HOLMEN — The anticipation when the football is shoved into the stomach or pitched into the awaiting hands of Jack Barth is difficult to deny.
The Holmen High School senior has the speed and footwork to turn any pitch or handoff into a big play, and while he has already demonstrated this, the Vikings hope to see a lot more of it this fall.
Few — if any — runners can burst through an open lane like Barth, who is primed for a big season behind a big offensive line anchored by a couple of returning starters.
“We have people who want to hit, people who want to block, people who want to run, and everyone’s angry and violent,” Barth said. “But then everyone’s nice again when they aren’t on the ball.”
Barth said he likes the binding that has already been done for a team with plenty of players returning for a team that was 7-4, won a WIAA first-round playoff game and was part of a five-way tie for the MVC championship.
Barth rushed for 1,018 yards — he averaged 12.4 per carry and 101.8 per game — and 10 touchdowns in addition to catching 5 touchdown passes and throwing 1 of his own.
The versatility that accompanies Barth’s speed means only good things for a program trying to take a step forward and build on postseason success.
Coach Travis Kowalski, in fact, is excited about a lot of things offensively as they relate to experience and talent.
“There is so much experience in the backfield,” he said. “We have AJ (Alesch), who started almost every snap as a sophomore and junior, we have Barth, who started almost every snap his sophomore and junior years and we get Eli Kane back after he missed last year and had to have surgery after a separated shoulder.
“Kane looks amazing at fullback.”
Alesch rushed for 318 yards and scored 4 touchdowns last season while averaging 6.9 yards per attempt.
One unexpected difference comes at quarterback, where senior Alex Berget was the anticipated starter after passing for 579 yards and 9 touchdowns and rushing for 644 yards and 9 more scores.
A broken foot has sidelined him for this fall, and that creates an opening for senior Colin Williams, who has experience at the position but has been more of a contributor as a linebacker. He was in on 48 tackles, forced 2 fumbles and recovered 1 for a touchdown last season.
“We can roll with Williams,” Kowalski said. “Defense has just been the best fit for him to this point.”
Kowalski also has at his disposal a couple of impact players who were heavyweights for an exceptional wrestling program.
Senior Jagger Jepson, listed at 6-foot 1, 280 pounds, helps anchor the offensive line. Senior Tristen Brennan, listed on the same roster at 6-3, 305, is a disruptive defensive force in the trenches.
Both have the ability to play on both side of the line of scrimmage, but a roster of 120 players allows Kowalski the option of keeping the guys focused on one spot almost exclusively.
Jepson and senior Connor Degner are most experienced blockers and will play a big role in turning those offensive threats listed earlier loose on opponents in the option attack.
“If we make our blocks, and our backs can get off that first level,” Jepson said, “they will make some plays happen.”
Jed Larson and Eli Buchholtz are other potential impact players up front for the Vikings after gaining some experience last season due to injuries.
Brennan, who had 56 tackles and made 6 stops for loss, will be a problem for most of the offensive lines he faces. He’s also a possibility for big snaps on the offensive line when needed.
“I’m just going to clog up the middle the best I can,” Brennan said. “I’m here to help the linebackers crush everything in the middle.”
One of those linebackers is junior Mason Flury, who made his presence known quickly last season and finished with 4 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles to go with 71 total tackles.
“We had some injuries, and he kind of tripped into the role for us,” Kowalski said of Flury. “He has great vision, and he’s a hammer.
“We try not to play our sophomores a lot because we want them to grow, but he went in there and became a huge piece.”
Lineman Ayden Smith (43 tackles) and defensive back Jakai Ayed are among the other valuable returning pieces for Holmen’s defense.
2025 SCHEDULE
(7 p.m. unless noted)
x-August 22: at Medford
x-August 29: at Sauk Prairie
September 5: vs. Onalaska
September 12: vs. Sparta
September 19: vs. Reedsburg
September 26: at Tomah
October 3: at Baraboo
October 10: vs. Central
October 17: at Logan
