MUSKEGO, Wisc., (SPECTRUM NEWS) - Hunter Wohler wasn’t sure this day would come. The last time he was on a football field, Muskego lifted the Division 1 state championship trophy for the second year in a row. After months of uncertainty during the pandemic, the Wisconsin commit is thankful to be back with his teammates.

“It’s just a relief,” Wohler says. “There’s been so many things up in the air over the last year that it’s nice to get back to the one thing that you always look forward to.”

During every water break at Intro Stadium, each Warrior stands near a cone with their name on it, and they are all required to sanitize their hands before returning to the field. Head coach Ken Krause has seen his players hold each other accountable, hoping their efforts are enough to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak.

“We’re kids. We like to be around each other,” says senior running back Alex Currant, the state’s 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year. “But in the locker room - mask on, no matter what. Otherwise, I think it’s 25 push-ups now.”

Muskego’s quest for a third straight state title will begin with a seven-game regular season, followed by a postseason whose details have not been announced.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Athletic Association approved an alternate fall sports season, which allowed its member schools to move fall seasons, including football, to spring. WIAA data shows 257 of the state’s 377 football programs, about 68 percent, elected to play in the fall, while 120 shifted their season to spring.

Krause said he was adamant about trying to compete this fall, and was glad to see all Classic 8 Conference schools decide against the spring option.

“We wanted to play this fall because you don’t know if anything’s even going to change in the spring,” Krause says. “So we wanted to give it a shot, give it our best effort and see where we’re at.”

The WIAA has maintained all of its schedules are subject to change per local, state and federal health guidelines. Student-athletes, especially seniors like Wohler, know their final high school seasons could be cut short by the pandemic.

“We all want this season, so we’re going to do whatever it takes to get that,” Wohler says. “Whether it’s wearing your mask inside or staying spread out on the sideline, whatever it is. We just want to play.”

Muskego’s back-to-back state championships are a remarkable feat. Completing a three-peat in this unprecedented season would be unforgettable.