BD, Waupun to renew pleasantries

But when Beaver Dam and Waupun renew their rivalry Friday, ratchet the fever up a few notches.]

"It's a natural rival," said BD coach Tim White of the Warriors. "The tradition between Waupun and Beaver Dam is a great one. The best part is that it's not a long travel trip."

Waupun coach Rick Applin couldn't agree more.

"You see the intensity when the two schools play in hockey, boys basketball and most recently when they played in baseball," Applin said. "It will be interesting to see what that will be like Friday. We expect a pretty good crowd."

Both teams enter the season opener with plenty of question marks, specifically on offense.

White named senior Ben Brooks as the Golden Beavers' quarterback for the opener, beating out senior Alec Beilfuss and junior Mitch Berg in a hotly-contested battle. Brooks does have experience on his side (six starts) but will be working with a spread system instead of a power-I type of offense.

"Based on the scrimmage (last week), coach (Jim) Braemer had a chance to break down the quarterback's reads and felt Ben was the best at that," White said. "Both Ben and Alec are capable of playing the position but the results at the scrimmage was the final factor."

The offense Brooks and the Golden Beavers will unveil Friday night is a spread-option that has become more popular in recent years throughout college and high school football. White hopes the new system allows his skill players to make plays.

"(The spread) gives us six to seven guys to try and get the ball to," White said. "Based on the kids we have, we felt it was a good time to try it."

Even though spreading out the offense is the idea, there will be at least one player on Waupun who White, Brooks and rest of the team will be keeping an eye on.

Senior defensive lineman Jordan Kohout, a Wisconsin recruit, will lead a Warrior defense that played well at their scrimmage last Saturday. White said Kohout can cause problems with his combination of size and speed at his position.

"Jordan's an exceptional athlete who has a lot of size," White said. "He moves well down the line of scrimmage. I'll tell you this much — we'll know where he's at on the field at all times."

Defending the spread isn't a lot different than a more traditional offense other than the one-on-one battles become more crucial.

"It's just different," Applin said of the spread. "You just need more guys on the field who can play in space. I call it 'basketball on grass.'

"You just have to get pressure on the quarterback."

Applin was more concerned with his offensive unit after the scrimmage but hopes his team learned from its mistakes.

"You make two big jumps with your team," Applin said. "One is from the scrimmage to the first game. The other is from game one to game two."

Both coaches said their teams are using this game to set the tempo for the season.

"We cannot play flat against Little Ten teams like we did last year," White said. "It's extremely important to get off to a good start against Waupun.

"This game will teach us a lot about who we are."