Tag: Wisconsin high school football

Wisconsin high school football standout inks major contract extension with Broncos

Wisconsin high school football standout inks four-year contract extension with Broncos

Former Wisconsin high school football standout Quinn Meinerz signed a four-year, $80 million contract extension with the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Despite not playing for the Badgers during his collegiate tenure, Meinerz made the jump to the collegiate scene after an impressive athletic career at Hartford Union High School in Hartford, Wisconsin.

Outside the gridiron, Meinerz was a talented athlete in track and field and wrestling. In football, the 6-foot-3, 320-pounder earned an honorable mention all-state nod as both an offensive and defensive lineman during his senior season.

Meinerz played college football at Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2017-2019. After playing just two games his freshman season, the guard started 29 of his next 31 appearances and pocketed All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association first-team honors after a stellar junior season in 2019.

The Broncos selected Meinerz with the 98th pick of the 2021 NFL draft, making him the highest-drafted player in Wisconsin-Whitewater history.

Over the last three seasons, Meinerz has started 39 games, including 30 straight dating to the start of Denver’s 2022 season. During his second year in the NFL, the Hartford native allowed three sacks on 479 pass-blocking snaps.

The contract extension is a significant vote of confidence in Meinerz from Broncos’ brass. He becomes the third highest-paid active guard by annual salary behind the Eagles’ Landon Dickerson and the Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom.

‘Packed’ Friday night: Northern Wisconsin HS football games clash with Green Bay’s NFL opener

NFL’s historic game presents a bit of an issue for high school football.

The NFL schedule release has created excitement for fans across the country and even the world, a progression that continues to highlight the league’s dominance. However, some of the expansion has introduced a bit of detailed torment for high school football in northern Wisconsin.

It begins with history in South America.

Green Bay’s 2024 opener is on September 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paola, Brazil.

It’s the first-ever NFL game in South America and the first meeting between the two NFC teams since 2022 when the Eagles won 40-33 at Lincoln Financial Field. 

Kyzir White #43 of the Philadelphia Eagles attempts to tackle Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field on November 27, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

It’s also on a Friday, when the bright lights of high school football have historically shined without the NFL causing any scheduling dilemmas for the fans—both in the stands and on the field.

But the game was set in February, a major announcement that headlined the Eagles as one of the teams making the international trip.

The other team was TBD, which added to the intrigue and simultaneously developed conflict for any sports on September 6 that might be in the fan base’s area.

Once Green Bay became the opponent, that scenario took aim at high school football, where officials have been figuring out ways to shift things around under the new circumstances.

And it’s not an easy lift. 

According to a report from USA TODAY Network’s Green Bay Press Gazette, a few games—Pulaski vs. De Pere and Bay Port vs. Preble—have already moved to Thursday, while others have made earlier kickoff times.

Bay Port players watch from the sidelines during a game against Pulaski. (USA TODAY Network)

But that shift presents a far more significant issue, as Steve Kestly, co-commissioner of the Fox River Classic Conference, highlighted:

“There are 10 conferences that share officials. If everybody wants to move their games to Thursday, you have to see if officials are available and if everyone wants to do that, there won’t be enough officials.”

The puzzle is filled with more than just football pieces, too; other fall sports, such as volleyball and soccer, could get caught up in the domino effect created by moving football games to Thursdays.

“We have to take other things into consideration,” Kestly explained to the Gazette’s Jeff Bollier.

“That’s why it will be on an individual basis.”

Wisconsin HS cancels most football games after being outscored 134-0 in first 2 games

The schedule for Menominee Indian High School’s varsity football team, which has just 22 players, has been condensed to just two more games after a pair of lopsided losses.

After two extremely lopsided shutout losses, a Wisconsin high school announced it will be canceling the majority of the remaining games on the varsity schedule.

Menominee Indian (Keshena, Wisc.) lost its Week 1 game 76-0 and then its second game 58-0. It did not publicly provide reasons for the decision, according to WJFW and WAOW.

The team only has 22 players, according to WAOW, so it is reasonable to speculate that player safety may be a factor. Players can play both sides of the ball, as many do throughout the country, but a team this small leaves minimal room for injuries or other absences. That concern swells if the opponent physically dominates the games, as was likely the case in these first two games that resulted in a combined score of 134-0.

Menominee Indian will play its game against Tomahawk on Oct. 7 and the homecoming game against Northland Pines on Oct. 14, according to the outlets. The junior varsity team will continue to play, per WJFW.

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