Week 6 Preview: No. 2 Monona Grove Hosts Sun Prairie East With Badger Large Stakes Rising

Few high school football players ever get the opportunity to build a four-year history against the same opponent. Deangelo “D-Lo” Clay will do exactly that Friday night.

When Sun Prairie East comes visits the #2 Ranked Monona Grove, Clay will face the Cardinals for a fourth consecutive season dating back to his freshman year. His first appearance came under about as demanding a circumstance as possible: a 2023 WIAA Division 2 Level 2 playoff game, when the freshman defensive lineman produced six tackles and two tackles for loss against a SP East offense that would eventually pull away for a 43–12 victory.

A year later, Clay was no longer a new impact freshman. He recorded 11 tackles and another tackle for loss against SP East in the dramatic 34–31 loss, during a sophomore season in which he would be named Badger Large Defensive Player of the Year. In 2025, Clay added another five tackles and forced a fumble as MG finally broke through against the Cardinals.

With 22 documented tackles, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble through D-Lo’s first three games against Sun Prairie East, his fourth meeting now places him in unusual company among MG players. Former MG Running Back and current Lafollette HS Head Coach Toren Young faced Mount Horeb/Barneveld five times over four seasons, and four-year varsity standout Linebacker Josh Groves who faced a full slate of Badger Conference opponents over his 4 year varsity career.

Clay's personal progression also mirrors the larger arc of this series. When he first saw East as a freshman, the Cardinals clearly had the upper hand. Now, as a senior, he takes the field for an unbeaten MG team trying to prove that last year's breakthrough was more than a one-night reversal.

From 55–0 to 21–16: A Changed Series 

Sun Prairie East’s arrival on MG’s schedule was initially painful. When the Cardinals debuted after the Sun Prairie school district split East and West in 2022, SP East beat Monona Grove 55–0. In 2023, East won twice: 57–34 in the regular-season opener and 43–12 in the Level 2 playoffs. But MG began showing more offensive punch in those meetings. Cal Moreau accounted for three touchdowns in the regular-season game, including two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Cal Woerth, while Gavin Hablewitz added a rushing touchdown and Tyler Donkersgoed returned a fumble 57 yards for a score. In the playoff rematch, Joseph Otto Morton caught a touchdown from Moreau, Chase Yinko returned a kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown, and Hablewitz contributed as both a runner and receiver.

By 2024, the matchup had become dramatically tighter. Jace Thomsen, Tremayne Habeck and Cal Woerth were among MG’s offensive leaders, while Deangelo Clay was a major presence defensively. Monona Grove went to Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium and led 31–24 in the fourth quarter before eventually falling 34–31. The teams were separated by only eight total yards.

The progression tells the story:

55–0.

57–34.

43–12.

34–31.

21–16.

After four straight losses to open the modern series, the fifth meeting finally belonged to Monona Grove.

The 2025 Breakthrough

Last year's 21–16 MG victory was not a game in which the Silver Eagles overwhelmed East. It was a game in which MG repeatedly answered when the Cardinals appeared ready to take control.

Sun Prairie East scored first when Braylon Peterson connected with Van Vogler for a 32-yard touchdown. East then forced a punt and appeared positioned to build on the lead, but a read-option miscommunication put the football on the ground. MG recovered at the Cardinal 15, and then Sophomore QB Jaxon Zukowski scored two plays later.

That turnover changed the early direction of the game.

Zukowski later found Makai Fowler on a screen that became a 37-yard touchdown, and Colin Hablewitz's three-yard run extended MG's advantage to 21–10. Peterson answered with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Moore, cutting the margin to five.

The fourth quarter then belonged to the MG defense.

East drove deep into Silver Eagle territory, but Monona Grove forced a fumble near its own goal line and Mason Mabie recovered. MG took possession with roughly six minutes remaining and never gave East the football again, converting four first downs and bleeding away the rest of the clock.

Fowler finished with 119 rushing yards and 65 receiving yards. Zukowski threw for 185 yards and accounted for touchdowns as both a passer and runner. Clay and Nick Gallagher each forced fumbles.

The significance was larger than one conference victory. Sun Prairie East had won every previous meeting since becoming East. MG had gone from being beaten by 55 points in 2022 to finally finishing one of these games itself.

Friday is the first chance to see whether that represented a breakthrough or the beginning of a genuine change in the series.

SP East Arrives With Momentum

Sun Prairie East enters Week 6 3–2 overall and 2–1 in the Badger Large, coming off consecutive wins over DeForest and Sun Prairie West.

The Cardinals' season has been uneven—losses to West De Pere and Waunakee, but also convincing wins over Racine Horlick, DeForest and West. Their 36–0 shutout of Sun Prairie West was their strongest defensive performance of the year, holding West to just 63 total yards and five rushing yards.

Two Quarterbacks Give East a Different Look

East regularly uses Braylon Peterson and Carter Kavanaugh at quarterback.

Peterson has been the runner, with 210 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while Kavanaugh has thrown seven touchdown passes. Against Sun Prairie West, both quarterbacks threw touchdowns and both scored on the ground.

Receiver Kevin Packard III has been East's most consistent offensive playmaker, with 23 catches for 283 yards and three touchdowns through five games. He has also been dangerous in the return game.

Defensively, middle linebacker Jack Ostrenga leads the way with 46 tackles and five tackles for loss. Peterson, Packard and Ostrenga are three names MG fans are likely to hear often Friday night.

SP East Has Been Difficult to Define

East scored 67 points against Racine Horlick but was shut out 35–0 by Waunakee. West De Pere scored 42 against the Cardinals, while Sun Prairie West managed only 63 total yards.

The last two weeks, however, have been encouraging for East. Wins over DeForest and SP West have moved the Cardinals back into the conference race.

Turnovers played a major role when MG beat East 21–16 last season, with the Silver Eagles repeatedly stopping promising Cardinal possessions.

Last week, East benefited from the same kind of momentum. An opening-possession interception against Sun Prairie West immediately led to a touchdown, and additional takeaways helped the Cardinals control the game.

Badger Large Conference Stakes, Four Years of History 

Friday’s game carries real Badger Large implications and another chapter in a rivalry that has changed dramatically in four years. Through Week 5, Monona Grove and Waunakee are tied atop the conference at 3–0, with Sun Prairie East and Milton one game back at 2–1. 

MG enters Week 6 at 5–0 and ranked No. 2 in Division 2 in the Week 4 Wisconsin High School Football Coaches Poll presented by Bound Wisconsin, with a chance to move to 4–0 in conference play and create separation from East, while the Cardinals can move back into the top group after their early loss to Waunakee. East also comes in with momentum after consecutive wins over DeForest and Sun Prairie West, including a defensive performance in Week 5 that allowed just 63 total yards and five rushing yards.

The matchup is also the sixth meeting between the programs in four years: East opened the series with a win, beat MG twice the following season including in the playoffs, survived by just 15 seconds two years ago, and finally lost to the Silver Eagles last season. Standing in the middle of that entire progression is D-Lo Clay, who recorded six tackles and two TFL as a freshman in the playoff meeting, 11 tackles and a TFL as a sophomore, and five tackles with a forced fumble in last year’s breakthrough win. Now, as a senior, Clay gets one final meeting with the Cardinals to complete a rare four-year individual story within a rivalry that has steadily become more competitive. 

A Different Sixth Meeting

Four years ago, Sun Prairie East introduced itself to Monona Grove with a 55–0 victory.

Three years ago, East beat MG twice, including a playoff elimination.

Two years ago, Monona Grove came within 15 seconds of breaking through.

Last season, the Silver Eagles finally did it.

And standing in the middle of the entire four-year progression is D-Lo Clay.

Freshman: six tackles, two TFL in a playoff game.

Sophomore: 11 tackles, one TFL.

Junior: five tackles and a forced fumble in MG's breakthrough win.

Senior: one more meeting with the Cardinals.

Leading Questions for Friday Night’s Matchup

Can MG make East earn its points? East’s 36–0 win over Sun Prairie West was dominant, but turnovers and favorable field position helped shape the game. MG had success in last year’s 21–16 win by forcing East to finish long drives and creating turnovers near the goal line. If the Silver Eagles pro

tect the ball and make East work the full field, that could be a major factor again.

How much of a problem will Braylon Peterson create? Peterson is East’s most dangerous runner, with 210 rushing yards and five touchdowns, and he has already broken several big quarterback runs this season. But he also showed against West that he can throw efficiently, completing 6 of 7 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. He gives East a big-play threat on almost every snap he takes.

How will MG handle East’s two-quarterback system? Peterson and Carter Kavanaugh both play significant snaps. Kavanaugh has thrown seven touchdown passes, while Peterson brings more running ability. Last week, both quarterbacks threw touchdowns and both scored on the ground, making the rotation less predictable than it was earlier in the season.

Can MG limit East’s explosive plays? Junior Receiver Kevin Packard III has been East’s most consistent playmaker with 23 catches for 283 yards and three touchdowns, and he has also been dangerous in the return game. Peterson can create explosive runs, while other East receivers have begun contributing more. MG does not need to eliminate every completion, but it will want to prevent short plays from turning into big ones.

Which team handles the big moments better? The last two meetings have been decided by three and five points. East won 34–31 in 2024 on a late field goal, while MG answered last season by forcing a late red-zone turnover and closing out a 21–16 win. If Friday is another one-score game in the fourth quarter, turnovers, red-zone possessions and late-game execution could decide it.