Father, son share special playoff memories

Andy Lucas will always remember playing on the 2011 Greenfield football team as it earned the school's first WIAA playoff berth in nine years.

His father, John, has his own playoff first to remember - he took part in the initial WIAA postseason back in 1976 as a member of the South Milwaukee Rockets.

"That was an honor," John said. "It was neat to be a part of it. Win or lose, it was going to be exciting."

The playoff landscape was quite different then. The field was made up of only 16 teams, with four divisions of four squads each. Teams made the playoffs and were seeded on a point system using the results of the regular-season games.

South Milwaukee, coached by Bill Spaltholz, had won the Suburban Conference championship and was 9-0. The Rockets held the top seed in Division 1, but all four teams were unbeaten heading into the playoffs.

The Rockets fell to fourth-seeded Racine Horlick, 23-14, in the semifinals and ended up 9-1. Horlick went on to lose to Antigo, 6-0, in the Division 1 championship at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Although South Milwaukee had the higher seed, the game was played on Horlick's home field.

"The venues were chosen ahead of time by the WIAA," John explained. "I always thought we should have fought that a little more."

Memories still strong

John, who played guard and defensive end, said he holds special memories of that game.

"It was a cold night," he recalled. "We didn't have the type of equipment they do today, so I taped on my black dress gloves, the ones I wore to church.

"Horlick was a tough team. We fell behind early, but clawed back into the game. We were usually a running team, but we got back into it by passing."

Overall, he was thrilled to be part of such a ground-breaking experience.

"It was a neat start," he said. "I'm happy that (the playoffs) have blossomed into something bigger."

That's something of an understatement. The WIAA field has grown to 224 schools in seven divisions playing five rounds.

This season, for the first time since 2002, Greenfield was one of those teams - and Andy Lucas was a featured running back.

The Hustlin' Hawks lost by a 42-7 count to a talented and playoff-tested Waterford team in their opener, but like his father, Andy will not let the defeat mar his memories.

"It was great, a real good experience," Andy said. "It was way different than the regular season, with the atmosphere. Everyone is the same, at 0-0, and everyone is looking to get to 1-0.

"It felt good. Getting to the playoffs was one of my goals in high school football, especially since we haven't done that in a while. Our first goal was a winning season (which the Hawks achieved with a 5-4 regular-season mark)."

The next generation

Greenfield football has come a long way in a short time under coach Scott Otto. Just two seasons ago, the Hawks went 0-9.

"I credit the seniors (for the turnaround), with their overall attitude toward things," Andy said. "We had a bunch of good leaders, and the whole team just clicked this year."

Andy said his father had told him about his own playoff experience.

"He told me what he remembered about it, and how his team was so good," Andy said.

John enjoyed watching his son compete on the same grand stage he had enjoyed in 1976.

"It was special," he said. "He and the team earned their way in. Greenfield had been in a long drought for the playoffs, and coach Otto and his seniors turned it around.

"They should be very proud of their accomplishments. They stepped onto the playoff field as achievers, and winners, with team and personal victories."

Some things don't change

Even before the playoff berth came along, John said, this year's Greenfield team reminded him of the 1976 Rockets.

"Coach Otto runs the wishbone triple option offense, and I had mentioned to him and my son early on that it brought back a lot of memories for me, because my team ran that same offense in 1976.

"The Rockets had a great rushing attack, and it was really memorable for me to watch my son and his friends work hard and form the same kind of rushing game that brought them success."

John added that it was never easy to watch the Hawks play his alma mater, South Milwaukee. Greenfield won this year's game, 24-7.

"I had to admit to being torn ever so slightly," John said. "It always brought back a flood of memories. This year, it made some new ones for both of us, as the Hawks crushed South Milwaukee, a fact that my son jokingly kept reminding me about for the remainder of the season."