Eagles hoping to soar again

Clay Iverson has had success coaching football wherever he’s gone. Iverson inherited a 2-7 team at Pewaukee, then proceeded to have seven consecutive winning seasons. He took over a Mukwonago program that had gone six straight years without reaching the playoffs, then led the Indians to the postseason three out of four years. So, was anyone really surprised what happened at Sauk Prairie last season? The Eagles were in the midst of a 12-year playoff drought when Iverson arrived. Sauk Prairie then proceeded to go 6-3 in the regular season and reached the postseason for the first time since 2007, before falling to Stoughton in the first round of the WIAA Division 3 playoffs. For everybody inside the program, it was a remarkable 180-degree change in culture, attitude and results. “Well, it was fun to see the kids have a good time playing football and have their hard work pay off,” Iverson said. “Personally, I think the guys had a good experience, so that is what is most gratifying.” Now, the challenge becomes building on last year’s success. Sauk Prairie begins the 2020 season Friday when it hosts Baraboo at 7 p.m. The Eagles must replace a gifted senior class that helped bring respectability and pride back to the program, and the current group of Eagles will aim to continue that. Leading the way will be senior running back Tyler Uselman, who was named honorable-mention all-conference last season. Uselman was the Eagles’ lone junior named to the all-conference team in 2019 after rushing for 688 yards on 97 carries (7.1 average) and scoring three touchdowns. Uselman added 47 yards on four catches with one receiving touchdown, and also had a kick return for a touchdown. “I think he could be one of the best backs in the area,” Iverson said of Uselman. Owen Deihl, Chance Davis, Wilson Uselman and Parker Hooper all figure to get work in the backfield, as well, and could give the Eagles a dynamic ground game. Iverson calls senior quarterback Ethan Gibbs “a great leader” and will look for big things from him. Isaac Breunig will lead the offensive line, while others like Mason Thomas, Bo Kinney, Bradon Schutt, Dennis Brickl, Zach Gonzalez and Kyle Dregney will all contribute up front. Sauk Prairie averaged just 32.6 passing yards per game last year. When the Eagles do throw, though, the top targets figure to be wideouts Damien Rodergiuz-Wright, Henry Watson and Kyle Breunig, along with tight ends Jace Elsing, Brad Breunig and Fadil Ahmetaj. The Eagles are multiple on defense and typically settle into odd fronts. Last year’s group excelled, allowing just 18.6 points per game while holding three opponents to three points, or less. Isaac Breunig, Thomas and Schutt should lead the defensive line, while Brickl, Gonzalez, Dregney and Ahmetaj will also factor in heavily. Linebacker Nolan Vils could be poised for a big year, while Tyler Uselman, Kinney, Davis, Elsing, Hooper and Wilson Uselman will all see snaps there, as well. Iverson calls Deihl “the quarterback of the secondary.” Others such as Kyle Breunig, Watson and Rodergiuz-Wright will have big roles, as well. “I would say our strength is our speed and aggressiveness along with some of the intangibles we learned last year,” Iverson said. “I really liked our offseason — as different as it was.   “We lack a little depth, which as coaches we have to build and we are a bit on the smaller size. But I think what we do in all phases of the game lends itself to those types of players.” Iverson knows this will likely be the strangest year of his coaching career. The season has already been delayed more than a month due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Roughly 25% of the state elected to play football in the spring instead of the fall, meaning the schedule has been adjusted. The Eagles are socially distancing and wearing masks whenever possible. And Iverson is preparing his team to expect the unexpected. Through more than two weeks of practice, though, things have gone swimmingly. “Practice has been good. It is interesting, as you are really trying to get your two-a-day work in during regular after school practices,” Iverson said. “It has been an interesting challenge. We have tried to stay safe and optimistic all off season.   “So while I can’t see the future, I know we are blessed with an opportunity and I know we can practice today. We will attack it that way and hope everyone is smart and safe and we get to play our full schedule.” In a year as strange as 2020 has been, Iverson is reluctant to set team goals.  The veteran coach and his Eagles are just happy to be playing. And while winning is always nice, Sauk Prairie has never appreciated the opportunity to compete as much as it does today. “You know our goals don’t really revolve around the scoreboard,” Iverson said. “We feel that playing our hardest and to our potential is a much loftier goal and it is one that we have direct control over. We will keep that as our focus and see how it shakes out.”