Shawano Leader Sports Headlines
High School Highlights
CROSS-COUNTRY
Shawano boys 4th, Bonduel 7th in Wittenberg
Shawano junior Chase Lhotka took seventh place, Brandon Pagel 4th and Griffin Bohm 26th to help the Hawks finish in fourth place with 122 points at the 15-team Wittenberg-Birnamwood Invitational on Tuesday.
Bonduel’s boys team finished in seventh place, paced by Jared Wondra (18 minutes, 32 seconds) in 11th place and Colin Ewing in 29th.
Menominee Indian placed 12th as a team, with Tyler Komanekin leading with way in 31st place in a time of 19:21.
Rosholt (81) won the meet. Amherst (85) was second.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood won the girls meet with 51 points, with all five of its scoring runners finishing in the top 15.
Shawano (166) took seventh place, led by Alice Hoffman’s time of 23:17, which put her in 19th place. Sarah Mente finished 29th.
Bonduel trailed the Hawks by 41 points, putting it in ninth place. Arianna Factor took 16th, while Laney Richmond and Ashlyn Schnell each finished in the top 40 runners.
Marion’s Delaney Greene-Gretzinger took second overall, but the Mustangs came in 13th place with a score of 354.
VOLLEYBALL
Gresham 3
Almond-Bancroft 0
Gresham senior Sydney Jensen posted 13 kills to help the Wildcats earn their first conference victory at home on Tuesday.
Mackenzie Hoffman tallied 13 digs for Gresham (5-3, 1-0 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) in the sweep.
Dani Huntington added 18 assists for the Wildcats.
Rosholt 3
Menominee Indian 0
Jalen Corn led the Menominee Indian offense with seven kills in Tuesday’s road sweep at the hands of Rosholt.
Kendra Webster had two aces and two blocks for Menominee Indian (1-6, 0-1 Central Wisconsin Conference-10).
The Eagles hurt themselves with service and hitting errors throughout the night, head coach Jackson Miller said.
Witt-Birn 3
Iola-Scandinavia 0
Madison Bushman dished out 21 assists to help the balanced Witt-Birn attack sweep Iola-Scandinavia on the road Tuesday.
Taylor Nier had 10 kills, and Marissa Groshek added six.
The Chargers moved to 13-2 overall and 1-0 in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetHawks defense stands firm
Chris Caporale, [email protected]
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School senior Dylan Sumnicht cuts upfield one one of his nine catches in Friday’s 34-27 victory over Green Bay East. Sumnicht had 128 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School lineman Dakota Maltbey blocks Green Bay East’s Brett Georgia on a run play early in Shawano’s road victory Friday.
When Shawano needed to get a stop, the defense stepped up.
The Hawks forced four second-half turnovers, including Brett Ainsworth’s pick just outside of the red zone with 2:14 remaining in the game and Crede Timm’s interception of a deep ball in the closing seconds, to secure a 34-27 road victory over Green Bay East in Bay Conference play Friday night.
“Our defense, that’s what we wanted to do,” Shawano head coach Al Tomow said. “Create turnovers and bend but don’t break in that second half, and that’s exactly what they did.”
With Shawano ahead by 7 late in the fourth quarter, the Red Devils drove down the field, converting on a 4th and 11 near midfield. A 12-yard run from senior Eli Jordan brought Green Bay East closer to the end zone. That’s when Ainsworth jumped underneath the route, bobbled the ball, secured it and returned it to the Shawano 38-yard line.
The Hawks ran back-to-back run plays to force the Red Devils to use timeouts. After a 15-yard punt by Connor Klish, Green Bay East got the ball at its own 44 with 1:47 remaining.
Again, Shawano would make a stand. On third down, Seth Sousek sacked quarterback Koda Kinjerski to force a fourth and 15. With the Red Devils unable to stop the clock, Kinjerski lobbed a ball to the 5-yard line, where it was picked off by Timm with 10 seconds remaining.
“Our defense really answered the challenge in the second half,” Tomow said.
The Hawks recorded fumble recoveries on back-to-back third-quarter possessions to get back in the lead.
Shawano thought it had tied the game heading into halftime when Dylan Sumnicht returned a kickoff for a touchdown as the time expired, but a penalty brought back the score, giving Green Bay East a 20-13 lead at the break.
In the third quarter, a sack by Brandon Zoll forced a fourth-and-20 at Green Bay East’s 36. The Red Devils’ punt hit a player in the backfield, causing the ball to travel just 7 yards.
Sumnicht took a short pass 23 yards into the red zone, and Kien Moorman punched the ball in from 1 yard out to even the score at 20.
Sumnicht, who had nine catches on the night for 128 yards and three TDs, used his speed on the short routes for big gains all night.
“After watching film, we realized I could outrun any of the linebackers,” Sumnicht said.
Jack Hanauer added another score on a 10-yard run with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter, putting Shawano up 27-20.
Green Bay East responded on its next drive. Eli Jordan snagged a screen pass one-handed and ran 26 yards for a touchdown to tie the game with 9:44 remaining.
Shawano (2-1, 1-1 Bay Conference) needed to sustain a drive to not only keep its defense off the field, but also to wear down the Red Devils (0-3, 0-3 Bay Conference).
The Hawks went 67 yards in five minutes to take the 7-point lead on a 10-yard reception by Sumnicht.
“That was a big-time drive for us. We needed to answer what they were doing. Really kind of slow them down,” Tomow said. “They kind of had some kids playing both ways on the line that we kind of wanted to wear down.”
Hanauer threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 70 yards and another score. Kien Moorman had 20 carries for 120 yards.
Green Bay East was led by Kinjerski with 70 rushing yards and another 88 passing yards. He threw two touchdowns and had two interceptions.
Shawano 34, Green Bay East 27
Team 1 2 3 4
Shawano 7 6 14 7 34
Green Bay East 7 13 0 7 27
First quarter
GBE: Haydon Ostertag 36-yard reception from Koda Kinjerski (PAT good) 0-7 (7:43).
S: Dylan Sumnicht 33-yard reception from Jack Hanauer (PAT good) 7-7 (5:04).
Second quarter
S; Sumnicht 8-yard reception from Hanauer (PAT blocked) 13-7 (4:24).
GBE: Kinjerski 2-yard run (PAT good) 13-14 (2:19).
GBE: Ostertag 13-yard run (PAT missed) 13-20 (0:16).
Third quarter
S: Kien Moorman 1-yard run (PAT good) 20-20 (7:46).
S: Hanauer 10-yard run (PAT good) 27-20 (0:27).
Fourth quarter
GBE: Eli Jordan 26-yard reception from Kinjerski (PAT good) 27-27 (9:44).
S: Sumnicht 10-yard reception from Hanauer (PAT good) 34-27 (4:44).
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 Average: 5 (1 vote)Tacheny survives Enduro race
Brady Van Deurzen, [email protected]
Leader Photo by Brady Van Duerzen Todd Tacheny, left, assesses his car after winning the annual Impact Survival Series Enduro at the Shawano Speedway on Friday.
Siblings Rachel Czarapata and Jeremy Czarapata led for a majority of the annual 150-lap Impact Survival Series Enduro at the Shawano Speedway on Friday.
Although the siblings controlled the race for a combined 120 laps, Todd Tacheny of Minnesota recorded the victory, followed in second place by Frank Calabrese.
The race was one of the main events Friday at the Shawano County Fair.
“It’s so cool to see how good of a job the Shawano fair has done with this race year after year,” Tacheny said. “A lot of fairs don’t have these races anymore, so it’s good to see that they still do such a good job with it.”
Sherry Czarapata, Rachel and Jeremy’s mother, also was among the leaders early in the race, moving up as high as the third spot.
Jeremy Czarapata pulled into the lead on the fifth lap and held it until the 47th lap, when he hit the wall coming out of turn four, ending his night.
Calabrese held the lead for eight laps before Rachel Czarapata passed him on the inside of turn three.
Czarapata controlled the race until lap 119, when she was given a one-lap penalty for moving during a red flag, giving Tacheny the lead for the first time. Engine problems forced Czarapata to exit the race.
Calabrese retook the lead on lap 124 and battled Tacheny for three laps. The duo traded paint frequently until engine problems forced Calabrese to the pits.
Tacheny opened up his lead, winning the race by almost a full lap over Calabrese.
Impact Survival Series Enduro
Sept. 2
Shawano Speedway
Top finishers
1, Todd Tacheny; 2, Jay Orr; 3, Kyle Ambroziak; 4, Dan Van Pay; 5, Eddie Muenster; 6, Kyle Miller; 7, Elliot Reid; 8, Trevor Clark; 9, Bob Voigt; 10, Dustin Wudstrack .
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FOOTBALL
Bonduel 35
Weyauwega-Fremont 0
Jordan Boldt rushed for two scores and 69 yards in Bonduel’s road victory Friday.
Eli Mastey added 13 rushes for 148 yards, and Jacob Banker added 65 more yards on the ground for the Bears (3-0, 1-0 Central Wisconsin Conference-8).
Parker Bohm found Brandon Olsen to cap a 20-point second quarter in defeating Weyauwega-Fremont (1-2, 0-1 CWC-8).
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetFinal night of the season is upon us
Scott Owen, Leader Columnist
It all comes down to this — the one final night of racing this year at the Shawano Speedway.
Five track champions will be crowned. Interestingly enough, all five divisions are basically decided.
Marcus Yarie has already wrapped the IMCA Modifieds track championship. Yarie enters the night with an insurmountable 65-point lead over last year’s track champion, Jerry Wilinski. Yarie scored seven feature wins this season en route to his second title at the historic half-mile. Yarie also won the title in 2014.
Travis Van Straten enters the night merely needing to start the IMCA Stock Cars feature in order to wrap up his third consecutive title. He has had an incredible three-year run. Van Straten has scored 33 feature wins in the past three seasons alone at Shawano. Van Straten was also the national champion last season in the IMCA Stock Cars division and currently sits second in national points, only 13 points out of first.
Late Models points leader Brett Swedberg also needs to start the feature to wrap up his first championship. Swedberg fell victim to numerous breakdowns a year ago, keeping him from challenging for the title. This year, Swedberg has been consistently fast all year. Swedberg has scored three feature wins along the way this season.
Jordan Barkholtz in the IMCA Sport Mods is another driver that has used consistent finishes to get to the top of the point standings. Barkholtz has two feature wins and also needs to only start the feature to secure his first track championship.
Additionally, Grant Kastning enters the night with a 22-point edge in the Mighty Fours division. For Kastning, he too basically just needs to start the feature to win the title. Kastning held a rather commanding lead previous to last week’s feature, but mechanical gremlins forced him to pull off the track early. It would also be the first crown for Kastning, who has scored two feature wins this season.
Since its addition to the race program in 2012, the Mighty Fours class has never had a repeat champion.
In my eyes, the 2016 season will be remembered for breakout seasons by Konnor Wilinski, Kyle Raddant and Jason Hopinka, as well as continued feature winning power by the likes of Yarie, Van Straten and Lucas Lamberies, who has scored seven wins entering the final night.
The season will also be remembered for first-ever wins by the likes of Vern Stedjee, Lucas Hacker and Jason Ebert.
With only one night left, it’s time to get out and fill that racing void before the long winter sets in.
See you at the speedway.
Scott Owen is the track announcer for Shawano Speedway.Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetLhotka pushes tempo in De Pere
Chris Caporale, [email protected]
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School junior Chase Lhotka runs around the 1-mile mark of Thursday’s De Pere Invitational. Lhotka finished in fourth place.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School freshman Karston Anderson is encouraged by coach Steve Stomberg during Thursday’s De Pere Invitational. Anderson took 20th as the Hawks finished in third place.
Chase Lhotka came into the second meet of the fall season wanting to push the tempo.
The Shawano Community High School junior was comfortable letting runners run past him in previous races before sprinting to the finish line.
But on Thursday, he changed it up. He raced out among the leaders and hung with them the entire way to place fourth and pace the Hawks boys to a third-place finish at the six-team De Pere Invitational. The Shawano girls took fifth.
“Anytime a guy got close to me, I stayed with the guys ahead of me,” Lhotka said. “I just looked in front of me and pushed ahead.”
Shawano head coach Steve Stomberg knows Lhotka is trying to outrun the shadow of his brother, 2016 SCHS graduate Austin Lhotka.
“Chase, he wants to go out there. He wants to be as good as his brother was,” Stomberg said. “He wants a trip to make it to state.”
Lhotka’s time of 17:12 was a personal record, one of many set by the Hawks on the day. Following Lhotka were seniors Brandon Pagel and Griffin Bohm, who finished in 13th and 14th place, respectively.
“Those guys in practice, they are not complaining,” Stomberg said. “They want to work. They want to get better.”
Freshman Karsten Anderson posted a time of 18:38 and junior Camron Wickman added a 19:03 to give the Hawks a score of 72, three points behind host De Pere.
Bay Port ran away with the boys title (27) as well as the girls title (44).
In the girls race, Shawano fielded a team of three sophomores and two freshmen.
Sophomore Alice Hoffman ran the course in 22:28 to finish 20th, while Sarah Mente came in three spots behind her in 23:00. Madeline Hanson (23:52), Caitlin Daniel (24:23) and Makayla Stoddart (25:38) all finished in the 10 positions behind Mente.
Stomberg has seen some toughness in the girls that gives him hope for this year and beyond.
“They are physically in shape,” Stomberg said. “Mentally, they are stronger than a lot of our girls had been in the past.
“They are working hard. They have never complained about anything. And it’s just fun to see these girls with a different work ethic.”
De Pere Invitational
Sept. 1
De Pere High School
Boys high school: Bay Port, 27; De Pere, 69; Shawano, 72; Green Bay Southwest, 89; Notre Dame Academy, 158; Wrightstown, 161; Kewaunee, 190.
Girls high school: Bay Port, 44; De Pere, 53; Green Bay Southwest, 53; Kewaunee, 76; Shawano, 134; Notre Dame Academy, 159.
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GIRLS TENNIS
Shawano 4
Menasha 3
Shawano’s three doubles teams swept Menasha, winning 36 of 38 games Thursday on the road.
The Hawks’ top doubles team of Julia Haarth and Dakota Hass, and the third doubles team of Lexi Wilber and Colleen McFarlane won 6-0, 6-0. Addie Schuler and Gabrielle Tuma, at No. 2 doubles, won, 6-1, 6-1.
Kaliegh Zoll was the lone singles player to win, taking her match in straight sets 7-5, 6-0.
FOOTBALL
Lena/STAA 47
Menominee Indian 8
After taking an 8-6 lead in the first quarter, Menominee Indian allowed 41 unanswered points in its loss at home Thursday.
Antonio Mahkimetas had 107 rushing yards and 51 receiving for the Eagles (1-2, 1-2 Great-8 North).
Lena/STAA (1-2, 1-1 Great-8 North) forced seven turnovers.
VOLLEYBALL
Bonduel 3
Rosholt 0
Senior Kailee Pedersen led Bonduel in digs (17) and kills (10) in Thursday’s home sweep of Rosholt.
Brynn Reinke had 25 assists for Bonduel (4-5), which won by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-20.
Mackenzie Wollenberg added two aces.
Witt-Birn 3
Marathon 2
Wittenberg-Birnamwood came back after losing both the third and fourth sets to take the fifth set, 15-13, in a home victory Thursday.
Taylor Nier tallied 32 kills and 24 digs, while Madison Bushman had 48 assists and 15 digs for Wittenberg-Birnamwood (12-2).
Lauren Bushman added 16 kills, and Helia Gagnon posted 14 digs.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetHawks hope land training will pay off in the pool
Chris Caporale, [email protected]
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Senior Emme Quandt returns to the Shawano/Bonduel swim team this season. The squad lost four-time state qualifier Clare Martell and four other seniors from 2015.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano/Bonduel junior Lydia Colon works on her backstroke during practice Monday. The Hawks open their Bay Conference schedule Thursday in Sturgeon Bay.
The growth of the Shawano/Bonduel swim team could pose a challenge for first-year head coach Liz Teetzen.
The Hawks are up to 29 swimmers, from 22 a season ago, and with a six-lane pool, working individually on skills and getting the necessary practice time in the water can be difficult.
“It’s hard to fit everybody in to really work on skill and technique,” Teetzen said.
It’s not like Teetzen is complaining about the growth of the team, though. There were only six athletes on the squad when she swam in 2008.
Teetzen replaced former head coach Sharon Hanson, who remains with the team as an assistant coach.
The Hawks are focusing their mornings on land training, which is meant to help the team stay healthy for the duration of the fall season.
“We just have more dry-land training to hopefully prevent more injuries that we had last year to get them conditioned more for the pool,” Teetzen said.
The athletes have seen a difference.
“I think it’s definitely helping strength-wise both in and out of the pool,” senior captain Emme Quandt said.
Shawano/Bonduel lost five seniors to graduation, including Clare Martell, a four-time state qualifier who is swimming for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay this fall. Other seniors that swam at the WIAA Division 1 sectional meet in Neenah last fall were Alyssa Anker, Lauren Roloff, Charlee Hietpas and Katie West.
In addition to Quandt, returning varsity swimmers include Lydia Colon, Samantha Leiser, Onalee Siegfried, Peyton Hrabik, Nicole Thornock and Brittany Angeli.
The Hawks will open their Bay Conference season Thursday in Sturgeon Bay.
AT A GLANCE
Shawano Community High School
Swim Schedule
Sept. 1 at Sturgeon Bay Invitational
Sept. 8 at Seymour
Sept. 10 at Wauwatosa East Invitational
Sept. 15 vs. Sturgeon Bay
Sept. 17 at Ashwaubenon Invitational
Sept. 20 at New London
Sept. 27 vs. Marinette
Oct. 4 vs. Clintonville
Oct. 13 at Wittenberg-Birnamwood
Oct. 20 at Shawano Sprints
Oct. 27 at Bay Conference meet
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetSub-plots carry the day in Packers’ win over 49ers
Gary Seymour, [email protected]
Stand-up guy Colin Kaepernick made waves in last Saturday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers by sitting down, and in breaking off a nice gain, Packers running back Eddie Lacy became entrenched in a hairy dilemma.
Who said preseason games are boring?
The Packers beat San Francisco 21-10 to go 3-0 in the exhibition season, but it was Kaepernick making headlines by refusing to stand during the pregame national anthem.
Kaepernick, one of the 49ers’ quarterbacks, explained his action by saying that he could not support a country that oppresses black people and other people of color.
Those backing Kaepernick’s position drew parallels to Muhammad Ali’s refusal to be inducted in the U.S. Army in the mid-1960s.
The difference, though, is stark. Standing up for a song that lasts about a minute isn’t quite the same thing as a years-long tour of duty in Southeast Asia trading gunfire with guerrillas on their home turf.
“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” Kaepernick said. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
The screaming irony is that Kaepernick is a multi-millionaire whose financial security was forged in the only country in the world where it would be possible. Quarterbacks in Micronesia, for example, have a much lower standard of living.
Kaepernick said he was speaking out because he had a forum that others do not. He also has the wherewithal that others do not.
How much change his sitting will bring about is questionable, but if he is truly motivated to make a difference, he has the means to make a philanthropic splash in many lesser-privileged communities.
As for Lacy, he demonstrated a nimble bearing that wasn’t there last year when he took a first-quarter handoff and blasted it to the outside for 21 yards.
His overall performance was encouraging, and interesting. He’s got the speed back to turn the corner again, but he needs a haircut. On the 21-yard scamper he was pulled down from behind by the locks, which, oddly, is a legal tackle even though it mimics the neck-snapping, hip-grinding effect that a ball carrier suffers from the 15-yard-infraction horse tackle.
In the same vein that a pro baseball or basketball player should be allowed to have hair like Rapunzel as long as it doesn’t get in his eyes when he’s tracking a fly ball or shooting a jump shot, a football running back should have the freedom to grow it as long as he likes. It’s when a defender can legally grab it and pull your head back like a Pez dispenser that you should seriously re-consider your extended target area.
Lacy is quicker, but he’s still not the Road Runner, and in a best-case scene there will be many instances where he will have broken a run into the secondary with faster defenders in pursuit.
Under the NFL’s present rule, Lacy wasn’t horse-collared. He was horse-maned, and it could easily happen again, with far worse consequences. Maybe one of the coaches could gently nudge Lacy around to this point of view.
As Lacy said of the tackle, “That’s how most guys hurt their knees, because you get pulled from the back, which is why the horse-collar rule is there. So, luckily that didn’t happen.”
Maybe he was joking when he said that if he was going to cut his hair, it would not be until the Packers’ bye week – the fourth week of the season – so that he could go to his regular barber back home in Louisiana.
Hopefully, Lacy will weigh the options and get it cut sooner. It usually grows back. If not, for the sake of the team, he might consider the advantages of a scrunchie.
Veteran sportswriter Gary Seymour’s column appears weekly in the Leader. To contact him, send an email to [email protected] this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetBears win home volleyball tourney
Brady Van Deurzen, [email protected]
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School senior Emily Sorenson lays out for a ball during a three-set victory over Laona-Wabeno on Tuesday in Bonduel. Bonduel won its five-team invitational with a 3-1 record.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School senior Brittany Wudtke swings through the block of the Laona-Wabeno defense Tuesday in Bonduel. Bonduel defeated the Rebels in three sets and won its five-team invitational with a 3-1 record.
Bonduel won its home invitational Tuesday with a 3-1 record.
Following a 2-1 loss to Omro, Bonduel (3-5) rebounded with wins over Laona-Wabeno, Suring and Waupaca.
Head coach Kim Bodoh said the five-team field was the strongest she could remember.
“This is my fourth year coaching here and this is my first time winning the Bonduel Invite,” Bodoh said. “This is probably the most competitive the invite has ever been.”
Following a disappointing 0-4 showing at a tourney in Oostburg last weekend, Bodoh wanted to experiment with the Bears’ offense. She said the results spoke for themselves.
“It was successful,” Bodoh said. “There were a few times that we were out of rotation, and there are a few glitches to still work out, but to me, to be successful with such a new offense just shows that this team is willing to overcome obstacles and keep pushing and fighting until we get what we need.”
The Bears were led in kills by Kailee Pedersen (21) and Emily Sorenson (19). Pedersen also lead the team in digs with 30, while Sorenson lead the team in blocks with 11.
Brynn Reinke lead the team in assists with 66, and Brittany Wudtke lead the team in service aces with 12.
Bonduel 2, Waupaca 0
The Bears opened the first set with a 7-0 scoring run and finished off the Comets 25-10.
With the Bears leading 16-10 in the second set, Waupaca rallied with a 6-2 scoring run. Bonduel fended off the comeback attempt for a 25-22 win, giving the host school the tournament title.
Omro 2, Bonduel 1
Bonduel opened the tourney with a 25-10 win over Omro and never let the Foxes get within three points.
The second game was close throughout, with Bonduel falling, 27-25.
In the decisive third set, Bonduel fell behind 4-0, evened the score at 7 and then lost momentum as the Foxes went on a 6-2 run. Omro went on to post a 15-11 win.
Bonduel 2, Laona-Wabeno 1
Laona-Wabeno erased an early 10-3 Bonduel lead with an 8-3 scoring run. The Rebels took the lead at 21-20 and hung on for the 25-23 win.
The second game was a different story. Bonduel led throughout and held off the Rebels for a 25-20 victory.
In the third game, the Bears led but the Rebels rallied to within two, 12-10. Bodoh called a timeout to calm her team, and the Bears responded by winning three of the last five points for a 15-12 victory.
Bonduel 2, Suring 1
After a successful serving streak from Sorenson, Bonduel led 10-3 in the first game. A comeback fled by Faith Buhrandt put a dent in Bonduel’s lead, however the Bears hung on for a 25-21 win.
The Bears fell behind 11-3 in the second game and never recovered, losing 25-20.
Bonduel never trailed in the third game, finishing off the Eagles, 15-8.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetZook posts 2nd straight 43
Chris Caporale, [email protected]
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School junior Brianna Zook watches a par putt roll in on the seventh hole as part of her round of 43 on Tuesday at Golden Sands Golf Course.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School golfer Jessie LaBerge taps in a par putt on the ninth hole, her third straight birdie at the time. She shot a 48 to lead Bonduel at a sixth-place finish at a Bay Conference meet Tuesday at Golden Sands Golf Course in Cecil.
Shawano junior Brianna Zook, one day after posting a round of 43 at her home Shawano Lakes Golf Course, matched that round Tuesday at Golden Sands Golf Course in Cecil, giving her second place at a Bay Conference meet.
Hawks head coach Dean Kugler wanted Zook to focus on keeping the ball in play by keeping her driver in her bag.
“It was one of our big points today; just put that driver away,” Kugler said. “Stay in the game, keep it on the course. Don’t hit it out when you don’t have to.”
Zook almost got into trouble on the par-4 seventh hole when she used her driver and missed to the left of the fairway. Her ball sat just inches away from the thick grass of the hazard. She was able to save par.
“She’s just finding her groove right now,” Kugler said.
Zook trailed only Oconto’s Megan Ryan, who posted a 39. The Hawks had a score of 210, tying them with Seymour for third place. West De Pere won the meet with a 198, and Xavier followed closely behind with a 203. Oconto (217) finished in fifth and Bonduel came in sixth with a 221.
The Hawks, who only had four golfers at the meet, were helped by Brinley Kowalkowski’s 55 and rounds of 56 from Kiley Rusch and Hannah Hass.
Bonduel’s Jessie LaBerge tied for fifth place with a 48. She had a stretch of three consecutive birdies on holes 7-9, but would add two double bogeys and a quadruple bogey over the next five holes.
“I feel like they’re playing well, but their scores aren’t showing it necessarily,” Bonduel head coach Taylor McAdams said.
Mariah Diemel shot a 54, and Mackenzie Mews posted a 58 for the Bears. Morgan Cornette and Allissa Tilleson each shot rounds of 61.
McAdams wants to see more consistency out of the girls, but based on how each of the golfers can shoot, she’s excited for them to put it all together.
“They are all improving day by day, and with the way it looks, we have a good chance of sending one or two through to sectionals,” McAdams said. “That’s my hope.”
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BOYS SOCCER
Shawano 4
New London 3
Jacob Dickmann and Braxton Surber each scored two goals in Shawano’s road victory Tuesday.
Surber, Michael Klement and Carter Peplinski each posted assists for the Hawks (3-1-1, 1-0-0 Bay).
Will Bergner saved six shots against New London (2-4-0, 0-1-0 Bay).
Shawano takes 2 games in Rhinelander
The Hawks posted back-t0-back 2-0 victories Saturday at a tournament in Rhinelander.
Shawano (2-1-1) defeated Mountain with goals from Payden Buck and Mitchell Jung. Michael Klement scored both goals in the Hawks’ win over Kingsford in the second game.
Will Bergner tallied 13 saves on the day.
VOLLEYBALL
Gresham 3
Phelps 0
Gresham won all three sets in Tuesday’s road victory, 25-12, 25-12, 25-13.
Mackenzie Hoffman had nine aces, and Hailey Hoffman added another six for the Wildcats (4-3).
Dani Huntington tallied 10 assists as the setter for Gresham.
Gresham 2nd at home invite
Gresham topped rival Bowler and Montello on Saturday at its home invite, falling only to Elcho to finish in second place.
Sydney Jensen posted 38 kills and Dani Huntington added 53 assists for Gresham (3-3). Mackenzie Hoffman posted 34 digs, and she was followed closely by Makena Arndt’s 32 digs.
Elcho took the title. Bowler finished in third place and Montello in fourth.
GIRLS GOLF
Zook is medalist with round of 43
Shawano junior Brianna Zook was the medalist with a round of 43 at a Bay Conference meet Monday at Shawano Lakes Golf Course.
Brinley Kowalkowski added a 59, Kiley Rusch posted a 60 and Hannah Hass a 72 as the Hawks’ score of 234 put them in fourth place.
Morgan Cornette shot a 55 and Mariah Diemel added a 58 to lead Bonduel, which finished in fifth place at 235 points.
Seymour won the meet with a team score of 190.
GIRLS TENNIS
Marinette 5
Shawano 2
Sydney Steinbach got back into the win column with a straight-set victory at the top singles flight in Shawano’s road dual loss Tuesday to Marinette.
The Shawano No. 2 doubles team of Julia Haarth and Dakota Hass also posted a win.
At No. 2 singles, Cheyenne Knueppel fell in a first-set tiebreaker and lost the second set 6-4, and Shawano’s top doubles team of Carlie Hinnefeld and Olivia Schultz pushed their opponents into a third set before eventually falling.
CROSS-COUNTRY
Pyatskowit wins 2nd straight race
Clintonville senior Kara Pyatskowit took first at the Iola Thunderbird Invitational on Tuesday, helping the Truckers to a second-place finish.
Elly Arndt, Taylor Young and Autumn Hohn all added top-30 finishes for Clintonville.
The Bonduel boys took fifth place at the invite, as Jared Wondra took 14th, Austin Kurey placed 25th and Jacob Moede finished 29th.
The Bonduel girls took 10th place, led by Ashlyn Schnell’s 20th-place finish. The Charger girls came in seventh, paced by Alexis Balliett’s 13th-place finish.
The Wittenberg-Birnamwood boys took eighth, with the Menominee Indian boys team coming in 11th.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetLamberies’ late pass earns 7th feature win
Scott Owen, Special to the Leader
A big crowd of fans and competitors were on hand for Seubert Calf Ranches and Charter Communications night at the Shawano Speedway on Saturday.
Lucas Lamberies made a last-lap pass on Wyatt Block for his seventh IMCA Sport Mods win, and Shawn Haydon parked his ‘57 Chevy in victory lane in the first-ever Street Stocks feature at the speedway.
Nick Anvelink was dominant on the way to his fifth Late Models feature win. Sixteen-year-old Konnor Wilinski scored his second straight IMCA Modifieds feature win. Travis Van Straten outdueled Brandon Czarapata to win his 10th IMCA Stock Cars feature, and Calvin Stueck scored his second Mighty Fours feature.
Late Models
Pole-sitter Joel Bennett led lap one of the Late Models feature as Troy Springborn grabbed second. Bennett continued to lead the race, while Anvelink passed Springborn on lap six.
Anvelink got to the inside of Bennett exiting turn four on lap eight and would take the lead entering turn one on the following lap. Anvelink quickly began to pull away. Springborn went to work on Bennett for second. Springborn was able to pass Bennett on lap 17. On lap 20, Tim Rothe joined the top three by passing Bennett. As Anvelink ran one and two, Brett Swedberg passed Rothe on lap 24.
Anvelink cruised to victory. Springborn, Swedberg, Rothe, and Bennett completed the top five.
IMCA Modifieds
Shawn Frelich snagged the lead on lap one of the IMCA Modifieds feature. Clint Forstner immediately began to pressure Frelich for the lead. Eddie Muenster moved to second on lap three.
Frelich, Muenster and Forstner were three wide for the lead on lap four. Forstner’s hood came up, though, blocking his sight. Forstner had to come to a stop and brought out a caution. As the race went green again on lap five, Frelich led with Muenster, Marcus Yarie, Konnor Wilinski and Jerry Wilinski in the top five.
Muenster got inside Frelich on lap seven as the pair were side-by-side for first. Muenster led lap eight by a bumper, but Frelich put his mount back in the lead on lap nine. A bobble by Muenster on lap 10 allowed Konnor Wilinski to make the pass for second. Caution flew for debris after lap 11.
On lap 12 Frelick, Konnor Wilinski and Yarie went three wide for the lead with Wilinski leading at the start/finish line. On lap 13 Eddie Muenster powered into second. On lap 15, Wilinski held the lead with Muenster second, Yarie third, Jason Czarapata fourth (in his first night of racing in 2016) and Mike Mullen fifth. Yarie would move to second on the following lap.
Yarie took a look to the outside of Wilinski for the lead on the final lap, but Wilinski was not to be denied. Yarie took second, followed by Muenster, Mullen and Czarapata.
IMCA Stock Cars
Asa Doxtator led lap one of the IMCA Stock Cars feature before pulling off the track on lap two, handing the lead to Kurt Olson. Nate Michonski circled the track right on Olson’s bumper. Michonski dropped off the pace on lap three.
Van Straten got past Olson to take the lead exiting turn two on lap four to take the lead. Olson continued to chase Van Straten until lap eight when Dan Michonski moved to second. Brandon Czarapata, who started 15th, joined the top three on lap 13. Czarapata got inside Michonski on lap 15 to take the second spot.
Over the last five laps of the race Czarapata stayed right on Van Straten but could not muster a pass. Van Straten scored the win over Czarapata, Michonski, Junior Karcz and 17th-place starting David Hoerning.
IMCA Sport Mods
Brian Besaw grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the IMCA Sports Mod feature, while Wyatt Block raced in second. On lap four Block took the lead. On the following lap, Lamberies passed Besaw for second. Besaw charged back past Lamberies on lap eight.
As Block led, Lamberies again battled past Besaw for second on lap eight. As laps clicked off, Block continued to show the way with Lamberies running second. Besaw held the third position until the 18th lap when Kyle Raddant got by to take third.
Block held the lead as the white flag waived, but then Lamberies moved to the outside of Block in turn two. The pair went side-by-side down the back stretch.
Lamberies moved ahead of Block in turn three and held the advantage the rest of the way for the win. Block would have to settle for second followed by Raddant, Brock Saunders and 16th-place starting Kevin Bethke.
Mighty Fours
Josh Slewinski led the first three laps of the Mighty Fours feature before Calvin Stueck made a pass for the lead on lap four. Stueck would win the abbreviated race that featured two rollovers. Slewinski finished second, Tanner Westphal third, Travis Welch fourth and Brad Wedde fifth.
Street Stocks
The Street Stocks feature was led on lap one by Gary Kasperek. Shawn Haydon got inside Kasperek on lap two to take the lead away. Kasperek battled back to the outside of Haydon, and the two battled door to door on lap three with Haydon holding the lead at the line. Paul Ambrosius began to apply pressure on Kasperek for second.
Ambrosius got past Kasperek on lap eight. Haydon would go on to lead the rest of the race for the win. Ambrosius, Kasperek, Jeff Jungwirth and Matt Warner completed the top five.
Shawano Speedway
Aug. 27
Race Summary
Late Model Feature: 1) Nick Anvelink, 2) Troy Springborn, 3) Brett Swedberg, 4) Tim Rothe, 5) Joel Bennett, 6) Josh Moesch, 7) Kyle Odekirk, 8) Michael Stangl, 9) Derek Jahnke, 10) Aaron Reivitis.
Heat 1: 1) Anvelink, 2) Springborn, 3) Tom Naeyaert.
Heat 2: 1) Jared Siefert, 2) Bennett, 3) Moesch.
IMCA Modified Feature: 1) Konnor Wilinski, 2) Marcus Yarie, 3) Eddie Muenster, 4) Mike Mullen, 5) Jason Czarapata, 6) Jerry Wilinski, 7) Shawn Frelich, 8) Jerry Muenster, 9) Eric Scribner, 10) Beetle Bailey.
Heat 1: 1) Yarie, 2) Rob Charapata, 3) Weisnicht.
Heat 2: 1) Eddie Muenster, 2) Jerry Wilinski, 3) Mullen.
Heat 3: 1) Engels, 2) Konnor Wilinski, 3) Jerry Muenster.
IMCA Stock Car Feature: 1) Travis Van Straten, 2) Brandon Czarapata, 3) Dan Michonski, 4) Larry Karcz, 5) David Hoerning, 6) Rod Snellenberger, 7) BJ Giese, 8) Kurt Olson, 9) Mike Schmidt, 10) Luke Uttecht.
Last Chance Qualifier: 1) Czarapata, 2) Vern Stedjee, 3) Hoerning, 4) Tyler Wilson, 5) Kyle Szymanski, 6) Todd Hendrickson.
Heat 1: 1) Trent Nolan, 2) Karcz, 3) Dan Michonski.
Heat 2: 1) Olson, 2) Doxtator, 3) Van Straten.
Heat 3: 1) Snellenberger, 2) Giese, 3) Nate Michonski.
IMCA Sport Mod Feature: 1) Lucas Lamberies, 2) Wyatt Block, 3) Kyle Raddant, 4) Brock Saunders, 5) Kevin Bethke, 6) Brian Besaw, 7) Jordan Barkholtz, 8) Jason Jach, 9) Ryan Besaw, 10) Brekken Kleinschmidt.
Last Chance Qualifier: 1) Bethke, 2) Scott Swanson, 3) Bill Edler, 4) Todd Boehnlein, 5) Karah Taycher, 6) Alex Roffers.
Heat 1: 1) JJ Anderson, 2) Brian Besaw, 3) Jordan Bartz.
Heat 2: 1) Block, 2) Barkholtz, 3) Brandon Nygaard.
Heat 3: 1) Kleinschmidt, 2) Raddant, 3) Saunders.
Mighty Four Feature: 1) Calvin Stueck, 2) Josh Slewinski, 3) Tanner Westphal, 4) Travis Welch, 5) Brad Wedde, 6) Hollie Welch, 7) Jason Hopinka, 8) Brad Nelson, 9) Tony Hokenstad, 10) John Kastning.
Heat 1: 1) Stueck, 2) Hopinka, 3) Hollie Welch.
Heat 2: 1) Westphal, 2) Lucas Hacker, 3) Wedde.
Street Stock Feature: 1) Shawn Haydon, 2) Paul Ambrosius, 3) Gary Kasperek, 4) Jeff Jungwirth, 5) Matt Warner, 6) Lexi Ashcraft, 7) Jessie Krahn, 8) Mike Carter, 9) Tim Draheim, 10) Dylan Stedjee.
Heat 1: 1) Haydon, 2) Kasperek, 3) Jungwirth.
Heat 2: 1) Ambrosius, 2) Edward Anschutz, 3) Krahn.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetBonduel defense stifles Bulldogs
Chris Caporale, [email protected]
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School junior Jacob Banker tries to break a tackle during the Bears’ 19-7 victory over Peshtigo. Banker finished the game with 68 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School defenders Wyatt Erb (25) and Seth Matz (77) chase down Peshtigo quarterback Justin Thill in the first half of Bonduel’s 19-7 victory Friday.
On four occasions, the Bonduel defense recorded red zone turnovers to preserve the Bears’ lead in a 19-7 victory over Peshtigo in a nonconference matchup Friday at home.
With BHS holding a 13-7 lead with five minutes left in the second quarter, sophomore Isaac Garside picked off Peshtigo quarterback Justin Thill at the 3-yard line and returned it 21 yards to get the Bears out of trouble.
After a Bonduel three and out on the opening possession of the second half, the Bulldogs again drove down into the Bonduel red zone. On fourth and one at the 7-yard line, the ball was snapped over the head of quarterback Riley Reif, who had to jump on the ball to prevent the Bonduel defense from scoring.
“We’ve just got to come up with something in the red zone when we’re down in there,” Peshtigo head coach Eric Seyler said.
Bonduel’s success on defense is a marked change from last season, when head coach James Westrich thought the team gave up too many points.
“When we give ourselves a chance on fourth down to get off the field, we need to get off the field,” Westrich said.
When the Bulldogs moved the ball late in the contest, the Bonduel defensive line was able to get a push into the backfield to contain the threat, with Peshtigo twice turning the ball over on downs.
Westrich credited the success to the team’s depth in the line.
“We have a lot of depth there, and it came in handy tonight in the fourth quarter,” Westrich said. “We started rotating guys in there more.”
Freshman Jared Jandt gave the Bulldogs an early lead when he took the opening kickoff 65 yards. The points were the first allowed this season by Bonduel (2-0), which shut out Crivitz 41-0 in the season opener.
“It was kind of good for us. We worked on it, but our kids didn’t really understand the importance of their roles and stuff like that,” Westrich said of his kickoff coverage unit. “So that was a good wake-up call for our kickoff team, and I think they adjusted well after that.”
Bonduel, which was playing in its first home game since Halloween 2014, responded to the opening score with a 68-yard drive, helped by a 30-yard rush by Jordan Boldt down the left side and Jacob Banker taking the ball down to the 20-yard line on a 10-yard carry.
The 3-minute, 31-second drive was capped by Eli Mastey’s 2-yard run for the score.
Boldt, known for his speed at running back, found Brandon Olsen open on a deep corner route for a 34-yard gain in the first half, catching the Peshtigo defense off-guard.
Four plays later, Parker Bohm found Olsen cutting across the middle for a 13-yard catch on 4th and 11. Boldt would be the beneficiary, scoring on a 6-yard run up the middle to give Bonduel the lead.
“I’m really happy with the way he’s running his routes and going after the ball when it’s up there,” Westrich said of Olsen. “Last year, he waited for passes to come, and now he’s going to get them. Our quarterbacks did a great job staying patient and finding the open man.”
Ahead 13-7 with the clock ticking down in the third quarter, the Bears put on the only scoring possession of the second half.
Sophomore quarterback Parker Bohm found Brandon Olsen for a 17-yard catch to get Bonduel into a scoring situation, and Jordan Boldt, playing quarterback for one play on the drive, found Eli Mastey right at the goal line for a 6-yard score and the 19-7 lead.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Bohm cramped up, but the offense continued to run the ball through the Peshtigo defense, eating away the valuable time remaining in the contest.
Boldt finished the game with 75 yards on the ground, with Banker adding 68.
Olsen finished the game with 83 receiving yards on five catches. Bohm was 4 of 9 passing for 49 yards.
Jandt led Peshtigo (1-1) in rushing with 89 yards. Thill had 32 yards passing.
Peshtigo felt good about the way it played. Too many mistakes in the red zone ended up costing the Bulldogs the game.
“We played them fairly well,” Seyler said. “Like I told the kids, we had little bounces, little things that didn’t go our way.”
Bonduel 19, Peshtigo 7
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Peshtigo 7 0 0 0 7
Bonduel 7 6 6 0 19
First quarter
P: Jared Jandt 65-yard kick return (PAT good) 0-7 (11:46).
B: Eli Mastey 2-yard run (PAT good) 7-7 (8:15).
Second quarter
B: Jordan Boldt 6-yard run (PAT blocked) 13-7 (7:43).
Third quarter
B: Mastey 6-yard reception from Boldt (conversion missed) 19-7 (1:24).
Fourth quarter
No scoring
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetHawks held scoreless in 2nd half
Brady Van Deurzen, [email protected]
Photo by Jen Kadonsky Shawano Community High School running back Connor Klish attempts to find a hole in the Menasha defense during the Hawks’ 49-21 loss at home Friday night.
A stout Menasha defense forced five punts and one interception in the second half, keeping host Shawano out of the red zone on six straight drives in a 49-21 win Friday.
The Hawks (1-1, 0-1 Bay Conference) fell behind by 14 in the first quarter, then kept pace with Menasha (2-0, 2-0 Bay) but could never get closer than 7 points in the opening half. The Bluejays put the game away in the second half, outscoring Shawano 21-0.
The Shawano offense was led early by passes from Daniel Hanauer to Dylan Sumnicht. Hanauer threw for 170 yards and one interception in the game, while Sumnicht finished with 139 receiving yards.
Connor Klish opened up the scoring for the Hawks with an 18-yard run in the first quarter and added a 38-yard scoring run in the second. He finished with 63 yards.
The Hawks’ capped an 80-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by Brayden Dickelman with 29 seconds remaining in the first half to make the score 28-21 at the break.
A pair of Hanauer-to-Sumnicht connections failed to spark the Hawks’ offense in the third quarter, however, when Shawano’s three drives all resulted in punts.
Tyler Szews rushed for 377 yards and tallied five touchdowns, including three in the second half, to lead Menasha.
Menasha quarterback Alex Zeinert tallied 87 yards passing, threw for one TD and ran 68 yards for another.
Menasha 49, Shawano 21
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Menasha 21 7 14 7 49
Shawano 7 14 0 0 21
Scoring Summary:
First quarter
M: Lasia Moua 52-yard reception from Alex Zeinart (PAT good) 7-0 (12:48)
M: Tyler Szews 8-yard run (PAT good) 14-0 (5:26)
S: Connor Klish 18-yard run (PAT good) 14-7 (0:40)
M: Szews 37-yard run (PAT good) 21-7 (0:04)
Second quarter
S: Klish 38-yard run (PAT good) 21-14 (10:27)
M: Zeinert 68-yard run (PAT good) 28-14 (9:19)
S: Brayden Dickelman 3-yard run (PAT good) 28-21 (0:29)
Third quarter
M: Szews 1-yard run (PAT good) 35-21 (10:42)
M: Szews 4-yard run (PAT good) 42-21 (0:48)
Fourth quarter
M: Szews 6-yard run (PAT good) 49-21 (7:13)
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetHigh School Highlights
VOLLEYBALL
Eagles 4th at Marion tourney
Menominee Indian won just one match of a round-robin tournament Friday, putting the Eagles in fourth place of a six-team invitational in Marion.
The Eagles (1-4) were paced by Jalen Corn’s attack in the front row and Elizabeth Corn’s steady passing from the back row.
Menominee Indian won the first set of each match, but fell in each of its first four matches of the day.
CROSS-COUNTRY
Hawks open their season in Appleton
Junior Chase Lhotka led Shawano with a 22nd-place finish Friday at the Appleton Terror Invite at Winagamie Golf Course.
Lhotka finished the course in 18 minutes and 53 seconds. Griffin Bohm and Brandon came across the line together just over 19 minutes into the race for 28th and 29th place, respectively. Ben Carroll (20:05) and Karsten Anderson (20:24) finished out the scoring for Shawano, which took ninth place.
Kimberly won the boys meet with four top-10 runners.
Shawano’s girls team placed 12th and was paced by Alice Hoffman, who finished 37th in 23:44.
Madeline Hanson, Sarah Mente and Caitlin Daniel finished together as the 66th through 68th runners to cross the finish line, respectively. Makayla Stoddart finished in 71st.
Kimberly won the girls meet. Xavier’s Annie Higgins posted the best time, 19:49.
Clintonville girls win Standing Rocks meet
Senior Kara Pyatskowit led from start to finish, setting a course record at the Standing Rocks Invite in Stevens Point on Friday.
Pyatskowit’s time of 19 minutes and 19 seconds was more than a second better than runner-up Erika Kisting of Iola-Scandinavia.
Clintonville’s Taylor Young took 11th, Elly Arndt took 12th, freshman Autumn Hohn finished 14th and Madison Hohn took 16th to help the Truckers win the team title for the second consecutive year.
In the boys race, freshman Isaac Pyatskowit finished fifth and senior Trent Marheine placed ninth.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetHawks 10th at Friendship Tournament
Leader Staff
Shawano struggled in the second day of competition at the Friendship Tournament in Wisconsin Dells, failing to win a match and dropping to 10th place in the 22-team tournament.
The Hawks opened up the day with a straight-set loss to Kettle Moraine and then fell to Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 25-23, 25-19, in bracket play. The Chargers staged a 7-point comeback in the second set for the victory.
The Hawks (7-4) dropped their final match to Green Bay Preble, which they had beaten in three sets on Thursday.
Julia Klement posted eight kills over the three matches to pace the Hawks, while Averi Vomastic followed with seven. Senior Saige Henning had 29 digs, and Bayleigh Laabs tallied 19 assists.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood (11-2) defeated Antigo, 25-17, 25-7, to finish in seventh place.
Senior Taylor Nier had 37 kills on Friday to go with 28 digs. Madison Bushman posted 72 assists, while Lauren Bushman had 11 aces to help the Chargers.
Clintonville lost all three of its matches on the day to finish in 12th place.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetAnd the Corny award winners are …
Scott Owen, Leader Columnist
With only two nights remaining in the 2016 season, it is time to hand out some awards and give a little recognition where it is due.
A few years back, I came up with the Corny awards. The Oscars go out to those in Hollywood, and the Cornys (named after former racer, promoter and flag man Warren “Corny” Schmidt) honor some of Shawano Speedway’s finest. By the way, Corny, who recently had a pacemaker installed, is slated to be at the track this week for alumni night.
So, without further ado, let’s get to the winners.
The Corny award for hard-luck racer goes to IMCA Stock Cars racer Mike Schmidt. Poised to contend for a track championship, Schmidt has been involved in more than one horrific accident this year. Yet, Mike and his crew have shown their resolve by missing only one night and sitting sixth in track points.
The Corny for breakout performance goes to 16-year-old IMCA Modifieds racer Konnor Wilinski. Konnor, son of defending track champion Jerry Wilinski, has shown that he is a serious contender. Konnor stormed onto the scene during the track’s IMCA Modifieds special, The Fury at the Fairgrounds. In his first night behind the wheel at the track, Konnor won his heat race and finished ninth in the feature while racing against some of the best modifieds racers in the nation. Since then, he has scored two feature wins, including holding off his father for the win on Aug. 13.
The Corny award for best racing family goes to the Muenster family. At 75 years of age, Jerry Muenster continues to shine, currently sitting tied for third in the IMCA Modifieds point standings. Jerry’s son, Eddie, is only a single point behind him. Both are former track champions and deserve a mention as great racing ambassadors also.
The Corny award for most excited feature winner goes to IMCA Stock Cars racer Vern Stedjee. Vern scored his first-ever Shawano Speedway feature win on July 23 while holding off Travis Van Straten. Van Straten has been truly dominant over the last two years, so the win was extra special for Stedjee. The win was a popular one as the affable Stedjee was overjoyed as the checkered flag waived.
Winning the Corny award for best mustache once again this year is Tom Naeyaert. Naeyaert’s “nose neighbor” was in fine shape again this year.
Finally, the Corny award for outstanding achievement is split between Marcus Yarie, Lucas Lamberies and Travis Van Straten. These three racers have an incredible 22 feature wins between them this year.
Make sure and congratulate each of these racers on their highly coveted wins.
See you at the speedway.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetEagles comeback effort falls 13 yards short
Brady Van Deurzen, [email protected]
Leader Photo by Brady Van Deurzen Menominee Indian High School running back Antonio Mahkimetas avoids a tackle to record some of his 253 yards from scrimmage Thursday in a loss to Gibraltar. He led the team in rushing and receiving.
Antonio Mahkimetas almost single-handedly brought Menominee Indian back from a 24-point, third-quarter deficit Thursday against Gibraltar.
The senior had two rushing touchdowns in the final two quarters and set up the Eagles for a potential game-winning touchdown with a 23-yard punt return, to the 17-yard line with 1:26 remaining.
Menominee Indian’s furious comeback ended, however, with an interception in the end zone and a 36-32 loss in the Great-8 North Conference meeting.
“Compared to last week (16-12 win over Sevastopol), we had a lot of improvements, our offensive line blocked very well and we had many more big plays,” Eagles coach Chris Clache said. “They did a really good job today, and that’s what matters most.”
Mahkimetas led the Eagles (1-1, 1-1 Great-8 North) in both rushing yards (126) and receiving yards (127), and scored three TDs.
“We designed some of the plays to go to him,” Clache said. “They were keying in on him but he was having such a big game that we had to give him the ball.”
Gibraltar (1-1, 1-0 Great-8 North) opened the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Trevor Reinhardt connected with wide receiver Andrew Eiting on a 51-yard touchdown pass.
The Eagles answered later in the period when quarterback Warren Kakwitch found wide receiver Forrest Beauprey streaking down the field for a 62-yard touchdown.
The Gibraltar offense began to find its stride in the second quarter. In two drives, Reinhardt threw for over 100 yards, including a 68-yard, one-handed connection with Nathan Ewaskowitz. Both drives resulted in touchdowns — a 5-yard run by Ewaskowitz and a 5-yard reception by Tyler Kropuenske.
Vikings head coach Pat Keehan said he saw a lot of bright spots in his young roster, which only includes one returning starter from last year’s team.
“I tried a couple of different formations that we hadn’t worked on that were very successful for us,” Keehan said. “It shows they are learning it and are picking up the right blocks and all of that.”
Mahkimetas’ first TD, a 24-yard run late in the half, cut the Eagles’ deficit to 24-12 at halftime.
Another Reinhardt-to-Eiting pass increased Gibraltar’s lead to 30-12 in the third quarter and then to 36-12 when the Viking defense scored on a blocked punt.
With seconds remaining in the period, Mahkimetas got away from Kropsuenke’s grip and broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run, making the score 36-18 heading into the final period.
An interception by Mahkimetas to open the fourth quarter led to a 46-yard touchdown run by Kyle Komanekin. After the Eagles’ defense forced a fumble, Mahkimetas struck again, hauling in a pass from Kakwitch and turning it into a 49-yard TD.
Trailing by four with three minutes left in the game, the Eagles recovered an onside kick. The drive ended with an interception, but the Eagles’ defense forced a punt, and Mahkimetas made yet another play, returning the punt to the Vikings’ 17-yard line.
With under a minute remaining, the Eagles inched the ball closer and closer to the goal line. The drive ended as Ewaskowitz picked off Kakwitch in the end zone.
Kakwitch finished with two touchdowns and 233 passing yards. He also threw three interceptions.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Gibraltar 8 16 12 0 36
Menominee Indian 6 6 6 14 32
Scoring Summary:
First quarter
G: Andrew Eiting 51-yard reception from Trevor Reinhardt (conversion good) 8-0.
MI: Forrest Beauprey 62-yard reception from Warren Kakwitch (conversion no good) 8-6.
Second quarter
G: Nathan Ewaskowitz 5-yard run (conversion good) 16-6.
G: Tyler Kropuenske 5-yard reception from Reinhardt (conversion good) 24-6.
MI: Antonio Mahkimetas 24-yard run (conversion no good) 24-12.
Third quarter
G: Eiting 40-yard reception from Reinhardt (conversion no good) 30-12.
G: Kropsuenke blocked punt, recovered in endzone (conversion no good) 36-12.
MI: Antonio Mahkimetas 55-yard run (conversion no good) 36-18.
Fourth quarter
MI: Kyle Komanekin 47-yard run (conversion good) 36-24.
MI: Mahkimetas 49-yard reception from Kakwitch (conversion good) 36-32.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetHawks, Chargers shine in Dells
Leader Staff
Shawano fell in its opening match Thursday to Stevens Point, but came back to defeat Green Bay Preble, Riverdale and Wisconsin Dells, putting itself in strong position for the second day of the Friendship Tournament in Wisconsin Dells.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood and Clintonville also have chances to finish in the top six in the 22-team tournament by winning their first matches Friday. A loss sends the teams to the silver bracket to compete for seventh place.
Shawano junior Averi Vomastic had 24 kills over the four matches, while Julia Klement added 17 kills and nine aces. Senior libero Saige Henning posted 32 digs, and sophomore Bayleigh Laabs tallied 42 assists.
Shawano (7-1) earned two three-set victories, outscoring opponents a combined 30-8 in the decisive third set.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood (8-1) went undefeated in the first day, beating Riverdale, Green Bay Preble, Rhinelander and Stevens Point Area Senior High. The Chargers fell to SPASH in consecutive sets just two days prior.
Taylor Nier had 44 kills, 27 digs and five blocks, while Madison Bushman tallied 76 assists and seven aces. Defensively, Lauren Bushman and Helia Gagnon each added 24 digs.
Clintonville won two of four matches on Thursday. The Truckers (2-2) defeated Prairie du Chien and Hustisford while falling to Royall and Holmen.
Shawano will face Kettle Moraine on Friday morning. Wittenberg-Birnamwood will play Wauwatosa East, and Clintonville will face Pewaukee.
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