- Video shows the Green Bay West Wildcats who are building off winning their second game of the season, something that hadn't been done since 2003.
- The Wildcats are celebrating the growth of the program's resources, coaching stability, and buy-in from their players
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Across the 20 years before the 2024 season, the Green Bay West Wildcats won ten total games. Ten times, they won one game. Ten times they went winless.
Drew Brusoe was the program's fifth head coach in seven years when he was hired in 2022.
He says between the four high schools in the green bay school district, constant coaching turnover and open enrollment, it's been difficult for the program to break out of this cycle of losing.
"Not as many kids are coming out for football kind of because they're going to other places," said Brusoe.
"Why would kids... Why would I want to join if the football program's not good? Well you have to have more people bought in to make it good right? So that's kind of been that struggle."
But this season has been different. A 34-0 win over Sheboygan South bumped the Wildcats' record to 2-2, their first season with multiple wins since 2003 and their first shutout win since 2002.
The buy-in from the team has been there to the point where the players are often coaching themselves.
"When we got people taking responsibility for themselves and holding their teammates accountable instead of somebody else, I feel like it definitely hits home more instead of your teammate telling you something instead of a coach just yelling at you," said senior linebacker Carter Banks.
Renovations to their field, which has kept them on the road all season, are another boon for the program. During their first day practicing on the field, the Wildcats got a visit from Jordan Love who the team credits partially for their win in their next game.
"I feel like he gets a little credit," said Banks. "He gave us a different mentality that week. Like [we] got a chip on our shoulder. We got to prove something."
With new facilities and buy-in from the team, the seniors believe they're leaving the program better than they found it.
"Setting that tone is what's going to keep our underclassmen who we play with now... that's going to be important," said senior lineman/tight end Carson Drefcinski.
"I'm going to be able to feel good knowing that they continue to succeed because of the stuff we did for them."
The Wildcats will carry their momentum into their home opener in their newly renovated stadium when they kickoff their homecoming game against Sheboygan North on Friday night.
