Shawano Leader Sports Headlines

Szymanski delivers 2-RBI doubleBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Lobos second baseman Riley Acra tags out Bonduel’s Colton Dobratz on a stolen base attempt in the Lobos’ 7-6 tournament championship victory Friday at home.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Lobos pinch hitter Jack Lacy scores the game-winning run on a double from Bryce Szymanski in the bottom of the seventh inning of the team’s tournament title game Friday.

A five-run seventh inning, capped by Bryce Szymanski’s two-run, game-winning double to right field, pushed the Shawano Lobos to the championship of the team’s 24th annual tournament Friday with a 7-6 victory over the Bonduel Broncos.

“We were lucky enough to break through in the seventh,” Shawano head coach Will Gillis said.

With Shawano trailing by four runs entering the final at-bat, Ryan Coffey walked and TJ Arrowood singled to open the inning. Starting pitcher Grant Bystol drove in Coffey for the inning’s first run, then Lucas Postl singled off of Bonduel starter Wyatt Reinke to load the bases.

Jack Lacy got ahead 2-1 in his at-bat before manager John Reinke pulled Wyatt Reinke in favor of Hunter VanDerLinden. Lacy hit the first pitch from VanDerLinden into left field, scoring two runs.

“Usually, when a guy comes in in the middle of an at-bat, they try to get ahead with a fastball, and he threw him a fastball, and he fisted one out to left, and a nice job of pulling his hands in,” Gillis said.

Szymanski then worked a full count before driving his ball into the gap.

The Lobos struggled to score runs early off Wyatt Reinke, who held them scoreless until a two-RBI double from Postl in the third inning.

Bonduel scored four runs in the second inning off Bystol. Chris Blum hit a two-run single to left-center field, and an error on a Jack Reinke bunt allowed two more runs.

Bonduel added a run in the fifth, when Matt Scheelk crossed the plate on a sacrifice, and another in the seventh, on a Jack Reinke suicide squeeze bunt, to build the four-run advantage.

Wyatt Reinke threw 6 1/3 innings for Bonduel, giving up eight hits and seven walks. He struck out 10 batters. VanDerLinden allowed the final two hits of the game.

Bystol gave up six hits. He struck out two batters and walked four.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

Bonduel 0 4 0 0 1 0 1 6 6 0

Shawano 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 7 10 1

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

By: 

Scott Owen, Leader Columnist

Travis Van Straten has been the class of the field in the IMCA Stock Cars division for over two years now. Not only is Van Straten the two-time defending champion at the Shawano Speedway, but he is also the defending national champion in the class.

This being the case, it makes Vern Stedjee’s win Saturday night all the more impressive. Stedjee, who scored his first-ever Shawano Speedway feature in the ultra-competitive class, had no easy task on his way to victory lane.

Stedjee had to fend off charges from perennial front-runner Mike Schmidt as well as Van Straten. Things got a bit interesting after a caution flag flew after 18 laps, bringing about a two-lap shootout to end the race.

Stedjee was perfect on the last restart and held off a last-lap challenge from Van Straten to win the race.

Stedjee was certainly all smiles in victory lane as he was joined by his two sons, Kyle and Dylan, who make up a majority of his pit crew. After the night’s races were complete, I got a chance to congratulate Stedjee on his win. He was still all smiles as one person after another came to shake his hand or seek an autograph after the win.

He mentioned to me that the roof of his car had a few dents from the inside as he could hardly contain his excitement after the checkered flag flew. The win follows years of hard work for the Nichols native.

When Stedjee got started in the late 2000s, he did it the hard way and built his own car. I can certainly appreciate a racer who builds his own car.

Nowadays, Stedjee drives a car built by former race Kraig Gretz, of Kewaunee. Stedjee and family have poured hours into getting his No. 35 car to the winner’s circle.

Stedjee has joined a string of first-time winners this season at Shawano. Jason Hopinka, Lucas Hacker, Jason Ebert, Kyle Raddant, Konnor Wilinski and Robby Bunkelman have each scored their first Shawano Speedway feature win this season.

Much like any sport, one cannot predict with certainty the outcome of any race. With only six nights of racing left this season, who will be the next first-time winner?

In light of all the first-time winners thus far in 2016, I am fairly certain that we will see more of them. IMCA Modifieds racer Kevin Feck, IMCA Stock Cars racer Trent Nolan and Mighty Fours racer Travis Welch are at the top of my list.

See you at the speedway.

Scott Owen is the track announcer at the Shawano Speedway.Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

The Gresham High School volleyball team earned an American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award on July 25 for the fall 2015 season.

The award honors college and high school volleyball teams that earn at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.

Gresham head coach Tim Wild said that he was proud of the girls and that the award reflects the hard work they put forth.

Gresham was among 260 teams to earn the award across the U.S.

Ten Gresham players also received the Wisconsin Volleyball All-Academic Team award for having a 3.5 or higher grade-point average during the fall semester: seniors Taylor Hoffman, Tatelyn Ferguson and River Otradovec; juniors Makena Arndt, Alyssa Roe, Kayli Posselt and Sydney Jensen; and sophomores Hailey Hoffman, Mackenzie Hoffman and Dani Huntington.

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

East-West Division

GRESHAM 4, CAROLINE 0

WP — Josh Foreman; LP — Jake Madson

Gresham: Mike James was 2 for 5 with a double. TJ Arrowood had two hits. Adam Carroll added a double.

Caroline: Tyler Marquardt was 2 for 4.

NEOPIT 5, TIGERTON 1

WP — Paul Murphy; LP — Paul Sellner

Neopit: Walker Miller was 3 for 5. Dallas Madosh was 2 for 3. Karl Peters was 2 for 5 with a double. Paul Murphy was 2 for 5.

Tigerton: Eric Gendusa had a double.

LITTLE FALLS 12, CLINTONVILLE 5

WP — Cam Grunewald; LP — Parker Mindel

Little Falls: Kal Fischer, Drew Radies, Hunter Grunewald, Cam Grunewald, Kyle Fischer and Jeremy Bauer each recorded two hits on the day.

Clintonville: Ryan Ebert and Aaron Everts each had two hits.

TILLEDA 5, NEOPIT 3

WP — Joel Brei; LP — Jerry Boivin

Tilleda: Steve Reinke finished with four hits.

Neopit: Lowell Chevalier and Kyle Kakwitch doubled. Shane Latender and Joe Corn had two hits.

NEOPIT 18, TILLEDA 0

WP — Alex Peters; LP — Matt Rueb

Neopit: Michael Pecore, Alex Peters and Cliff Madosh each had three hits. Tasa Grignon, Dallas Madosh, Bob Peters and Tony Wilbur each had two hits.

Tilleda: Curt Brei had two hits.

MARION 9, LEOPOLIS 5 (10 innings)

WP-Cody Reimer; LP- Hunter Hoffman

Marion: Mark Miller and Mitch Eland each went 3 for 5, while Bubba Nettles was 3 for 4. Jared Sonneberg went 2 for 4 with a double.

Leopolis: Aaron Hoffman was 2 for 5. Tommy Stueck was 2 for 5. Kyle Hoffman was 2 for 3 with a double.

SHAWANO 17, BOWLER 1

Northern Division

ELAND 4, ELDERON 1

WP — Jarod Richter; LP — Rick Boda

Eland: Ryan Richter hit a two-run homer.

WITTENBERG 5, BIRNAMWOOD 1

POLAR 8, HATLEY 4

WP — Brad Krebs; LP — Adam Janikowski

South Central Division

PLOVER 12, OMRO 2

PLOVER 9, SCANDINAVIA 3

WAUPACA 7, NEW LONDON 0

LANARK 9, WEYMONT 3

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

1st-time tennis coach familiar with SCHS teamBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

MATT ZOLL

Matt Zoll, a physical education teacher at Shawano Community Middle School, is set to take over the Shawano Community High School girls tennis program after its one-year run under former head coach Brian Beyer.

Zoll, who has spent time with the Shawano football, basketball and golf programs, helped teach children how to play tennis at the Las Vegas Inner-City Games in 1999 and 2000, but has no previous experience as a head tennis coach.

Once he heard about Beyer stepping down in the spring, Zoll moved quickly to fill the unfamiliar role.

“It seemed like an enjoyable sport to coach and become involved in,” Zoll said. “I did not want it to be a program that was waiting for a coach, so that was why I initiated the contact with (Activities Director Charmaine) Schreiber.”

Zoll has gotten to know the girls on the team through his work with the SCHS band.

“I’ve always viewed it as a fun program to be a part of, and the girls involved in it, from a character standpoint, have been some of the nicest and highest-quality kids I’ve seen in our schools,” Zoll said.

Despite the move from Beyer after one season, Schreiber believes Zoll can keep the program moving in the right direction.

“He’s familiar with the student body,” Schreiber said. “He’ll have some of his former students (as players).”

Zoll has yet to set any expectations for the team this season, which will include WIAA Division 1 subsectional play against powerhouses Green Bay Southwest and Notre Dame Academy.

“I want the girls to work hard, have fun and to enjoy the sport, and to learn some character and leadership out of being a part of a program,” Zoll said.

Practices begin Aug. 9. The team has its first tournament Aug. 15 in Bay Port.

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

By: 

Gary Seymour, [email protected]

Apart from its aversion to whistle the traveling and carrying violation, the National Basketball Association would like to be known as the organization that makes the right call.

The league bounced one of its owners a couple of years ago when he was revealed to have made racist remarks to his girlfriend.

Most recently, the NBA demonstrated that intolerance is something it will not tolerate, as it announced that the 2017 All-Star weekend would be held somewhere other than the originally scheduled site of Charlotte.

The move came as a counter to the passing of North Carolina’s “bathroom law,” the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, which requires people using public bathrooms that correspond to the gender on their birth certificate.

The state law, which passed in a special session last March, also cut back local ordinances that protected lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people and eliminated anti-discrimination ordinances statewide.

The law was passed in response to a Charlotte ordinance that allowed transgender students to use a bathroom consistent with their gender identity.

Predictably, the NBA’s announcement generated immediate reaction and controversy.

Gender-fluid supporters readily cheered the NBA’s decision to move the game out of North Carolina, noting that for too long the LGBT community has been ostracized, vilified and castigated for pursuing an “unnatural” lifestyle that is perfectly natural to them.

Those of a more gender-viscous leaning insist that using the washroom corresponding to one’s original gender is just common sense. They say that allowing one to declare gender identity opens the door to potential abuse, and fear that it could lead to a procession of phone camera-toting deviates dressed for the occasion.

The NBA says it hopes to reschedule the game and the weekend activities to Charlotte in 2019.

How effective a maneuver the rescheduling is remains to be seen, and it’s hard to know exactly who is being punished. None of the Hornets roster or front office had a say in the passing of the bill, and the majority of NBA fans in the Tar Heel State are not members of the North Carolina General Assembly.

As of this writing, there has been no movement to suspend any of the upcoming 41 home games scheduled at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena, where the NBA will draw ticket, advertising, merchandising and concession revenues.

The league will also continue to make money broadcasting its product in countries that do not prohibit gender-identity discrimination.

Rather than using the All-Star Game as a forum to bring grass-roots heat to North Carolina legislators, the NBA set a murky precedent and opened itself up to charges of hypocrisy.

With our 24-hour news cycle and a daily crisis sweeping yesterday’s urgency off the cover page, long memories are not in great supply today.

A better strategy might have been to keep the game in Charlotte as scheduled and use the weekend exhibition as a forum for a non-stop hammering home of the point they are purporting to be making.

Then, they could trot out all the athletes, musicians and other pop culture figures seeking to make their voices heard in support of LGBT inclusion. They could use the weekend as a springboard to full-court pressing the local Congress critters to reconsider the legislation.

As it sits, the 2017 weekend will be held elsewhere, with New York, Chicago and New Orleans having been mentioned as possible replacement sites. By that time, today’s passionate discontent over North Carolina’s law may have faded, and the well-intentioned league will have missed an opportunity to make a real impact.

Gary Seymour is a veteran sportswriter whose column appears weekly in the Leader. To contact him, please 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 yet

Hall of fame honors Schumacher, SweereBy: 

Scott Owen, Special to the Leader

Contributed Photo Vern Stedjee won the IMCA Stock Cars feature — his first of the season — Saturday at Shawano Speedway.
Contributed Photo Brett Swedberg won the Late Models feature Saturday at Shawano Speedway.

Shawano Speedway introduced two new members to its hall of fame Saturday at the track.

The honorees were Clyde Schumacher, first-ever track champion at the Shawano Speedway, and George Sweere, hobby stock track champion in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

On the track, Vern Stedjee earned a hard-fought IMCA Stock Cars feature, his first at Shawano. Meanwhile, Jason “The Weasel” Jach secured his first IMCA Sport Mods feature of the year.

Marcus Yarie (IMCA Modifieds) won his sixth feature, Brad Wedde (Mighty Fours) won his third feature, and Brett Swedberg (Late Models) won his second feature of the 2016 season.

IMCA Stock Cars

Pole-sitter Kurt Olson grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the IMCA Stock Cars feature as Stedjee settled into second. As Olson continued to lead, Mike Schmidt passed Luke Uttecht to take third on lap five.

Over the course of the next three laps, Stedjee remained in pursuit of Olson, while Dan Michonski battled with Schmidt for third. On lap nine, Stedjee was able to get underneath Olson and took the lead away exiting turn four. A caution on the next lap slowed the pace and bunched the field up behind Stedjee.

As the race went back to green, Schmidt passed Olson for second and raced right on the rear bumper of Stedjee. On lap 14, Schmidt made an inside pass on Stedjee to take the lead. The duo raced side by side for the next two laps as Travis Van Straten joined the battle for the lead.

On lap 16, Stedjee put his car back in front of Schmidt and Van Straten. Two laps later, Olson’s car erupted in flames, ending his night while running in fifth and bringing out a caution with just two laps to go.

Stedjee was smooth on the restart as Van Straten raced to his inside. On the final lap, Van Straten got inside of Stedjee, but Stedjee would not be denied his first Shawano Speedway feature victory.

Van Straten, Schmidt, Rod Snellenberger and Trent Nolan completed the top five.

Late Models

The Late Models feature saw Michael Stangl take the lead on the opening lap while Ron Berna raced in second. By lap seven, Swedberg was able to run down Berna and pass him for the runner-up spot.

Swedberg got inside of Stangl entering turn one on lap 12 and took the lead. A caution on lap 14 eliminated multiple cars from action. As the race got back underway, Stangl began to receive pressure from Justin Hirt in the battle for second. Hirt and Berna each passed Stangl on lap 16.

As the race wound down, Swedberg continued to lead and would go on to victory lane. Hirt, Berna, Stangl and Derek Jahnke finished second through fifth, respectively, in the race.

IMCA Modifieds

Starting outside row one, Kevin Feck took the lead on the opening lap of the IMCA Modifieds feature. Feck would remain out front until lap six when his car came to a halt up high in turn one, bringing out a caution. Shawn Frelich inherited the lead after Feck’s misfortune.

Over the next seven laps, Frelich would be chased by Beetle Bailey, Yarie and Jerry Wilinski. On lap 14, Frelich’s night came to an end as the leader’s car broke down.

Bailey inherited the lead, which he held for one lap before he was overtaken by Yarie and Wilinski. Yarie was able to fend off the charges of Wilinski for the rest of the race en route to victory. Bailey finished in third. Jamie Schmidt took fourth as Eddie Muenster finished fifth.

IMCA Sport Mods

Karah Taycher started outside row one of the IMCA Sport Mods feature and took the lead on lap one followed by Bryce Clements. Hard-charging Jach passed Clements for second on lap three after starting the race in seventh.

On lap six of the race, Jach pulled even with Taycher and took the lead away. Taycher pursued Jach until lap 13 when Jordan Barkholtz snagged the second spot. Barkholtz then began to methodically hunt down Jach.

Barkholtz went to the outside of Jach and took the lead as the white flag waived. Exiting turn two on the final lap, Jach and Barkholtz were side by side, with Jach down low and Barkholtz up high. They were still side by side through turns three and four.

As the checkered flag waived, Jach pulled ahead and won the race. Barkholtz would have to settle for second. Kyle Raddant, Karah Taycher and Tyler Thiex rounded out the top five.

Mighty Fours

Travis Welch led the first two laps of the Mighty Fours feature before Brad Wedde passed him for the top spot. Wedde held off Hollie Welch for the victory. Grant Kastning, Travis Welch and Lucas Hacker completed the top five.

Shawano Speedway

July 23

Race Summary

Late Models Feature: 1) Brett Swedberg, 2) Justin Hirt, 3) Ron Berna, 4) Michael Stangl, 5) Derek Jahnke, 6) Jim Zdroik, 7) Tony Habeck, 8) Doug Blashe, 9) Tom Naeyaert, 10) Jared Siefert.

Heat 1: 1) Jeff Curtin, 2) Swedberg, 3) Robby Bunkelman.

Heat 2: 1) Hirt, 2) Zdroik, 3) Blashe.

IMCA Modifieds Feature: 1) Marcus Yarie, 2) Jerry Wilinski, 3) Beetle Bailey, 4) Jamie Schmidt, 5) Eddie Muenster, 6) Cole Petit, 7) Jim Zdroik, 8) Mark Weisnicht, 9) Tony Wedelstadt, 10) Jerry Muenster.

Heat 1: 1) Shawn Frelich, 2) Eddie Muenster, 3) Yarie.

Heat 2: 1) Kevin Feck, 2) Wilinski, 3) Jerry Muenster.

IMCA Stock Cars Feature: 1) Vern Stedjee, 2) Travis Van Straten, 3) Mike Schmidt, 4) Rod Snellenberger, 5) Trent Nolan, 6) Luke Uttecht, 7) Tom Riehl, 8) Dan Michonski, 9) Eric Zwirschitz, 10) Matt Alvey.

Heat 1: 1) Snellenberger, 2) Stedjee, 3) Carl King.

Heat 2: 1) Nolan, 2) Kurt Olson, 3) Michonski.

IMCA Sport Mods Feature: 1) Jason Jach, 2) Jordan Barkholtz, 3) Kyle Raddant, 4) Karah Taycher, 5) Tyler Thiex, 6) Brekken Kleinschmidt, 7) Bryce Clements, 8) Brandon Nygaard, 9) Brianna Ambroziak, 10) Jordan Reinke.

Heat 1: 1) Jach, 2) Barkholtz, 3) Ambroziak.

Heat 2: 1) Taycher, 2) Clements, 3) Nygaard.

Mighty Fours Feature: 1) Brad Wedde, 2) Hollie Welch, 3) Grant Kastning, 4) Travis Welch, 5) Lucas Hacker, 6) Tanner Westphal, 7) Dalton Nelson, 8) Alex Adams, 9) Jason Hopinka, 10) Aaron Milavitz.

Heat 1: 1) Travis Welch, 2) Westphal, 3) Wedde.

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Shawano 9U finishes in secondBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano 9U catcher Blake Knope blocks home plate and tags out an Eau Claire runner to keep the game tied 0-0 in the first inning of a Shawano Youth Tournament game Saturday. Shawano would finish in second place, losing 6-2 in the championship game to Oconto.

The Bonduel 10U baseball team came out on top, and the Shawano 9U team finished in second place, at the final Shawano Youth League tournament of the season Sunday at Memorial Park.

Bonduel, which won all five games over the three-day tournament, earned a 7-4 victory over Manitowoc in the title game of the 12-team tournament for players 10 and younger. Bonduel had previously beaten Manitowoc, 1-0, in pool play.

The Shawano Black 10U team fell to Bonduel in the playoff quarterfinals, while the Shawano Red team was not able to advance out of pool play.

Shawano’s 9U team, after posting a 3-1 record in pool play, advanced to the Sunday bracket play through the tiebreaker and eventually made the championship game, a 6-2 loss to Oconto.

“It’s one of those things that’s bittersweet for everybody,” tournament director Mark Buerman said. “You realize you did well and it’s the home tournament, but it’s the last tournament of the year.”

The July 15-17 youth tournament was cut short by rain, and Buerman was worried weather could again create problems Saturday night.

He made a decision to shorten the games Saturday afternoon. However, the rain held off, and the tournament ran as planned on Sunday.

“It’s a huge undertaking, and we appreciate the help,” Buerman said. “And we need the help.”

Shawano Youth Tournament

9U

Final standings

1, Oconto; 2, Shawano; 3, Eau Claire; 4, Kimberly

Pool A

1, Eau Claire; 2, Shawano; 3, Fond du Lac; 4, Hortonville; 5, Oconto Falls

Game results: Shawano def. Oconto Falls, 15-2; Fond du Lac def. Hortonville, 18-0; Hortonville def. Oconto Falls, 12-1; Eau Claire def. Fond du Lac, 8-2; Shawano def. Hortonville, 5-3; Eau Claire def. Oconto Falls, 17-2; Fond du Lac def. Shawano, 9-5; Eau Claire def. Hortonville, 12-0; Fond du Lac def. Oconto Falls, 18-4; Shawano def. Eau Claire, 10-0.

Pool B

1, Kimberly; 2, Oconto; 3, Madison; 4, Menasha, 5, Luxemburg-Casco

Game results: Oconto tied Menasha, 3-3; Kimberly def. Luxemburg-Casco, 15-3; Oconto def. Luxemburg-Casco, 16-2; Kimberly def. Madison, 8-5; Menasha def. Luxemburg-Casco, 4-1; Oconto def. Madison, 3-0; Kimberly def. Menasha, 8-3; Madison def. Luxemburg-Casco, 3-2; Kimberly def. Oconto, 3-0; Madison def. Menasha, 2-0.

10U

Final standings

1, Bonduel; 2, Manitowoc; 3, Hortonville; 4, Luxemburg-Casco

Pool A

1, Luxemburg-Casco; 2, Peshtigo; 3, Shawano Red

Peshtigo def. Shawano Red, 17-1; Luxemburg-Casco def. Shawano Red, 10-0; Luxemburg-Casco def. Peshtigo, 4-2.

Pool B

1, Bonduel; 2, Manitowoc; 3, D.C. Everest

Bonduel def. D.C. Everest, 10-0; Bonduel def. Manitowoc, 1-0; Manitowoc def. D.C. Everest, 10-1.

Pool C

1, Appleton South; 2, Menasha; 3, Eau Claire

Appleton South def. Menasha, 6-5; Appleton South def. Eau Claire, 10-7; Menasha def. Eau Claire, 6-3.

Pool D

1, Hortonville; 2, Shawano Black, 3, Wisconsin Rapids

Hortonville tied Shawano Black, 5-5; Shawano Black def. Wisconsin Rapids, 7-3; Hortonville def. Wisconsin Rapids, 3-2.

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Clintonville fights until end against Oconto FallsBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Clintonville catcher Kyle Finger tags out Oconto Falls third baseman Wes Brabant to end the first inning of an American Legion regional title game Sunday. Oconto Falls won, 4-2.

When Oconto Falls starting pitcher Evan Sigmund got into trouble in the American Legion regional title game Sunday, head coach Gerry Yogerst brought in the team’s ace to hold the lead.

Clintonville was trailing, 4-1, but threatening in the fourth inning with the bases loaded when Yogerst turned to Riley Gruetzmacher.

“When I went out to talk to (Sigmund), he says, ‘I just can’t find my spots anymore,’” Yogerst said. “So I said, ‘Let’s make the change. Let’s see what happens.’”

Gruetzmacher struck out the Diamond Cats’ Jaden Doornink and got Jordan Koeppen to pop out to end the threat. He allowed just one hit the rest of the way while propelling Oconto Falls to the state tournament with a 4-2 victory.

Clintonville struggled to put the ball in play off Gruetzmacher over the final three innings. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater pitcher struck out seven batters in 3 2/3 innings.

The lone hit he allowed was a pinch-hit home run to Colton Kluth, who took a pitch deep to right field in the sixth inning.

“He’s a large person and he’s intimidating,” Clintonville head coach Mark Doornink said of Gruetzmacher. “I was glad Colton had the opportunity to go ahead and get a pinch hit and made him pay for it.”

The Diamond Cats threatened again in the seventh inning when Nate Krueger reached on an error and Zac Riemer walked to put the tying run on first base.

But Gruetzmacher fanned Paul Kenfield and Kyle Finger to end the game.

“We were there until the end,” Doornink said. “We wanted to get in there, but we needed both runners to cross the plate, so I’ve got to manufacture hits at that point.”

In Sunday’s contest, Oconto Falls put up two runs in the first inning, on singles by Mike Manns and Brett Ash, and missed on a third when Wes Brabant was thrown out at home trying to tag up on a sacrifice fly to center field.

“Early in the game, try to score runs because it’s got to be a perfect throw home, and they made a good play,” Yogerst said.

In the next inning, Sigmund’s RBI single scored Dalton Curl. In the third inning, Ash got his second RBI of the day when he scored Manns on a single, but that would be the last run for Oconto Falls.

Clintonville brought in Jaden Doornink to relieve starter Hunter Vollmar, who gave up seven hits and four earned runs while striking out two batters and hitting another.

Doornink pitched three scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out one batter.

Clintonville got on the board in the top of the third inning. After Aaron Morse reached on an error, Doornink was hit by a pitch and Zac Riemer singled to center field. With the bases loaded, Vollmar grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Morse.

“We thought we could get (Sigmund) a little rattled if we were a little patient,” Mark Doornink said. “We know he throws hard strikes, so we were just looking for that hard strike and swinging for it.”

Sigmund threw 3 1/3 innings, striking out five batters and giving up three hits. He walked three and hit one batter.

Making it to the regional championship is still a large accomplishment for the Diamond Cats, who showed some significant growth over the season.

“They started believing in themselves,” Doornink said. “You saw a lot of boys growing into young men here this season.”

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

Clintonville 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 4 0

Oconto Falls 2 1 1 0 0 0 x 4 8 3

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

A six-fight card featuring one local boxer will take place Aug. 19 at the HoChunk Casino in Wittenberg.

Stockbridge’s Joe Pecore leads the local charge, while Ira Frank, of Crandon, and Daniel Denny, of Oneida, will join him on the card.

“All in all, it should be good, competitive fights,” promoter JJ Corn said.

Virgil “Quicksilver” Hill, a four-time world boxing champion and 1984 Olympic silver medalist, is the special guest on the night. Fights begin at 7:30 p.m. with the main event kicking off close to two hours later.

Rob Frankel’s opponent in the welterweight main event is yet to be determined.

Pecore will face Jerome LaBarge in the cruiserweight division.

Pre-ordering general admission tickets cost $25, while the ringside tickets are $40. On the day of the event, general admission is bumped up to $30 and ringside seats will cost $50.

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

4-run 2nd inning too much for GrizzliesBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel American Legion shortstop Travis Wollenberg, who led the Grizzlies with two RBIs in Friday’s 4-3 loss to Clintonville, fires a throw to first base. Back-to-back losses put an end to Bonduel’s season.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Clintonville American Legion relief pitcher Jaden Doornink entered the game with two runners on and a two-run lead in the seventh inning and kept Bonduel from completing its comeback effort.

For the second consecutive night, Bonduel built a comeback effort late in the game of the American Legion regional tournament.

Trailing by two runs entering the seventh inning Friday at Village Park in Bonduel, the Grizzlies got its only production from the bottom of the lineup in a 4-3 loss to Clintonville in the double-elimination tournament.

Jack Thiel walked and Josh Richter was hit by a pitch from Clintonville starter Nate Krueger, putting two runners on for leadoff hitter Jordan Boldt.

Working against Clintonville’s top hurler, Jaden Doornink, Boldt slapped a single into the hole at shortstop to load the bases. Travis Wollenberg grounded into a double play, scoring Riley Allen, who was pinch running for Thiel. With Richter at third base, Trevor Pedersen flew out to center field, ending Bonduel’s season.

“He’s our main gun,” Bonduel coach Jason Boldt said. “I thought for sure he’d come through for us there. Just got in on his hands a little bit.”

After picking up a run on a sacrifice from Bailey Dingeldein in the first inning for a 1-0 lead, the Grizzlies were not able to keep the Diamond Cats off the board in the second.

Bonduel pitcher Wyatt Erb walked Paul Kenfield, hit Aaron Morse with a pitch, gave up a single to Jaden Doornink and then hit Jordan Koeppen with a pitch, pushing Kenfield across to tie the game at 1-1.

Zac Riemer, the Diamond Cats next batter, was hit as well. Hunter Vollmar grounded to Pedersen at second base, but beat out the throw from Wollenberg, who was trying to turn a double play to end the inning. Doornink scored on the play for the 3-1 lead, and an error on right fielder Brandon Olsen gave Clintonville its final run of the inning.

“That was our confidence builder,” Clintonville head coach James Young said. “We knew we would get our chances, and they came.”

Erb would settle down and keep Clintonville scoreless for the remainder of the game, but the Bonduel offense could not produce enough runs to complete the comeback effort.

Jordan Boldt tripled to right field in the third inning, one of his three hits on the night, and scored when Wollenberg singled to center. Wollenberg finished the game with two hits and two RBIs.

Pedersen and Bailey Dingeldein each walked to load the bases with one out, but Erb grounded into a double play to end the threat.

“We’ve had so many innings where we’ve had guys on in scoring position and just can’t get that big hit at the right time,” Jason Boldt said. “It happened tonight for us again. We left a lot of guys in scoring position tonight.”

Bonduel (14-5) had defeated Clintonville (16-7) in each of the teams’ first two matchups of the season, a 13-4 thrashing on June 13 and a 2-1, nine-inning thriller on July 10.

The Diamond Cats were ready this time around.

“The way these guys are playing and hitting, I think they can beat anybody at this point,” Young said.

Erb pitched all six innings, giving up three earned runs, striking out nine batters and giving up two hits. He walked four batters and hit three more.

Krueger threw six innings for Clintonville and was charged with the three runs. He allowed seven hits while walking three batters and hitting two. He struck out three batters.

Doornink came in to allow an infield single but got the final three outs for the Diamond Cats.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

Bonduel 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 6 2

Clintonville 0 4 0 0 0 0 x 4 2 1

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

By: 

Scott Owen, Leader Columnist

Years ago when I attempted to race, a wise man said to me, “Learn to drive where they aren’t.”

Lately, I have seen the subject of a “one-groove racetrack” bandied about online. Now I have an interesting perspective in that I watch every race each week at the Shawano Speedway and, except for the few nights I have taken off in the past 13 years, I have done so every week since 2004.

Last week was a prime example of what some consider a one-groove racetrack. The preferred line to race in for much of the night was in the higher groove of the track, closer to the wall than to the infield. Some may call this a one-groove racetrack; others call this an opportunity to pass.

For example, feature winners Lucas Lamberies and Travis Van Straten each started his respective feature in 10th place. This means that each of them found a way to pass nine cars on his way to the front of the field. For these two, many of their passes utilized the inside of the track.

Lamberies and VanStraten have won a number of features this year at Shawano (Lamberies five and Van Straten seven), but many nights earlier this year when the inside groove of the track was the best place to race, they were able to make passes in the outside line.

The point is that both of these racers, who are both two-time defending track champions, have found a way to get past other racers in the easiest way possible. That is, they make passes where others are not running.

It is a simple enough theory and it is not limited to these two racers, but when I go online and hear racers complain about a one-groove racetrack I have to question what it is they are looking for in a race track.

Simply put, if the inside racing groove and the outside racing groove were equally as fast as each other, it would be awfully difficult to pass.

I have been to racetracks that were one groove — by that I mean that anyone who got out of the racing groove attempting to make a pass went backward. This scenario doesn’t make for the best racing. But what I have seen in recent weeks in Shawano being referred to as a one-groove track is just false.

What’s more interesting is the great divide of varying opinions among drivers. There are those who have taken to the one-groove racetrack mantra as a way to explain their finishing positions. There are others who have stated that the track has been racy and fast.

In the end, it might have more to do with the midsummer doldrums. There are those who have become a bit weary and worn down over the course of the season, especially as the temperatures climb.

The key to speed may be a one-groove racetrack — and a driver who can make his machine work where others cannot.

See you at the speedway.

Scott Owen is the track announcer at the Shawano Speedway.Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Bonduel gets 1 run on 8 hitsBy: 

Greg Bates, Leader Correspondent

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel American Legion right fielder Jordan Boldt lays down a bunt for a single, one of his two hits on the night. The Grizzlies fell to Oconto Falls 2-1.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel American Legion second baseman Austin Siolka attempts to turn a double play in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Oconto Falls in the second round of regional play. Bonduel will try to stay alive in the tournament when it faces Clintonville at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Village Park.

Bonduel head coach Jason Boldt knew that if his team was going to pull out a win, his guys would have to score some early runs.

Three of the first four batters collected hits in the first inning as Bonduel took 1-0 lead on Oconto Falls. But that was the only run the Grizzlies could muster against Oconto Falls ace Evan Sigmund as Bonduel fell 2-1 in the second round of the American Legion regional playoffs Thursday night at Village Park in Bonduel.

“The way we started off, I’m thinking we were going to get to him a little early and maybe tack on a couple,” Boldt said. “I thought if we could get two, three runs early that might be enough for us. But we got that one and kind of stalled. We hit a lot of line drives tonight, but that’s how baseball goes.”

Sigmund gave up five hits in the first three innings but just three in the final four innings. Bonduel had just one runner advance past first base after the opening inning. Sigmund struck out nine Grizzlies batters.

“That first inning is always the hardest for any pitcher,” Oconto Falls coach Gerry Yogerst said. “That first inning, you’ve got to settle in and keep the ball down, and then we had some good defensive plays to help him out.”

Bonduel pitcher Trevor Pedersen was just as solid on the mound. He threw a complete game and allowed just three hits, all consecutively in the third inning to go with six strikeouts.

“He did what I expected of him,” Boldt said. “When you throw a complete game and give up two runs, you expect to win a game like that.”

Yogerst said he didn’t throw Sigmund, who will pitch this fall at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, to match Bonduel’s ace.

“We’ve got two No. 1s,” Yogerst said. “We started Riley and didn’t really need him yesterday and then Evan was going today. Whatever the matchup was going to be, I didn’t know.”

Jordan Boldt led off the game with a double to left to get Bonduel in business. Travis Wollenberg followed with a single to right-center field to drive in Boldt but then was caught stealing.

Oconto Falls got a baserunner with one out in the second inning as Sam Shroyer was hit by a pitch. He stole second and advanced to third on a Pedersen wild pitch. Shroyer came around to score on an RBI groundout by Brett Ash to tie the game.

With one out in the third, Dalton Curl, Mike VerVelde and Sigmund all singled to load the bases. With the No. 3 hitter Mike Manns up, Pedersen induced a ground ball. However, Bonduel couldn’t quite turn a double play to get out of the inning as Manns beat out the throw to first as Curl scored the go-ahead run.

“If we turn that double play and get out of that, it’s still a 1-1 game, and you never know what could happen after that,” Jason Boldt said.

Brent Pieper got the seventh inning started for Bonduel with an infield single. He was thrown out at second on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Bennett Gunderson, who reached first. After a strikeout, Wyatt Erb singled to right. With the potential tying run at third base and two out, Austin Siolka grounded out to end the game.

Jordan Boldt, Wyatt Erb and Bailey Dingeldein each had two hits to lead the Grizzlies (15-3).

The loss is Bonduel’s first in the double-elimination tournament. The Grizzlies will face Clintonville at 5:30 p.m. Friday night. Oconto Falls will take on Niagara, which beat Omro 18-1 Thursday night.

“We told them in the huddle after the game, ‘Keep your heads up. We’ve got to come back now because it’s one-and-done. We can come back and still win this,’” Boldt said.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

Bonduel 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 1

Oconto Falls 0 1 1 0 0 0 x 2 3 0

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Kewaunee County 8

Shawano 2

Kien Moorman led Shawano at the plate with two hits and a run in the Patriots’ regional loss Thursday in Luxemburg.

Dylan Sumnicht threw five innings, giving up four earned runs for Shawano (5-13).

Bryce Gagnow also scored for the Patriots, who will face Ahnapee at 8 p.m. Friday to keep their season alive.

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

By: 

Gary Seymour, [email protected]

Technological advances have increased and will continue at such an exponential rate that years from now the baseball controversies involving freak-level success will no longer be whether someone is on steroids, but whether the player is really a person and not artificial intelligence.

For the time being, there is a different polemic afoot, with managers getting tossed at a steady rate for running their yap about balls and strikes.

Major League Baseball honcho Joe Torre issued an edict to managers, general managers and assistant general managers to lay off the video replay and stop bickering with the home plate umps, or else prepare to take a hit to the wallet.

His warning came in the wake of a spate of ejections of managers who got run after griping about calls that replay had shown to be mistaken.

Torre’s memo read, in part, “This highly inappropriate conduct is detrimental to the game and must stop immediately.”

To which Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, one of the exiled squabblers, remarked, “I’m still going to react to what I see in front of me.”

Not that you couldn’t see this one coming. Since the league implemented the instant replay rule two seasons ago, whereby managers are allowed one replay challenge per game, and then a second challenge if the first one resulted in an overturned call, teams monitor every pitch and play from a video replay room in the clubhouse. Pitch-track technology allows a consistent view of whether pitches were or weren’t in the strike zone.

Torre, who reminded teams that replay rules are in place to challenge plays and not ball-and-strike calls, fears that games will be unnecessarily delayed and that the integrity of the umpires will be compromised.

The integrity of the umpires had already been impugned a while ago when certain umps, when pressed to justify repeated bad calls, had referenced “their” strike zone, implying in no uncertain terms that they would call a game as they saw fit and not as described by the rules.

Try to imagine the outcry if a National Football League referee justified a questionable call by sourcing “my pass interference,” or a National Hockey League ref citing “my cross checking,” as if rules are subject to individual interpretation and not something to be applied across the board. He would be cordially invited to hit the bricks.

Replay technology should be welcomed with open arms. Had it been in place six years ago, Detroit’s Armando Galarraga would have thrown a perfect game against Cleveland, and umpire Jim Joyce wouldn’t have been reduced to tears upon seeing that his missed call on a play at first with two out in the ninth turned Galarraga’s would-be perfecto into a one-hit shutout.

Surely Don Denkinger would have preferred a replay overturn of his call in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series – one that stands as the Holy Grail of blown calls and wrote Denkinger’s name in umpire infamy.

As for speeding up the game, which is a good idea, Torre could help matters by telling the banana slugs of the replay staff to get a move on. What becomes obvious to everyone else in about 10 of seconds watching a replay can take six or seven minutes for the replay experts to arrive at a conclusion.

The balls-and-strikes issue could be settled by turning it over to the pitch-trackers, which make uniform calls across the board and leave no room for guessing, catcher framing or manager whinging.

Of course, when buying groceries, forget the automated cashier and go to the line with a real checkout clerk, lest more humans get phased out of a paying gig.

But no one would be getting bounced out of an umpiring job. Let the home plate umps listen for foul tips and make calls on plays at the plate. Use the available technology for balls and strikes, and those not liking the calls can knock themselves out yelling at a machine.

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 yet

3 local teams undefeated over weekendBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Brandon Bushy slides into third base after a three-RBI triple to give Shawano Red a commanding lead in the final inning of a 7-1 victory over Little Chute in the 12U division of the Shawano Youth League tournament Friday in Memorial Park.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel 12U first baseman Reece Stoltenow beats a runner to the bag during a victory over Shawano Black on Friday at the Shawano Youth League tournament in Memorial Park.

Rain early on Sunday morning put a damper on the Shawano Youth League 11U and 12U tournaments.

Tournament director Bob Hannes was out at the fields early, but with from 4-6 inches of standing water in places, it would have taken too long to get the fields ready for play, he said.

“It would have taken us two hours to get the first field going, and then we still would have had three more, and that would have pushed us back,” Hannes said.

And with teams from across the state, including Eau Claire, Cudahy/St. Francis and D.C. Everest, participating, coordinating a makeup date to finish the tournament would be too complicated.

For those reasons, the 11U and 12U tournaments will remain unfinished.

The Bonduel 12U and Shawano Red baseball teams were undefeated through the opening two days and were among the top four seeds before the rain stopped the games.

In the 11U tournament, Shawano compiled a 2-0 record over Friday and Saturday.

The girls 8U softball tournament was a one-day tournament with six teams. Kaukauna took the title. Shawano finished fourth, losing to Plover in its placement game, and Bonduel finished sixth, falling to Greenville in its final game.

The Shawano Youth League will host another tournament this weekend, with 9U and 10U baseball teams from around the state converging on Memorial Park. Play will start at 5 p.m. Friday, with games continuing through Sunday.

“On any given weekend, we bring in close to 2,000 people in town,” Hannes said of the league’s three-weekend tournament run. “Some of them are local, but the majority are from out of town.”

Shawano Youth League Tournament

8U Softball

Final standings

1, Kaukauna; 2, West De Pere; 3, Plover; 4, Shawano; 5, Greenville; 6, Bonduel

Pool A

Kaukauna 1-0-1; Plover 1-0-1; Greenville 0-2

Kaukauna def. Greenville 10-1; Plover def. Greenville 2-1; Kaukauna tied Plover 1-1.

Pool B

West De Pere 2-0; Shawano 0-1-1; Bonduel 0-1-1

Shawano tied Bonduel 6-6; West De Pere def. Bonduel 11-0; West De Pere def. Shawano 5-0.

11U Baseball

Pool A

Peshtigo 2-0; Seymour 1-1; Marion 0-2

Peshtigo def. Marion 7-5; Seymour def. Marion 21-1; Peshtigo def. Seymour 4-3.

Pool B

De Pere 2-0; Oshkosh 1-1; D.C. Everest 0-2

De Pere def. D.C. Everest 15-0; Oshkosh def. D.C. Everest 11-1; De Pere def. Oshkosh 4-0.

Pool C

Greenville 2-0; Eau Claire 1-1; Appleton 0-2

Greenville def. Appleton 7-2; Eau Claire def. Appleton 3-2; Greenville def. Eau Claire 9-7.

Pool D

Shawano 2-0; Little Chute 1-1; Cudahy/St. Francis 0-2

Shawano def. Little Chute 11-1; Shawano def. Cudahy/St. Francis 16-1; Little Chute def. Cudahy/St. Francis 12-1.

12U Baseball

Pool A

Bonduel 2-0; Shawano Black 1-1; Peshtigo 0-2

Bonduel def. Shawano Black 7-0; Bonduel def. Peshtigo 14-2; Shawano Black def. Peshtigo 7-6.

Pool B

De Pere 2-0; Suburban Black 1-1; Oconto 0-2

De Pere def. Suburban Black 11-1; De Pere def. Oconto 10-0; Suburban Black def. Oconto 8-6.

Pool C

Eau Claire 2-0; Allouez Aces 1-1; D.C. Everest 0-2

Allouez def. D.C. Everest 6-4; Eau Claire def. D.C. Everest 10-9; Eau Claire def. Allouez 15-9.

Pool D

Shawano Red 2-0; Little Chute 1-1; Marinette 0-2

Shawano Red def. Little Chute 7-1; Shawano Red def. Marinette 12-0; Little Chute def. Marinette 7-2.

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Bunkleman, Weisnicht each notch win No. 1By: 

Scott Owen, Special to the Leader

Contributed Photo Mark Weisnicht captured his first IMCA Modifieds feature victory Saturday in Shawano.
Contributed Photo Robert Bunkleman picked up his first victory of the season in Saturday’s Late Models feature at the Shawano Speedway.

Travis Van Straten won his seventh IMCA Stock Car feature of the year Saturday on Reinhart Food Service night at the races Saturday at Shawano Speedway.

Lucas Lamberies brought home his fifth IMCA Sport Mod feature and Brad Wedde picked up win No. 2 in the Mighty Fours division.

Robby Bunkleman (Late Models) and Mark Weisnicht (IMCA Modifieds) each scored their first wins of the season.

IMCA Stock Cars

Joe White had the car to beat early on in the IMCA Stock Cars feature. White, who was pressured by BJ Giese for numerous laps, led the first eight laps of the race before 10th-place starting Van Straten made an inside pass for the lead on lap nine.

Giese followed Van Straten past White for the second spot as White coasted to the pit area with mechanical woes. As Van Straten began to pull away, Giese ran second, while Mike Schmidt and Dan Michonski battled for third.

At the end it was Van Straten scoring the win over Giese, Michonski, Schmidt and Luke Uttecht.

Late Models

Josh Moesch led the opening lap of the Late Models feature before Bunkleman got to his inside on lap two and took over the lead. Troy Springborn made his way to second on lap four. Ron Berna, Mike Mullen and Brett Swedberg joined the top five on lap six.

In front of the pack, Bunkleman continued to set a torrid pace. On lap 14, Bunkleman caught the tail of the field but had little trouble working through lapped traffic.

At the end, Bunkleman would not be denied victory as he cruised to the win in a caution-free affair. Springborn held on to finish second. Mullen passed Berna late in the race for third. Swedberg also got past Berna to finish fourth. Berna crossed the line in fifth.

IMCA Modifieds

Shawn Frelich jumped into the lead on the opening lap of the IMCA Modifieds feature and was immediately pressured by Jim Zdroik. Weisnicht raced his way past Zdroik for the second position on lap seven.

Zdroik, Jerry Wilinski and Lance Arneson completed the top five after lap 10. On lap 14, as Frelich continued to set the pace, Wilinski passed Weisnicht for second on the track and set his sights on the leader. Entering turn No. 1 on lap 15, Wilinski cut to the inside of Frelich and attempted to make a pass for the lead. As Wilinski’s machine drifted up the track he made contact with Frelich, who was leading at the time. Frelich’s car got into the wall, ending his night. Wilinski was charged with the caution and sent to the rear of the field.

Weisnicht, who had been running third, inherited the lead and was able to hold off Zdroik and Arneson for the victory. Konnor Wilinski crossed the line in fourth. Marcus Yarie battled back to fifth after visiting pit lane on lap 11.

IMCA Sport Mods

In IMCA Sport Mods action, Brian Besaw led the first four laps of the race before Jordan Barkholtz took the top spot away on lap five. Behind Barkholtz, Colten VanHierden and Lamberies moved to second and third, respectively, on lap seven.

On lap nine, Lamberies used a slide job to take second from VanHierden. Lamberies then set out to run down the leader. On lap 11, Lamberies unleashed another slide job to take the lead from Barkholtz.

Lamberies went on to win the race. VanHierden made a last lap pass to take second. Barkholtz, Kyle Raddant and Besaw completed the top five.

Mighty Fours

Wedde went wire to wire to win the Mighty Fours feature. Grant Kastning made a late charge to finish right on Wedde’s bumper. Lucas Hacker, Travis Welch and Hollie Welch finished third through fifth.

Spectator Eliminators

Dave Stoffer and Brian Welch were victorious in their respective Spectator Eliminator divisions.

Shawano Speedway

July 16

Race Summary

Late Models Feature: 1) Robby Bunkleman, 2) Troy Springborn, 3) Mike Mullen, 4) Brett Swedberg, 5) Ron Berna 6) Tom Naeyaert, 7) Paul Parker, 8) Doug Blashe, 9) Justin Hirt, 10) Josh Moesch.

Heat 1: 1) Bunkleman, 2) Parker, 3) Springborn.

Heat 2: 1) Mullen, 2) Berna, 3) Swedberg.

IMCA Modifieds Feature: 1) Mark Weisnicht, 2) Jim Zdroik, 3) Lance Arneson, 4) Konnor Wilinski, 5) Marcus Yarie, 6) Jerry Muenster, 7) Beetle Bailey, 8) Jerry Wilinski, 9) Paul Thorpe, 10) Cole Petit.

Heat 1: 1) Zdroik, 2) Shawn Frelich, 3) Eddie Muenster.

Heat 2: 1) Jerry Wilinski, 2) Kevin Feck, 3) Jerry Muenster.

IMCA Stock Cars Feature: 1) Travis Van Straten, 2) BJ Giese, 3) Dan Michonski, 4) Mike Schmidt, 5) Luke Uttecht, 6) Trent Nolan, 7) Tom Riehl, 8) Harley Simon, 9) Rod Snellenberger, 10) Vern Stedjee.

Heat 1: 1) Joe White, 2) Van Straten, 3) Snellenberger.

Heat 2: 1) Giese, 2) Michonski, 3) Uttecht.

IMCA Sport Mods Feature: 1) Lucas Lamberies, 2) Colten VanHierden, 3) Jordan Barkholtz, 4) Kyle Raddant, 5) Brian Besaw, 6) Jason Ebert, 7) Jason Jach, 8) Brandon Nygaard, 9) Brianna Ambroziak, 10) Jordan Bartz.

Heat 1: 1) VanHierden, 2) Tyler Thiex, 3) Brekken Kleinschmidt.

Heat 2: 1) Bartz, 2) Besaw, 3) Ambroziak.

Mighty Fours Feature: 1) Brad Wedde, 2) Grant Kastning, 3) Lucas Hacker, 4) Travis Welch, 5) Hollie Welch, 6) Dalton Nelson, 7) Jason Stueck, 8) Jason Hopinka, 9) Cody Reed, 10) Brandon Wanta.

Heat 1: 1) Hollie Welch, 2) Hacker, 3) Hopinka.

Heat 2: 1) Wedde, 2) Kastning, 3) Travis Welch.

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

LITTLE FALLS 12, LEOPOLIS 8

BIRNAMWOOD 2, ELDERON 1

WAUPACA 13, LANARK 4

CLINTONVILLE 7, NEOPIT 0

WP — Parker Mindel; LP — Paul Murphy

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

6th-year teacher takes over for TooleBy: 

Chris Caporale [email protected]

Luka Zischka already knows what it’s like to fill big shoes.

The Bonduel High School social studies teacher began his tenure in the district in 2011, taking over for Mark Welch, who had taught for 40 years.

Now, Zischka is taking over for retired athletic director Roger Toole, who worked in the district for the past 42 years, including the past 23 years as AD.

“I kind of envision myself as keeping on what Roger was doing,” Zischka said. “He built a lot of great programs within the school, and I think the community responded very well to Roger, and Roger kind of took the athletic programs we had and made them reflect the community as well. He built a good foundation, and I kind of hope to keep it sturdy.

Zischka, a 2011 graduate of St. Norbert College, reached out to Toole when he started, asking to help with any of the sporting events as he was already planning on attending.

From there, Zischka became responsible for making sure teams went to the correct locker rooms, warned coaches when halftime was ending and made sure officials and scorekeepers were able to fulfill their duties each and every night, among other things.

“When I got a job in education, and I just started as a run-of-the-mill teacher, I wanted some place I could work in the community as well. I feel like a teacher’s role is to be that kind of role model, and I want to show it, not only in a classroom, but outside of it,” Zischka said. “I believe that you can see a lot of what a student is in a classroom, and you can see a lot outside of it, whether it is a workplace or on a court or field.”

The Tomahawk native who had previously just known Bonduel as a Kwik Trip stop along state Highway 29 is now looking to continue strengthening the relationship between the school, athletics and the community.

Zischka, in addition to continuing his teaching and acting as athletic director, is on the village board to further engage with those in Bonduel.

“The community responds well and supports the school to a very high (standard),” Zischka said. “I think a school is a good representation of what the community is. I think it’s a good, healthy relationship all the way through, and it’s something to be proud of, to be a part of it.”

As Zischka has just a few weeks left to prepare prior to fall sports starting up, he feels like he has been slowly transitioning into all of the duties encompassed by the long-time athletic director.

He wants to help coaches out further, whether it is controlling t-shirt orders or any of the extra duties, so that they can spend more of the time focusing on the athletes.

“Roger has been in this role for so long that there’s a lot of things that he just kind of did in habit, and it was kind of funny because for the last few months, I tried to take over a lot of small aspects of the role to kind of gain more and more of the responsibility,” Zischka said.

The sixth-year teacher at BHS saw Toole’s road to retirement this past school year, and wouldn’t mind having a similar impact after many years of service.

“I know when Roger left how gracious he was to the community supporting him and helping him. That was his life,” Zischka said. “That would be kind of a fairy-tale ending.”

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Senior sets example for younger pitchersBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel American Legion pitcher Trevor Pedersen was selected to play on the North team of the Legion all-star game at Miller Park on Aug. 14.

Bonduel American Legion head coach Jason Boldt hadn’t gotten a chance to get to know pitcher Trevor Pedersen too well prior to the summer season.

Now, after roughly one month of together, Pedersen has earned Boldt’s respect.

“I knew he was a good ball player. Now, being able to coach him, I see a whole different side to him,” Boldt said. “He’s a leader besides being a good ballplayer.”

Pedersen this week was named to the North team for the Legion all-star game Aug. 14 at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Pedersen, who no-hit Wittenberg on June 28, also had two no-hitters during the spring high school season.

After a thumb injury sidelined him for the beginning of the Legion season, Pedersen has come back with a vengeance.

“The last couple of starts I’ve had I’ve been throwing harder than I have been in high school,” said Pedersen, who plans to walk-on at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this fall.

Before leaving Bonduel, Pedersen hopes to leave a lasting impression on the up-and-coming pitchers on the roster, soon-to-be juniors Wyatt Erb and Jordan Boldt.

“A lot of the younger guys don’t know how to compose themselves and just stay within themselves on the mound,” Pedersen said. “Like the younger guys, if they walk a guy, they get all over the place, get wild. Just got to take a break and slow down a little bit.”

Jason Boldt has seen the growth in the younger pitchers as they watched Pedersen pitch and were able to learn from the ace over the past few months. Both will be expected to step into larger roles next spring and summer.

“They look up to Trevor with a lot of what he throws out there at them,” Boldt said. “He tutors them here and there. I know they learn a lot from him.”

Pedersen and the Grizzlies still have a few weeks remaining on the Legion season.

Bonduel faces Menominee on Saturday before looking to seal the Central Wisconsin Legion title at home Monday against Iola. Regional play begins July 20 when the Grizzlies take on Keshena at 7:30 p.m. at home.

Bonduel has won six of its seven games.

“We want to win every game, so we will take every step at a time to try to win,” Pedersen said. “Hopefully keep playing like we’ve been playing lately, and see what happens.”

Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet