"So close, yet so far away" is a phrase that has haunted the Muskego Hitmen since they won the IFL championship in 2004. No one thought the hitmen would have pulled off such a feat after starting out the year on a losing streak. The following year saw a Defense heavy Muskego team as the offense struggled to stay on the field.

The defense kept opposing teams far enough away from the endzone to rack up a perfect 10 - 0 regular season. However, the championship slipped through the proverbial fingers of the Hitmen after being shut out in the playoff by the Madison Seminoles.

The beginning of the 2006 season had hopes of the Hitmen riding high as the roster was filled with the most talent they had ever seen. But as the old adage goes, Talent alone doesn't win football games. Cancerous attitudes and a lack of team effort lead to a .500 season. It would seem the harder the Hitmen would try to win, the further from a championship they would fall.

The year was dubbed, 'The Comeback'

After 2 years of losing the Hitmen decided it was time to go back to what got them to the top in the first place. Talent was only part of the equation. It was a group of guys that bought into the Muskego philosophy of football that earned them a league championship.

A family. A smaller, closer group of guys that loved to play the game and didn't care who had better stats.The roster was stripped down and players were evaluated on their integrity rather than their stat book. The year was dubbed ' The Comeback '.

A comeback is almost an understatement. In the 2007 season the Hitmen have played better than they had in their championship year, and multiple times better than their previous undefeated regular season. Currently the Hitmen sit atop of the IFL. They hold the #1 offense with weapons like Fred Derocher, Mike Hill, Markell Thomson, and Mike " Sticky Fingers " Hicks, scoring 29 points per game. And we can't forget the big guys up front on the Offensive line who have all had All-Star seasons.

Lead By IFL Household Names

Lets not forget the league's #1 defense which hosts the leagues best front 7 allowing only 4 points per game. The Hitmen Defense has not allowed a touchdown since week 2 of the regular season. Lead by IFL Household names like Huckstorf, Blawat, Satterwhite, and the ever present #99 - Mike Raetz, the Hitmen defense dares you to move the ball.

The road to the Ironbowl is a long and bumpy one for all IFL teams, the Hitmen Included. No matter the talent, record or previous performances of the opposing team, there is no better feeling than knocking the Hitmen off of their pedestal. Every team prepares for a game against the Hitmen as if it were the Super bowl! Ask any Player on the Hitmen Roster and they will tell you, they have not had an "easy" game to date.

They will have to earn every win

If history is any indicator, Madison is the one bump in the road that always seems to trip the Hitmen up. The rivalry stands at 4-3 with the Hitmen one up on Madison, but Madison has 2 wins in a row on Muskego - Both in the first round of the playoffs.

When this article is posted, the Hitmen will literally be on the road to the Ironbowl as they travel into Madison's home turf to settle a long standing score that has been the primary fuel for the 2007 Comeback.

It has been an exciting season for the Hitmen and it is only going to get better as the playoffs get closer, and the Hitmen Know they will have to earn every win if they hope to make it all the way to the big show at the end of the season. Having secured the top seed in the conference going into the playoffs, the Hitmen have an even bigger target on their back!

Stay Tuned Hitmen Fans, The Road To The Ironbowl Starts Now!