offered experience with Max Sisler, Jacob Bonjour and Brayden Maxson, while junior Alex Knopps and sophomore Logan Donkersgoed stepped into larger roles.

And at receiver, MG returned proven seniors Cal Woerth and Preston Huemmer.

There was another major change.

Monona Grove was leaving the Badger Small.

The new home was the Badger Large, restoring traditional matchups with Oregon and Milton while placing MG in the same conference as perennial powers Waunakee and Sun Prairie East.

The path to the playoffs had become more difficult.

MG would need four conference victories to guarantee qualification.

The Silver Eagles would ultimately get five.

WEEK 1

Monona Grove 37, Janesville Parker 7

Thomsen, Habeck and Woerth Introduce the New Offense

The new-look offense did not require much time to establish its primary playmakers.

Against Janesville Parker on August 22, Thomsen made his first varsity start at quarterback.

Habeck assumed a larger role at running back.

Woerth remained the established threat on the perimeter.

Together, they controlled the opener.

Thomsen scored the first touchdown on a three-yard run.

Then he found Woerth twice for explosive passing touchdowns — 38 yards in the first quarter and 56 yards in the second.

Sophomore kicker Hans Haffele added a 35-yard field goal, and MG entered halftime ahead 23–0.

The running game took over after the break.

Habeck scored from eight yards and later broke through multiple defenders on a 27-yard touchdown.

MG finished with 258 rushing yards spread among eight players.

Thomsen completed 10 of 18 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns while adding 80 rushing yards and another score.

Habeck carried 18 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns.

Woerth caught six passes for 110 yards and two scores.

The defense was equally encouraging.

Parker managed only four first downs before breaking an 87-yard touchdown run late in the game. Sophomore Makai Fowler recorded an interception, and junior Nick Gallagher delivered one of the night's biggest defensive plays with a blindside sack that forced a fumble.

For a team replacing major offensive production, the first impression was encouraging.

MG was 1–0.

WEEK 2

Monona Grove 42, Madison La Follette 0

The Defense Delivers the Shutout

The second nonconference game offered even less resistance.

Monona Grove shut out Madison La Follette 42–0, giving the Silver Eagles a 2–0 start.

Combined score through two weeks:

Monona Grove 79, Opponents 7.

The offense was producing.

The veteran defense looked exactly as advertised.

Then the schedule changed dramatically.

The Badger Large opener brought Waunakee to John Klement Stadium.

WEEK 3

Waunakee 42, Monona Grove 21

The New Conference Shows Its Teeth

The first Badger Large game was also Monona Grove's first significant setback.

MG actually led early.

After Waunakee opened with a field goal, Thomsen scored on an eight-yard run to put the Silver Eagles ahead 7–3.

Then Waunakee began creating explosive plays.

Vance Johnson connected on a 53-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. The Warriors expanded the advantage to 18–7 by halftime, added a safety and a 66-yard passing touchdown in the third quarter and eventually built a 34–7 lead.

Monona Grove fought back in the fourth.

Thomsen broke a 33-yard touchdown run and later threw a 13-yard touchdown to Jackson Blotz, but Waunakee answered once more to finish the game.

42–21.

The Silver Eagles were 2–1.

More importantly, they had received an immediate demonstration of what life in the Badger Large would require.

The response over the next two weeks became one of the strongest portions of the season.

WEEK 4

Monona Grove 31, DeForest 24

Thomsen Scores Three Different Ways

DeForest entered ranked No. 8 in Division 2.

Monona Grove went onto the Norskies' field and produced one of the most creative offensive performances of its season.

Thomsen threw a touchdown.

He ran for a touchdown.

And he caught one.

MG opened with a flea flicker. Woerth got behind the DeForest secondary, and Thomsen hit him for a 38-yard touchdown.

Later, Thomsen scored from four yards out.

DeForest answered repeatedly, but Hablewitz changed the first half by forcing and recovering a fumble while the Norskies were threatening.

Haffele's 27-yard field goal gave MG a 16–14 halftime lead.

Habeck then scored from eight yards in the third quarter.

The defining play came in the fourth.

MG ran a reverse to Woerth. The defense flowed toward the receiver.

Thomsen slipped unnoticed downfield.

Woerth stopped and threw.

Thomsen caught the pass near the pylon for a 19-yard touchdown.

MG converted the two-point attempt and moved ahead 31–17.

DeForest scored once more, but the Silver Eagles held on.

31–24.

Thomsen finished with 120 passing yards, 76 rushing yards and one reception for a touchdown.

Woerth caught all four MG completions for 120 yards and a score — while also throwing the touchdown to Thomsen.

Clay, still only a sophomore, led the defense with 12 tackles.

MG had responded to the Waunakee loss by beating a ranked opponent.

One week later, it did it again.

WEEK 5

Monona Grove 26, Milton 21

Fourth-and-3 With the Game on the Line

Milton entered undefeated at 4–0 and ranked 10th in Division 2.

MG jumped ahead 14–0.

Thomsen threw an 18-yard touchdown to Blotz and a 31-yard score to Woerth.

Milton responded with three touchdown passes and eventually moved ahead 21–20.

The fourth quarter became one of the defining situations of Thomsen's senior season.

With approximately four minutes remaining, MG faced fourth-and-3 at the Milton 31.

The Silver Eagles needed the conversion to keep the game alive.

Thomsen faked the handoff to Habeck and rolled left.

A Milton defender nearly deflected the screen.

The ball barely cleared his outstretched hands.

Habeck made the catch.

Then he escaped a tackle and raced 31 yards down the sideline for the touchdown.

MG 26, Milton 21.

Milton still had another chance.

A 50-yard kickoff return put the Red Hawks at the MG 30. A fourth-down holding penalty extended the drive and Milton eventually reached the 13.

Then the defense closed the door.

A false start backed Milton up.

Intentional grounding created third-and-33.

On fourth down, Knoeck broke into the backfield and pressured quarterback Tyler Zeal into an incompletion.

Turnover on downs.

Thomsen picked up the final first down.

Game over.

Thomsen finished 11-of-19 for 170 yards and four touchdowns, adding 114 rushing yards on 22 carries.

Clay recorded 11 tackles and two sacks.

Gallagher had nine tackles and a sack.

Monona Grove was suddenly 4–1 with consecutive victories over state-ranked DeForest and Milton.

The Silver Eagles were beginning to look like a legitimate Division 2 contender.

WEEK 6

Sun Prairie East 34, Monona Grove 31

Fifteen Seconds From a Signature Road Win

The following week produced perhaps the most painful regular-season defeat.

It was also one of MG's strongest performances.

A year earlier, Sun Prairie East had eliminated Monona Grove from the playoffs 43–12.

This time the teams were almost indistinguishable.

No team led by more than seven.

Only eight total yards separated the offenses.

East finished with just one more first down.

And with 15 seconds remaining, the game was tied.

MG made big plays throughout.

Thomsen scored on a nine-yard run.

He found Huemmer for a spectacular one-handed 38-yard touchdown.

He hit Woerth on a slant that Woerth turned into a 78-yard touchdown.

Haffele drilled a 33-yard field goal immediately before halftime.

Habeck added a 10-yard rushing touchdown and finished with 125 yards.

Monona Grove led 31–24 in the fourth.

Then East quarterback Max Raimer broke a 37-yard touchdown run.

31–31.

MG had another opportunity and advanced to the East 15 with approximately four minutes remaining.

But on third-and-11, Alex Klun intercepted Thomsen and returned the ball to the Cardinals' 30.

East moved into field-goal range.

With 15 seconds remaining, Brady Melum made a 40-yard field goal.

Sun Prairie East 34, Monona Grove 31.

MG fell to 4–2.

It was the second conference loss.

That meant playoff qualification was not yet secure.

The Silver Eagles responded by removing nearly all suspense from their final three regular-season games.

WEEK 7

Monona Grove 40, Oregon 0

Homecoming and the Beginning of a Rushing Avalanche

Against Oregon on homecoming, Monona Grove returned to its most traditional identity.

Run the football.

Control the line.

Let the defense dictate the game.

MG rushed 45 times for 266 yards.

Habeck carried 20 times for 122 yards and three touchdowns.

Hablewitz added 55 yards and a touchdown.

Thomsen scored from two yards.

And special teams joined the scoring when Knoeck returned a blocked punt 10 yards for a touchdown.

Defensively, Habeck recorded a sack and forced a fumble. Gallagher added a sack. Tyler Donkersgoed intercepted a pass.

Final:

40–0.

MG now had its third conference win.

One more would clinch a postseason berth.

WEEK 8

Monona Grove 45, Sun Prairie West 15

Playoff Qualification Arrives Through the Ground Game

There are few things more closely associated with Monona Grove football than a physical rushing attack and postseason appearances.

Against Sun Prairie West, both arrived together.

MG ran the ball 50 times for 286 yards and five touchdowns.

Habeck was everywhere.

He rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

He intercepted two passes.

He recorded a sack.

Thomsen added 115 rushing yards, including a 14-yard touchdown, and threw a 15-yard touchdown to Woerth.

Clay and Weise added rushing touchdowns.

Haffele converted all six PATs and kicked a 24-yard field goal.

Zeutzius led the defense with 12 tackles, while Clay recorded 11.

Monona Grove 45, Sun Prairie West 15.

And with the victory, MG had its required fourth conference win.

The Silver Eagles were going back to the playoffs.

WEEK 9

Monona Grove 42, Fort Atkinson 7

Habeck Runs MG Into the Postseason

By Week 9, the offensive identity was no longer in question.

Over its final three regular-season victories, Monona Grove rushed for more than 250 yards in every game and scored 14 rushing touchdowns.

Fort Atkinson received the full version.

Habeck scored four times.

Sixteen yards.

Six yards.

Nineteen yards.

Thirty-one yards.

He finished with 171 rushing yards.

Thomsen added a four-yard rushing touchdown and 60 yards on the ground.

Carson McConnell provided a defensive touchdown with a 40-yard interception return.

Zeutzius added another interception.

MG ran for 296 yards and won 42–7.

The regular season was finished.

7–2 overall.

5–2 Badger Large.

The Silver Eagles had survived their move into the larger conference and finished third.

More importantly, they received the No. 3 seed in Division 2.

For the first time since 2018, Monona Grove would host a playoff game.

LEVEL 1

Monona Grove 34, Menomonie 31

A Playoff Game With Almost Everything

The first home postseason game in six years became one of the wildest games of the season.

There were halfback passes.

A hook-and-ladder.

A fumblerooski.

Multiple interceptions.

An injury to MG's starting quarterback.

A fourth-down touchdown.

And finally an onside kick.

Menomonie scored first.

Then Monona Grove answered with 28 consecutive points.

Tyler Donkersgoed intercepted Menomonie quarterback Brady Johnson twice in the first half, and both turnovers eventually led to MG touchdowns.

Clay scored from four yards.

Habeck scored from five.

Woerth caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Thomsen.

On the two-point attempt after that score, Woerth appeared to be trapped behind the line but somehow threw the ball through a swarm of defenders to Huemmer for the conversion.

Then Thomsen broke the biggest play of the game to that point.

Sixty-four yards.

Touchdown.

MG led 28–7.

It appeared over.

It wasn't.

Menomonie began throwing every piece of its offense at the Silver Eagles.

The Mustangs pulled within 28–15.

Then 28–23.

MG punted.

Momentum had completely shifted.

The Silver Eagles defense finally stopped Menomonie with a critical three-and-out.

MG took possession at its own 20 and began grinding away at the clock.

Three rushing first downs moved the chains.

Woerth even completed a pass to Thomsen.

Then, with 2:26 remaining, Thomsen was injured on a run and could not continue.

The Silver Eagles faced fourth-and-1.

Woerth took the quarterback snap.

Habeck took the handoff.

The immediate goal was one yard.

He got considerably more.

Habeck reached the first-down marker, broke through and eventually dragged a defender into the end zone.

Touchdown.

34–23.

Beckwith later described it as the team having its quarterback's back after Thomsen went down.

Menomonie still wasn't finished.

The Mustangs used a hook-and-ladder, fumblerooski and halfback pass to score again.

Two-point conversion.

34–31.

No timeouts remained.

The only chance was an onside kick.

Fortunately for MG, Beckwith routinely made onside-kick recovery a part of practice.

The ball came toward Woerth.

He recovered it cleanly.

Game over.

Monona Grove had survived.

Level 2 awaited.

LEVEL 2

Rice Lake 35, Monona Grove 34

A One-Point Ending Between Two Teams Determined to Run

Rice Lake was no ordinary No. 2 seed.

The Warriors were the defending Division 3 state champions and had been moved into Division 2 through the WIAA Tournament Performance Factor.

Their flexbone offense had become one of Wisconsin's most established rushing systems.

From 2021 through 2023, Rice Lake had reached two state championship games, rushed for nearly 10,000 yards and scored 123 rushing touchdowns.

MG knew exactly what was coming.

Rice Lake knew exactly what MG wanted to do.

Neither team changed.

The result became a rushing contest.

Haffele opened the scoring with a 28-yard field goal.

Rice Lake answered with a long touchdown.

Then Habeck took over.

He scored from eight yards.

Then from one.

Woerth supplied another wrinkle by throwing a three-yard touchdown pass to Zach Dresen.

In the third quarter, Habeck scored again from seven yards.

Then, in the fourth, he punched in his fourth touchdown from one yard.

Monona Grove 34, Rice Lake 28.

Habeck's workload had become extraordinary:

41 carries.

233 yards.

Four touchdowns.

MG was in position to reach Level 3.

Rice Lake responded with the decisive touchdown drive.

Kunz, who had barely needed to throw, found Orr for 31 yards.

Quarterback sneak.

Touchdown.

Extra point.

35–34.

Monona Grove moved the football again but threw an interception with four minutes remaining.

Rice Lake did what championship-caliber rushing teams are designed to do.

Eight consecutive runs.

Three first downs.

No opportunity for MG to get the football back.

Final:

Rice Lake 35, Monona Grove 34.

The Silver Eagles finished 8–3.

Tremayne Habeck: From Position Competition to the Conference's Leading Rusher

In August, Habeck was one member of a crowded backfield.

By November, he had become the centerpiece of the offense.

His final season:

1,435 rushing yards

22 rushing touchdowns

1 receiving touchdown

First Team All-Badger Large

And most significantly:

Badger Large rushing leader

The postseason only reinforced what his regular season had established.

Habeck carried 41 times for 233 yards and four touchdowns against Rice Lake.

He scored the crucial fourth-down touchdown against Menomonie.

He rushed for 171 yards and four scores against Fort Atkinson.

He produced 179 yards while intercepting two passes against Sun Prairie West.

He scored three times against Oregon.

And his 31-yard receiving touchdown with 3:45 remaining defeated undefeated Milton.

Habeck entered the season as part of a competition to replace Gavin Hablewitz.

He finished it as one of the best running backs in the conference.

Jace Thomsen: Winning the Job and Becoming a True Dual-Threat Quarterback

Thomsen's senior season began without certainty that the starting job belonged to him.

It ended with nearly 2,000 yards of total offense.

Thomsen threw for:

1,176 yards

12 touchdowns

He rushed for:

824 yards

9 touchdowns

He earned Second Team All-Badger Large honors.

The numbers only partially explain his value.

Thomsen threw two touchdowns and ran for another in his varsity starting debut.

Against DeForest he became a passer, runner and receiver, scoring in all three ways.

Against Milton he threw four touchdown passes and led the fourth-quarter go-ahead drive.

Against Sun Prairie East he generated multiple explosive plays.

Against Menomonie he broke a 64-yard touchdown run before leaving late with an injury.

The offense that entered August with uncertainty at quarterback eventually became one of the most difficult rushing attacks in the conference partly because the quarterback himself was a legitimate running threat.

Cal Woerth: More Than a Wide Receiver

Woerth entered the year as MG's most established offensive skill player.

He delivered accordingly.

40 receptions

698 receiving yards

7 touchdowns

Unanimous First Team All-Badger Large

But those numbers don't capture everything.

Woerth threw touchdown passes.

He threw two-point conversions.

He caught two-point conversions.

He took snaps at quarterback.

He recovered the playoff-clinching onside kick against Menomonie.

He threw the touchdown pass to Thomsen against DeForest.

He caught two long scores in the opener.

He turned a short slant into a 78-yard touchdown against Sun Prairie East.

And in the Rice Lake playoff game, he threw the touchdown pass to Dresen.

Few players on the roster affected the offense in more different ways.

The Offensive Line Became the Engine

Monona Grove finished the season with 2,791 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns.

That level of production did not happen accidentally.

All five starting offensive linemen earned All-Conference recognition.

Max Sisler — Unanimous First Team

Jacob Bonjour — First Team

Logan Donkersgoed — Second Team

Brayden Maxson — Honorable Mention

Alex Knopps — Honorable Mention

The significance of that group increased as the season progressed.

MG rushed for more than 250 yards in each of its final three regular-season victories.

It ran for 284 yards against Menomonie.

Then Habeck alone accounted for 233 against Rice Lake.

By October, the line of scrimmage had become the offense's defining feature.

It also foreshadowed what the program would continue building around in 2025.

Deangelo Clay: From Freshman Playoff Starter to Conference Defensive Player of the Year

The breakout of the season belonged to a sophomore.

One year earlier, Clay had been impressive simply because he was starting postseason football as a freshman.

In 2024 he became one of the best defenders in the entire Badger Large.

His final numbers:

111 tackles

28 tackles for loss

4.5 sacks

Clay led Monona Grove in tackles for loss and finished second on the roster in total tackles.

The conference voted him Badger Large Defensive Player of the Year.

He was also a unanimous First Team All-Conference selection.

That season changed Clay's place within the program.

He was no longer simply a promising young player.

Before the end of his sophomore year, he had become the centerpiece of the defense.

Jenner Zeutzius: 122 Tackles in the Middle

Clay's season drew substantial attention, but senior linebacker Jenner Zeutzius actually led MG in total tackles.

His final line:

122 tackles

15 tackles for loss

3 sacks

1 interception

He earned unanimous First Team All-Badger Large recognition.

Zeutzius supplied the veteran presence at the center of a defense that mixed experienced seniors with emerging underclassmen.

His final season provided the bridge between the established 2023 defense and the younger group that would become even more prominent a year later.

Will Knoeck: Production at the Line and in the Biggest Moments

Senior Will Knoeck finished with:

22 tackles for loss

4.5 sacks

1 forced fumble

and First Team All-Conference recognition.

But some of Knoeck's most memorable contributions came in specific moments.

His pressure on fourth down secured the Milton victory.

He returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against Oregon.

Alongside Clay and Gallagher, he helped give the Silver Eagles a defensive front capable of changing games without relying exclusively on blitz pressure.

Nick Gallagher Begins Emerging

Junior Nick Gallagher was another important piece of what the defense was becoming.

He led Monona Grove with seven sacks and earned Second Team All-Conference recognition.

His season included the violent blindside sack against Parker, pressure throughout conference play and another sack against Oregon.

At the time, Gallagher's junior season was significant on its own.

In hindsight, it was also the setup for the enormous All-State senior season that followed.

Colin Hablewitz and Chase Yinko: Two-Way Production

Junior Collin Hablewitz developed into a First Team All-Conference linebacker after entering the season with only 37 tackles from the year before.

He finished with 68 tackles, a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

Yinko gave MG another veteran defender.

He finished with 60 tackles, a sack and an interception and earned his second unanimous First Team All-Conference selection.

Both also contributed offensively in a backfield whose depth had been emphasized before the season.

That two-way versatility became an important characteristic of the roster.

Hans Haffele: Sophomore Stability in the Kicking Game

Haffele was only a sophomore, but MG trusted him immediately.

He finished:

39-of-43 on PATs

5 field goals

41.4-yard punting average

and received honorable mention All-Conference recognition.

His field goals appeared throughout the season:

35 yards against Parker.

27 against DeForest.

33 against Sun Prairie East.

24 against Sun Prairie West.

28 against Rice Lake.

For a team that played several one-score games, reliable special teams carried substantial value.

Eighteen All-Conference Players

The 2024 postseason awards demonstrated how broad the roster's contributions had become.

MG placed 18 players on the All-Badger Large teams.

The offensive line alone had five selections.

Habeck and Woerth were First Team offensive skill players.

Thomsen was Second Team at quarterback.

Huemmer and Blotz received honorable mention recognition.

Haffele was recognized as a kicker.

Defensively, Clay earned the conference's highest individual defensive award.

Yinko and Zeutzius were unanimous First Team selections.

Knoeck and Hablewitz also made the First Team.

Gallagher was Second Team.

Woerth added defensive recognition.

Tyler Donkersgoed earned honorable mention after producing 43 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

The awards confirmed what the season had shown.

MG's success was not built around one position group.

It had legitimate conference-level players throughout the roster.

The Season Changed After the Sun Prairie East Loss

The easiest dividing line in the season came on September 27.

After the last-second loss to Sun Prairie East, MG was:

4–2 overall

2–2 in conference

The Silver Eagles still needed two conference wins to guarantee the postseason.

Their response:

Oregon — 40–0

Sun Prairie West — 45–15

Fort Atkinson — 42–7

Three straight victories.

Combined score:

127–22

The source material itself describes MG as dismantling the remaining conference schedule, and the running game became more powerful every week.

That stretch transformed a team sitting near the playoff bubble into a No. 3 postseason seed.

The Senior Class Got One More Home Playoff Game

The 2024 senior class included:

Jace Thomsen, Mason Weise, Chase Yinko, Tyler Donkersgoed, Hewitt Mayfield, Will Knoeck, Cal Woerth, Preston Huemmer, Owen Weiss, Jackson Blotz, Tieston Nuon-Haas, Gus Loeder, Bronson Dean, Karim Gentry, Jenner Zeutzius, Max Sisler, Bradyen Maxson, Jacob Bonjour, Jackson Kulow, Jaleal Hamlin, Vincent Richards, James Walton, Jesus Garcia and Bryden Linscheid.

They had experienced the disappointment of 2022.

They had helped MG return to winning playoff football in 2023.

And in 2024 they earned the program's first home postseason game since 2018.

They also left the younger core with a clear standard.

Clay had become Defensive Player of the Year.

Gallagher was emerging.

Habeck had become the conference's leading rusher.

Hablewitz was a First Team linebacker.

Logan Donkersgoed had become an All-Conference sophomore center.

Haffele was already an All-Conference kicker.

Fowler and McConnell were appearing in major varsity situations.

The foundation of the following season was already visible.

What 8–3 Doesn't Fully Explain

The final record was good.

But the shape of the season was more interesting than the number itself.

MG's losses came against:

Waunakee

Sun Prairie East

Rice Lake

Those were not random opponents.

Waunakee remained one of Wisconsin's established powers.

Sun Prairie East had eliminated MG by 31 points the previous postseason; one year later MG lost by a field goal with 15 seconds remaining.

Rice Lake entered as the defending Division 3 champion and escaped MG by one point.

Meanwhile, the Silver Eagles beat ranked DeForest and undefeated ranked Milton in consecutive weeks.

They finished third in their first season back in the Badger Large.

They won their first home playoff game since 2018.

The gap between Monona Grove and the teams playing deeper into November had clearly narrowed.

2023 to 2024: Another Step Forward

The progression mattered.

In 2023, MG finished 7–4.

It won its first playoff game since 2018 but was eliminated 43–12 by Sun Prairie East in Level 2.

In 2024:

8–3.

Another Level 1 victory.

A home postseason game.

And this time the Level 2 defeat was 35–34 against the defending state champion.

The destination had not changed.

MG still exited in Level 2.

The competitiveness of the exit had changed dramatically.

That would become one of the major motivations entering 2025.

The 2024 Legacy

The lasting importance of 2024 may be easier to recognize after seeing what followed.

It was the season when Deangelo Clay became a star.

When Tremayne Habeck became a featured back.

When Nick Gallagher emerged as one of the conference's top pass rushers.

When Logan Donkersgoed became an All-Conference sophomore offensive lineman.

When Hans Haffele established himself as a varsity kicker and punter.

When younger defensive backs such as Makai Fowler and Carson McConnell began making consequential varsity plays.

It was also the season in which a senior class carried MG through a significant conference transition.

Jace Thomsen won the quarterback job and became a 2,000-yard dual-threat player.

Cal Woerth became one of the conference's most versatile offensive weapons.

The offensive line developed into a five-man All-Conference unit.

The defense produced the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.

And the Silver Eagles found themselves one point from Level 3.

That one point became part of what came next.

The 2025 team would spend its offseason thinking about breaking through Level 2.

But the reason it believed it could was sitting there in the final score from Rice Lake.

35–34.

Monona Grove hadn't reached the next level yet.

It had gotten close enough to see exactly what was required.

2024 MONONA GROVE FOOTBALL

8–3 | 5–2 Badger Large | WIAA Division 2 Level 2

First season in the Badger Large

Third-place conference finish

First home playoff game since 2018

Level 1: Monona Grove 34, Menomonie 31

Level 2: Rice Lake 35, Monona Grove 34

2,791 rushing yards

36 rushing touchdowns

Tremayne Habeck — 1,435 rushing yards and 22 rushing TDs

Jace Thomsen — 1,176 passing yards, 824 rushing yards, 21 total TDs

Cal Woerth — 698 receiving yards and 7 TDs

18 All-Conference selections

All five starting offensive linemen earned All-Conference honors

Deangelo Clay — Badger Large Defensive Player of the Year

And the number that ultimately defined how close the Silver Eagles were to extending their season:

One Point

The 2024 season did not produce the breakthrough Monona Grove wanted.

What it produced was the team that made the breakthrough possible.

2023 proved MG could win in the playoffs again.

2024 proved MG could stand toe-to-toe with championship-level teams.

2025 would be about finally getting through.