This story is sponsored by: Sternweis & Sons
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STRATFORD – The Stratford football team finished off a dream season with a victory over Mondovi in the WIAA Division 6 state championship game last November in Madison.
The state title, the Tigers’ eighth in program history, was coupled with a share of the Central Wisconsin Conference Large Division championship.
While a number of two-way starters and all-conference players have graduated, this year’s squad will strive for the same success.
Stratford will open its 2023 campaign with a nonconference game at Mosinee on Friday, Aug. 18. The game is a rematch of last year’s season-opener that ended in a 20-20 tie after thunderstorms rolled into Marshfield, last year’s home for Stratford as Tiger Stadium was being renovated, in the second half and the game was not resumed.
With linemen Jackson Ormond, Izaiah Hadlock, Kash Dahl and John Seitz, quarterback/safety Braeden Schueller, and wide receiver/defensive back Ashton Wrensch graduated, the Tigers will have a number of positions up for grabs as 2023 gets underway, but veteran head coach Jason Tubbs said he likes what he’s seen during training camp.
“One of the luxuries of playing until the last week (in 2022) is that we got a lot of practice time,” Tubbs said. “Some of these guys have had three or four weeks of extra practice time compared to other teams. At the end of the year, you could see that they were pushing these guys.
“I think our specialty guys that are coming back, Koehler Kilty, Gavin Leonhardt, Payton Glenn and Cole Tichy, they know what varsity speed looks like. Getting our talented juniors to fill in those gaps is going to take time.”
Senior Matt Folz and junior Jack Tubbs will compete for playing time at quarterback, while Kilty (1,877 yards last season) returns as the main running back. Leonhardt, Glenn and Tichy will also contribute in the backfield and at receiver, and Carter Lueck will anchor the offensive line.
Kaleb Krummel is expected to be a key part of the defensive line, with Leonhardt and Kilty taking over at linebacker, Jason Tubbs said.
After Mosinee, the Tigers will host Edgar in their first home game at Tiger Stadium in nearly two years. Stratford opens CWC Large play at Amherst on Sept. 1.
“We have two good nonconference teams right off the bat before we hit Amherst in Week 3. Those first three weeks are definitely going to test us and see what type of team we’re going to have,” Jason Tubbs said. “We’ll be challenged right off the bat, but I think that will be good for us and we’ll have to get after it right away.”
Stratford Football Schedule
Fri., Aug. 18 at Mosinee, 7 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 25 EDGAR, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 1 at Amherst, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 8 MANAWA, 7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 16 SHIOCTON, noon
Fri., Sept. 22 at Nekoosa, 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 29 WITTENBERG-BIRNAMWOOD, 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 6 at Weyauwega-Fremont, 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 13 SPENCER/COLUMBUS, 7 p.m.
Home games in CAPS, at Tiger Stadium, Stratford