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New coach, new staff, new year.
And now a great start.
Dodgeville's new coach Jakob Kastenholz and the Dodgers not only got a win over Viroqua in their opener. They also got a shutout with the 40-0 decision.
The game took two days to play. The Dodgers had a 14-0 lead when lightning forced it to be postponed around 8 p.m. Friday. The two teams resumed play at 6 p.m. Saturday and the Dodgers never looked back.
The win was not a surprise to the new head coach.
"We have a lot of athletes and a lot of guys who can make things happen," Kastenholz said. "You can tell the guys that put the work in in the offseason. These guys are dogs and are hungry to make those big plays."
With Trenton Reddell calling signals the Dodgers wasted little time scoring. Senior back Lacardar Walker weaved in from the eight for a touchdown with 8:08 left in the opening frame. Mason Winch kicked his first ever conversion.
The Dodgers struck again two minutes later when Reddell handed off to Sean Reilly who put the final touches on a drive with a one yard run. Winch again hit the extra.
The next day Reddell got the Dodgers untracked with a 22 yard pass to Matthew Pittz. Winch hit the point after for a 21-0 lead with 3:56 left in the first half.
Next came a Walker run from 12 yards out with four minutes left in the third frame.
The Dodgers scored twice more in the fourth quarter. Walker got loose for his third touchdown, this time on a 14 yard run.
It was the defense's turn to finish things off which Noah Pittz did with an interception that he carried 55 yards to score.
The fact that Viroqua had little success moving the football was a key Kastenholz felt.
"Everyone trusted each other defensively," he said. "That was one area where we were able to make some adjustments after the postponement on Friday and we just reminded them that everyone has a job and a responsibility. If we all do our jobs, trust the system and good things will happen. In the heat of the game, it is easy to forget about alignment and assignments defensively."
Another key going forward is the Dodgers received no injuries in the battle.
"We came out of the game healthy," Kastenholz said. "Again, I just think this shows the time, effort, and work these boys put in in the offseason to get their bodies ready to go."
Adding to the win is a very important intangible which Kastenholz hopes continues throughout the season.
"The biggest thing that stood out to me was our leadership," the coach said. "Our captains did a great job keeping the guys focused. This was the first two day game anyone on the team and coaching staff had been a part of, and I've gotta give it to our team leaders for how they made sure everyone stayed ready."
The Dodgers are at Pecatonica-Argyle Friday for their second non-conference match-up.
"We are expecting them to come out hungry and ready to go," Kastenholz said. "We are preparing by reminding the boys that we are not done, and that we still need to continue to climb levels day in and day out. Enjoy the win over the weekend, but coming back Monday ready to go to work."
DODGEVILLE STATS
Passing
Reddell 11/19-160 2 TDS
Rushing
Walker 11/100
Reddell 10/18
Lemanski 5/9
Forsyth 2/7
Reilly 1/1
Receiving
Walker 2/16
M. Pittz 2/102
Bockhop 2/22
Honerbaum 4/15