Badger High School in Lake Geneva is set to play in its first-ever championship game Friday afternoon.
The undefeated team fueled up the night before the state championship game against Waunakee.
"Shout out to Mars, best ribs in the county," yelled one of the Badger football players with a plate of ribs in his hands.
"We brought about 75 slabs of ribs. There are about 50 players on the team and I think there's maybe two slabs left over” Arney Silvestri, owner of Mars Resort in Lake Geneva, said.
Silvestri owns the popular supper club, Mars Resort, and donated the food ahead of the big game.
"These kids are really great kids. They work really hard. Matter of fact three or four of them actually work at our restaurant."
He says this is a big deal for their small town. Some kids even asked for autographs from the players at the team dinner.
"The town has really pulled behind the team. The first time that Lake Geneva has been to the final game," Silvestri explained.
There is no school for the Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union (Badger) High School District and the Lake Geneva Joint #1 School District. The hope is to fill the stadium for the 1 p.m. kick-off.
"Camp Randall is big, but I know a lot of people in the community that are going so I am sure the stands will be packed," Gianna Horne, a senior at Badger High School explained.
Badger fans geared up for the big game by picking up special spirit wear and rally towels sold by the student council.
"The energy within the community and school is really powerful, so I think everybody is really excited," Isaac Solverson, president of the Student Council explained.
Businesses downtown are supporting the team in various ways. The well-known sports bar, Champs is showing the game tomorrow for anyone who can't make it to Camp Randall.
"Everybody is here to support them. It's amazing to see how many restaurants, buildings, the local radio station. There's stuff everywhere for Go Badgers!" Silvestri explained.
The local McDonald’s has a sign that says "Let's go Badgers. Good luck at state."
"This is an incredible opportunity for all of us." Solverson said.
The team leaves from Lake Geneva at 9 a.m. Friday morning.
The Badger Football Team will leave Badger High School at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, November 17. The 200 block of Broad or the 700 block of Main Street on the sidewalk would be a great place to cheer them on as they pass through town to head to Camp Randall. Please note that there will be NO ACCESS to the building on Friday morning.
Details on the game can be found here.
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