WISCO PLAYBOOK

Tag: Football

  • She’s in the huddle: Madison West’s first-ever female coach

    Written by: Rachel Cohen

    Grace Cannizzo grew up loving sports. She noticed during fifth grade that every recess the boys would play soccer so one day, she told one of them she wanted to join. 

    He invited her in and she eventually became the only girl playing in a group of 40 boys. It wasn’t met with agreement from everyone and one of the boys would lash out, pushing her around and throwing punches at her. 

    But instead of letting that be her discouragement, she went on to invite more and more girls to come play until there were at least 15 girls who joined the soccer games played during recess. That same boy was so mad and stopped throwing punches because he was outnumbered. 

    Cannizzo laughed while telling this story because of how ridiculous it was that a boy would throw punches, but it taught Cannizzo a lesson early on. She learned she could hang with the boys and had the skills and knowledge to be a part of the games, the locker rooms and the broadcast booth just as much as any of the boys did. 

    Not only is Cannizzo a 20-year-old journalism student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but she is now also an assistant wide receiver coach for a high school football team. 

    At a time when women are continuing to break barriers in sports, Cannizzo is leading that charge as the only female football coach for Madison West High School. 

    “I’ve been watching football my whole life,” Cannizzo said. “I’ve been analyzing sports my whole life. I know I’m just as qualified as anyone else, even if they know more than me, I’m still qualified for the positions I have.”

    Growing up in New Jersey, Cannizzo was immersed in sports through her family’s love for Notre Dame football. She loved the environment, tradition, and bond sports brought. 

    “There isn’t a time in my childhood I don’t remember sports being a big thing in my family, specifically with my dad,” Cannizzo said. “He just kind of raised me that way.”

    That love of sports being in her life continued with her to college and ultimately led to her reaching out to the Madison West football staff. 

    “I’ve just been so into football my whole life,” Cannizzo said. “I’m sometimes that person that’s picking apart things. And I was like, you know, I feel like I’d actually enjoy this beyond just yelling at my television.” 

    She sent an email and went through an interview process with the Madison West coaches. They all clicked and by the end of winter, Cannizzo was added to the coaches email list. 

    Michael Vorlander, an offensive line assistant coach at Madison West said, “it’s unusual to see a woman on a football coaching staff, especially at the high school level.”

    He initially questioned how the 18-year-olds on the team would respond to having a female coach and how Cannizzo would coach considering she had never played football.  

    But, after meeting Cannizzo, all of his questions and worries went away. 

    “When you meet Grace, you realize that she knows ball,” Vorlander said. “She knows ball very well. She’s been watching it from a very young age, and she understands it more than a lot of these kids.”

    Besides learning all their names in the first week and blowing Vorlander “out of the water,” Cannizzo has developed a different kind of relationship with the players. 

    While they can jokingly call her “unc” (a slang term for being old) because she’s only a few years older than them, she also provides a different outlook on things.

    “I think that adds more of a relatability factor,” she said. “I’m pretty good at bringing situations down, de-escalating and also, yeah, with age, I think I’ve been able to help with things I can relate to more, even outside of coaching.”

    She’s also made a difference in the coaches. Not only has she changed their perspectives of women coaching, she’s also brought a new light to the team. While some coaches can be headstrong, Grace is more welcoming and friendly. 

    “She comes out there with full steam, with confidence, and you would have never second guessed that this girl has never coached a day in her life before,” Vorlander said. “We love having Grace around. She’s a blast. She lights up the room.”

    The running back coach Julius Starlin agreed that Grace brings a fresh outlook to the team. 

    “It’s just kind of really enlightening,” Starlin said. “You know, honestly, having a different perspective…she’s found a purpose and she’s found things that she can do to learn and benefit the team.”

    Whenever there’s a doubt, Cannizzo always comes back to her self motto: “If you know ball, you know ball.” 

    That is also something she tells her younger self, her current self and young girls who want to break into the sports world. 

    “Stop doubting yourself,” Cannizzo said. “I’m a big believer in following your heart as opposed to your brain. This is one where I think it’s very applicable, do what you want to do, and things will fall in place.”

  • Sean West’s rise seems to be more steadfast than improbable

    West, who grew up an avid Badgers fan is now playing – and thriving – on his childhood team.

    Written by: Jacob Szczap

    With his back facing the student section and the Wisconsin Badgers in a 4th-and-19 situation in the midst of a blowout, Sean West fielded a high snap standing on his own two-yard line. He gathered the football, lifted it to punt it and then did the unthinkable. With an open field to his right, 33 yards from his feet to the first-down marker, and an entire stadium expecting a punt, West took off running.

    West made the call to run himself, and he had no idea how much yardage he had to gain, figuring it was a 4th-and-5. But as he took off, he had almost the entire field fooled, and sprinted unbothered for 25 yards. 

    Ohio State safe-man Leroy Roker III, the one player who didn’t take West’s bait, closed in on him at the 27 yard-line, but West was able to shake off the tackle, made another Ohio State player miss, and stumbled his way to a first down. 

    The uncalled fake punt was the Badgers’ only positive moment of the game, making it the most memorable and is indicative of West’s role in Wisconsin’s season as a whole — a bright spot shining through a year that had its fair share of struggles.

    Fast forward a couple months, the Badgers finished the season 4-8, their worst mark in 35 years. There were low points, like losing to Maryland at home, and then getting bludgeoned to two consecutive shutouts by Iowa and Ohio State. But players like West — young, successful and hungry, show that there is reason to believe that Wisconsin’s fortunes can turn around. 

    West, who comes from in-state Mequon, brings the passion of a kid that spent a childhood dreaming of playing for the Badgers. Head coach Luke Fickell described him as a player, “that is dying to be here.” 

    He was raised a Badgers fan, and regularly attended games with his family at Camp Randall throughout his childhood. “I always wanted to go to Madison, it was my number one dream school,” West told the Cardinal. “I had pictures of Wisconsin football in my room as a kid.” 

    Throughout his youth, he had always been a good athlete, excelling in soccer, hockey, and lacrosse, in addition to football. In middle school football, he played a variety of positions, including quarterback, defensive end and linebacker, but he made the most impact with his leg. 

    “From playing soccer when I was a kid, I knew I had a decent leg,” West recalled. “So I kind of just went and tried out for kicker.” 

    He, and others, soon discovered his leg was more than decent. 

    “Nobody would expect a middle school kid to be able to kick the ball that far,” Drake Zortman, West’s head football coach at Homestead High School, told the Cardinal. “He would kick off, and then the (opposing) team would have to turn around and run backwards to get it.”

    West progressed through the youth ranks, and by his sophomore year, he was named Homestead’s starting kicker and punter, where he initially struggled. 

    In his junior season, however, things changed. West went four-for-four on field goals, and was quickly making a name for himself in the state’s prep kicking circles. 

    “He did nothing but get better,” Zortman said. 

    Realizing his potential, West devoted the summer following his junior year to perfecting the craft of kicking. He started traveling throughout the country to participate in kicking and punting camps, where he developed skills and began gaining notice from college recruiters. 

    Still, West operated largely from under the radar. Heading into his senior season, he had received interest only from Division II and III schools. By the end of his season, it looked like if West wanted to play high-level college football, it would have to be over 15 hours from home, as Wyoming was the only Division I school to offer interest. 

    But two nights before he was set to fly out to Laramie for a visit, Wisconsin special teams analyst Spencer Rymiszewski gave West a follow on Twitter and invited him to Camp Randall for a game visit that weekend. Although he had had the Wyoming trip planned for weeks, West exuberantly accepted Rymiszewski’s invitation. 

    “I was kind of freaking out,” West said. 

    In a drastic change of events, West was suddenly being recruited by his childhood team. But after the visit, months went by without West hearing any more word from Madison. He eventually contacted Wisconsin punter Gavin Lahm, who told West that Rymiszewski had accepted a position at Kent State. From there, West got back in touch with Wisconsin. He went on an unofficial visit in April 2023, and days later, when offered by assistant special teams coordinator Eric Raisbeck, West committed on the spot. 

    As the reality that West had fulfilled a childhood dream set in, West also immediately realized that he would have to double down on the same principles that brought him to Wisconsin — hard work and a commitment to excellence. 

    West spent his freshman season in Madison buried in Wisconsin’s special teams depth chart, and struggled with the adaptation to a smaller role on a team. 

    “When you come to college as an athlete, you have dreams of beating people out and playing your first year,” West said. “But last year, I didn’t have a great year, punting wise.”

    While he didn’t see the playing field, being a part of a program he grew up idealizing lit a match to a deep desire for success that was already fueled. 

    “I remember just going down the hallways, (seeing), the legends that have played here, like JJ Watt, all those guys,” West said. “I was always so jealous of them, and wanted to be like them.” 

    Heading into this season, his redshirt freshman year, West didn’t expect to play, with emphasis on continuing to improve physically and mentally. But he had a great fall camp, found consistency in his punting and caught the eyes of the coaching staff. 

    His progress continued throughout the season, and with the Badgers reeling in mid-October, West was told he was going to receive some in-game action. His first appearance came in the aforementioned Ohio State game. 

    “I was shaking quite a bit,” West said. “Being on the field for the first time didn’t feel real at all.” 

    After his first punt though, he settled in nicely, and found enough confidence to pull off the fake punt, a play most players wouldn’t dare execute on their own. West became a beacon of hope for Wisconsin fans, and became a crucial part in the rest of Wisconsin’s season. 

    He took three punts in Wisconsin’s next game against Oregon, and a week later at home vs then No. 21 Washington, etched his name further into the college football zeitgeist. 

    Trailing 10-3 in the third quarter, West completed his second fake punt in his first three games as a Badger. The playcall was planned this time, but West almost missed the call. 

    The Badgers thought they could exploit Washington’s punt coverage, and called a play that featured West pulling back on the punt and passing the ball. But West wasn’t sure if he heard the playcall correctly, and had to yell out to Aaron Witt to double-check. At the last moment, Witt confirmed the fake.  

    West then found tight end Jackson Acker wide open in the middle of the field for a 24-yard first down completion. The play brought an energy to Camp Randall that would eventually carry Wisconsin to its first Big Ten victory of the year, and the first ranked win of the Fickell era. 

    On a snowy afternoon where running the ball took priority, West, with his 24 passing yards finished the game as Wisconsin’s leading passer, drawing national attention. 

    Though West introduced himself with the stunning dash against Ohio State, and told the college football world he was sticking around with his play against Washington, it has been more than just his knack trickery that propelled him to becoming Wisconsin’s first punting option. 

    In his six games, West has been good for 47.7 yards per punt, 11th best in college football. He had 14 punts that travelled 50 or more yards. 

    “Sean has just shown us over and over again on a consistent basis that he’s got a really, really good leg,” Fickell said.

    With fellow punter Atticus Bertrams announcing he has entered the transfer portal, West appears to be heading into next season as Wisconsin’s starting punter. It marks a continuation of the upward trajectory West has been on since his days as an athletic middle-schooler known for his leg. 

    West remembers looking out at the Camp Randall field a few years ago, telling his sisters how badly he wanted to play on it. Now, he’s in the position he envied, and while ecstatic about it, he’s not close to being satisfied.

    “I want to be considered one of the greats, one of the best to come out of Badger football,” West said.

    With his rapid journey from fan to foundational player, West’s story may evoke a sort of underdog tale. But his sheet talent, paired with unwavering commitment to his craft, and the place he grew up dreaming of, point to his rise being more steadfast than improbable.

  • Loss to Minnesota a reminder that Wisconsin still has a long way to go

    by Jacob Szczap

    After a November where the Wisconsin Badgers changed the narrative of their 2025 season, they had an opportunity to once-and-for-all flip a disastrous season on its head and ride into a crucial offseason with positive momentum. With exhilarating home victories over then-CFP Top 25 foes Washington and Illinois, Wisconsin proved they were capable of winning and salvaged what was left of their remaining season.

    But as Saturday’s 17-7 loss to Minnesota became the last memory of a season many would like to forget, Wisconsin’s feel-good victories have been diminished, instead swapped with the all-too-familiar taste of defeat.

    Now, Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell heads into his most important offseason with a team unable to fully get over the hump, and a fanbase that, while less restless than a month ago, is still weary of the job he is doing. 

    “It’s very, very difficult and tough to swallow,” Fickell said after the Minnesota game. “I know that the locker room feels as bad as you possibly could, and I wanted nothing more than to end this thing for the seniors in a way that they could be proud of.”

    No matter the result against Minnesota, Wisconsin’s victories over Washington and Illinois granted the Badgers a level of offseason breathing room that seemed impossible in October. 

    The Badgers began the season 2-6 and hardly looked competitive against Alabama, Maryland, Iowa and Ohio State.

    Wisconsin should feel good knowing that after being embarrassed at home by Maryland and Iowa earlier in the year, they found the will and ability to knock down quality opponents and compete at the Big Ten level later in the season. 

    The wins were Wisconsin’s first against Top 25 opponents under Fickell. In 2023 against No. 3 Ohio State, and in 2024 against No. 3 Penn State and No. 1 Oregon, Wisconsin fought against highly ranked foes for three quarters, but did not have the stamina to finish with wins. 

    This season, albeit against different caliber teams, Wisconsin was able to close out victories and produce the signature wins that had previously been so elusive under Fickell. Finishing strong against Washington and Illinois proves there is growth within the program and serves as a testament to the players buying into Fickell’s style. 

    Still, losing to Minnesota, who Wisconsin has fallen to in four of their last five meetings, is a stark reminder that despite the progress the Badgers have made in recent weeks, there is still a long way to go in climbing the metaphorical “mountain” Fickell speaks of almost weekly. 

    “Like any last game, in particular at the end of the season, a rivalry game, all the things that build up to this — we weren’t able to get the job done,” Fickell said. “There are a lot of reasons why we didn’t get the job done today.”

    The most glaring reason Wisconsin faltered against Minnesota was their quarterback situation, an issue that has plagued the Badgers throughout Fickell’s tenure and continues to plague them into the offseason.

    In recent weeks, Wisconsin’s ever-fluctuating quarterback depth chart led to true freshman Carter Smith taking the reins. 

    Under Smith, Wisconsin hasn’t been a pass-first offense, and that continued against Minnesota as snow blanketed the field. Smith, taking a backseat to the run game, completed five-of-eight passes for 20 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 16 yards. 

    Wisconsin struggled to move the ball downfield, and it took an improbable toe-tapping touchdown from tight end Jackson Acker on fourth-and-goal with 27 seconds left in the half to get Wisconsin on the board. 

    The play was set up by a 67-yard pass from backup Hunter Simmons, who replaced Smith for the last drive of the first half, but it was still surprising to see Fickell trot out Simmons for the entire second half. Smith, the 24th ranked quarterback in the 2025 recruiting cycle, was a major recruiting win for Fickell and was seen as the possible future for the position for Wisconsin. The fact that Smith was under center for the two biggest wins of the season certainly added to the questions surrounding his second-half benching. 

    Simmons also struggled, inhibiting the Badgers by throwing costly interceptions on Wisconsin’s first two possessions of the second half. He finished 12-of-19 passing with 162 yards and no touchdowns. 

    “It’s nothing against Carter, it’s just the way that they were playing,” Fickell said. “And we thought that, you know, going in at halftime and coming back out, that it gave us a chance to loosen some things up, and they moved the ball decently. Just couldn’t capitalize.”

    Whatever the thought process was, Smith’s second-half benching shows that the positive energy he garnered in recent weeks wasn’t enough to convince Fickell his freshman quarterback was the right man to close out the season. In the fast-paced world of college football, it also heavily suggests that Fickell will be looking for a quarterback in the portal over the offseason, diverting from Smith, who while not solely responsible for the late-season wins, played a large role. 

    Beyond the quarterback, the offense’s play as a whole against Minnesota leaves plenty of questions surrounding the unit’s future. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes did not meet expectations in his first year in Madison, leading a unit that finished 133rd in total offense, last out of Power conference teams. 

    After a blip of dynamism against Illinois — in which Wisconsin scored their most points (27) since Sept. 6 — the Badgers returned to their usual stagnation against Minnesota, turning the ball over three times and sputtering their way through a series of frustrating drives. 

    Heading into the offseason, Fickell will have to decide whether he wants to keep Grimes around to lead the offense in a do-or-die season or dump him after a putrid first year. 

    Over the season’s last few weeks, the Badgers showed they were a team worth taking seriously, and they created some seriously memorable moments that reminded fans there still is a mystique around Wisconsin football. But for all of the growth Wisconsin showed in their victories, the core tenants of their struggles still remain at season’s end. 

    Wisconsin finished the season with its worst record in 35 years. They failed to win a game on the road and clearly have the lower-hand in rivalries with Iowa and Minnesota. Heading into a make-or-break offseason, Fickell must build around what his team did well late in the season, while keeping the year’s shortcomings at the front of his mind. 

  • It’s Not Just Football with the Chiefs Anymore 

    by Ashley Sonnenberg

    The Chiefs are in a stretch where they actually look human. They have many lost games, their offense is not as smooth, and they have things to fix. Still, they are the most talked about team in the NFL. 

    A big reason for that is the attention around Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Their relationship has brought a wave of new eyes to Kansas City, and the team now lives in both sports conversation and everyday pop culture.

    Taylor Swift has one of the biggest and most active fan groups in the world. When she started going to Chiefs games, posting about them and being shown during broadcasts, a lot of people who never cared about football suddenly had a reason to watch. 

    TV ratings among younger women went up, Kelce’s jersey sales jumped to the top of the league, and the NFL’s social media changed how it talked. Their social channels shifted to quick clips, reactions, and meme-style content that matched the way Swift fans communicate online.

    The Chiefs became more than a football team. They became part of pop culture.

    You could see it all over the internet. People were making fan edits, talking about sideline shots, watching Kelce’s podcast, reacting to outfits and breaking down tiny details from games the way people usually do with movies or celebrity interviews. The Chiefs were now being discussed by people who had never followed the NFL before. They felt familiar, even to people who did not know the roster or the playbook.

    For the NFL, this attention has real value. The league has tried for years to connect with younger fans and people who do not already watch football. Usually those attempts feel forced but this time, it happened naturally. Taylor brought in her audience, and they stayed. The Chiefs became the link between football and the online world.

    While all of this has been fun and interesting to watch, it has also changed how people talk about the team. Kansas City has had weeks where the offense has looked out of rhythm. Some of that comes from missed catches, spacing issues and timing that needs work. These are football problems that show up in film and stats and are normal things teams fix throughout a season.

    The problem is that the conversation does not stay focused on football with the Chiefs for long anymore. The team gets covered like entertainment and the off-field story can sometimes drown out what is happening on the field.

    The Chiefs are still a great football team, Travis Kelce is still one of the best players in the league, and Patrick Mahomes is still one of the best quarterbacks we have ever seen. While nothing about that changes, the level of attention surrounding the team is something we have not seen before, and it can shift focus away from the real football things that matter.

    The attention is great for the league and fun for the internet, but it doesn’t win games. Kansas City has real football problems to solve, and none of them get fixed by trending on TikTok. If the Chiefs want to make another run, they have to get back to who they are when everything else is quiet. The cameras will follow either way.