Friday is a big day for one local high school football team. Brookfield Central is headed to the state championships with not only a shot at a perfect record, but an opportunity the school's first football championship.
The halls inside Brookfield Central just might look like a ghost town Friday as the school packs 20 buses to bring some energy to Camp Randall. State title banners line all four walls of Brookfield Central’s gym, but you won't find one that says football.
"This school has 3 runner-up trophies and our goal is certainly to bring back a gold ball," said head football coach Jed Kennedy.
Team leaders like running back Zach Heckman said it's something they've only dreamed of since they were freshmen.
"Now being a senior finally having this opportunity is pretty special," Heckman said.
The Lancers’ undefeated season that’s been full of talent and trickery sends them to the title game for the first time in over a decade. It’s a remarkable feat matched by the school's junior varsity and freshman teams. They're a combined 30-0 as a program this fall.
"From the start of the season we knew we had a chance to get there and as the season went on, that picture got bigger and bigger," said senior linebacker Reggie Jennings.
The Lancers have a tough challenge ahead as they face off against 13-0 Waunakee in Division 2. Kennedy says they’re anticipating plenty of help from the sidelines.
"We had 2,000 tickets sold as of Wednesday after three days," Kennedy said.
It’s the last opportunity for a senior class to show their school spirit under the bright lights. Brookfield Central sold more than 1,300 state team t-shirts to bring a big splash of blue to the stands.
“We're going to get really hyped, the football boys are always asking us to raise the energy so we know we've got to get louder,” said senior Suzy Dawood. “We're going to be louder than Waunakee; it's going to be the loudest one yet."
The school plans to send off the team Friday morning. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. in Madison.
