PREPS PLUS

Prep football preview: No surprises here. Homestead is the team beat in the North Shore

Mark Stewart
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Homestead quarterback Emory Weeden (68) hands off to Howie Newbauer (2) during a scrimmage against Marquette at Mukwonago High School on Friday, August 10, 2018.

Surprise, it’s Homestead.

When it comes to tabbing the favorite in the North Shore Conference, the news is actually far from a surprise. Homestead, a winner of 17 straight league titles, is the team to beat again.

The gap, however, is closing. Slinger received almost as much support as the favorite. And don't forget Hartford. The Orioles will field a team that sports 14 returning starters and is coming off a run to the Division 2 quarterfinals.

Challengers to the throne are nothing new, though. Whitefish Bay, Germantown and Cedarburg each had its crack at topping the Highlanders in the league race in recent years and has come up short.

What happens this time will be one of the intriguing stories of the 2018 season.

CONFERENCE PREVIEWS:Classic 8 | Southeast | Woodland

Here is a closer look at the North Shore.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Whitefish Bay's Tommy Brunner, an all-state linebacker last season, is also a threat as a receiver.

Tommy Brunner, sr., OLB, Whitefish Bay: An honorable mention all-state pick by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, Brunner ranked third on the team in tackles last season with 71. Look for him to have a more prominent role at receiver this year.

Ben Hoitink, sr., OL-DL, Slinger: The 6-4, 300-pound tackle could be the poster child for the physical brand of ball the Owls are expected to play this season. He has committed to Pennsylvania.

Jake Lippe, sr., WR-DB, Port Washington. The North Dakota State commit had the distinction of earning all-North Shore honors at three spots last season, first team on offense and defense and honorable mention as a utility player.

Jake Pepin, sr., WR-DB, Hartford: One of the league’s most versatile players, Pepin led the team with 42 catches last season, averaging of 15.2 yards and scoring nine touchdowns. He also had a nose for the action on defense, picking off four passes and recovering three fumbles.

Jake Raddatz, sr., DE, Homestead: The Air Force recruit is a top candidate for defensive lineman of the year the conference. The 6-3, 235 pounder totaled five sacks and 17 tackles for loss last season.

CEDARBURG

Coach: Brian Leair, 23rd season.

2017 record: 1-8, (1-8, tied for ninth).

Returning all-conference players: None.

Key players: Drew Biber, soph., WR-DB; Wyatt Hart, soph., RB-DB; Ryan Hoffman, sr., DL; John McFadden, soph., OL-DL; Ben Landrum, jr., TE-LB; Ryan Noack, jr., OL-LB.

Outlook: The Bulldogs’ string of 12 straight playoff appearances ended last season. To make it back, they’ll have to overcome youth and inexperience. The schedule doesn't do them any favors, either. After opening with West Bend East, they face league favorites Hartford and Slinger back to back.

GRAFTON

Coach: Jim Norris, first season.

2017 record: 3-6 (3-6, seventh).

Outlook: The Black Hawks’ rebuilding effort is now in the hands of Norris, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach on the staff.

HARTFORD

Coach: John Redders, third season.

2017 record: 9-3 (7-2, third).

Returning all-conference players: Michael Funk, sr., OL; Jacob Pepin, sr., WR-DB.

Other key players: Jason Patterson, jr., WR-DB Josh Buddenhagen, sr., DE; Steven Lazaris, jr., LB; Tim Seramur, sr., WR-LB.

Outlook: Though Homestead and Slinger received top billing in the league, Hartford is right there, too. The Orioles return 14 starters, seven on each side of the ball, from a team that reached the Division 2 quarterfinals. A new quarterback will call the signals and there will be new primary ball carriers, but a big, strong line led by Funk is part of the reason the Orioles are expected to continue to soar.

HOMESTEAD

Homestead's Jared Schneider will be one of the team's primary ball carriers this season.

Coach: Dave Keel, 29th season.

2017 record: 9-2 (8-1, tied for first).

Returning all-conference players: Jake Raddatz, sr., DE; Jack Riebau, sr., QB; Emory Weeden, sr., DB;

Other key players: Jared Schneider, sr., RB; Willie Garrison, sr., RB; Greg Lampen, sr., LB.

Outlook: Defense will set the tone for the Highlanders. Four of the team’s top seven tacklers return. At the top of the list is Lampen, who led the team with 66 tackles, and Raddatz, a first-team all-conference selection. The schedule is back-loaded with Hartford and Slinger slated for Weeks 8 and 9, respectively, so the team has plenty of time for fine tuning.

NICOLET

Coach: Al Moroder, third season.

2017 record: 1-8 (1-8, tied for ninth).

Returning all-conference player: John Quam, sr., OL-DL.

Other key player: C.J. Kobe, sr., RB-LB.

Outlook: The first step toward turning around a program with Nicolet’s history of struggles is to change its culture. That is an area in which Moroder has seen continued improvement. The team ended last season with a 21-14 victory over Cedarburg that was the program’s first conference win since it returned from a one-year hiatus in 2015. Watch for Quam in the trenches. He earned second-team all-conference distinction on offense last year.

PORT WASHINGTON

Port Washington senior Jacob Lippe (left)  is a returning all-conference player on offense and defense.

Coach: John Bunyan, seven season.

2017 record: 5-5 (5-4, fifth).

Returning all-conference players: Jake Lippe, sr., WR-DB; Deron Spicer, sr., RB-LB; Adam Baierl, sr. QB; Zach Scharpe, sr., DB.

Other key players: Dylan Niehoff, jr., TE-LB; Ray Benson, sr., OL-LB; Mitchell Neihmyer, jr., WR-DB.

Outlook: The Pirates are on track for their third straight playoff appearance, something that hasn’t happened since 2006-'08. The team’s top passer, rusher and receiver each return. Equally promising for Port will be the defense, which will include eight seniors in the lineup. Scharpe was the second-leading tackler on that unit last season; Spicer was fourth.

SLINGER

Coach: Bill Jacklin, eighth season.

2017 record: 7-4 (6-3, fourth).

Returning all-conference players: Ben Hoitink, sr., OL-DL; Charlie Covert, sr, OL-DL; Jeraed Lighthizer, sr., RB-DB.

Other key players: Nick German, sr., LB-P; Hayden Wagner, sr., WR-DB; Tommy Boden, sr., TE-LB; Nick Poweleit, sr,. OL-DL; Danny Breuer, sr., QB.

Outlook: The pieces are in place for a big year. With Hoitink leading the offensive front and Covert anchoring the defensive line, Slinger’s line play will be among the best in the area. There is plenty of veteran leadership with 35 seniors and 28 juniors. There has to be a level of confidence inside those players. Were it not for late touchdowns, the Owls would have defeated Hartford and Homestead last season.

WEST BEND EAST

Coach: Jeff Rondorf, fourth season.

2017 record: 4-6 (4-5, sixth).

Returning all-conference players: None.

Key players: Matt Clark, jr., LB; T.J. Simpson, jr., QB.

Outlook: Are the Suns ready to move up the ranks in the league? They won two games each in 2015 and ’16 and reached four wins, all in the league, last year. Simpson, who completed 57% of his passes for 823 yards last season, returns for his second year as the starter. The team was competitive in losses to Hartford, Slinger and West Bend West. With a strong upper class returning, East could continue to move toward its second straight playoff appearance.

WEST BEND WEST

Coach: Mitch Draxler, third season.

2017 record: 2-7 (2-7, eighth).

Returning all-conference player: Eli Tranel, sr., QB-RB-DB.

Other key players: Blake Pudwell, sr., RB-LB; Josh Johnson, sr., RB-LB-DB; Cody Denz, sr., WR-DB.

Outlook: The Spartans haven’t been to the playoffs since 2010 and will have an uphill battle to get there this season. They do have one of the league’s better players in Tranel. He was a threat running and receiving last year. This season he is listed as a quarterback as well.

WHITEFISH BAY

Coach: Jake Wolter, fourth season.

2017 record: 11-2 (8-1, tied for first).

Returning all-conference players: Russell Enea, sr., DB; Noah Alling, sr., OL; Tommy Brunner, sr., LB

Other key player: Patrick Nau, sr., RB.

Outlook: You also must keep an eye on the Blue Dukes. The team graduated some key performers, such as its all-state quarterback, but year after year it remains highly competitive. Bay hasn’t  missed the playoffs since 2006 and likely won’t this year with a squad Wolter says is strong at running back and receiver and has a defense capable of adjusting to many attacks.