Wedig assembles all-star staff to lead Brodhead/Juda into battle

BRODHEAD — Gus Wedig is not your average rookie high school head coach.

And the Brodhead/Juda head man certainly doesn’t come equipped with your average coaching staff.

Wedig, a former standout player at Walworth Big Foot, will have his father Rodney, a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer, as his offensive coordinator. BJ Bockhop, a former successful Brodhead/Juda head coach, is on the staff. And for the off the field stuff? There, he can turn to another WFCA Hall of Fame member, Brodhead High principal Jim Matthys, who stepped down following last season.

Gus Wedig ran the defense for Matthys last season, and said the support is critical.

“It’s immensely important to have a staff like I do,” Wedig said. “I’ve got my dad running the offense, and whenever I have questions when it comes to uniforms, fundraising, any of that stuff that’s new to me, I can turn to Jim Matthys. It’s definitely been a blessing.”

Wedig takes over a tradition-rich program that finished last season with a 6-4 record, placing them right in the middle of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference.

Having familiarity with the players by virtue of his time with the team last year, Wedig feels comfortable already.

“Not only being on the staff, but having a teaching job in the building really cemented my relationship with the guys,” Wedig said. “It’s been really nice to come in and not have to put a brand new offensive and defensive system. Last year, we installed the defense that I was looking for, and that really allows us to focus in and hammer down the offensive schemes, terminology and formations that we want.”

That change includes a stark difference from Brodhead/Juda teams of the past: a plan to throw the ball down the field a significant amount. Last season, Gabe Bockhop threw for 1,212 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior.

“When you’ve got a passer like Gabe Bockhop, it would be a slap in the face to him to not throw the ball 20 times per game,” Wedig said. “We’ve got players like David Masloske and Eric Woodward that are great options. We have the weapons on the outside; now it’s just a matter of getting our offensive line to mesh. If we can get that to happen, we’ve got a lot of potential on offense.”

Wedig said there isn’t a clear favorite right now to be the No. 1 running back.

“Running back is the biggest question mark that we have on the depth chart right now,” Wedig said. “Grayson Arn has been taking reps, and he’s a sophomore that I can see him in a couple of years being an all-conference-caliber back. We’ve also got Brady Zimmerman, who plays hockey and lacrosse and is a physical guy that isn’t afraid to lower his pads and pick up 4 yards and a cloud of dust.”

On the defensive side, Wedig said the Cards will have some work to do.

“Guys like Blake Matthys and Marcus McIntyre will be hard to replace,” Wedig said. “Marcus was our eraser last year. Anybody made a mistake, Marcus was somehow there to make a play. We don’t really have anyone this year that fits that profile, so we’re going to have to rely on a sound scheme and fundamentals. Nick Lobeck is a guy at the safety position that’s going to play a big role for sure. He’s the brains of the operation.”

As per usual, the SWC will present some difficult challenges.

“You can’t argue against Prairie du Chien being at the top of the list,” Wedig said. “They’ve got Blake Thiry, who is committed to Indiana and just kind of does everything for them. Platteville has one of the most talented quarterbacks I’ve seen at this level, and with Lancaster’s history and tradition, they always seem to find a way to be near the top.

“This is really going to be a statement year for us. We should enjoy flying under the radar and trying to come up and surprise some people.”

Bockhop said the team is well aware of the public perception.

“I saw that we were predicted to finish fourth in the conference,” Bockhop said. “So we’re going to use that as fuel for us. We lost some talented players, but I think we’ve got some younger guys that are ready to step up for us.”

The Cardinals will open their season at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 at home against Edgerton.