Franklin senior gridiron leaders experience no letdown in 2011

They take their football very seriously in Franklin.

That gold 2006 WIAA State D2 championship trophy sits comfortably in a display case with the baseball championships of the last two years and the gymnastics title of last March.

The names of those honored, bloodied and eminently worthy team members are listed on a small plaque on the base of the trophy.

And the current players walk by it everyday on their way to class or to practice. They even got to meet some of them at a ceremony earlier this season.

So, it's all no surprise, that with a tradition like that behind them, a player like co-captain and 2011 NOW All-Suburban defensive end Mike Tomasino said first-off with no cynicism whatsoever in his voice:

"Tradition never graduates"

And he was joined in that philosophy by the rest of his smallish, but determined senior class as the Sabers came off a brilliant senior-heavy 12-1 2010 campaign and built their own legacy with a noteworthy 8-3 2011 record despite serious graduation losses from the year before.

A campaign that saw Tomasino be joined on the 2011 NOW All-Suburban team by classmates offensive tackle Levon Myers and defensive back Dylan Nogalski.

Like I said, Tomasino and the rest took things seriously this year.

"We really had a very good season last year (2010)," said Tomasino, whose goal is to get into the University of Wisconsin and major in architecture, "and because of that, everyone thought we wouldn't amount to much of anything this year, but we had to show people what we could do."

We grew up playing football. We wanted to prove to everyone that we could win too. So I tried to show it by leading by example in the weight room, not screwing around in practice, talking to the team during tight moments in games and getting them rallied up."

"When you're a captain, it can't just be 100 percent, you have to give 120 percent. More responsibility makes you a better player."

Tomasino earned his captain's spot with yeoman work for a defense that led the Southeast Conference with a 13.9 points per game average. His 62 total tackles included 11 tackles for loss and a reputation for flying around to wherever the ball was.

It rubbed off on the likes of Nogalski, who helped Tomasino and the rest of the defense earn its lofty status in the SEC. Despite being 5-10 and 158 pounds, Nogalski also got to the ball a great deal with 82 total tackles, including 50 solos.

Like Tomasino, Nogalski believed in the system and believed in coach Louis Brown, who took over from Jeff Klemp as head man of the program this fall. Brown had been defensive coordinator for the Sabers for many seasons before making the switch.

"It was no surprise that we did that well," said Nogalski. "We all knew that Coach Brown would get us where we needed to be. Our guys (in the senior class) held their own and we had new guys step up. We also did a lot of work in the off-season. We made sure we got a lot of reps in and were prepared."

Nogalski's 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash helped him pick two passes and tip four others.

The "no letdown" approach attitude also spilled over to Myers, who made his hard living on the offensive side of the ball, earning both Wisconsin Football Coaches' Association and Associated Press first-team all-state honors at offensive tackle and helping an inexperienced set of skill position players score at a 21-plus point a game clip.

The track weightman and Northern Illinois University scholarship player used quick feet (4.9 in the 40) and his rangy 6-6, 260-pound frame to protect sophomore quarterback Sean McGuire, who took some time to find his feet, but who eventually completed 61 percent of his passes for the season and who finished the fall with a terrifically game 397-yard passing effort in a WIAA Level 2 playoff loss to Brookfield Central.

Myers also helped clear the way for first-year starter at running back senior Ben Miller as he gained 1,000-plus yards and scored 14-TDs.

But what really earned Myers bonus points is that he helped shore up the defense by playing a little tackle this year, something he did not do in the 12-1 2010 campaign.

"We were glad he played a lot (on defense)," said Nogalski. "He did a lot both ways and we needed it, because everything good that happens starts in the trenches." His best game on that side of the ball was in the homecoming win over Kenosha Tremper.

You could tell ho much everything all meant to Myers, as he was one of the last to leave on that cold Saturday night in the Franklin Stadium after the loss to Central. He sat on the bench with a teammate long after all the post-game obligations had been met just sadly looking out one more time at the home field where so much good work had been done.

Myers said he was happy to help out on defense, and he's also pleased to be going down to Northern Illinois, where the Huskies also are also capable of putting points on the board.

"It was not an easy decision," he said, "but when I got down there, I just really liked the atmosphere and everyone in the program that I met. They really made me feel like I belonged there."

Just as he, Tomasino and Nogalski had been these past four years at Franklin.