Schools

GMC Football Preview Week 6: Chargers Offense Running at Full Capacity

Patterson brothers are running, catching and returning kicks to pile up points, yards.

Hamilton (6-1, 4-1 GMC) at West Allis Central (3-4, 2-3 GMC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday at West Allis Athletic Complex, 11601 W. Lincoln Ave.

Last year: Hamilton edged the Bulldogs 33-25.

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Last week: ; Central lost to Brookfield Central 36-14.

Essentials: With wingback Nick Patterson back in the lineup alongside younger brother Drew, the offense is grooving. They combined for 181 rushing yards last week, while Nick added a 96-yard kickoff return for a score and a 52-yard touchdown catch against outmatched Tosa East. The Chargers’ challenge this week is to avoid looking ahead to next week’s huge clash against Brookfield East. West Allis Central has won two league games against lesser teams, but its three GMC losses are by an average of 24.3 points.

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West Allis Hale (1-6, 0-5 GMC) at Menomonee Falls (4-3, 2-3 GMC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday at Menomonee Falls High School

Last year: Falls topped the Huskies 13-7.

Last week: ; Hale lost a 36-6 decision to Brookfield East

Essentials: Menomonee Falls must win this week and next week vs. Brookfield Central to assure a playoff spot. The Indians were killed last week by five turnovers; their defense handled Marquette’s strong passing game pretty well by putting good pressure on the Hilltoppers’ quarterback. Hale is struggling on both sides of the ball and has lost four of its five conference games by at least 20 points.

Marquette (5-2, 4-1 GMC) at Brookfield East (6-1, 4-1 GMC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday at Brookfield East High School

Last year: Marquette dominated the matchup 34-0.

Last week: ; Brookfield East defeated West Allis Hale 36-6

Essentials: The only team to score points of any note on East this year was city rival Brookfield Central, and like Central, Marquette operates from a shotgun spread on most snaps. Quarterback Joe Greif is not the running threat that Central’s Jason Meichtry is, but the Hilltoppers throw it more. Last week, Menomonee Falls pressured Greif heavily in the first half, which suggests big defensive end Alec James might have success for East. James also has become a powerful complement to Zach Schober, who is closing in on 1,000 yards for the season.

Brookfield Central (5-2, 4-1 GMC) at Wauwatosa East (1-6, 0-5 GMC)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday at Hart Park

Last year: Central defeated Tosa East 43-6.

Last week: Central took care of West Allis Central 36-14; .

Essentials: There should not be many surprises in this game.  It’s been a tough year for East after the excitement of winning the Battle of the Tosas in the season opener. The Red Raiders had hung tough in most games, but against Hamilton’s explosive offense last week it was 42-0 at halftime. Central averages 37.5 points in conference games, tops in the league.

CHAMPIONSHIP PICTURE

According to Brookfield East Athletic Director Corey Golla, the GMC does not use tiebreakers to determine the conference champion.

Heading into Week 6 of 7, four teams are even at 4-1. Brookfield Central is the only one of the four not scheduled to play another 4-1 team, so the Lancers control their If Brookfield East beats Marquette on Friday, the following weeks’ East/Hamilton game is for at least a share of the conference title.

If Marquette beats Brookfield East, the Hilltoppers wrap up with West Allis Central for at least a part of the title.

Hamilton must first take care of business against West Allis Central prior to the huge game against East; two wins for the Chargers assure them a piece of the crown.

AROUND THE WEB

Vote to make the Brookfield East at Hamilton game the WISN TV Big Game of the Week. The game with the most votes will be broadcast live by 540 ESPN Milwaukee.

In the state coaches’ poll, Hamilton is seventh, Brookfield East eighth and Brookfield Central 14th in Division 2, even though Central has beaten both those teams. Marquette is now 15th in Division 1. None of these teams are mentioned in the Associated Press state rankings, which divide teams into large school (900 or larger), medium and small enrollment.

The Brookfield Central/West Allis Central game was streamed live on FoxSports PrepZone. You can watch either a complete replay or just some of the highlights.


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