KFIZ Sports Two-a-Days : Laconia Spartans

The Laconia Spartans football team enters the 2018 season
coming off a second-place finish in the Flyway Conference and a trip to level
two of the WIAA Playoffs. To repeat that performance this season, the Spartans
will need to replace 12 seniors, many of which were multi-sport athletes at
Laconia. Spartans head coach Mark Madigan says those 12 seniors were
competitors. “I loved watching those guys compete, I loved the way they took
care of each other and always had each other’s backs, and it was an absolute
pleasure watching those guys for the last four years and even longer before
that” Madigan said.

Among the 12 seniors that depart were first-team
All-Conference selections Cormac Madigan and Jaylen Mahone and second-team
selections Zach Foth and Seth Gosse. Despite the departures, Madigan says the
Spartans do have 14 letter winners returning, meaning there is significant
experience coming back. On offense, Madigan points to players like Eli Leonard,
a sophomore, who has earned the quarterback job coming into the new season.
Madigan also identifies Jake Davies at receiver, Jared Hoffman and Alex Turner
in the backfield and three returning offensive lineman in Ian Treptow, Ethan
Rens and Tyler Lovejoy as players to watch on offense. A lot of the same names
are expected to step up for the Spartans on defense as well. Madigan points to
Treptow and Rens on the defensive line, Kendall Strook at linebacker and Jake
Davies, Jared Hoffman and Cooper Kastenschmidt at defensive back as players to
watch.

As for where the 2018 Spartans fit in to this year’s Flyway
Conference, Madigan says that’s to be determined. “As with last year, you never
know. That’s where the matchups come about. We have to really emphasize growing
up in those first two games. With the skills we have and the returning
offensive line we have, I think we have great potential” Madigan said.

2018 Laconia Schedule:

8/17: Wautoma

8/24: Mauston

8/31: Omro

9/7: at Lomira

9/14: Mayville

9/21: Edgar

9/28: St. Mary’s Springs

10/6: at Winnebago Lutheran

10/12: at Howards Grove