Coulee Region Preps

9-4 Friday Night Football Review

2009-09-05T03:12:00.005-05:00

La Crosse schools dominated the Eau Claire schools tonight, Central over North 41-7 and Logan over Memorial 41-3. Looking forward to seeing what those two can do now that the conference season is coming up.

The Coulee won their battles over the MVC with BRF beating Tomah by 1 TD and G-E-T dominating Holmen. G-E-T should have a great year.

La Crescent is showing signs of a good year, they dominated Cotter.

I was out at the De Soto vs Cashton game. It died out after the first quarter, but the Pirates were huge out of the gate. The scored on their opening drive, shut down Cashton, blocked the punt, scored a TD, interception, TD.

The Pirates are getting ready to play in their new stadium. It's no surprise they're going to be a powerhouse.

The Viroqua/Mel-Min game was a game for people who love defense. The only touchdown scored came in the closing minutes of the first half. Both teams were able to move the ball, but it was slow. The game really came down to a broken up 4th down pass with 2 minutes to go that would've moved the Mustangs inside the 10. Final score, Blackhawks win 6-0.

Greg was at a couple games and has this to say:

I was in Minnesota for the first Friday of MSHSL action of the year. Our area has had some very quality teams, the 2008 season was no different, as Caledonia and Houston were AA and 9-man state champions respectively. Caledonia opened the season against St. Charles, while Houston started against Mabel-Canton.

Last season, Caledonia started their regular season and post season play against the St. Charles Saints. In those two games, the Warriors won by a combined 114 to 14. Well, the first game of the season found Caledonia and St. Charles mixing it up on the field again, and once again Caledonia was high powered. The Warriors force the Saints to punt after a short series, then Isaac Fruechte took the punt and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. A couple minutes later, the Warriors struck again, this time Ivan Augedahl had a nearly 20 yard run for a touchdown. By this point, it was 15 to nothing, maybe five minutes into the game, at most. The Warriors came close to another touchdown six minutes into the game, but the ball popped out of the reciever's hands. It wasn't until the second quarter that Caledonia would strike again, this time a pass play going nearly half the field to Ely Trudo for the score. In the time it took me to go from the stadium to my car, Caledonia managed to score again, leaving the score at 29 to nothing four minutes into the second quarter. The game would only continue in that fashion as the Warriors won 80 to nothing, and had well over 400 yards of total offense.

Then it was off to Houston, to see the Hurricanes taking on Mabel-Canton. Last season, the Hurricanes' closest game was in the season opening game, against Mabel-Canton, where the Hurricanes escaped 20 to 16. When I arrived just prior to the half, Mabel-Canton was on the door step of the endzone, but a deflected ball was intercepted, and the two teams went into the locker room tied at seven a piece. In the second half, the Mabel-Canton Cougars were able to strike some what quickly as Nick Spande had a solid run up the middle for the score, putting the Cougars ahead. Not long after that, Dalton Stoen had a good 30 yard run with a solid stiff arm and a two cut backs that left Houston defenders picking up their cleats. Houston did have their chances, coming close to the endzone, but were never able to punch it in in the second half to keep pace with Mabel-Canton.

9/3 Soccer Recap

2009-09-04T14:14:00.003-05:00

The beautiful game is what it's nicknamed and I was able to make it to two match last night, as La Crescent girls hosted Rochester Lourdes and Onalaska hosted West Salem.

First, La Crescent ended up losing their match 1-0, but had chances early on (including one going off the cross bar). The Lancers had close chances, but couldn't convert.

The second game I made it to was Onalaska versus West Salem. When I showed up, it was already four to nothing, which was at the half! That is now three games where Onalaska has scored four or more goals per game. About 10-15 minutes in, West Salem had a penalty kick, which they scored on, only the second goal scored on the Hilltoppers in this young season. In the waning seconds of the game, the Hilltoppers got one final goal a long kick, easily 25 or 30 yards out. While the season is young, Onalaska has looked very good on the pitch.

9/1 Volleyball Recap

2009-09-02T00:02:00.002-05:00

Ben got my first look at the Aquinas volleyball team tonight. Last year they graduated leaders Emily Dolan and Erin Kelly, but with the seasoned Kristine Schill playing her senior year, Alex Deshler emerging as a force on the team, and junior Sarah Hebel adding some height, this will be a team to watch out for. They may have lost to Central in the early season inner-city battle, but I think they will be major contenders for conference, as they always are. Sam Stout had 20+ assists Alex Deshler and Kristine Schill combined for 28 kills in their 3-0 win over Holmen...and Aquinas looked like a team on a mission.

I got a chance to see Onalaska and Central face off. Last season, these two teams finished second and third, respectively. Central held solid control in match one, winning by double digits, swept the contest three game to none. Allyson Hennessy had very solid play up front, she will be a force. Central did knock off Aquinas in the first day of MVC play, giving the Red Raiders a great first step on the season.

I was also able to make it to West Salem, as they took on Westby. The Panthers were up 2 games to none when I walked in, but were noticeably trailing by five in the third game. The gap remained there until the score sat at 21 to 16. West Salem showed grit and poise, rallying to win 25 to 23. Megan Koepnick had some kills down the stretch to help the Panthers come back and over take the Norse.

We will be getting out to a Logan game very soon and providing insight
on the Rangers.

Coulee Region Alumni: Iowa

2009-08-18T00:41:00.004-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. It is about 220 miles to Iowa's campus, with an approximate drive time of 4 hours and 23 minutes. The Hawkeyes are NCAA Division I members of the Big Ten Conference, where they have been since 1899.

Football: Karl Klug (Caledonia)

Derek Coorough of Hillsboro had been on the men's wrestling team until last season, after which he exhausted his eligibility.

There are no area athletes on baseball, men's or women's basketball, men's cross country, men's or women's golf, men's or women's gymnastics, women's rowing, women's soccer, softball, men's or women's swimming and diving, men's or women's tennis, men's or women's track and field, women's volleyball or men's wrestling.

Coulee Region Alumni: Iowa State

2009-08-18T00:23:00.005-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. It is about 173 miles to Iowa State's campus, with an approximate drive time of 3 hours and 44 minutes. The Cyclones are NCAA Division I members of the Big XII Conference, where they have been since 1996. They had been members of the Big Eight Conference, which joined with four schools to form the Big XII.

Men's Basketball: Scott Christopherson (Aquinas)

There are no area athletes on women's basketball, men's or women's cross country, football, men's or women's golf, gymnastics, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball or men's wrestling.

Coulee Region Alumni: Northern Iowa

2009-08-17T22:20:00.006-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It is about 183 miles to Northern Iowa's campus, with an approximate drive time of 3 hours and 23 minutes. The Panthers are NCAA Division I members of the Missouri Valley Conference, where they have been since 1991. They had been members of the then-named Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League).

Football: Zach Gran (Caledonia)

There are no area athletes on the men's or women's basketball, men's or women's cross country, men's or women's golf, softball, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, men's or women's track and field, wrestling, or women's volleyball.

Coulee Region Alumni: Drake

2009-08-17T22:03:00.004-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. It is about 276 miles to Drake's campus, with an approximate drive time of 4 hours and 11 minutes. The Bulldogs are NCAA Division I members of the Missouri Valley Conference, where they have been since 1907.

There are no area athletes on the men's or women's basketball, men's or women's cross country, women's rowing, men's or women's golf, football, men's or women's soccer, men's or women's tennis, men's or women's track and field and women's volleyball.

Coulee Region Alumni: UW-Green Bay

2009-08-17T21:36:00.003-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It is about 213 miles to UW-Green Bay's campus, with an approximate drive time of 4 hours and 30 minutes. The Phoenix are NCAA Division I members of the Horizon League, where they have been since 1994. They had been members of the then-named Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League).

Women's Baskeball: Jenny Gilbertson (Winona Cotter)

Men's Cross Country: Andrew Dockendorff (La Crescent), Andrew Geiwitz (Onalaska), Erik Blomsness (Winona Senior)

Women's Cross Country: Areanna Lakowske (Sparta)

Women's Golf: Christina De Boer (Holmen)

There are no area athletes on the men's basketball, men's golf, men's or women's soccer, women's softball and women's volleyball. No rosters listed for nordic skiing, men's or women's tennis and men's and women's swimming and diving.

Coulee Region Alumni: UW-Milwaukee

2009-08-17T20:58:00.007-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is about 212 miles to UW-Milwaukee's campus, with an approximate drive time of 3 hours and 33 minutes. The Panthers are NCAA Division I members of the Horizon League, where they have been since 1994.

Women's Baskeball: Danielle Jorgenson (Logan)

Men's Track and Field: Jake Whitewater (Logan)

Women's Track and Field: Chelsea Von Ruden (Sparta)

Women's Volleyball: Mackenzie Millis (Black River Falls)

There are no area athletes on the baseball, men's basketball, men's or women's cross country, men's or women's soccer, men's or women's tennis, men's or women's swimming and diving and women's tennis.

Coulee Region Alumni: Marquette

2009-08-17T20:46:00.006-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is about 208 miles to Marquette's campus, with an approximate drive time of 3 hours and 26 minutes. The Golden Eagles are NCAA Division I members of the Big East Conference, where they have been since 2005. Prior to the Big East, they had been members of Conference USA, where they had been for a decade.

Women's Cross Country: Maureen Keane (Winona Cotter)

Women's Track and Field: Nicole Burr (Onalaska), Maureen Keane (Winona Cotter),

There are no area athletes on the men's or women's basketball, men's cross country, men's golf, men's or women's soccer, men's or women's tennis, men's track and field and women's volleyball.

WIAA Football District Proposal

2009-07-28T16:47:00.004-05:00

High school football season is a great time in Wisconsin. As the sun starts to set on Friday nights and the air starts to chill, in small towns all over the state you can hear the sound of prep bands and smell popcorn in the air in small towns all over Wisconsin.

In some of the larger cities, the football is a little more high caliber, games where passing dominates and the games resemble college and professional games on TV.

In the smaller towns there's no mistaking where the stadium is, as the lights dominate the night sky. The only people not at the game are the ones staffing the taverns and gas stations that will fill up at the games conclusion.

Even more exciting are the rivalries around the state. Even in the city of La Crosse, people who have long ago forgotten the days of high school still peak up with curiosity when the big Central vs. Logan game comes around.

But some people see a problem with the system, they feel there are safety issues with smaller schools playing larger schools within their division (don't tell Aquinas that). Luther agreed their conference was too big, so they moved to a different one, seemed pretty simple.

They also see an advantage for teams playing up a division within their conference. So, for football, they want to eliminate the current conferences and divide up the divisions into districts. Teams would play 1 game outside of their district and the rest would be within the districts.

So what are some of the problems with this system?

Goodbye rivalries! Aquinas is a considerably smaller school than the rest of the MVC, obviously they are moved out of the district. The beloved city championship will be effectively eliminated with the new system. Since all teams can only play 1 out of district game for the year, Aquinas would be allowed to play either Central or Logan in any given year, but not both.

Tomah and Sparta, one of the areas big rivalries would be separated, of course, they could play each other in their non-district game but Sparta would be the odd one out, never being allowed to play any of their other former opponents.

Travel Nightmares Okay, so maybe rivalries are overrated anyway. Travel is another big issue that involves cost for the school, fans, and students, as well as an effect on the attendence. In a lot of the smaller divisions, schools already have a long way to travel for games, but with the new system everyone would have new travel expenses to look at.

Division 2, district A, has most of the areas larger schools, Logan, Central, Onalaska, Holmen, and Tomah. These teams all came from the MVC, where the longest travel distance from school to school is around 50 miles. In the new division, the furthest one of these teams will have to travel is 157 miles to New Richmond. In fact, they each have 3 opponents more than 100 miles away.

In Division 4 District B, sits G-E-T. They won't be playing any former conference foe, but their travel situation is pretty messy. Currently, the longest distance for a conference game is Viroqua, about 57 miles away. In the districts, they're CLOSEST game would be Altoona, 64 miles away. Their furthest opponent is St. Croix central, 120 miles away. Prescott is also more than 100 miles away. Also in Division 4, in district E, Viroqua and Westby get to stay together, but besides eachother they have no opponents within 50 miles, and 4 opponents more than 100 miles away.

Arcadia and Whitehall are both in the same district in Division 5 District B. Whitehall has 4 opponents over 50 miles away including 1 over 100 miles away. Did I mention the furthest opponent in the dairyland is only 45 miles away? Arcadia's new schedule would have 4 opponents that are over 70 miles away including 1 over 100 miles away.

Division 5, District D... here we find Aquinas, Luther, and Necedah.. For Aquinas, their furthest opponent in conference is 45 miles... Under the new districts their closest opponent would be Luther, of course... only a few miles away. Their next closest is Necedah, 73 miles away. They then have 4 opponents all over 130 miles away including Marathon that's 176 miles away.

A few local schools are in Division 6 District B. Independence is the one that hurts the most, having 3 opponents over 80 miles away, but they're pretty lucky compared to some of them.

Division 6, District C finds Bangor. They already have a few pretty long drives in conference, a few schools around 60 miles away. Don't worry, Cardinals, the districts will make sure you get to travel much further, 6 of your opponents are over 50 miles including 3 over 100, one of them is almost 150 miles away.

Division 7 District B, Cochran-Fountain City has some bad news, they get 5 opponents that are over 100 miles away and none within 50 miles.

My last example is division 1 District A. Superior gets to drive over 230 miles for 3 of their opponents, granted, they already travel over 100 for their conference games, that doesn't help at all.

Private Schools Okay, so a lot of small schools in the area already hate Aquinas, because they're a big city school with a small enrollment who beat up on them during play offs. I can't imagine what that would mean when only 1 team ever wins the district.

The advantages to the system are listed off here http://www.wiaawi.org/football/footballdistricts/FBPlayoffProposal.pdf

I don't think I've made it a secret that I think the proposal is ridiculous. I see the advantage of good competition, but I think that a school who can't compete already will change conference ( for example Luther moved out of the Coulee.)

This proposal isn't harmful if you attend a school in Milwaukee or Madison, but much of the rest of the state would suffer if this is implemented. Lets hope they vote this down.

Coulee Region Alumni: Northern Illinois

2009-07-10T04:30:00.004-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. It is about 241 miles to Northern Illinois' campus, with an approximate drive time of 4 hours. The Huskies are NCAA Division I members of the Mid-American Conference, where they have been since 1997. Prior to the MAC, they had been members of the then-named Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League)

Volleyball: Mary Kurisch

There are no area athletes on the baseball, men's or women's basketball, women's cross country, football, men's or women's golf, gymnastics, men's or women's soccer, softball, men's or women's tennis, women's track and field and wrestling.

Coulee Region Alumni: UW-Eau Claire

2009-07-04T04:30:00.003-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is about 91 miles to UW-Eau Claire's campus, with an approximate drive time of 1 hours and 53 minutes. The Blugolds are NCAA Division III members of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where they have been since 1917.

Men's Basketball: Nate Abraham (La Crescent), Jordan Kappen (Blair-Taylor), Lucas Morrissey (Aquinas)

Football: Drew Donahue (Winona Senior), Matt Ebner (Melrose-Mindoro), Andy Prevost (Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau), Dan Puls (Onalaska)

Women's Swimming and Diving: Lauren Bryant (Central), Alyssa Trainor (Winona Cotter), Erika Winberg (Central)

Men's Track and Field: Austin Heath (Viroqua), Justin Janke (Black River Falls), Caleb Lehman (Onalaska), Andrew Storsveen (Winona Senior), Justin White (Arcadia)

Wrestling: Jon Ames (Viroqua), Craig Eckelberg (Tomah), Levi Polus (Winona Senior), Robbie Zube (Viroqua)

Women's Basketball: Callie Halama (Independence), Sam Peterson (Luther)

Women's Cross Country: Michaela Miller (Holmen)

Women's Golf: Sara Mattes (Central), Emily Swift (Onalaska), Katie Swift (Onalaska)

Gymnastics: Kallie Knower (Holmen)

Softball: Sara Baumgartner (Arcadia), Jenny Janke (Black River Falls), Ainsley Klar (Aquinas), Emily Pierce (Holmen)

Women's Tennis: Erin Welch (Tomah)

Women's Track and Field: Briana Berg (Arcadia), Michaela Miller (Holmen)

There are no area athletes on Men's Cross Country, Men's or Women's Ice Hockey, Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Soccer or Volleyball.

Coulee Region Alumni: UW-Stout

2009-07-01T04:45:00.001-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It is about 114 miles to Upper Iowa's campus, with an approximate drive time of 2 hours and 13 minutes. The Blue Devils are NCAA Division III members of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where they have been since 1914.

Football: Doug Gernes (Winona Cotter), Tyler Butzler (Tomah), Greg Towner (Onalaska)

Men's Golf: Sheldon Haedtke (Winona Senior), Ethan Schmitz (Sparta), Paul Speltz (Winona Senior)

Softball: Kelly Conway (Aquinas)

There are no area athletes on the Baseball, Men's or Women's Basketball, Men's or Women's Cross Country, Men's Hockey, Men's or Women's Track and Field, Women's Golf, Gymnastics, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis or Volleyball

Coulee Region Alumni: UW-Stevens Point

2009-07-01T04:40:00.002-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It is about 139 miles to Upper Iowa's campus, with an approximate drive time of 2 hours and 47 minutes. The Pointers are NCAA Division III members of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where they have been since 1913.

Baseball: Garett Bloom (Tomah)

Men's Track and Field: Jake Koss (Melrose-Mindoro)

Volleyball: Stephanie Urbick (Galesville-Ettrick-Treampealeau), Katelin Ebner (Melrose-Mindoro)

There are no area athletes on the Men's or Women's Basketball, Men's or Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Football, Men's or Women's Hockey, Men's or Women's Swimming and Diving, Wrestling, Women's Soccer, Softball or Women's Tennis.

Coulee Region Alumni: UW-River Falls

2009-07-01T04:35:00.002-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with University of Wisconsin-River Falls in River Falls, Wisconsin. It is about 121 miles to Upper Iowa's campus, with an approximate drive time of 2 hours and 35 minutes. The Falcons are NCAA Division III members of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where they have been since 1913.

Women's Cross Country: Tiffany Gardner (Central)

Women's Soccer: Jessi Larson (Winona Cotter)

Football: Jason Zander (Eleva-Strum), Blake Knutson (Caledonia), Brent Knutson (Caledonia), Jordan Gullicksrud (Eleva-Strum), Ben Kron (Onalaska)

Men's Track and Field: Tim Wucherer (Holmen), Kyle Staff (Onalaska)

Women's Swimming and Diving: Roxie Pingry (Winona Senior)

There are no area athletes on the Men's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Tennis, Volleyball, Softball, Women's Track and Field, Men's or Women's Basketball, Men's Swimming and Diving, Men's or Women's Hockey.

Coulee Region Alumni: Dubuque

2009-07-01T04:30:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the delay, a return to a look at Coulee Region alumni playing at colleges nearby.

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa. It is about 122 miles to Dubuque's campus, with an approximate drive time of 2 hours and 31 minutes. The Spartans are NCAA Division III members of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where they have been since 1929.

Baseball: Jordan Skaar (Galesville-Ettrick-Treampealeau)

Women's Basketball: Katelyn Herrman (Sparta)

Volleyball: Katelyn Herrman (Sparta)

No area athletes on the men's basketball, men's or women's cross country, men's or women's golf, men's or women's soccer, men's or women's tennis, men's or women's track and field or wrestling. The football roster was in the process of being updated for 2009 and was unavailable.

Aquinas Update

2009-06-17T17:11:00.031-05:00

The Blugolds currently lead 4-2 in the top of the 6th inning. Bobby Kachel hit a 3 run homerun in the 3rd to give Aquinas the lead and in the 4th inning Andy Vegel singled to add aother run. No team gets to state without having any fight, Marathon added 2 in the 5th cutting the lead in half.

Max Gierszewski has been tough on the mound for the Blugolds but if Marathon has another inning like the last one, I wouldn't be surprised to see him pulled.

View it on the web here:
http://www.wkbt.com/Global/category.asp?C=152959

UPDATE
Gierszewski is really struggling, runners on 2nd and 3rd, still hanging on to the lead.
Marathon's Cody Hanke RBI single brings the game within 1.
Marathon's Will Riehle flies out.. runners still on corners.
Marathon's Hanke advances to 2nd.
Marathon's Ben Krautkramer walks bases loaded.
Marathon's Koleman singles to right. run scores.. another tagged out at home. Tied game.

Heading now to the bottom of the sixth, Aquinas' needed to strike back after letting a few across in the top half.

One out with one on first for the Blugolds.

Blugolds score two in the bottom of the six! Three outs away. (Sorry, lost my ability to update for a little).

Top of the Seventh:
Base hit, Marathon gets a single.
Another hit, another single, runners on first and second. Tying run on first.
A bunt back up the middle, throw to third isn't in time, bases loaded with no one out.
Wild pitch, and one run is in. Blugolds still lead 6-5, runners in scoring position. Still no outs.
Ball four, bases loaded on a walk. No outs, a visit to the mound.
Full count, bases loaded, down by one.
There's a strike out! Blugolds get their first out, one out.
Oh, goodness, that hurts, tying run is walked in. 6-6, top of the seventh.
Sacrifice fly, Marathon scores from third, 7-6 in the top of the seventh, two outs.
The Blugolds get out without more damage, two left on, Marathon leads 7-6 on to the bottom of the seventh.

Bottom of the seventh:
Blugolds have a hit toward third, but the throw gets across in time, one out.
Another hit towards third, another throw across the infield, two outs. Blugolds down to the final out.
And with a full count, a swing and a miss finishes it.

Blugolds drop the game, 7-6. More later.

LIVE From Fox Cities Stadium

2009-06-17T15:21:00.002-05:00

I'm at Fox Cities stadium right now ,this is my first trip up here and the stadium is absolutely beautiful. It's almost 3:30 right now and crews are prepping the field after the Kenosha-Elk Mound game.

The teams are out playing catch and my guess is the game will get underway at about 4:00. I'll have a complete recap tonight. Go Blugolds!

Coulee Region Alumni: UW-Platteville

2009-06-16T04:30:00.005-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in Platteville, Wisconsin. It is about 106 miles to UW-Platteville's campus, with an approximate drive time of 2 hours and 24 minutes. The Pioneers are NCAA Division III members of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where they have been since 1914.

Men's Cross Country: Michael Borden (Holmen), Brandon Zink (Central)

Women's Cross Country: Stephanie Foley (Viroqua)

Football: Travis Nelson (Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau), Anthony Mahairas (Central)

Women's Basketball: Samantha Piske (Bangor)

Wrestling: Daniel Wisniewski (Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau)

Men's Track and Field: Tony Fontanini (Onalaska), Brandon Zink (Central)

Women's Track and Field: Katy Helgeson (Westby), Rachel Oppriecht (De Soto)

There are no area athletes on the Women's Golf, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Volleyball, Men's Basketball, Baseball or Softball teams.

WIAA Baseball State Semifinal Preview

2009-06-15T21:00:00.002-05:00

In a rematch of last year's title game, Aquinas will take on Marathon with a chance at capturing a second state title in three seasons. The Blugolds come into the contest with a 23 and 7 record, compared to Marathon's 29 and 1 record. The Marathon Red Raiders are on a 29 game winning streak, the lone loss coming to Nekoosa at the start of the season.

Last year, Marathon started the game with then junior Tyler Hamann on the mound, with then sophomore Nick Blume coming in for an inning after. At least three other players in the field return for the Red Raiders. Aquinas also returns state title game experience, with at least four returning from last season.

Neither team has had much problem putting runs on the board this season. Aquinas has averaged almost 9 and a half runs per game, while only giving up under 5 runs per game. Marathon, by comparison, scored just over 9 runs a game, but allows only a hair over 2 runs.

That sets up a big focus for Aquinas: score runs. By way of being in the Mississippi Valley Conference, the Blugolds got to play highly ranked La Crosse Central twice this season, dropping the two decisions by a combined 13 to 1. Aquinas must get runs across the plate, as Marathon has proven quite stingy in that category.

Best of luck to the Blugolds in Grand Chute!

Coulee Region Alumni: Loras College

2009-06-13T04:30:00.002-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. It is about 121 miles to Upper Iowa's campus, with an approximate drive time of 2 hours and 31 minutes. The Duhawks are NCAA Division III members of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where they have been since 1986.

Women's Cross Country: Emily Simones (Aquinas)

Women's Tennis: Sara Pennebecker (Central)

Women's Track and Field: Emily Simones (Aquinas)

There are no area athletes on the Baseball, Men's or Women's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Football, Men's or Women's Golf, Men's or Women's Soccer, Men's or Women's Swimming and Diving, Men's Tennis, Men's Track and Field, Wrestling, Softball or Volleyball.

La Crescent Baseball: MSHSL AA State Champions!

2009-06-12T22:31:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to the La Crescent Lancers, the 2009 MSHSL AA State Champions. The Lancers defeated Fergus Falls 5 to 3 earlier today to claim the title. Congratulations to Catcher Troy Traxler and Pitchers Brandon Verthein and Josh Sanden for being named to the all state team.

Fergus Falls actually out hit La Crescent 11 to 7, but La Crescent would only strand five during the game, compared to 11 stranded for Fergus Falls. Josh Sandven and Andrew Helland each had two RBIs a piece for the Lancers. Grant Travis did what he need to do on the mound, pitching six innings (and facing a batter in the seventh). Travis struck out four. Brandon Verthein came in to the game in relief, striking out the side for the state title.

The top of the third could have really changed the momentum in the game, as Fergus Falls loaded the bases with only one out, trailing three to one. Grant Travis then struck out the next two batters to escape the inning.

Congrats again to the Lancers on the state title!

Coulee Region Alumni: Clarke College

2009-06-10T04:30:00.005-05:00

We continue our look at Coulee Region alumni with Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. It is about 121 miles to Upper Iowa's campus, with an approximate drive time of 2 hours and 32 minutes. The Crusaders are NAIA members of the Midwest Collegiate Conference, where they have been since 2006. Prior to that, they had been NCAA Division III members of the Northern Illinois and Iowa Conference for a decade.

Women's Golf: Jodie Muth (Aquinas)

There are no area athletes on the Men's or Women's Cross Country, Men's or Women's Soccer, Men's or Women's Volleyball, Men's or Women's Basketball, Men's or Women's Track and Field, Men's Golf, Baseball or Softball.

WIAA Baseball Playoffs

2009-06-09T22:44:00.004-05:00

Here's a quick look at how local teams did in baseball post season action:

In Division 1 action, La Crosse Central lost 5 to 1 to Onalaska, Onalaska then lost to Middleton 19 to 3. Both teams are out of the post season.

In Division 3 action, Aquinas beat Riverdale 9 to nothing, then topped 8 to 5, securing their trip to the state tournament.

In Division 4 action, La Farge lost to Royall 9 to four.

Aquinas, the only local team still alive, will face Marathon on June 17th at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute. Elk Mound and Kenosha St. Joseph fill out the Division 3 state bracket, the winners of those two games will play on June 18th at noon. Aquinas won the 2007 state championship and lost in last season's title game.

Coulee Region Alumni: Upper Iowa University

2009-06-07T18:20:00.003-05:00

We start off our look at Coulee Region alumni with Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa. It is about 95 miles to Upper Iowa's campus, with an approximate drive time of 2 hours and 33 minutes. The Peacocks are NCAA Division II members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, where they have been since 2006. Prior to that, they had been NCAA Division III members of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Football: Justin Michaels (Logan), Joe Alanis (Seneca)

Women's Golf: McKenzie Holthaus (Onalaska), Jill Preeshl (Holmen)

Of note, the Women's Golf team finished eighth at the NCAA Division II Championships, with Jill and McKenzie finishing 49th and 66th respectively.

There are no area athletes on the Baseball, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Wrestling, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Tennis and Volleyball teams.

WIAA State Track Weekend Recap

2009-06-07T18:10:00.000-05:00

It's quite possibly the biggest weekend in local sports, as the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse hosted the WIAA's State Track and Field Championships. This year was not only the 20th year of hosting, but it was also a special year for the event, as the new Veterans Memorial Stadium was unveiled. I must say, the new facility is considerably better than the previous stadium. The seating was increased, the events in far better locations, and the ability to move between events was far easier. Once again this year, the weather was not has kind as it could have been. Friday saw warm and sunny, while Saturday saw rain and cold.

I was focused on field events, so I wasn't able to see everyone thanks to multiple events at occurring at once, but I did see a fair amount of local athletes. Individually, Arcadia's Maya Vazquez continued to be a stellar performer for the Raiders. Maya won the 100 and 200 meter dashes and was edged out of winning the 400 meter dash by West Salem's Lauren Unser. Vazquez also won the long jump. Vazquez's 38 points, if she has ran as a single team, would have placed her in fourth.

Staying with Division II Girls, West Salem put up an amazing fight, finishing in second for the second straight year. Courtney Oldenburg second in the 800 and 1600 meter races. Lauren Unser was third in the 200 meter dash and won the 400 meter dash. Those two ladies, along with Kelsey Novak and Kristin Stockheimer made up the state champion 4x800 relay team. Along with those stellar performances, Mary Kurisch should also be mentioned, who finished fourth in shot put and seventh in discus.

There was quite some drama coming towards the finish of the Division 2 Girls events. After the 3200 meter race, West Salem sat in first, three points ahead of Arcadia, but the 4x400 race had yet to be run. As I thought, it looked as though a seventh place finish would have left Arcadia one point short, but a sixth place finish would give the Raiders another state crown. Arcadia would end up finishing fifth in the race, good enough for a state title, though Cheyanne Reglin's fourth place finish in pole vault would remove some of drama. Still an amazing year for these two schools.

In Division 1 Girls, Onalaska was the top performer, led by Katie Hill. Hill won the 800 meter run, while the rather young 4x800 relay team of Katie Hill (the only upperclassman), Maddie Johnson, Jamie Burr and Brooke Reynolds finished in first.

In Division 3 Girls action, Independence/Gilmanton finished in third place. Bria Halama finished third in the 200 and 400 meter dashes, as well as the triple jump. The 4x400 relay team finished in fifth and all return for next season, so don't be surprised for good things from Independence/Gilmanton next season. Just down the road of the Indees is the fourth place team, Whitehall. Chelsey Simon won the 100 meter dash, finished second in the 200 meter dash and in the long jump.

On the boys side, West Salem was the biggest story, as the finished second in Division 2, finishing just two points out of first place. Alex Koenen was third in the 100 meter dash, while Ryan Welsh was third in the 110 meter hurdles and fourth in the 300 meter hurdles. The 4x100 and 4x200 meter relay teams finished second in both events.

Congratulations to all the local athletes who competed this weekend. The state track meet, as tiring as it is, is an amazing chance to see amazing competition, sportsmanship, agony and elation.

Coulee Region Alumni

2009-06-07T17:31:00.005-05:00

There are and have been many talented players in local prep sports. Many of those have gone on to college careers. Over the next several weeks, we'll take a look at nearby colleges to see where local alumni are at.

With in a 100 mile radius of La Crosse, there are 15 four-year college at the NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA levels. Looking at the NCAA Division I level, there are ten institutions with in 200 miles. Those 25 schools are:

Iowa: (6)
Clarke College (Dubuque), University of Dubuque (Dubuque), Loras College (Dubuque), Luther College (Decorah), Upper Iowa University (Fayette), Wartburg College (Waverly)

Minnesota: (2)
St. Mary's University (Winona), Winona State University (Winona)

Wisconsin: (7)
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (Eau Claire), University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (La Crosse), University of Wisconsin-Platteville (Platteville), University of Wisconsin-River Falls (River Falls), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (Stevens Point), University of Wisconsin-Stout (Menomonie), Viterbo University (La Crosse)

Division I: (10)
Drake University (Des Moines), University of Iowa (Iowa City), Iowa State University (Ames), Marquette University (Milwaukee), University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), Northern Illinois University (DeKalb), University of Northern Iowa (Waterloo), University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (Green Bay), University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Milwaukee)

The ultimate schedule of the releases will be every three days, starting today (June 7th) and culminating with the 25th school on August 18th, just as the fall sports season gets under way. The Division I schools will be held until near the very end, followed by the four schools that are in the area we cover: St. Mary's University, Viterbo University, Winona State University and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

WIAA Softball Playoffs: Aquinas vs. Luther (5/28)

2009-05-28T22:32:00.003-05:00

What started out a largely a pitchers dual gave way to a flurry of action as Aquinas and Luther squared off in the Regional final. Aquinas scored early, but a closely contested match followed, both teams trying to bat and bunt players over for scoring chances. The Blugolds extended their lead in the sixth inning, giving them a 2 to 0 lead. Then in the top of the seventh, the Luther Knights scored four runs, putting them up by two and what seemed to swing the momentum greatly.

Flash forward to the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and bases loaded, Erin Kelly knocked in Sam Stout and Jenna Smith, tying the game and forcing (after one more out) extra innings.

Once it was in the eight, it was back to a pitchers duel it seemed and so the game pushed forward, on to the bottom of the ninth inning, Aquinas' Sam Stout hit a double, the following two batters (Jenna Smith and Taylor Boland, if my memory serves me) were intentionally walked. That left bases loaded with one out for Erin Kelly. Kelly was able to bloop it into the shallow left field, scoring Sam Stout and winning the game for the Blugolds.

It was an amazing game, well played by two teams that really were giving it their all. Kudos to Aquinas' pitchers Taylor Boland and Jordan Martin who held together for a solid game, but Luther's Courtney Hoeg deserves notice as well. Despite the loss, I felt like she had a very solid game.

Aquinas moves on to play Lancaster next Thursday at Brookwood. These two team met last season in the playoffs, Aquinas winning 4 to 0. This year might be considered harder as Lancaster comes in with a 23 and 1 record, boasting 13 shutouts and 10 wins with a margin of 10 or greater. Aquinas has 6 shutouts and 4 wins with a margin of 10 or greater. There was only one common opponent, that of River Ridge HS. Lancaster won 6 to 3 on May 8th, while Aquinas won 4 to 2 last Friday.

WIAA Softball Playoffs: Aquinas vs. Melrose Mindoro and Central vs. Sauk Prairie (5/26)

2009-05-26T23:19:00.006-05:00

For the first time in what seems like forever, I made it out to a couple of local prep sporting events. I started at the Aquinas versus Melrose-Mindoro match up, then moved over to the La Crosse Central versus Sauk Prairie game.

I wish I could give a better read on the first Aquinas game, because the Blugolds really jumped out early on, scoring (if memory serves me right) five runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Blugolds were moving the ball well, driving runners in. When I left in the middle of the third inning it was 5-0, but I see the score finished at 9-6, so obviously there was lots of Softball action left to go.

I then went a couple miles away to see the La Crosse Central Red Raiders taking on Sauk Prairie. As I was just getting there, Central added to their lead, making the score 9 to 2 in the bottom of the fourth. After a short top half of the fifth inning, Logan added three more, capped off by a wild pitch, allowing the 12th, and by way of the mercy rule, final run to come in.

Aquinas gets set to go against Onalaska Luther in the next round, coming up on Thursday. That game will take place at the Pammel Creek fields once again, starting at five. Luther and Aquinas met earlier this season, back in mid-April, as the Blugolds bested the Knights, 4 to 2.

As for La Crosse Central, they get to go ahead against La Crosse Logan in an intracity match up. The season series between these two was interesting. On April 16th, Central won 13 to 3. On May 12th, Logan won 11 to 4. The two will play the rubber match on the season series at 5pm on Thursday at Logan High School.

MSHSL Playoffs

2009-05-16T23:54:00.003-05:00

It was a cold day in St. Charles this morning, certainly not comfortable conditions for softball, but the games must go on.

La Crescent got out to a second inning lead 1-0 on a ground ball, but a 6 run 5th inning for Cotter proved too much for them. Cotter won 6-2.

Pitchers dual on the other field, Spring Grove-Caledonia's Cassie Gran looked great in the circle, this one went into extra innings. After a runner reached, a couple errors loaded the bases, and even after a great double play by Libby Augedahl, St. Charles still got one run in.

Both La Crescent and SG-C won their games in the loser bracket and will play each other on Wednesday.

Play-Off Season Has Begun

2009-05-15T21:40:00.002-05:00

MSHSL Softball play-offs are underway and moving into the second round which is tomorrow. Playing at 11 AM in St. Charles...

La Crescent vs Winona Cotter
St. Charles vs Spring Grove/Caledonia

Winners will play each other

Both at 11 am and remember this is a double elimination tournament, so all 4 teams will for sure play another game.

I will be at these games tomorrow and will bring full coverage.

Softball: Dairyland Log jam.. area reset

2009-05-06T15:20:00.005-05:00

Melrose-Mindoro rallied in the 5th inning to beat Eau Claire Immanuel muscling their way into a tie with EC Immanuel for 2nd place, both teams only a half game back of C-FC and Independence-Gilmanton who both have 9-2 records.

All 4 teams will play tomorrow, EC Immanuel and Ind-Gilm play each other. Should be a good match-up if you can make it!

Elsewhere:

MVC- Holmen and Aquinas both sit just 1 game back from Central
Coulee- Luther holds a comfortable 3 game lead over Westby and can extend that Thursdaywhen the two teams match up
Scenic Bluffs- New Lisbon is 9-0 sitting atop to conference, Wonewoc-Center is 8-2, the rest of the conference is far behind these two teams.
Ridge and Valley- Wauzeka-Steuben and De Soto are tied atop the division, both 8-1
Hiawatha Valley League- Cotter sits 1.5 games back from Zumbrota-Mazeppa
Southeast- Spring Grove/Caledonia undefeated atop the conference

Aquinas/Central Softball

2009-04-23T21:09:00.003-05:00

Big matchup on the softball diamond today as the number 1 team in the MVC, Central, hosted number 2 Aquinas.

Blugold ace Jordan Martin threw the shut out against a team who's absolutely loaded with hitters. A lot of good defense all around for the Blugolds none more clutch than an unassisted double play from Angie Schneider in the 5th inning with 2 on and only 1 out. She made a great catch on a line drive and then tagged first base.

The Blugolds move into a tie for first place in conference and plenty of momentum to go around.

Central No-No

2009-04-17T22:27:00.002-05:00

Central took on Eau Claire Memorial today in a battle of top 5 teams in the state. Central is the 3rd ranked team and the Old Abes ranked 5th. Central gets the sweep but most impressively pitcher Lucas Warren throws a no-hitter in the first game ringing up 11 strike-outs.

If there was any doubt this Central team can go places, I think it's starting to fade!

Inner-City Battles

2009-04-16T19:46:00.002-05:00

Logan and Central took eachother on both in Baseball and Softball today.. and Central got the better end of both games.

I was at the softball game, and despite 2 home runs in the 1st inning for Logan, the Red Raiders were able to pull away. The game lasted all 7 innings as Central tacked on the last 2 runs in the 7th inning, but it wasn't real exciting afterward.

Central baseball was absolutely dominate over Logan tonight. They are certainly the team to watch in area baseball.

Aquinas took on Onalaska in softball, I was at the beginning of this before heading over to the city softball match up. Blugold ace Jordan Martin struck out 3 in the first 2 innings...ended up with 6 for the game.

Aquinas-Onalaska Soccer Recap

2009-04-08T03:48:00.002-05:00

Onalaska and Aquinas have both been very good girls soccer teams recently. Last night they met up on the field last night, and it was a very tight game once again.

A lot of defense in this one as there were very few shots on goal, but about midway through the second half, Onalaska's Carmen Lezpona got one past the otherwise perfect Aquinas goalie.

A lot of opportunities for both teams tonight, but they weren't able to capitalize. Very exciting game.

------------------

The Holmen softball team continues their quick start to the season with a 9-0 win over the Hilltoppers yesterday. They're definitely worth watching out for..

------------------
A pair of homeruns gave Sparta a 1st inning lead over Aquinas, but it wasn't meant to be. The Blugolds battled back to get the win.
------------------
Holmen wins the track meet they hosted, Whitehall shows they may be a team to watch out for again this year with a 2nd place finish in both boys and girls.

Softball Action

2009-04-02T20:10:00.002-05:00

Spring sports are slowly getting their start... and the conference season is underway for softball. I was at a big MVC match-up today in Aquinas vs. Holmen.

Aquinas jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but Holmen slowly chipped away at it. In the bottom of the fourth inning Holmen's Laura Krings got the RBI, and an error scored another run.

Aquinas tried to battle back, but the Holmen defense really tightened up and made if difficult despite some good hits from the Blugolds.

Aquinas' pitcher Jordan Martin who helped lead them to the state title game last year had a rough game, but I'm sure she'll be back and have a good season.

But Holmen was very impressive today, I'd watch out for them in the MVC this year...

All-Area Boys Basketball Team

2009-04-01T03:04:00.004-05:00

Now, for the ceremonial end of the Winter Season here at Coulee Region Preps, the all area Boys Basketball team. It took a lot of digging through stats and a lot of tough decisions but here is our list.

Coach:Craig Kowal-Onalaska - Really turned the team around, bringing them into a deep play-off run in his first year.

FIRST TEAM
PG-Jack Taylor-BRF 20.3 PPG Very good player...deadly from the
3-point line. Knows how to get open.. great passer

SG-Jimmy Whitehead-AQ 21.9PPG Explosive player.. most points in MVC..
Huge part of deep playoff run. Possible D1 recruit.

SF-Brandon Verthein-La Crescent 23.4 PPG.. Very explosive, deadly
from all ranges, good rebounder

PF-Brendan Baur-Gilmanton Averages double double in points

(19) and rebounds (13) Also leads the team in steals (69)

C-Ryan Segulla-Whitehall 20 PPG/Almost 9 Rebounds per Game.. Most
Steals on team

Second Teamers
G-Hank Kujak-Blair Taylor Second on team in scoring A big assist leader. Very big prescence on court
G-Jacob Bambenek-GET 12.5 ppg... 8.5 Rebounds per game
G-Joe Poshepny-Viroqua (Leads team in points (15 per game).. and assists..
F-Trevor Jorgenson-Logan-Leads Team in Points (16.2 per game),
F-Pat Alexander-Hillsboro 18.1 points per game. Capability to take over a game

All-Area Girls Basketball

2009-03-30T00:03:00.006-05:00

We have been working hard compiling these teams, and our latest installment is the all-area girls basketball team. There are a lot of good basketball players in our area and it was tough to narrow it down to ten. We base it on stats and over-all impression on the court. Here's the team that we would put together to make a state run.

Coach: Scott Sorenson - Caledonia... Easy choice, undefeated season and state championship. Great coach on a great team!

FIRST TEAM
G-Michelle Mueller-Logan - Helped lead Logan into a regional championship and was a stand out, good from all ranges, a great passer, and a good stealer, Mueller is certainly among the areas elite.
G-Haylea Halverson-Aquinas - This year Aquinas was the last team standing in the WIAA girls tournament from our area, they fell just short of a trip to state, but it's no doubt that their perimiter offense got them that far and Halverson was one of the best, she always seemed to have a shot to keep her team in it in a competitive conference.
G-Libby Augedahl-Caledonia - Caledonia girls won their first state championship in school history and I don't think anyone was more impressive in Minneapolis than Augedahl. She seemed to take the games into her own hands making clutch shots, coming up with steals, and staying focused at the free-throw line. Certainly one of the best players in the area
F-Aly Meyer-Caledonia - You can't win a state championship with one player, and a big part of the puzzle was Aly Meyer, she was a big presence on the state run putting up double digits on a regular basis and a huge rebounding force.
F-Mary Kurisch-West Salem - Kurisch was one of the most feared players in the Coulee Conference this year, she was the conferences leading scorer, and she seemed unstoppable beneath the basket, she's tall and a great rebounder who belongs among the area's elite.

SECOND TEAM
G-Rita Rabb-Logan - A solid point guard, most impressive quality was her stealing ability.
G-Kylie Siolka-Holmen - Leading scorer for a great Holmen team, they may have seen a deeper playoff run without her injury.
G-Jordan Blaken-Mel-Min - Dairyland was good this year, one of the confrence's and area's top scorers was Blaken. Very impressive.
F-Taylor Johnson-Logan - Solid force down low for Logan, one of the dominant players beneath the basket.
F-Ronnie Moltzau-Eleva-Strum - Again, great conference, she lead an injury plagued team. Great player from a good team.

All-Area Boys Hockey Team

2009-03-28T00:01:00.007-05:00

Hello folks, and welcome to the latest installment of the All-Area teams. Congrats to all players who made the team.

Coach: Tim Ebner - Onalaska
Forward: Jordan Treddinick - Onalaska
Forward: Jordan Guth - Onalaska
Forward: Jordan Tranberg - Black River Falls
Defense: Mason Sedlacek - Onalaska
Defense: Lucas Shaw - Black River Falls
Goaltender: Channing Matthews-Sparta/West Salem/Bangor

All-Area Wrestling Team

2009-03-26T03:24:00.004-05:00

Remember to check back for your sport. For wrestling we based it mostly on win percentage and what we've seen at matches during the year (of course we couldn't make it to all of them). We'd love to get some feedback. Remember All-Area hockey is coming Saturday, Girls Basketball on Monday, and Boys Basketball on Wednesday.

Coach: Jeff Von Haden - Tomah
103-Kevin Betthauser-Tomah
112-Billy Lorenz-Logan
119-Ian Duncan-Tomah
125-Justin Pollack-New Lisbon
130-Joe Garafalo-Arcadia
135-Jason Raasch-Westby
140-Steve Stark-West Salem/Bangor
145-James Marker-Mel-Min
152-Jordan Stanek-Sparta
160-Jacob Rick-Onalaska
171-Trevor Dammon-AQ
189-Matt Tourdot-Sparta
215-Chad Johnson-De Soto
285-Jeff Erickson-Blair-Taylor

Coulee Region Preps All-Area Gymnastics Team

2009-03-24T02:02:00.003-05:00

Today is the first of the all-area teams for Coulee Region Preps. We're starting with gymnastics. This is our list as if we were to put together a team of gymnasts to make a run for the state title, these are who we would choose. At the bottom of this post is our schedule for all area teams.

Coach: Amy DuPont-West Salem/Aquinas - This year the West Salem/Aquinas gymnastics was ranked as the number 3 team in the state most of the year, they made a big run for state and were competitive up to the last rotation for the state championship. A great year for her and the team.

FIRST TEAM:
Karla Hagen-Viroqua/Cashton/De Soto/North Crawford - She's not only one of the best gymnasts in the area, but she's also one of the best in the state. Individually, she took 3rd place overall in the state and was dominate in area meets all season.

Courtney Oldenburg-West Salem/Aquinas - She's been to the state gymnastics tournament every year of her high school career and this year she medaled on beam, certainly among the elite in the area.

Kelly Schams-West Salem/Aquinas - She made it to the state meet this year as an individual, along with the team appearance. She's been more than solid for West Salem/Aquinas her entire career.

Maddy Haupert-West Salem/Aquinas - As if the team wasn't stacked enough, this freshman came crashing into the local gymnastics scene this year and made plenty of waves.

Nicola Franta-La Crescent - Has been a staple on a very competitive La Crescent Gymnastics team and has the ability to post very high scores. Definitely someone you'd want to bring into a meet with you.

RESERVES:
Erin Jennings-Holmen - Excellent gymnast.. she was battling an injury this year that limited her participation. If she could've competed on all apparatus she would've made big waves this year.

Amber Bartlett-La Crosse - Went to the state tournament as an individual in the all-around competition for Division 1, she was also very competitive in all the local meets, a very good gymnast.

All-Area Schedule:
Tuesday- Gymnastics
Thursday- Wrestling
Saturday- Hockey
Monday- Girls Basketball
Wednesday- Boys Basketball

Caledonia Minnesota AA State Champions

2009-03-22T02:07:00.003-05:00

I made it up to the Caledonia Warrior's state title game against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted and it was a great game indeed. The Warriors played like the undefeated team they were in the first half, after going down 8-6, the Warriors got hot and were up 13 going into the locker room.

But you don't get to the state championship game unless you're a very good team and they went on a run. Caledonia didn't give up their lead without a fight and it took the Lakers almost the entire 2nd half to get the lead down to two. Then Megan King hit two free-throws near the end to ice the game for the Warriors who win the state Championship, the first ever for a girls basketball team from Caledonia, they complete a perfect season at 31-0, and get revenge for falling short the last two years.

Libby Augedahl had a great performance to end her career at Caledonia with a double double including 16 points. She really had a great state tournament earning her a spot on the all-tournament team along with Aly Meyer who had 14 points today, and Megan King who had 10 points today. Cassie Gran also added on 10 points of her own.

This is a very good, physical, and focused team. Their team is balanced and has a lot of depth, Amber Sorenson also looked great coming off the bench for Caledonia. These girls have a lot to be proud of congratulations to them on their championship and their undefeated season.

Aquinas State Title Game Recap

2009-03-22T00:34:00.003-05:00

Aquinas' attempt to repeat as state champion fell short, as the Blugolds fell to Racine St. Catherine's Angels 48 to 34. Aquinas fell behind 18 to 4 after the first period, a gap they weren't able to to ever completely over come.

Aquinas connected on five of 22 field goals in the first half and eight of 23 in the second half, averaging to 29 percent for the game. In comparison, Racine St. Catherine's connected on 12 of 26 field goals in the first half and eight of 14 field goals in the second half working out to 50 percent.

Aquinas won the turnover battle six to nine, and was able to convert the nine Angels turnovers into nine points, compared to only two points off turnovers for Racine St. Catherine's. The Angels had more rebounds on the game, topping Aquinas' by seven. The difference was set after the first half, as Aquinas went into the locker room trailing 19 to 12 on the boards.

Jimmy Whitehead was the leading scorer in the game with 17 points, 13 of those points coming in the second half. Whitehead connected on six of eight free throws, but only five of 17 field goals. Garrett Hebel was three for three from the field, the second leading scorer on the day. Michael Hanson and Bobby Kachel each had five rebounds on the day. For Racine St. Catherine's, Steve McWhorter led the way with 12 points on six of 13 shooting. Jake Thomas clocked in with 10 points on five of 10 shooting. As mentioned in the preview, Javar Lawson had nine points and eight rebounds. Nick Bixler also had eight rebounds to tie the game high.

Aquinas couldn't over come the first quarter and they couldn't find an answer for the play in the paint. The Angels had 28 points in the lane, compared to 18 for the Blugolds. The Blugolds did cut into the Angels lead, as a 20 point lead two minutes into the second half was whittled down to an eight point lead with five minutes to go in the game.

22 and 4 is a fantastic season. Only a select number of teams get to this point, so it's a fantastic feat to make it to this point. This ends the careers for eight Blugold seniors, they have had an amazing run, with three straight sectional championships and three championship game appearances.

Congrats to the Blugolds on a great season!

Caledonia Girls Basketball State Liveblog

2009-03-21T01:27:00.003-05:00

This is the LiveBlog for the Caledonia Girls Basketball team at state. I will be updating it through Twitter on my phone. If you'd like to follow us on there the user name is couleepreps. But you can read the liveblog here. For other articles including previews for this game and the Aquinas Blugolds state championship game, check the bar on the side.

*****Liveblog has Ended*****
To view entire liveblog please go to www.twitter.com/couleepreps

Caledonia vs. Howard-Lake-Waverly-Winsted Preview

2009-03-21T00:51:00.002-05:00

The Caledonia girls basketball game has been at State before, that feeling is nothing new, but the spot in the State Final game is a new feeling for the undefeated Warriors team. Coach Sorenson told me after the victory over Dover-Eyota that sent them to state that the team's goal was to get past the Quarterfinal game. But after beating a very stacked Jordan Jaguars team on Friday night, the 3rd ranked Warriors probably have a little more lofty goals when they go into the Target Center on Saturday.

The match-up has been set, they play the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers who only have 3 losses. Katie Pettit is the player to watch, she leads her team in points scored (almost 18 per game), steals (more than 6 per game), and assists (more than 5 per game). She's going to be a tough one to defend and the Warriors need to protect the ball around her. Also to watch out for is Ellie Wessling who averages almost 17 points per game. As far as scoring goes, after these two girls, there's a big drop off, with the next highest scorer haing 6.5 points per game and only one other with more than 5 per game.

Caledonia boasts more depth, in the Sectional final, Laquita Becker went out early with foul trouble and the team didn't miss a beat, then in the state quarterfinal it was Libby Augedahl getting into foul trouble, but again, they didn't miss a beat. Finally, tonight, Aly Meyer got into foul trouble and the team didn't miss a beat. This is a team with a ton of depth, most of the season had 4 players averaging over 10 points per game. Perhaps the key to this one is to try to out-run the Lakers, however, I don't think Caledonia's transition defense is a strong point.

I'll be at the game and will find a way to do a liveblog for the Caledonia Girls Basketball team at state.

Aquinas Boys to State Championship Game

2009-03-21T00:37:00.005-05:00

For the third year in the row, the Aquinas Blugolds will play in the final Division 3 game of the season, as the Mississippi Valley Conference champions are headed back to the state title game to defend their crown. They'll face off against another storied team, Racine St. Catherine's. The Angels have won the state championship three times, winning the Division 2 championship in 2005, and the Division 3 championship in 2006 and 2007. In the 2007 championship game, Racine St. Catherine's defeated La Crosse Aquinas, 60 to 56.

Jake Thomas lead the Angels in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game. Javar Lawson also packs a punch, averaging 12.3 points per game. In the semifinals, these two players were huge, with Thomas scoring 34 points and Lawson adding on 21. Lawson also had eight rebounds and two blocks. Thomas was 10 of 14 from the field, and a fantastic seven of 11 from beyond the arc. The Blugolds can not allow either player to put up numbers like that on Saturday.

The Angels average nearly 17 points a game winning margin and have gone 24 and 2 on the season thus far. Much like the Blugolds, the Angels score a lot of points. If the Blugolds want to win, getting to either player will help. The Blugolds have to rely on their experience as well. As was mentioned earlier, both teams have been to the state title the past few years. Racine St. Catherine's will have experience on the floor as well, as at least three members of this years squad (including the afformentioned Thomas and Javar Lawson) played in the state championshp two years ago.

It should go without saying, but Aquinas needs to get the ball to Jimmy Whitehead. Whitehead was nine of 11 from the field in the semifinals, netting 23 points. Getting Michael Hanson and Tony Favre to hit the boards and turn the rebound margin so heavily in favor of the Blugolds wouldn't hurt either.

The state championship is rarely anything but a great game. I'd be surprised if we saw anything less from these two teams.

Caledonia Girls To The State Championship Game

2009-03-20T19:56:00.003-05:00

The Caledonia girls came into the game against the Jordan Jaguars as the underdogs, but they didn't look like it as they came out with the 71-59 after making more than 20 free-throws and riding an absolutely amazing performance from Libby Augedahl. Megan King had 14 points including 8 free throws to help put the game away.

The game started out with a Warrior run but the Jaguars were able to come back and take the lead a couple times, but Caledonia went into half with the one point lead, but Caledonia's star guard, Aly Meyer was in foul trouble with 3 going into the locker room, so coach had to sit her down more than he'd like to, but the rest of the team stepped up and the Warriors didn't miss a beat.

The 2nd half started out iwht a big Warrior run and they grabbed a double digit lead, but the Jaguars came right back and got back within two, before the Warriors pulled right back away. Then, most importantly they were great from the freethrow line as we've seen before. Excellent game, I wasn't able to make it tonight (thanks to KNEI for broadcasting it!) but I will be up there tomorrow, I'll try to set up some sort of LIVEBLOG for the Caledonia State Title Game.

Preview of State Championship game to come later tonight!

Blair-Taylor Loses at State

2009-03-20T13:12:00.002-05:00

The Wildcat's season comes to an end today against Benton. Jordan Tenneson led the team with a double double, 17 points and 11 rebounds. Lucas Howe had 9 points and 10 rebounds. But that just wasn't enough today as Benton makes use of their first trip to the state tournament.

I know this is little consolation when you lose a game at the state tournament, but the Wildcats promise to be great for the next two years with most of their best players (except Tenneson), are either Juniors or Seniors. But you never know what's going to happen next year and you want to make the best of your experience. Congratulations to the Wildcats on a great season!

Blair-Taylor vs. Benton

2009-03-19T18:28:00.002-05:00

Blair-Taylor takes the court at 9 am on Friday to take on the Benton Zephyrs. The Zephyrs made it out of their sectional final with a 13 point win to earn their first ever trip to the state tournament. This is Blair-Taylor's 4th appearance, but they've never won a game at state. (Blair made it to state before merging with Taylor 3 times and never won while there.)

Blair-Taylor is a young but exciting team to watch, 4 of their 5 starters averaging over 10 points, the top two Cody Cartrette and Hank Kujak both averaging more than 13. They don't shoot a lot of threes, but when they do they can be deadly, Kujak is 49% and Cartrette is 48%. Kujak leads the team in assists with 149 and Cartrette leads in steals with 54, Kujak close behind with 51. Lucas Howe leads the team in rebounding with 8.4 per game.

Benton is lead by a pair of guards named Hendricks. Jordan and Connor lead the team in scoring and are very good rebounders and stealers. Also worth watching out for is Kane Hoffmann who averages 7.7 points per game but leads the team in steals.

Heightwise they match up pretty well in the perimeter but downlow the height advantage goes slightly to the Zephyrs.

This should be a pretty good game, Blair-Taylor has to over-come their youth and be at their best to give their coach a win for his 50th birthday. I'm not ready to predict this game, because i think these teams match up pretty well.

Aquinas Cruises Past Roncalli

2009-03-19T13:42:00.002-05:00

Aquinas took control of this game early and never lost it. They established a double digit lead in the first half and kept it for most of the rest of the game, excluding a couple times the Jets cut the lead to 9 only to have the Blugolds increase the separation.

Jimmy Whitehead was amazing in this one, sporting his new flat-top, he made a show for the division 1 recruits who have neglected to sign him yet, being near perfect, and shooting from anywhere on the court he felt like it.

The Jets couldn't find any way to stage a late game comeback as star player, Ben Stetzer fouled out early in the 4th quarter, but Aquinas was already on cruise control and ready to take on Racine St. Catherines in the state final on Saturday.

Caledonia vs. Jordan (3/20)

2009-03-18T22:57:00.002-05:00

With a 21 point win in the state quarterfinals, Caledonia advanced to the semifinals against Jordan. This game will be a stiffer test for the Warriors, as the Jordan Jaguars are ranked 1st in AA basketball, while Caledonia comes in ranked 3rd. Caledonia has the benefit of playing a difficult area in the state, as near by Dover-Eyota and Winona Cotter finished the season ranked 7th and 9th respectively. Caledonia knocked off Winona Cotter in the Section 1 AA semifinals (67-53) and topped Dover-Eyota in overtime (51-48).

The Jaguars come into Friday's contest with a 27 and 2 record, the only two losses coming to AAAA teams. Much like Caledonia, getting out of the region was a tough task, as Jordan won by one point over Minneapolis Roosevelt.

Jordan also benefits from experience. Two years ago, the Jaguars made it to the state semifinals and last season they made it to the championship game. They are led by the ultra-talented guard Brittany Chambers. Chambers holds the MSHSL state tournament record for points in a game, coming in the state semifinals last season. She score 47 points in a game that set a record for most combined points between teams in a state tournament contest (Jordan won to advance to the title game, 79 to 74). Oh and did I mention she has committed to play at Big XII school Kansas State? Also helping the Jaguars is center Leah Dietel, who was placed on the All-State ballot with her teammate.

The Warriors have two members on the All-State ballot, Megan King and Aly Meyer. Meyer does have two inches less than Dietel, we'll see if extra height gives the Jaguars a boost.

Caledonia hasn't gone this far undefeated without good reason. But they much stop Chambers and they must execute. Mistakes could be very costly.

Caledonia vs. Brahm

2009-03-18T22:48:00.002-05:00

Caledonia came into this game looking like a team with plenty of experience in the state tournament, the game started out a little slowly with a lot of turnovers for each side but it wasn't long before Caledonia was able to take over the game forcing a number of turnovers and getting the rebounds. Brahm put together a couple runs when they were able to stretch the court, but outside of their transition offense, they had a very hard time finding holes in the Warrior defense.

Senior Ally Meyer led the team in points and rebounds with a double-double (2o points 10 rebounds) They advance to play the top ranked Jordan and will be seeking out revenge as they lost to them last year. Good luck on friday!

Aquinas vs. Roncalli Preview

2009-03-18T22:26:00.002-05:00

Aquinas comes into the state tournament for the 3rd straight time with plenty of experience and the target on their back of being defending state champions. The quest for their second gold ball in 2 years starts Thursday against Roncalli.

Aquinas is of course led by Senior Jimmy Whitehead who leads the team scoring more than 20 points per game and leads the team in steals and assists. Mike Hanson is second on the team in points and leads in rebounding and blocks. And of course Micheal Balduzzi had 13 rebounds in the sectional final and of course the game winning basket that's made him a virtual celebrity.

Roncalli is led by Sophomore Guard Ben Stetzer who is a 47.6% 3 point shooter and averages 19.3 points per game, they're also led by 6'5'' Senior Forward Adam Koss who averages 11.6 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game, and Jake Ledvina who averages 9.6 points per game. Travis Klingeisen is the team steal and assist leader.

To win this game Aquinas is going to have to make sure to get a hand in Stetzer's face everytime he shoots the three and keep Koss in check in the post.

Caledonia vs. Brahm Preview (3/17)

2009-03-17T20:40:00.005-05:00

The Caledonia girls basketball team go into the Minnesota State Quarterfinals for the 3rd year in a row, this time hoping to make it past this round after being 1 and done in the last two years.

The biggest contrast in the teams is the age, Caledonia, while having a lot of depth is led in scoring by seniors Libby Augedahl and seniors Megan King and Laquita Becker both have a big presence on the court as well as Junior Aly Meyer.

The Brahm Bombers however are led by their youth. Sophomore Hannah Dahlman has already reached 1,000 career points for the Bombers and Becca Dahlman, an 8th grader, is the teams leading scorer averaging more than 20 points per game.

These two are the ones they need to work the hardest to shut down if they want earn a chance at a semi final and possibly a shot at revenge against a Jordan team who beat them last year in the state tournament.

I'll be at the game tomorrow and will provide full report on it. Also coming up this week, previews of the Aquinas and Blair-Taylor boys state games.

Aquinas and Blair-Taylor to state. Onalaska and Hillsboro fall short. (3/14)

2009-03-15T02:23:00.004-05:00

Fans who made the trip to Baraboo on Saturday night to see Aquinas take on Marshall for the sectional championship and a trip to state got a treat. The game went back and forth all the way up until the end. Marshall tied up the game with just a few seconds remaining... Aquinas went to their top scorer, Jimmy Whitehead who missed a shot, but Micheal Balduzzi got the put back as time expired and Aquinas wins by two to go to state.

Onalaska fans suffered a little more disappointment with a 46-38 loss to number 1 in the state, Northwestern. The Hilltoppers played a very good game in which they were the underdogs, they held a 3-point lead in the 4th quarter, but Northwestern was able to overcome it to win the game. A lot of diappointment for Onalaska tonight, but they certainly made it further than most people expected!

Blair-Taylor played another exciting game and escaped the sectional final in Spooner with a 1 point victory earning them their first trip to state since 2005. Good luck to them!

I was out at the Hillsboro game, this was another exciting one, I don't recall either team ever being up by more than 6 points and each would take turns taking runs. The most impressive player of the game was Pat Alexander, he's the kind of player who wants the ball and he'll do something with it. With less than a minute left, the Tigers were only down by 3 points and they got about 3 tries to put it in, but it just wasn't in the cards for Hillsboro as Assumption gets the victory and a trip to state. What an amazing effort though!

Boys Sectional Previews

2009-03-13T18:52:00.005-05:00

Blair-Taylor plays tonight, if they win (We hope they do!) We'll preview their upcoming games.
***UPDATE*** Blair-Taylor wins 72-62, preview of game with Prentice below.

Onalaska vs. Northwestern

Onalaska was the first area team to take out Adams-Friendship this year and they did it at the right time to move themselves to 1 game away from heading to state for the first time in 16 years. This community has got to be excited as the team is peaking at the right time of the year.

The Hilltoppers are lead by Senior Forward Micheal Price (12.5 PPG) and Freshman Forward Nick Arenz (10.2 PPG), Onalaska is a very good team from the inside. On the outside, they're led by Junior Guard Tyler Adams who averages just over 8 points per game.

Northwestern comes out of the Heart O' North conference where they absolutely dominated. They are yet to lose a game and were ranked number 1 in the last AP poll. They have three scorers who average in double digits including Guard Steve Tecker (21.2 PPG), Forward Aaron Corry (12.8 PPG), and Forward Donnie Hissa (12.1 PPG). They hold the height advantage in the post and are obviously very dangerous from the outside as well.

To beat Northwestern, the Hilltoppers are going to have control the perimeter defensively and make sure that Tecker doesn't get a shot off and on the inside Price and Arenz have to have their best games of the season and move quickly to try to neutralize the height advantage. This will be a tough one for Onalaska to get through, but if they do, they will solidify themselves as one of D2's best.

Aquinas vs Marshall

Aquinas has solidified themselves all season as one of Division 3's best, ending the season as the 5th ranked team in the state and in the playoffs have outscored their opponents 278-174 which is an average of 26 points per game. This team is very focused which compliments their talent perfectly.

The Blugolds are lead by Senior Guard Jimmy Whitehead who may just be the best player in the area and averages more than 20 points per game. Mike Hanson and Tony Favre also both average in the double digits. This team has a great leader in Whitehead but they are a team full of weapons who will be a hard team to beat.

For as balanced as Aquinas is, Marshall may be even more balanced, they have 5 players who average in double digits and 1 more averaging more than 9. They have quite a bit of depth and they match up pretty well in height with the Blugolds. This is a team who is very well stacked for a shootout and the easiest way for Aquinas to win will be to step up their defensive efforts and try to shut down this explosive offense.

If you like offense, take the trip to Baraboo, it will be worth it.

Hillsboro vs. Assumption

Hillsboro has ridden their number 1 seed all the way to the sectional final including a big victory over Potosi on Thursday night in Richland Center, but the 10th ranked Tigers will take on the 6th ranked Assumption Royals.

The Royals beat Hillsboro's conference foes, Royall with very little problem which could be an ominous sign for the Tigers, but don't underestimate them.. Hillsboro is led by Forward Pat Alexander and Guard Justin Thompson who create a balance for Hillsboro allowing them to play both inside or outside depending on what the game warrants.

The Royals have only been on the wrong side of the scoreboard twice this season and were Marawood Conference Champions. The players to watch for them are Alex Erdman and Matt Turba.

Hillsboro is going to have to do their best to keep it close and try to sneak away the victory in the 4th Quarter.

Blair-Taylor vs Prentice

Blair-Taylor handled McDonnell Central on Friday night, and unlike their area counter-parts, they don't have a day to rest and prepare for their opponents, Prentice.

Blair-Taylor Senior Jordan Tenneson and Juniors Cody Cartrette and Hank Kujak are all players to watch and they are all capable of breaking out and having a great game. They're a very good team who has a great chance of winning this game and qualifying for the state tournament.

Prentice finished first in the Marawood North conference with a 9-1 conference record and a 20-4 over all record. Otherwise I'm not really finding anything on them.

Caledonia Girls Escape (3/13)

2009-03-13T05:19:00.002-05:00

Coming into the game Thursday night, Caledonia knew they were favorites, but also knew that beating a team they'd already beaten twice wouldn't be as easy as it looks on paper. Dover-Eyota jumped out to an early lead peaking at 10, but Caledonia showed why they're undefeated and pulled right back into the game which went back and forth all throughout the second half.

With 5 seconds left, Caledonia's Libby Augedahl was sent to the free-throw line where she didn't lose focus to the loud gym and she made both to take the two point lead, but the Eagles sent it down the court and made a shot to force overtime.

Caledonia would end up winning in Overtime with a lot of help from hitting free-throws. So the Caledonia Warriors are going to state! They have a lot to improve though as they were grossly out-rebounded Thursday night and weren't the best ball-handlers. But they escaped the game, and they'll bring their undefeated record into the state tournament next week.

Spring Grove loses to Goodhue 57-51 and falls only 1 game short of state. I wanted to mention they were very vocally cheering on Caledonia while waiting for their game to start, which I find to be very classy. Congratulations to them on a great season!

Hillsboro vs. Potosi Preview

2009-03-12T03:38:00.003-05:00

This is the last in a line of the previews of all the games, scroll down or click the links on the side to see your team's game previewed!

Hillsboro finished 1st in a pretty good Scenic Bluffs conference, at least the top 3 teams were good, but the Tigers are the only team still alive from conference. They were ranked 10th in Division 4 in the final AP poll of the season, while Potosi finished 8th.

The Chieftans are led by 6'1'' guard Derek Flesch who averages more than 15 points per game and almost 8 rebounds per game, he also leads the team in assists and steals. Senior Guard Brandon Bolton is their next best shooter bringing in about 7 points per game, and leads the team in 3 point percentage with about 30.

Hillsboro's two top players are Senior Forward Pat Alexander at 18.1 poitns per game and Senior Guard Justin Thompson 14.4 points per game. This creates a very good balance for Hillsboro, one they're going to need to use if they want to keep their state hopes alive.

Aquinas vs. Auburndale preview (3/11)

2009-03-11T01:45:00.000-05:00

Defending state champion Aquinas is one win away from their third straight sectional final, to get their they'll need to defeat Auburndale. They're looking for the straight trip to state.

The Auburndale Apaches finished third in their conference, behind Assumption and Marathon, each still alive in the Division 4 and Division 3 playoffs, respectively. The Apaches are seeing a solid amount of depth in their lineup, with eight players seeing time in 13 or more the their 23 games this season. Only one player averages more than seven points per game, that being John Enders, averaging 14.3 points per game.

Four of Auburndale's seven losses came to the two teams that finished above them in the conference. There were no common opponents. The last time these two teams met was two seasons ago, when Aquinas crushed Auburndale 78 to 42. The Blugolds have the benefit of post season experience. Jimmy Whitehead has once again been a very, very solid player for the Blugolds, getting a big day out of him would help. For the Apaches, following Whitehall game plan would be solid blueprint.

Onalaska vs. Adams-Friendship preview (3/10)

2009-03-10T19:18:00.000-05:00

The Onalaska Hilltoppers finished fourth in the Mississippi Valley, trailing Aquinas, La Crosse Central and La Crosse Logan. This Thursday, the Hilltoppers take on the Adams-Friendship Green Devils.

Adams-Friendship finished fourth in the South Central Conference, with a 15-8 record overall and a 5-5 conference record. Adams-Friendship largely works with six players, averaging a combined 49.3 points per game. The Green Devils faced four teams from the Coulee region, three of those coming from the MVC. In Decemeber, Tomah lost to visiting Adams-Friendship 66 to 58. Four days later, West Salem visted the Green Devils, the Panthers lost by one. A little over a month later, La Crosse Logan visited town, losing 43 to 40. Just over two weeks ago, La Crosse Central came to town, losing 38 to 36.

Lance Fritz leads the team with 16.7 points per game, followed by Bryce Wormet with 11.3 points per game and Cameron Niera with 10.8 points per game. The Green Devils had a record of 5-3 in games decided by five or less points, including wins over West Salem, Logan and Central.

Adams-Friendship has an average score of 44.5 to 39.3, while Onalaska has an average of 47.3 to 45.2. I think Adams-Friendship is the slight favorite in this game, but Onalaska certainly has their chance to win. While Onalaska hasn't gone too deep in their bench this season, Adams-Friendship has gone less into their bench. Onalaska would help themselves by pushing the tempo of the game up, running the floor and getting buckets in transition. Tiring out the starting line up should expose in experience in the Green Devils.

Gilmanton vs Assumption (3/10)

2009-03-10T16:33:00.000-05:00

The 3rd place team in the Dairyland Small, the Gilmanton Panthers have a huge challenge coming into the sectional semi-final on Thursday. They have their work cut out for them.

The Assumption Royals have only lost 2 games all season enroute to winning the Marawood South Conference and bring a lot of experience into their playoff run, having mostly seniors on their team. They have a lot to play for and a lot of talent to play with and they're ranked 6th in the state by AP.

The Royals' two top scorers are Alex Erdman and Matt Turba. They have the ability to completely shut down a teams offense or run with them and finish off late in the game. Gilmanton is going to need to keep up with this team and try to sneak out the victory in a close game. The Panthers have narrowly escaped games to get this far and I think they're comfortable playing in the close games.

Gilmanton is lead by Senior Forward Brendan Bauer who averages almost 20 points per game and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Guard Jordan Reidt helps balance the strong inside attack with an outside attack averaging more than 11 points per game. Junior Forward Josh Urness leads the team with more than 30 3-pointers this year and he has more tahn 50 assists along with averaging 8 points per game. A lot of talent to clash with talented Assumption team.

Assumption is the favorite in this one, but Gilmanton is very talented and could very well use the experience from playing in a great Dairyland Conference should help them keep up.

Blair-Taylor vs. McDonnell Central Preview (3/9)

2009-03-09T20:40:00.000-05:00

This is the first of the sectional previews, we have a little more time this week than we did last week for the girls so we're going to try to take the boys games 1 at a time.

The Blair-Taylor boys take their number 5 ranking in D4 up against the McDonnell Central Macks who come from the Cloverbelt conference.

Coach Randy Storlie may look to his brother Rick who coaches the Fall Creek Crickets boys basketball team who won the Cloverbelt and beat the Macks twice by a combined 34 points.

The Macks had a 16-7 overall record and have a number of good players. Senior Jarrod Martrell is back after making the All-Chippewa County team last year and is one of their top scorers. Derrick Watton is also a huge presence on the court for the Macks and can always come up with big rebounds.

Blair-Taylor is a powerhouse lone Senior Jordan Tenneson and juniors Cody Cartrette and Hank Kujak all average around 10 points per game in the season and I have no doubt this team CAN beat any team in Division 4, coach Storlie will have to keep his young squad focused to continue their deep run.

Track and Field Starts (3/9)

2009-03-09T01:53:00.000-05:00

Wrestling and Gymnastics are over, Girls Basketball is done for our area teams, and only 5 boys teams are still alive. But with the end of a season comes the start of another one... and the spring season officially kicks off today as it's the first day that Track and Field teams can practice. Softball and Soccer follow next Monday and Baseball in 2 weeks.

Track and Field is a unique sport in the wide range of talents and therefore the number of athletes who compete. It's particularly a fun sport to cover in the area because the pinnacle of Wisconsin track is held in La Crosse, and will be held at the new field at UWL this year. I, for one, am very excited about the state meet, even with an entire season waiting before it.

Locally, boys teams haven't been as strong as our area girls team but I wouldn't rule anyone out, especially now in this part of the season, we didn't have any team place in state last year.

In girls, the biggest story comes out of Onalaska. Jami Hill has been a solid track athlete for her entire career, while her twin sister Katie was playing for the Hilltopper soccer team. But after accepting a partial scholarship to run for the Gophers, she'll be lacing up the track shoes this year, and it will be exciting to see how far the Hills and the rest of the talented Hilltopper team will do this year.

On top of this, we see some of the best track and field teams in the area. Arcadia and Whitehall both finished 1st in state last year in their divisions and West Salem took 2nd. Arcadia brings back stand-out Maya Vasquez for her junior season, she won 3 state titles last year and the rest of the team was all over the meet too. They are extremely exciting to watch.

Whitehall graduated a couple of their good athletes including Jodi Bender, but they have a storied program.

West Salem brings in Seniors Courtney Oldenburg and Lauren Unser, both exceptional track athletes capable of bringing home medal and leading the Panthers to a third straight team podium appearance.

State Gymnastics Girls Sectionals and Boys Regional Finals (3/7)

2009-03-07T22:57:00.000-06:00

State Gymnastics:

West Salem/Aquinas had the state meet where they wanted it, after starting off with a couple falls on the balance beam, they rebounded and some things went their way, and with 1 event left, they were within one point of 1st place. But things just didn't go their way, the bars weren't as strong as they have been throughout the year and they fell to 4th where they finished.

The Viroqua co-op finished 8th out of the 10 team field riding a very good meet from Karla Hagen. La Crosse and GMC both took 10th place in their respective divisions. GMC had a very tough meet, Maura Lee got injured on the vault and then they had a gymnast break her elbow falling off the beam. A great season for all 4 teams.

Girls Sectionals:

In a game that Aquinas was supposed to lose big, they played right along with a very talented Cuba City team but come up just a little bit short.

Boys Regionals:

Aquinas took care of business against Viroqua. Onalaska won a back and forth game with BRF scoring with only about 30 seconds left.... Eleva-Strum's upset run ends against Eau Claire Regis, Blair-Taylor advances, so do Gilmanton and Hillsboro. It will be an exciting Friday for sectional semi-finals.

State Gymnastics Update (3/7)

2009-03-07T15:26:00.001-06:00

With most teams having 2 scores in, West Salem/Aquinas is still competing for a medal holding third place. But keep in mind it's hard to keep track of the scores.

GMC is having a rough meet with 2 of their gymnasts getting injured.

***UPDATE***
Through 3 events West Salem/Aquinas, River Falls, and Whitefish Bay were all within a point of each other. West Salem had a little bit of a rough vault only scoring about 33 overall which may put them out of the running for a state championship, it will very likely be close though, a full recap of the day coming later.

State Gymnastics, Girls Basketball Sectionals, Boys Regionals (3/6)

2009-03-07T01:31:00.000-06:00

Lots of stuff going on this weekend, so bare with me on it. I'm doing it in order of state>sectional>regional.

STATE GYMNASTICS

We had two gymnasts place in the top 10 for the all around in division 2. Karla Hagen from the Viroqua co-op brought in a 3rd place. She's not just one of the best gymnasts in the area, she's one of the state's elite as well. Congratulations to her on an excellent season and an excellent finish! Courtney Oldenburg from West Salem/Aquinas brought home 7th place.

On individual events, Oldenburg took 2nd place on the balance beam with a 9.25. Hagen took 2nd on the bars and top 5 finishes on floor and vault. Another one of the area's elite, Erin Jennings placed 6th on beam.

Team preview was earlier this week.

SECTIONAL GIRLS BASKETBALL

Logan lost in a heart breaker by 1, Independence lost to number 1 in state Assumption and Weston fell to Potosi. Congratultions to all those teams on a great season.

Aquinas won in overtime and will be taking on Cuba City for a chance to go to state. This will be a VERY tough game for the Blugolds as this young Cuban squad hasn't lost yet this season (and only twice in the last 4 years) and they come in the favorites after beating Wisconsin Heights by 18.

The two players to really watch out for are guards Emily Kaiser and Megan Moor, both average more than 9 points per game.

The Cubans are a strong perimeter shooting team and a very good defensive team. They routinely score into the 60s while keeping their opponents in the 30s and 40s. Aquinas prefers to keep games low scoring and if they want to do that tonight it's going to take a lot of good defense. To win, I think the Blugolds need to try to keep up, use Kassie McGettigan to exploit the teams lone weakness, post play, and run run run to try to keep Cuba City from setting up an offense. I'm certainly routing for the Blugolds but this is an uphill battle.

REGIONAL BOYS BASKETBALL

D2

Black River Falls vs Onalaska - These two teams met up early in the season and BRF won by 7 at Onalaska, but that Onalaska team has improved much and pulled an upset over 2 seeded G-E-T on the road. Pair that with Craig Kowal's excellent coaching, the Hilltoppers may be making a trip to sectionals. But I wouldn't say that to a very good Black River Falls team who stumbled very little on their way to their Coulee Conference co-championship lead by one of the area's best players, Jack Taylor. This game should be a close one.

D3

Eleva-Strum vs Regis - Eleva-Strum comes into this game as the underdogs, but that's a role they've become accustomed to in the playoffs. They laughed off their 5th seeding by taking out number 1 seed, Luck. Regis comes in with a 3rd seed, a 17-5 record and a 3rd place conference finish. I wouldn't put anything past this Eleva-Strum team, I'm certainly routing for a Cardinal win.

Aquinas vs Viroqua - There's nothing I can say about Aquinas that hasn't already been said, they are an excellent team that will be hard for anyone to beat, they're a quick team with a plethora of talent, I'm not sure anyone can beat them. Whitehall gave them a run for it and they did so by trying to outrun Aquinas and they took a lot of people by surprise (proving how good the Dairyland really is) and if the co-Coulee champions want a shot, quick basketball is the key!

D4

Blair-Taylor vs Cornell - Blair-Taylor has their work cut out for them on this one as Cornell won the Lakeland East conference and have only suffered 2 losses all season. They are able to play high scoring games, reaching 90 points twice this season, but also have had some very low scoring games. The Wildcats are favorites in this one, and as long as they control the pace, they should be able to win.

Gilmanton vs. Spring Valley - The Panthers struggled against Plum City on Thursday night winning by 4 in OT, but they got the win which is important. Not much time to rest as they now take on the regions 2 seed who brings in a 13-7 record which gave them a 2nd place finish in the Dunn-St. Croix conference behind a good Mondovi team. The Panthers should win this but it'll be no easy task

Royall vs Assumption - Assumption is an excellent team that Royall will have some trouble with. They beat CRCS with no problem and are ranked 2nd in the state and for good reason. But Royall is not the type of team that rolls over and they could very well stick this one out and if they can keep it close, they can pull out a win in the end.

Hillsboro vs Barneveld - This is a great D4 match-up, Hillsboro is ranked 11th in state and Barneveld is ranked 13th. Both are very good teams and this is the type of match-up that can really turn heads. If you can make it to Reedsburg today, I highly recommend seeing this game.

State Gymnastics Update (3/6)

2009-03-06T19:01:00.000-06:00

Here are some of the local scores so far:

Holmen Beam Scores:
Erin Jennings 8.9
Cassie Noel 8.867

GMC Beam Scores:
Cassidy McAllen 7.38
Tatiana Rice 7.633
Maura Lee 8.15

Vault:
Karla Hagen (Viroqua) - 9.2/9.216

West Salem/Aquinas:
MaddyHaupert 8.816/9.016
Courtney Oldenburg ???/8.516
Kelly Schams 8.833/8.883

La Crescent vs St. Charles and Caledonia vs Lewiston-Altura (3/5)

2009-03-05T22:13:00.000-06:00

I made it out to Rochester tonight for the La Crescent and Caledonia games. La Crescent won prett comfortably over St. Charles, to be honest, the score was a little closer then the game actually was as La Crescent was in the driver seat for this whole game.

Caledonia had a much tougher game tonight against Lewiston-Altura. The Cardinals started hot and took an 8 point lead early and were up 4 at half. An early 2nd half run put the Warriors up, but in the last few minutes the Cardinals cut a 10 point game down as far as a 1 point game, but the Warriors were good from behind the line to finish the game.

Girls Sectional Preview (3/5)

2009-03-05T15:22:00.001-06:00

(3)LOGAN vs (2)SAUK PRARIE

The Logan Rangers come into the Sectional Semi-finals riding a 70-43 victory over Madison La Follette in a game in which they seemed to fire on all cylinders. Michelle Mueller seemed to be her old self on the court despite the knee injury and scored 15 which is more than her 13.7 average. Emily Worden flirted with a double-double having 16 points and 9 steals. But that's in the past and they have their work cut out for them this weekend if they want to make their 2nd trip to state in 3 years.

Sauk Prarie is a little less experienced when it comes to deep play-off runs making their first appearance in the Sectionals since 1997, but at 16-4 in the regular season, the Badger North co-champions are a very good team.

Sauk Prarie Senior Ashley Wipperfurth is peaking at the right time, she lead the Eagles in the regional final game with 14 points. She had a very successful season averaging 12.3 points per game. At 5'11'' she's the same height as Logan forwards Vanessa Blackwell, Taylor Johnson, and Kylie Slaats-Reikowski.

Sauk Prarie Junior Kelsey Budd is having an even better season averaging 17.4 points per game through the regular season from the guard position. Rita Rabb, Michelle Mueller, and Emily Worden are going to have to be at the top of their game to take her out of the game.

(1)AUBURNDALE vs (1)AQUINAS

The Lady Blugolds marched through their regionals with very little problem, but traditionally they have a hard time in their sectional games. Auburndale, in contrast, hasn't been to the sectionals since 1998.

Aquinas has come to expect big things out of Senior Haylea Halverson and Junior Kristine Schill who are two of the teams top scorers. I think a lot of their success rests on the shoulders of Senior forward Kassie McGettigan who has seemed to be hot and cold this season, but if they can add some post play to their outside threat, they'll be a very hard team to beat.

McGettigan has her work cut out for her on defense, she should be matching up against Auburndale's Sophomore center Liz Breu who averages more than 15 points per game.

Also to watch for Auburndale is Lindsay Gotz who has capability to dominate underneath.

Aquinas likes to slow down the pace of games and they seem to do their best in low scoring games. They're not the kind of team to run someone down. Auburndale has a good amount of depth with a 10 player rotation, but with the Blugold's style of play, stamina shouldn't be a huge factor.

Aquinas is best on the outside, Auburndale is best on the inside. To win this game, Aquinas will have to adapt and play well inside.

(1)INDEPENDENCE vs (1)ASSUMPTION

Independence is a solid team that knows a lot about deep play-off runs. Last year's sectional runner-up will have a huge challenge in front of them if they want a chance to go to state this year. They take on the defensive-minded Assumption Royals who beat New Lisbon 56-30, but most of New Lisbon's points came well after the game had been decided. Assumption's defense really stood out, the Rockets had barely any open shots.

The Indees are lead by Junior guard Stephanie Walek who has seen a good amount of playing time since she was a Freshman. She averages around 10 points per game and about 2 assists per game.

Their other top scorers are Sophomore forward Jenna Brandt and Junior forward Jenna Manka, both averaging just under 10 points per game.

They're going to need this powerful shooting against a very good Assumption defense. Assumption is led by Senior Center Lizzy Slovensky and 3 time all conference Senior Point Guard Jada Straub.

In the regional final, it took Assumption awhile to pull away from the Rockets, but it's hard to catch up to this team. This will be a big challenge for the Indees.

(2)WESTON vs (1)POTOSI

Weston got the number 2 seed in their region, but they scoffed at that by beating the number 1 seed Barneveld by 11. Weston is a very good team who really has a chance at making some waves having only been on the losing end. They have a lot of very good players: Lindsey Solchenberger averages 13.9 points per game, Chelsea Drea averages 13.5 and Hilary Frey averages 10.9. Drea averages more than 5 rebounds per game, Solchenberger almost 5 steals per game.

Potosi comes in riding a 28 point victory in the regional final over River Ridge. They've only been on the losing end 1 time this season and bring 7 seniors in. The Potosi players to watch are Allison Tobin, Thresia Elskamp, and Morgan Lass, all have the potential to put up big points.

This could turn out to be a very good game and if you're around Mineral Point on Friday night, I suggest stopping by this game.

Onalaska Hockey Loses at State (3/5)

2009-03-05T12:36:00.000-06:00

Onalaska's dream season comes to an end in their first game at the state tournament, losing 4-0 to Arrowhead. Goalie Mark Wittchow had 37 saves but that wouldn't be enough as Onalaska was unable to get one past Nick Kohn in 24 shots on goal.

Arrowhead was lead by David Clark (2 goals 1 assist) who scored 2 second period goals to give them the 3-0 lead going into the 3rd period and the Hilltoppers were never able to get back into the game.

Congratulations to the Hilltoppers on a great season!

Onalaska vs Arrowhead - Boys hockey quarterfinals preview

2009-03-04T17:51:00.001-06:00

The Onalaska Hilltoppers are going to state for their first time since the 1994-95 season and they'll face Arrowhead High School.

Quick Facts:

Location: Hartland, WI (61 miles from the Alliant Energy Center)
18-5 Overall, 7-0 Classic Eight Conference (1st)
Average score of 5.21 to 1.21
Average score in losses 3 to 1.8
11 games with a 5 goal or more margin, two of those games in the post season
Top remaining team on power play defense (95.06%, 77 of 81)
Top remaining team on goals allowed (1.21), 3rd in goals scored (5.21)

This will be no easy task for the Hilltoppers, as they face a seasoned and skilled team. But they do match up well with Arrowhead on paper in some catagories:

Ranked 2nd of remaining teams on the power play (28 of 95, 29.47%)
Ranked 8th (last) of remaining teams in goals against (3.00 per game)
Ranked 2nd of remaining teams in goals scored (5.52 per game)

Arrowhead is led by Brian Burger (26 goals, 37 assists), David Clark (25 goals, 30 assists) and Conner McBride (17 goals, 25 assists). Onalaska isn't short on talented forwards, though, countering with Jordan Tredinnick (36 goals, 33 assists), Jordan Guth (19 goals, 33 assists) and Brice Wizner (17 goals, 28 assists). Working the nets for Arrowhead is Nick Kohn, averaging 1.18 goals against, compared to Onalaska's Mark Wittchow, who averages 3.16 goals against on the season.

Boys Regional Semi-Finals Preview

2009-03-04T14:50:00.000-06:00

Here are the previews for the boys regionals on Thursday.

DIVISION 2

Sparta at Black River Falls - Sparta comes in following a 13-point win over Ellsworth, they didn't have the best season but their record doesn't reflect the talent of this team. For example, I saw them play a great game against Logan earlier in the season. On the other side, Black River Falls got a first round bye and is coming off a loss that would've clinched an out-right conference victory. But this Tigers team, lead by stand-out guard Jack Taylor is focused and will be tough to beat. The last time these teams met BRF won by 9, but this game could be a lot closer.

Onalaska at Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau - These teams met earlier in the season and Onalaska won by 12. But G-E-T is a good third place team from a very good Coulee Conference. They lost some games they should've won, but showed some moments of greatness, like beating BRF by 15 to spoil their chance at an outright conference championship. Onalaska, under new coach Craig Kowal, were competitive in the MVC with a victory over Central and close losses against Aquinas and Logan. This may be one of the most exciting games in the area Thursday night.

DIVISION 3

Eleva-Strum at Luck - Eleva-Strum showed the people who make the brackets that they deserved better than a 5th seed by beating Osseo-Fairchild by 23 points on Tuesday night. But they have their work cut out for them in Luck, WI on Thursday night against a team who has only lost 1 game all season to conference foe Grantsburg. But Eleva-Strum is better than a 5 seed and may just be able to give them a run for their money, this may be a very entertaining game to watch.

Whitehall at Aquinas - Aquinas is probably the best team in our area, they are a high scoring, high speed team who can also play great defense. Coming off a 41 point victory over Bangor they're heavily favored to beat Whitehall. The Norse beat Arcadia in a low scoring last night, according to the guys doing play-by-play on WHTL, the two teams scored a total of 20 points in the second half. If Whitehall wants to give Aquinas a run for their money, they're going to have to score a lot more and hope for a shootout.

Westby at Viroqua - Both teams played in much closer games then they would've hoped for to open the play-offs but they both got to the second round and a chance to play against their rivals. Viroqua will be looking for revenge as their hopes of clinching the Coulee Conference crown outright were dashed by Westby on Friday. Viroqua won the other meeting by 9. This game is very hard to predict, it could go either way, it could be close or one team could just run away with this. One of the most interesting games in the area.

DIVISION 4

Blair-Taylor vs Lake Holcombe - Blair-Taylor beat Lincoln Tuesday night in a game that they felt like they didn't play up to their potential. They're going to have to step up that game to make the deep run into the play-offs that people are expecting from them. Jordan Tenneson is the only senior on the team and he stepped up on Tuesday night and his leadership is needed to keep this team focused. As long as they do stay focused, they should continue a deep run into the playoffs.

Gilmanton vs Plum City - Gilmanton is a very talented team who is capable of running with some of the best teams in the state. They took care of business on Tuesday night winning by 35 over Independence. They have their work cut out against them against a good Plum City team who has an explosive offense. Gilmanton should win this, but they can't underestimate their competition.

Alma vs Spring Valley - The Rivermen squeaked out a victory by only 3 points Tuesday night and have to quickly turn their focus to the 12-7 Spring Valley Cardinals. Alma is favored to win this and especially with the home-court advantage. This could be a close game, but I'm expecting Alma to win with little problem.

Coulee Region Christian at Assumption - CRCS won on a buzzer beater against New Lisbon Tuesday night in a low scoring affair. They're going up against the Assumption Royals who are heavily favored and are an excellent team. CRCS is going to have their work cut out for them Thursday night and they will have to brace for a high scoring affair if they want to run with the Royals on Thursday.

Kickapoo at Hillsboro - Both teams won their games Tuesday night by a wide margain. The teams played earlier in the season and Hillsboro won by 13 in their previous meeting. Kickapoo has got to be confident that they can close that type of margin. Hillsboro is the better team here, but they have to stay focused if they want to avoid upset.

Weston at Barneveld - Weston snuck out a victory by only 1 point against the 6th seed Wonewoc-Center and now have to go on the road to play a very good Barneveld team. They have the talent to win this game but they'll need to gear up for another close game if they want to pull the upset.

North Crawford vs Belmont - North Crawford got the 9 point victory on Tuesday night and is certainly favored against the 3 seed Belmont who beat De Soto by 19 last night. I expect the 20-1 Trojans to continue their season with a tight victory over Belmont.

Luther at Westby and Melrose-Mindoro at Viroqua (3/3)

2009-03-03T23:40:00.000-06:00

Luther at Westby - Tonight I was at the Luther versus Westby game. Honestly coming into this game, I thought Westby would run away with it, much like they had in the two previous meetings, but that was not the case. Luther's Joey Leibl had 31 points, helping the Knights to actually take a lead in the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, Westby pulled away, it was none to easy. Chris Neely and Christian Pedretti had 16 and 15 points respectively, if I remember correctly.

Melrose-Mindoro at Viroqua - I also had a brief appearance at the Melrose-Mindoro game. Viroqua rushed out to a big lead (18 to 2 in the second quarter before letting Mel-Min get closer. The final score was far, far closer than I expected it to be, based off early score. I did see the Mustangs pull the game back down to under a 10 point margin, which I suspect Viroqua held them at for the remainder of the game.

Lincoln at Blair-Taylor & Arcadia at Whitehall (3/3)

2009-03-03T22:23:00.000-06:00

Lincoln at Blair-Taylor - In a game that the Blair-Taylor coach said the Wildcat's youth showed through, Blair-Taylor came out on top 62-38. Blair-Taylor went into half-time with a 12 point lead, and after a big run they widened the margin. The Hornets didn't just lay down forcing a lot of turn overs and cutting the lead down for awhile, but never really got back into the game.

Arcadia at Whitehall - Whitehall jumped out to an early lead in this game and were up by 7 at halftime. The 2nd half was slow scoring but went right down to the wire. Arcadia had 2 free-throws with a chance to tie with only 5 seconds left but they missed the 2nd one and Whitehall hit their two subsequent free throws, so Whitehall goes on to take on Aquinas.

Many more scores coming later and a look ahead to Thursday's games to come.

Boys D1-D2 Regionals (3/2)

2009-03-02T20:10:00.000-06:00

Four Division I teams and five Division II team get set to hit the hard wood as the WIAA playoffs get underway. La Crosse's Logan and Central High Schools will host first round games, while Holmen and Tomah will travel. In Division II, Black River Falls has a bye, #4 Sparta hosts #5 Ellsworth, #3 Onalaska hosts #6 West Salem and #2 Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau hosts #7 Durand.

La Crosse Central hosts Watertown in the first round. Watertown is led by Des Smith, who averaged 21 points per game for the Goslings. Smith is taller than anyone on the Central roster, so that presence in the paint could be hard on the Red Raiders. Ryan Ledvina averages well into the double digits, so he'll need to show a strong presence on the court.

La Crosse Logan also hosts a first round game, this one a #8 seed versus #9 seed Sauk Prairie. Garrett Schwarz is the go to player on the Eagles, as Schwarz averages nearly 19 points per game. The Rangers have Trevor Jorgenson down low, a formitable presence, 16 points per game. Trevor looks to have a two inch high advantage on any other player on the floor.

Holmen travels to Waunakee, as the Warriors have a deep bench, as eight players have played in 16 or more of their 20 games, and they have an additional 12 players past that. Zach Ripley and Mitch Roelke each average over 10 points per game, and six more players average five or more points per game (not surprisingly, those eight players are also the eight who have seen time in most of the games this season). The Vikings can not afford to get into a fast paced up and down game, as Waunakee looks to have too many options.

#15 seed Tomah travels to Madison East, who is led by UW-Milwaukee commit Marquis Mason. Mason averages a double-double per game, with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mason is accented by Nimrod Hilliard IV, who averages 12 points and six assists per game. The Purgolders have nine players who have played in 75% or more of the games this season, and allbut tow players have seen time in half or more of the games. If Tomah can get to Mason and Hilliard, they'll have a chance, but they must shut those players down.

In Division II, the action is all right here in the Coulee Region.

#2 seed Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau hosts #7 seed Durand. G-E-T has been a hot and cold team this season. Last friday they beat Black River Falls by 15 in Black River Falls, but two weeks prior to that, they lost by 18 to Arcadia. Compounding the interesting levels of this game, is Durand's season versus common opponents. The Panthers lost by four to Sparta, and by ten to Black River Falls, though they did lose by 27 to Arcadia. I just don't see this as a game to sleep on, and G-E-T can't afford to overlook this game.

#3 seed Onalaska hosts #6 seed West Salem in the closest contest I've seen (only 10 miles seperate the two schools). Thanks to the close proximity, there are a few common opponents. Onalaska has played G-E-T, Arcadia and Black River Falls this season, losing only to Black River Falls. Onalaska has had some close tough losses this season, with six of the 10 losses coming in games lost by five or less points.

#4 seed Sparta hosts #5 seed Ellsworth, in a had game to read. Neither team has done paricularly well this season, both finishing in the lower half of their respective conferences. Both teams have had their mistakes and misfortunes this season, so taking the game one play at the time will be big for both. Ellsworth will be hampered by the 120 miles seperating the two towns, that much travel time will not be beneficial.

Boys D3-D4 Regionals (3/2)

2009-03-02T18:45:00.000-06:00

Here are the Division 3 & 4 regional previews. Division 1 & 2 to come later.

Division 3

Bangor at Aquinas - Aquinas comes into the play-offs with a target on their back, being the defending state champions in division 3. They made it look absolutely easy last year and I think this game will also look pretty easy. Aquinas is lead by senior stand-out Jimmy Whitehead who is in the Mr. Basketball conversation and who helped Aquinas dominate the state tournament last year. But as with any good team, they have more than just the one player, they are a fast moving full team who won the MVC pretty handily this year with an 11-1 conference record and a 16-3 over-all record including losing to Hopkins who is the number 1 team in Minnesota and ranked nationally. Bangor comes in with a disappointing 4-16 records.. and the combined records of the teams they beat is 26-31. I think this will probably be a lopsided game.

Arcadia at Whitehall - A classic 4 vs 5 game in Whitehall Tuesday night. These two teams met up for the first game of the season and Whitehall won at Arcadia by 15. Whitehall finished 2nd in the Dairyland Large conference behind a very talented Blair-Taylor team. Their 13-7 over-all record earned them this home game. Arcadia's over-all record of 7-13 makes for a pretty disappointing season, but they were able to beat both the Dairyland Large and Small conference champions, so an upset wouldn't be completely out of the question here.

Luther at Westby - A coulee conference rematch at Westby Tuesday night. The Norse finished 4th in the Coulee conference this year and the Knights finished last. Westby won both of the regular season match-ups pretty handily and will probably win again Tuesday. Luther will hang it's hopes on Westby being a very familiar opponent.

Melrose-Mindoro at Viroqua - Viroqua shared the Coulee crown this year with division 2 Black River Falls. Their only 3 conference losses came to co-champion BRF and arch rival Westby. The momentum isn't on their side as they come into the play-offs on a 3 game losing streak but they are heavily favored in this game. Melrose-Mindoro finished 3rd in the Dairyland Large conference, but over-all they finished the season 9-11 including losses to both of their Coulee Conference opponents, one of which being last place finisher Luther.

Brookwood at Auburndale - This could be a very good game, Brookwood finished 3rd in conference and had a respectable 13-7 record overall but came behind very good Royall and Hillsboro teams. Auburndale was 3rd in what could be an even tougher conference. Auburndale is favorite, but I wouldn't rule out a Brookwood upset.

Necedah at Wild Rose - Necedah comes in a 6th seed who finished middle of the pack in conference with a .500 record. They play a Wild Rose team who finished 3rd out of a 10 team conference and earned themselves a 3rd seed. Anything could happen, but I expect a Wild Rose victory.

Eleva Strum at Osseo-Fairchild - Eleva-Strum is the defending Division 4 State Champions but made the move up to Division 3 this year where they will face some pretty stiff competition. They make the short trip to Osseo-Fairchild this Tuesday riding a pretty successful season winning the Dairyland Small. Osseo-Fairchild won the meeting earlier in the season with no problem, but then went on to have a disappointing season finishing 5th in conference. This would be my upset pick of division 2. I wouldn't be surprised to see Eleva-Strum pull out this victory.

Division 4

Lincoln at Blair-Taylor - Blair-Taylor won the 2 season meetings by an average of more than 20 points and were undefeated in conference. This team with 1 senior has a good shot at a deep play-off run this year. The 1 seed should help them do it.

Independence at Gilmanton - Gilmanton's 3rd place finish in the Dairyland Small and 13-7 overall record earned them a surprising number 1 seed in the Division 4 playoffs. Independence hasn't won a game this year. In the two regular season meetings Gilmanton beat Independence by a combined score of 52.

Cochran-Fountain City at Plum City - C-FC played in a tough Dairyland conference this year, and when I saw them play against Blair-Taylor they were able to run with them for quite awhile. Their 6-6 finish in conference isn't as impressive as the 10-8 over all. Plum City is a decidedly mediocre team finishing 5th in a 10 team conference and having a .500 record. C-FC may pull this upset and get a chance for a rematch against Gilmanton.

Alma vs. Elmwood - Alma is a very good team who finished 2nd in the Dairyland Small to Eleva-Strum and had a 13-7 overall record. The Rivermen have a pretty good fan following and I wouldn't want to have to face them at home. Elmwood didn't win any games outside of conference and had a disappointing 7-12 record finishing near the bottom of the Dunn-St. Croix conference. Alma is highly favored in this one.

New Lisbon at Coulee Region Christian - CRCS is a hard team to predict since they aren't part of any of the local conferences. They had a 10-8 record and have looked very solid. These two teams last met at New Lisbon on Friday night and New Lisbon came away with that victory. This could be an upset game considering that, but New Lisbon is a middle of the pack Scenic Bluffs school, and I think CRCS will be out for revenge.

Cashton at Port Edwards - The Cashton boys team finished near the bottom of the Scenic Bluffs but are riding a three game winning streak coming into this game at Port Edwards. Port Edwards was 4th in conference and had a 13-7 overall record and beat a Scenic Bluffs team earlier in the year. The Blackhawks probably win this one, but I wouldn't rule out Cashton.

Royall vs Loyal - Royall is an excellent team this year finishing 2nd in conference with a 15-5 record over-all. I expect them to handle 5-15 Loyal no problem especially on their home court.

La Farge at Hillsboro - Hillsboro earned a number 1 seed by being a very good team and winning the Scenic Bluffs conference and they had a 15-5 over all record. La Farge is 1-19 overall and finished last in conference. Hillsboro should win this with no problem.

Wonewoc Center at Weston - On paper this looks like a pretty lop-sided game, but in the earlier meeting Weston only won by 5. Since then they went on to take 2nd place in conference behind a very talented North Crawford team. Wonewoc Center finished 6-14 over all but will be playing a familiar opponent.

Kickapoo vs. Highland - Kickapoo had a 12-8 over-all record and finished 3rd in the Ridge and Valley. This earned them a 4 seed and a home game, these two teams haven't met yet, but I don't think 7-13 Highland is going to give them a lot of trouble.

Ithaca at Barneveld - Ithaca is a 7th seed against a very talented Barneveld team. Ithaca is 3-17 overall and Barneveld was conference champions and were 16-4 overall. I think Barneveld is going to handle this game.

Wauzeka-Stueben at Potosi - 8 vs 1 seed here. Potosi is heavily favored over a Hornets team who didn't have a season that warrants an 8th seed in my opionion, going 8-11 and finishing 4th in an 8 team conference. Eitherway I think the Cheiftans are a good team that shouldn't have much of a problem with Wauzeka-Stueben.

Seneca at River Ridge - These teams met up once before in the season and River Ridge ran away with the game by 20 points, but I wouldn't rule Seneca out of this one completely as they have the ability to pull some upsets. They were 5th in conference and had a losing record, but were able to beat the conference 2nd place team Weston. Seneca can win if they keep it close.

De Soto at Belmont - De Soto had a dissappointing season finishing 6-14 overall but 5 of those wins came in their somewhat top-heavy conference. Belmont is 7-13 over all and is very beatable, the Pirates may be able to pull it off.

North Crawford vs Cassville - North Crawford is one of the very good D4 teams coming out of the area going 14-0 in conference and 19-1 overall. They're a tough team beat and they should have no problem with Cassville.

Gymnastics Sectionals (3/1)

2009-03-01T19:53:00.000-06:00

The Coulee Region is lucky to have 4 teams competing at the state team gymnastics meet on Saturday and a number of individuals competing as well.

Teams:

In Division 1... the La Crosse Logan/Central cooperative took 2nd place in the Waunakee sectional behind Middleton. There total score was 131.500 and their strongest gymnast overall was Amber Bartlett who scored a 33.400 overall. This isn't La Crosse's best score but it's good enough to get them to the pinnacle of Wisconsin High School gymnastics competition. They're underdogs as they had the lowest team sectional score of any of the teams that are going, but I know I've seen better scores out of them, so it could've been an off-day at sectionals and their judges could've been different. I'd call a top 3 finish a long shot, but I certainly wouldn't rule them out.

In Division 2 we have 3 teams.

West Salem/Aquinas is definitely the favorite from the area, they dominated the Coulee Conference and are peaking at the right time of the year. Their sectional score was 3rd in the state at 139.9 behind Whitefish Bay (143.55) and River Falls (146.45). They took 7th at state last year and made an appearance in 2006 when they took 4th. Their top two gymnasts from last year, Courtney Oldenburg and Kelly Schams are both back for their senior years and the team adds a talented freshman who's all-around score was 2nd in the sectional and had the 5th highest sectional score. On top of that, of all the all around gymnasts, West Salem/Aquinas has 3 of the top 10. Anything can happen in a meet, so it's a little hard to predict a finish, but they definitely have the talent for a top 3 finish or better.

GMC Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro/Cochran-Foutain City is making their second trip to state in three years after their three best gymnasts from last year graduated. senior Maura Lee and freshman Tatiana Rice lead GMC into state after a 2nd place Sectional finish with the 6th highest score in division 2. They're another team peaking at the right time in the season and I could see a top 5 finish if the cards fall right.

Viroqua/Cashton/De Soto/North Crawford comes into the regional lead by one of the area's best gymnasts, junior Karla Hagen. Hagen has been to state before, but this co-op has never been to state. The individual schools have seen state 8 times but not since 1995. This is a very exciting opportunity for them. They had the 9th highest score out of 10 coming out of sectionals, but could possibly improve that finish in the state meet.

Individuals:

There are a lot of individuals who qualified for state, so bare with me on this.

Overall qualifiers:
Amber Bartlett (La Crosse) - Took 5th place over all in her sectional and would've qualified in two events if she didn't go for all-around. I've seen her perform and I wouldn't rule her out to have a pretty respectable finish

Karla Hagen (Viroqua Co-op) - One of the area's top gymnasts with the 3rd place all around score at all sectionals. She can put up some pretty big numbers and I wouldn't be surprised to see her come home with some individual medals.

Maddy Haupert (West Salem/Aquinas) - 5th place overall finish in division 2 all around sectionals. A very good freshman who's given her team a big boost coming into this year. She's another one who could stir things up.

Kelly Schams (West Salem/Aquinas) - 8th place overall finish at state and a very solid gymnast. She has a lot of experience and looks to have a good performance on Friday.

Courtney Oldenburg (West Salem/Aquinas) - She's been to Wisconsin Rapids three times before for the state meet and is always mentioned among the areas best gymnasts.

Cassie Noel (Holmen) - In an off year for Holmen, one of the bright spots is Cassie Noel, qualifying for the all-around, 3rd place at her sectional, she could have a good meet.

Maura Lee (GMC) - At state for her senior season she took 4th at her sectional and should have good meets Friday and Saturday.

Tatiana Rice (GMC) - A rising freshman for GMC, had pretty good scores at sectionals and should also have good meets both Friday and Saturday.

Qualifiers on individual events:

Erin Jennings (Holmen) - Beam and Bars
Cassidy McAllen (GMC) - Beam
Anna Swann (La Crosse) - Bars
Cheyanne Reglin (Arcadia) - Vault
Danyel Lomas (Viroqua Co-Op) - Floor

Sparta vs Durand girls basketball, Hockey regional finals, MSHSL playoffs (2/28)

2009-03-01T01:20:00.000-06:00

Lots to get to, so let's get to it:

I was at the Sparta versus Durand game this evening, up at Osseo-Fairchild. Durand had a lead in double digits in the first quarter, but by the mid second quarter, Sparta was right in it and held a lead for a while. The teams went into the break with Durand up by six. The second half saw more of the same as Sparta pulled away, stetching their lead to 16 with five minutes to go, that lead would shrink a little, but not enough to switch the finish as Durand wins 62 to 49. The foul disparity in this game was huge, nearly a two to one margin is about where I think it ended up. Having to sub players out down the stretch was certainly was no help for the Spartans.

The Minnesota State High School League playoffs are underway, and some area teams are in the action. The lone 4A team is Winona Senior High, as a #7 seed, they'll play at #2 seed Rochester Century on March 4th. In 3A, Winona Cotter, Caledonia and La Crescent each won their first games on Friday. Caledonia and La Crescent will face off on Monday at the Mayo Civic Center. The following night, Winona Cotter will go against Chatfield. In 1A, Houston won their first game last Tuesday, but met their demise on Friday. On Friday, Spring Grove and Rushford-Peterson each advanced, they'll face each other on Tuesday at the Mayo Civic Center.

State Wrestling and Girls Basketball Sectionals (2/28)

2009-02-28T22:43:00.000-06:00

Wrestling:

Congratulations to New Lisbon's Justin Pollack, De Soto's Chad Johnson, and Blair Taylors Jeff Erickson on their state championships. Pollack won his 2nd in a row. Johnson wins and finishes his entire season undefeated. Erickson gets the win after coming up one win short last year.

Greg will write about the Sparta/Durand game later so be sure to check back on that one.

I was at the Madison La Follette at Logan game tonight, Logan took an early lead and never really looked back. Michelle Mueller looked much better in this game than she did earlier in the week and had 15 points and quite a few blocks. Most impressive in this game was senior Emily Worden who scored 16 points and had 9 steals off the bench. Combined with Rita Rabb the senior guards were deadly tonight and a big part of pulling away the victory. Mueller was in foul trouble in the 3rd quarter when she picked up her 4th personal foul, but the team didn't miss a beat without the leader in the game.

Earlier in the day I made it to the New Lisbon vs Assumption game. The Rockets played hard, but undefeated Assumption was way too much for them. The most impressive thing is the tough defense the Royals put on. It's an accomplisment to make it this far but New Lisbon's season came to an end and with that a number of talented players will be graduating.

Other area winners today: Aquinas wins in division 3 over Arcadia 35-22. Independence squeaks one out in overtime 37-36. Weston wins over Barneveld. If each of them wins we'll have an all local sectional championship at Central.

Holmen falls to number 1 seed Middleton and number 1 seed Lincoln falls to Greenwood.

More to come later tonight and tomorrow.

Onalaska Boys Hockey to State

2009-02-28T16:31:00.000-06:00

Biggest news so far today is the Onalaska boys Hockey team is going to state. They win 4-3 in overtime on a goal from Mr. Hockey candidate Jordan Tredinnick. Tredinnick had 2 goals and assisted on the other 2.

Can't wait to see the highlights from this one on local TV. What an exiciting time to be a fan of Hockey in Onalaska. More on them later on in the week!

2-27 Wrestling, Girls Basketball, Gymnastics

2009-02-28T00:02:00.000-06:00

Bare with me here, there's a lot to get to, I'll try to label things well so it's easy to find what you're looking for.

STATE WRESTLING:

Still alive after today, the area has the following

112 - North Crawford/Seneca's Dylan Kansier is up against Justin Mudlaff from Random Lake. Mudlaff has only lost 1 match all year, he's beatable but Kansier will have to be at the top of his game. Kansier got a pin in his first match at state and won the 2nd 7-3.

125 - An all local match, certainly won worth watching! Defending state champion Justin Pollack from New Lisbon brings his undefeated record up against Blair-Taylor's Ryan Capouch. Pollack won on a pin and a 12-5 decision. Capouch on 6-0 and 3-2 decisions.

171 - Independence/Gilmanton's Marty Guza is taking on Patrick Kissel of Ootsburg (42-1). Guza got to the match with a 1-0 and a 7-1 decision.

189 - New Lisbons Anthony Edgren is taking on Jack Duerst of Boyceville. Duerst is undefeated so Edgren has his work cut out for him. Edgeren had 8-2 and 7-4 decisions in his first two state matches.

215 - De Soto's Chad Johnson will put his undefeated record up against Jordan Bauman from Stratford. Johnson has dominated his matches leading up to this one 8-0 and a pin.

285 - Blair-Taylor's Jeff Erickson is up against Boyceville's Matt Wyss. Erickson had a pin and an 8-5 decision to get this far.

Congratulations to all wrestlers who made it state and good luck to all of these guys!

GIRLS BASKETBALL REGIONALS:

We gave mention to all the teams earlier in the week so we're gonna look at just the local teams who won.

D4:

We'll start in D4 because I made it out to the Blair-Taylor at Lincoln game and as expected the gym was crazy for this one. Lincoln had pretty good control from the start and advances to the regional final on a 45-36 win. Sam Engle lead all scorers and was dominant under the hoop. They play the number 2 seed Greenwood Saturday for the regional championship in what promises to be a great game. Good luck to them.

Independence beat Gilmanton pretty handily and they will take on Plum City at Durand on Saturday. The Indees are favored and from everything I've seen, I expect their tournament run is far from over.

Weston beat Ithaca and will take on Barneveld who was victorious over Hillsboro, and did so in pretty convincing fashion. Weston has their work cut out for them in this one.

D3

Arcadia beat Whitehall in a very close game and Aquinas beat Viroqua by 12. So Aquinas and Arcadia will play each other for the regional championship. I would predict Aquinas wins this, but I would never underestimate an always good Raiders team.

D2

Sparta beat West Salem and made it look easy beating them by 31 points. They'll take on a very good Durand team who were 18-2 in conference this year and beat their only MVC opponent, Holmen, by 8.

Division 1 was mentioned on Wednesday. Good luck to Logan and Holmen!

GYMNASTICS

Most of the sectional results aren't in, so this will be updated tomorrow, but I can tell you both West Salem/Aquinas and the Viroqua/Cashton/North Crawford co-op will both be at state.

HOCKEY was talked about yesterday. Good luck to both the Onalaska boys and girls!

2-27 Boys Basketball Final Regular Season Games

2009-02-27T23:42:00.000-06:00

The regular season of boys basketball has finished, and conference champions have been settled.

In Westby, the Norse took care of the Viroqua Blackhawks. Viroqua had the score down to a six point gap early in the fourth quarter, but Westby would pull away, winning by 21. Chris Neely had 19 points and Riley Peter has 12 points for the Norse. Viroqua honestly looked like they could put it together, they did have the lead down to six with seven minutes left in the game, but as the final score shows, Westby was simply the better team.

Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau traveled to Black River Falls, the BRF Tigers needing a victory to claim at least a share of the conference title or with some luck, the outright conference title. The game held close halfway through the third quarter, where G-E-T held a two point lead. By four minutes later in the 4th quarter, the Tigers trailed by thirteen. A 57 to 42 decision goes in G-E-T's favor.

That finishes the Coulee Conference on a wild note. Coming into the night, Viroqua and Black River Falls were tied for the conference led, Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau was two games back and Westby was three games back. After the final night of the season, Black River Falls and Viroqua each clinch a share of the conference title, but both in a fashion I doubt the expected. G-E-T finishes one game back, and Westby finishes two games back.

In the Mississippi Valley Conference, it was already known that Aquinas was the conference champion, but there was still some settling on the rest of the standings left to take care of. Coming into the night, La Crosse Logan and La Crosse Central were tied for second in the MVC and that's where they'll finish. Central stomped Sparta 74 to 51, while Logan sqeaked by Holmen 55 to 51. Aquinas is the MVC champ, Logan and Central finish two games back. Amazing to think that Aquinas' only conference loss came at the start of the season, dropping a decision to Central.

So this sets the boys up for the post season

Division I:

La Crosse Central (#5 seed) hosts Watertown (#12 seed)
La Crosse Logan (#8 seed) hosts Sauk Prairie (#9 seed)
Holmen (#14 seed) travels to Waunkee (#3 seed)
Tomah (#15 seed) travels to Madison East (#2 seed)

Division II:

Black River Falls (#1 seed) has a first round bye
Ellsworth (#5 seed) travels to Sparta (#4 seed)
West Salem (#6 seed) travels to Onalaska (#3 seed)
Durand (#7 seed) travels to Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau (#2 seed)

Division III:

Sectional #3:
Aquinas (#1 seed) hosts Bangor (#8 seed)
Viroqua (#2 seed) hosts Melrose-Mindoro (#7 seed)
Westby (#3 seed) hosts Onalaska Luther (#6 seed)
Whitehall (#4 seed) hosts Arcadia (#5 seed)
Sectional #1:
Osseo-Fairchild (#4 seed) hosts Eleva-Strum (#5 seed)

Division IV:

Sectional #3:
Gilmanton (#1 seed) hosts Independence (#8 seed)
Plum City (#4 seed) hosts Cochrane-Fountain City (#5 seed)
Alma (#3 seed) hosts Elmwood (#6 seed)
Hillsboro (#1 seed) hosts La Farge (#8 seed)
River Ridge (#4 seed) hosts Seneca (#5 seed)
Belmont (#3 seed) hosts DeSoto (#6 seed)

2-26 Hockey Sectional Finals, Weather Update

2009-02-26T17:39:00.000-06:00

If you're in the Coulee Region and you haven't noticed, the weather is less than stellar. All area basketball games for Thursday evening have been postponed until Friday night.

Moving on the ice, it's playoff hockey as the Onalaska Hilltoppers are on the cusp of the state tournament for both boys and girls hockey. The girls will look for home ice advantage as Fond du Lac visits the Onalaska OmniCenter, while the boys travel to Wisconsin Rapids, last year's regional champion.

The girls face a stiff test. The Hilltoppers traveled to Fond du Lac and were shutout eight to nothing to open the season. In mid-January, the two locked horns again, this time a seven to one decision going against Onalaska. This time it's at home and as the saying goes "it's hard to beat a team three times in a season", but it'll be difficult to return to the Madison.

The boys team travels to Wisconsin Rapids, as the Raiders are looking for their seventh trip to the state tournament in the past nine years. Wisconsin Rapids finished 9-11-2 in their conference this year, putting them fifth. Thanks to the regions, Wisconsin Rapids finds themselves here, while only one fellow conference member (Stevens Point) remains in contention. The Raiders defeated Black River Falls (4 to 2), Tomah (5 to 1) and Sparta (2 to 1) in the regular season. Those have been three quality teams from the West Central Hockey Conference, but Onalaska has clearly been the top of the pile. Onalaska is seeking their second trip to state ever, their first coming in 1995.

2-26 State Wrestling

2009-02-26T14:18:00.000-06:00

State Wrestling is really something else to see, I had the opportunity to go last year and it was a great time. The first round starts this afternoon for Division 1 and this evening for Divisions 2 and 3.

WKBT has a live feed from the Kohl Center on their website.

There are a lot of guys still in contention so I'm just going to name of few of them individually. I apologize that I'm missing so many but we will provide more coverage in the later rounds.

103 Tomah's Kevin Betthauser is one of the few Seniors still wresting at 103 and the experience shows through, I'm expecting him to have a great year.

112 Logan's Billy Lorenz is a tough wrestler from a good wrestling program and has gotten a lot of good competition to practice with in the regular season.

112 North Crawford/Seneca's Dylan Kansier is a great wrestler with a first round by. He has a great shot at the title.

119 Tomah's Ian Duncan is a very good wrestler, I didn't see him lose all year because he had a 37-4 record, he could really make waves.

125 Blair-Taylor's Ryan Capouch has a first round bye and only 2 losses this season

125 New Lisbon's Justin Pollack is one of the area's elite wrestlers and is last years state champion. I'd have to say he's favored to repeat.

135 Holmen's Ian Hackett has only been on the losing end 3 times this season.

135 Westby's Jason Raasch has only 1 loss this season and a first round bye. I wouldn't be surprised to see him still going Saturday night.

140 West Salem/Bangor's Steve Stark only 2 losses on the year, but no first round bye.

145 Mel-Min/G-E-T's James Marker comes in with only 3 losses. A lot of good competition at this weight in D-2.

171 Independence/Gilmanton's Marty Guza comes in with only 3 losses and a first round bye to help propell him.

171 Aquinas' Trevor Dammon is one of the MVC's elite wrestlers who got a first round bye as well.

189 Sparta's Matt Tourdot should have a good tournament, having only lost 2 times this year and being on a talented Sparta team who competed for the MVC title.

215 Logan's Josh Viner looks to extend a great season, only 2 losses this season as well.

215 De Soto's Chad Johnson has not lost all year and could be favored to be a State Champion.

285 Tomah's John Van Gundy has been one of my favorite wrestlers to watch, like at Reedsburg in the team sectional he got a first round pin. He has a tough first match, but he can get things done.

285 Blair Taylor's Jeff Erickson is making another appearance at state, with only 2 losses I'm expecting him to at least make the semi-finals

2-25 Regional Preview

2009-02-25T16:55:00.000-06:00

Here's a preview of all the upcoming girls regional games, the D1 games on Saturday and the rest of the games on Thursday.

Division 1

Logan (v. Madison LaFollette)

Logan is coming off a 10 point victory against Sun Prarie and are a tough team to beat at home. Michelle Mueller played, but seemed a little limited in that game, but I’m expecting that her role will increase as the play-offs ware on. Many of these players saw time during their state run two years ago including Mueller and Vanessa Blackwell, both 5’11’’ juniors who are among the areas elite. As long as they can stay focused, the Rangers should win the regional championship.

Holmen (at Middleton)

Holmen has had a relatively successful season to this point. The biggest downfall is they will go into Saturday’s game against Middleton without lead scorer Kylie Siolka who went down late in the regular season against Central. Middleton is heavily favored in this but I wouldn’t expect the MVC’s second place team to roll over. The win against Central without Siolka proves this team has some kick.

Division 2

West Salem at Sparta

As Greg reminded us yesterday, the regular season meeting between these two teams was decided by only two points. West Salem has a balanced attack that helped them run away with the Coulee this year and look for senior stand-out Mary Kurish to have a big game, as they look for some big time revenge in Sparta. The Spartans finished 5^th in the MVC this year but it was a tough conference and they were the team that handed Logan their only loss. Their fast pace play will be tough for West Salem to keep up with. Whoever dictates the pace late in the game could very well win this game.

G-E-T (at Durand)

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau is a very polar team, on one hand, at the Coulee Classic at the La Crosse Center, they didn’t look very good against a struggling Luther team. On the other hand, they were the only Coulee Conference team to beat West Salem. Bottom-line is they can be a very good team and could come away with an upset.

Division 3

Viroqua at Aquinas

Aquinas’ 14-7 record in the regular season earned them a number 1 seed for good reason. They absolutely handled Westby in the opening round of the play-offs and they have a number of talented players in Emily Dolan and Haylea Halverson are dangerous from the outside and Kassie McGettigan is a threat underneath. Viroqua finished 4^th in the Coulee Conference and took care of business against Luther on Tuesday night. This could turn into a good game, but I think the Blugolds will come away with this win.

Arcadia at Whitehall

Arcadia took second place in a battered Coulee and Whitehall comes from a very good Dairyland conference which included Eleva-Strum who lost no players to graduation from their team that made it to state last year and Independence and Alma Center Lincoln, both earned a number 1 seed in Division 4. I think Whitehall is an overall better team but Arcadia has a lot of depth and a lot of talent.

Division 4

Gilmanton at Independence

If you’ll be in the northern part of the area tomorrow, I would suggest going to this game. It may be a 4 vs. 1, but with these towns only being about 18 miles apart this gymnasium should be rocking and as with any rivalry game or in conference game, this could read upset. That said, if any of our area girls teams will make it to state this year, my pick would be Independence. They are a very strong team with a number of players who have seen extended playing time for 2-3 seasons. Last year they missed state by 1 game against conference foe Eleva-Strum.

Royall (at Assumption)

Royall took 3^rd place in conference this year, but they have the ability to rise against big opponents as they beat both the 1^st and 2^nd place teams in the Scenic Bluffs conference. Assumption is a very good team who has not lost a game, they will be a very difficult team to beat.

Hillsboro (at Barneveld)

Hillsboro finished .500 in conference but had a much more impressive 12-8 overall record. Barneveld was 11-1 in conference and have been a very strong team in the past.

Ithaca at Weston

Weston should handle this game no problem. They are 14-0 and Weston won by 25 in their meeting earlier this year. Weston is a very good team and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a run at state.

Blair-Taylor at Lincoln

Another conference battle of Dairyland teams both coming from a great conference. Lincoln beat Blair-Taylor in both of the meetings this season, but only by a combined total of 6 points. I think Blair-Taylor could pull an upset here. This would be another great game to watch, I would expect it to come down to the 4^th quarter.

2-24 Sparta Girls Roll, West Salem Pulls Away

2009-02-24T22:29:00.000-06:00

When West Salem and Onalaska met up early in the regular season, West Salem nearly doubled Onalaska's score, winning 61 to 31. In the rematch, West Salem won once again, but this time by a much closer margin, 43 to 34. The Hilltoppers simply had no answer for West Salem's Mary Kurisch, who was simply towering down low. I didn't keep official statistics, but she seemed to get quite a few rebounds and points down low. Kudos to Jenny Kessler, who hit a couple of solid shots down the stretch. The Hilltoppers kept drawing the game close, they had a five point margin in the fourth quarter, but couldn't keep their momentum going.

Perhaps it's just the company Onalaska keeps in the Mississippi Valley Conference, but they didn't roll over as the six seed. The Hilltoppers were sixth in the seven team MVC this season, but they showed great resolve.

The Sparta Spartans opened the game scoring and scoring often. The Spartans pushed their lead up to 20 points just nine minutes into the game. The game finished out a 69 to 30 final score. Abby Kiefer and Martha Wilms each at 10 points a piece.

So West Salem travels to Sparta on Thursday, the winner will move on to face the winner of Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau versus Durand in the region final. There really looks to be no easy games in this region. Sparta traveled to West Salem in the regular season and came away with a two point victory. I wouldn't be shocked to see another great game in Sparta in two days.

In Division 3 action, Ben already talked about Aquinas' win, but there was a great half court shot in the Arcadia versus Melrose-Mindoro game from Kallie Quinn. Anytime you see a half court shot go in, it's always fun.

2-24 Logan and Aquinas Girls Cruise

2009-02-24T21:40:00.000-06:00

The Logan girls should've had no problem with the Sun Prarie Cardinals and for the most part they didn't. The 60-50 score looked a lot closer than the game was, the Rangers were up by 15 or most of the game.

The biggest problem for the Rangers were turnovers. At the end of both halfs Sun Prarie went on runs thanks to some sloppy play by Logan. Fortunately, such play is uncharacteristic for the Rangers and they had very little effect in the game. Senior Rita Rabb and junior Vanessa Blackwell both had 12 points.

If Logan has any concerns it's the injuries, junior Michelle Mueller injured her knee in the last game of the season and didn't look herself tonight, but that could be by design since the Rangers were heavily favored. Taylor Johnson also went down hard tonight and was favoring her ankle, but she still was able to play. Logan will host 6th Seed Madison LaFollette on Saturday

Speaking of injuries, Holmen's Kylie Siolka won't see any playoff time after injuring her knee against Central in the season's last game. They won that game and repeated the victory tonight at home against the Red Raiders. They will take on 1st seeded Middleton Saturday.

In D3 action, Aquinas had no problem with Westby, jumping out to a 15 point lead before the 1st quarter was even over. They won 45-25. Aquinas will host Viroqua who handled Luther 57-47.

A rundown of the teams playing Saturday coming up along with a look at the Sparta and West Salem games.

Introduction Blog

2009-02-24T13:48:00.000-06:00

Welcome, thanks for checking us out, we are a couple of sports fanatics whose jobs require us to follow high school sports in the La Crosse area. We intend to cover a wide variety of sports from the Mississippi Valley Conference, Coulee Conference, Dairyland Conference, Scenic Bluffs Conference, Ridge and Valley Conference, Hiawatha Valley League, and Three Rivers Conferences.

We will be attending games around the area and writing about these games along with other games we find to be important.

Please feel free to contact us with any suggestions, comments, or questions. Just leave a comment or send an e-mail at couleeregionpreps@gmail.com