MG Closes 8–1 Regular Season With Shutout, No. 1 Playoff Seed

Silver Eagles outscore opponents 357–68 during an impressive regular season.

Monona Grove bounced back in a big way on Senior Night, shutting out DeForest 36–0 in its homecoming game and closing the 2026 regular season with an 8–1 record.

Coming off a tough 7–0 loss at Waunakee, the fourth-ranked Silver Eagles responded with one of their strongest defensive performances of the season, while the offense generated 400 total yards and five touchdowns.

MG struck on its opening possession, with Jaxon Zukowski breaking runs of 31 and 20 yards, Jay Ramsey adding a 20-yard run, and Zukowski eventually finding Jay Hurley for a four-yard touchdown.

The offense moved the ball throughout the first half but struggled to finish several drives. A 10-yard touchdown run extended MG's lead to 13–0.

The Silver Eagles nearly added another score just before halftime, with a 22-yard scramble ending just short of the goal line as time expired.

While the offense worked through some inconsistencies, MG's defense was outstanding from start to finish. DeForest struggled to establish any momentum against an aggressive Silver Eagles front that continually disrupted plays in the backfield.

MG's defense finished with 18 tackles for loss, five sacks and its third shutout of the season.

Junior Cal Bennett led the defensive charge with four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a safety.

Dom Melone recorded seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. Santana Jackson added three tackles for loss and a sack, while Cole Kessenich led the team with eight tackles. Deangelo Clay contributed six tackles and two tackles for loss, and Lucas Jordan added five tackles and two tackles for loss.

Hunter Meyer finished with four tackles and an excellent third-down pass breakup on DeForest's opening possession.

Colten Jenkins added a tackle for loss in the second quarter and a key pass deflection in the third, helping force another DeForest punt.

Jay Hurley made an impact on both sides of the ball, catching the opening touchdown and contributing three tackles and a tackle for loss defensively.

Makai Fowler also contributed in multiple roles, recording a tackle for loss, a half-sack and additional quarterback pressure while providing a big-play threat on offense.

The game broke open in the third quarter.

One of the biggest plays came from special teams, when Hans Haffele delivered an outstanding punt downed inside the DeForest one-yard line. Moments later, Bennett recorded a safety, extending MG's lead to 15–0. Haffele also converted three extra points during the game.

The offense took over from there, scoring on three touchdown passes to Jay Ramsey, Nic Busalacchi and Carson Schoenherr.

MG scored 23 unanswered points in the quarter, building a 36–0 lead and sending the game into running-clock territory.

The Silver Eagles finished with 400 yards of total offense, including 217 passing and 183 rushing.

Zukowski accounted for 328 total yards and five touchdowns, completing 16 of 27 passes for 216 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. He also rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

Ramsey provided a strong all-around performance, rushing eight times for 40 yards, averaging 5.0 yards per carry, and adding two receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown.

Schoenherr contributed in both the running and passing games, carrying five times for 16 yards while catching two passes for 28 yards and a touchdown. Deangelo Clay added 13 rushing yards on three carries.

The receiving group had contributions throughout the lineup. Busalacchi and Fowler each finished with 48 receiving yards, including a 42-yard reception by Fowler. Steven Brumm caught three passes for 28 yards, while Diego Adame added two receptions for 32 yards. Meyer also contributed two receptions for 11 yards and a rushing carry.

One of MG's Best Regular Seasons

The victory completes another impressive regular season for Monona Grove, with the Silver Eagles finishing 8–1 and outscoring opponents 357–68.

MG averaged 39.7 points per game, the fourth-highest regular-season scoring average in school history.

Defensively, MG allowed just 7.6 points per game, ranking 16th all-time in program history and narrowly beating the 2025 team's 8.2-point average.

The Silver Eagles recorded three shutouts, held six of their nine opponents to seven points or fewer, and finished with an average scoring margin of +32.1 points per game.

On to the Playoffs!

Monona Grove has earned a No. 1 seed in the WIAA Division 2 playoffs and will host No.8 Seed Milton this Friday, October 23, at John Klement Stadium in the opening round.

The regular season is complete. Now the Silver Eagles turn their attention to the postseason.

Stay tuned this week for full playoff preview!

GO MG!

Special thanks to Lori Dahl for providing the photography featured throughout.

Lori Dahl Photography - Cottage Grove loridahlphotography@gmail.com