The Sussex Hamilton Chargers believe they have the talent to make some noise this season, and a big win Friday night against Oconomowoc could send a big message.
Head coach Justin Gumm has led the Chargers for the past six seasons. He knows that for Hamilton to take the next step, it will take a complete effort.
"You know we've got to be good on all three phases. I don't think we have to be world beaters anywhere. But we gotta be consistent and not give up the big play on defensively. I think we gotta be more consistent running the football offensively. And really in special teams making sure that we're not making any mistakes there, we're cleaning and crisp," Gumm said.
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The Chargers have plenty of firepower on offense and are big up front, led by twin brothers Hunter and Reece Mallinger, both seniors on the offensive line committed to Wisconsin.
Hunter Mallinger said consistency has been a focus heading into the matchup.
"Be consistent, that's been our biggest problem in our past few games. I think Cole mentioned that we haven't really played a full 48 minutes of football. We've had really good times, and we've had some not-so-good times as well, so you know, just playing a complete game of football," Hunter Mallinger said.
For Reece Mallinger, sharing the field with his twin brother makes the experience even more meaningful.
"It's special. I mean, not many people get to play with their brother. Obviously we're twins too, so that makes it even more special. And I mean we're good players, so it just makes it fun when we're running tackle over and we just get to bury a defensive lineman and the running back gets a 25-yard gain and it's just really satisfying," Reece Mallinger said.
Leading the offense is senior quarterback Cole Erdmann, who is confident in what this group can do.
"You know when we're playing fast and we're going and we got a pass game and a run game going, we got so many weapons out there. You know we got a lot of senior weapons — Alex Restivo, Drew Olsson, Dane Warren and Will Hietpas. They're really, really good, so I think we got one of the best offenses in the state," Erdmann said.
The Chargers are in search of their first state title
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