Different conference, same style for Pacelli football The opponents may be different for the Pacelli High football team, but the Cardinals' style of play will remain the same in 2000. Pacelli, now a member of the Central Wisconsin Conference's large division, will have to face the likes of Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Bonduel, Manawa and Amherst instead of old rivals Marshfield Columbus and Eau Claire Regis. "It's a good conference," longtime Pacelli coach Bob Raczek said. "We're going to have to be up every week and be ready. "We're looking forward to it. It's some new challenges. We'll probably get some new schools as rivals but it's going to take a few years." The Cardinals open their season Friday night at home against Owen-Withee, at 7:30 p.m. Pacelli, as it has in the past, will rely on its running game on offense, Raczek said. That means their new conference foes better get used to cross traps. "We aren't changing that much. If we're going to have success, we have to establish the running game." Defensively, the Cardinals aren't very big, Raczek said a host of Cardinals should be in on tackles. "I think our defense, for the first two weeks and the scrimmage, hit fairly well and gang tackled. We need to gang tackle because we're not going to overpower people," Raczek said. "We're going to have to continue doing that if we're going to be successful." In the conference race, Raczek said Wittenberg-Birnamwood is probably the favorite. "They have a lot of kids back, big kids and a big school. They've had a lot of success in the last few years," he said. Bonduel and Manawa are also among the top teams in the conference, he said. "We want to go out there and win every football game. I like to have a real high goal. If we have a setback, we'll reassess our goals," Raczek said. "We have to keep improving if we want success. We have room for improvement. We need to eliminate our mistakes from the scrimmage." Here's a look at Pacelli position by position: Quarterback Junior Brad Heeg takes the starting quarterback post. He threw only one pass last year, a four-yard completion. Behind him are sophomores Nate Domaszek and Ahern Cashin, and freshman Jake Owens. "He's going to have to grow up in a hurry," Raczek said of Heeg. "I thought he had a pretty good two weeks and I'm pleased with the way he ran the team in the scrimmage. He's going to have to be the leader. "The passing game was good in the scrimmage. Heeg threw the ball well and we've got guys who can catch the football. We'll mix in the pass from time to time." Running back The Cardinals will use four different running backs to try and replace the graduated Neil Jurgella, who gained 1,060 yards and averaged 5.61 yards per carry last year. Senior Justin Anderson (82 carries, 383 yards) and sophomores Cashin (64 carries, 345 yards), Jeff Herzog (25 carries, 121 yards) and Tim Schwarz (one carry, 21 yards) are battling for carries. "I would say we'll use all four for a while until somebody stands out," Raczek said. Wingback Senior Adam Brazzale is Pacelli's leading returning receiver, after catching 10 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns in 1999. Coming out of the backfield, Brazzale had 15 carries for 68 yards. Brazzale will be used as a receiver 75 percent of the time, Raczek said. Junior Jim Milkowski will also see time at wingback. Wide receiver A trio of seniors and one junior will get the bulk of the time at wide receiver. Seniors Pat Schmitt (11 catches, 121 yards), Greg Snow (two catches, 28 yards) and Ben Greuel, and junior Zachary Thome will be on the receiving end of Heeg's passes. Last year's leading receiver, the now graduated Matt Kruzicki, caught 15 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns last season. "Those two kids have shown they can catch the football," Raczek said of Schmitt and Snow, the two starters. "They also have to do the job blocking." Offensive line Senior Cal Wysocki will start at center, senior Dave Blaha and junior Joe Usher are at guard, and seniors Jeremy Proulx and Matt Karch will start at tackle. Adam Somers (guard) and James Hackl (tackle) are the primary backups on the offensive line. "They're starting to come around," Raczek said. "Probably the last area to gel is the offensive line. They have to work together and get their blocking down." Defensive line Blaha, Karch, Proulx, Hackl, Wysocki, Snow and Jim Ostrowski will all see time on the line. Linebacker Usher, Anderson and Greuel will start at the linebacker spots for the Cardinals. Secondary In the defensive backfield, Schmitt and Heeg will start at safety while Brazzale and Herzog will be at cornerback. Domaszek, Schwarz, Cashin and Owens, are backups in the secondary. Special teams Pacelli's special teams lineup is still up in the air, but Raczek said Herzog will probably be the team's placekicker and Schmitt will probably punt. "That's a question mark. We've been working with some guys. We haven't had anybody step forward," Raczek said. "Our kickoff returner is up in the air. By Friday somebody's going to have to come through."