2008 In Review!
12/29/08

Rodney Mattrisch
(GPTC webmaster)

As I review this past year, I can't help to sit back in awe. The thing that amazes me the most, is that even with the current economic climate and with all of the problems and troubles that hang over our heads, the atmosphere here in Greendale remains positive and strong. I have been living in Greendale for 44 years and I have to say that I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Greendale is the epitome of a community where people choose to live and raise families. It can also boast the fact that they have one of the best school districts in the State of Wisconsin. What makes Greendale so great are the people who administer and teach within the school system. The other component is that the community takes a proactive roll in keeping the standards high and in most cases; help make it better than it already is.

The New Field

One of the things that the district saw this past year was a need to make the high school athletic field better suited to meet the demand that it takes throughout the year. With the help of the district, and the community, which was spearheaded by the Greendale Panther Touchdown Club, a solution was found. The amazing thing about this was how it was accomplished. It was the culmination of working together that made this all possible. I want to personally thank Dr. Hughes and the District School Board for their keen insight and leadership in making this field possible.

About two years ago, Tim Nethery, Keith Ringelberg, Mark Kapocius, and I, representing the GPTC, had the dream of replacing the existing field with an artificial turf field that was able to withstand the heavy use from all of the programs that use it. With the help of Brian Koffarnus, the district's Building & Grounds Superintendent, we came up with a plan. In late November, we took this plan and presented it to the School District Board at one of their meetings. Apparently, they liked what they heard up to that point, but there was a lot of work that needed to be done in a relatively short period of time if we wanted to get this in before the up and coming season. That work consisted of us raising enough money through private donations and fundraisers to cover our portion of the cost. That's what we did! On behalf of the GPTC, I would like to thank all of the generous people who donated their hard earned money in making this project possible. They really don't stand to gain anything other then the feeling that they know that they helped make Greendale a better place. Personally, I have to think that this is all they wanted, which makes them even more special. Other community organazations that helped out were the Greendale Panther Athletic Booster Club (GPABC) and the Greendale Youth Football program who threw a very successful fundraiser. Here again it's all about community involvement. At the end of the day, I'm sure that all of Greendale thanks everyone for what they did.

In June of 2008, the District Board approved the project, which was to begin immediately so that it would be done in time for the 2008 season. By the end of June, the heavy equipment showed up and the transformation would begin. Three months later, the field was completed. In fact, the final walkthrough occurred the morning of the first varsity reserve game. It was at that time when I looked around and watched the teams warm up that I realized that a dream came true. I personally will never forget the feeling that was running through me at that night.

By the way, if you want to see a video on how the field was built, just click here.

The Season!

Now that the field was ready, it was time to play some football. My goal was to watch and report on every game that was played including the youth teams. That came to 59 games total. I'm here to say that I didn't miss any of them!

The youth teams had a great year. They came into the season with 124 boys that comprised 4 teams. Their combined record ended up being 23-6-2, which told me something. It told me that there are a group of coaches there that know what they are doing. I was always impressed at how the boys played and how prepared they were. I will really enjoy watching them as they climb the ladder towards those Friday night games.

The freshman team was a complete surprise. It's one thing to adjust to high school football, but when you have 6 or so of your teammates plucked from you and moved up, that can affect things... or at least you would think so. Well, the coaching staff must have done a great job of filling those holes, they finished the season going 5-2. I was very encouraged at how some of the guys are now stepping up their game from previous years.

The varsity reserve squad was amazing, not to mention fun to watch. All of these guys complimented each other very nicely. I have to think that the varsity coaches are very excited about next year. I know the one thing that they must like already is that this group hasn't lost a game in 2 years. That tells me that these guys never give up and that they do what they need to do to win. In fact, one of the best games I saw this year was when they went out and played New Berlin Eisenhower. That game came down to the very last play to decide the winner.

And then there is the varsity. What can I say! This was just another group of special guys that really loved to play the game. These guys took it serious from the get-go by doing what they had to do to be successful. It all started after the banquet last year when they started showing up in the weight room in masses. That's always a good sign of a solid team. This year I witnessed one of the best offensive shows ever to grace a high school football field. I saw plays being made that you would normally only see on Sundays. If there was one thing that I wished would have gone differently, it would have been for Chris Ridgway not to get hurt during the Eisenhower game. I'm pretty sure things would have come out differently and Greendale could have been looking at a 31 consecutive conference winning streak, but that didn’t happen. Actually, it would be 32 with the Pewaukee game even though it technically wasn't a conference game at the time. Needless to say, the undefeated Woodland Conference Pewaukee Pirates didn't have a chance against Greendale. One now has to ask them self, who really was the best team this year? I have my thoughts but I will just keep them to myself.

When you add it all up, there were a total of 240 boys that played football this year and they all finished with a composite record of 47-10-2. That's not too bad at all. I have to say that Greendale is proud of all of them for what they have accomplished.

As for the Touchdown Club, the membership is always increasing. We hope that this continues because we still have things that need to be done. We hope that the community appreciates what we are trying to do and that maybe they can help us out in making a difference. If anyone wants to be a part of something special, please don’t hesitate to call, write or email us.

That pretty much does it for 2008. This website will finally quiet down for a while until the 2009 season starts getting closer. This year there were over 20,000 hits including a record 1500 hits during the week prior to the game against Eisenhower. I hope everyone enjoys what it has to offer. If you are ever looking for information on Greendale football, or you just need a football fix, this is the place you'll find it.

See you all next season!

R.A. Mattrisch