Shawano Leader Sports Headlines

Horne will take time to relax, decide next stepBy: 

Jason Arndt, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Jason Arndt James Horne retired, effective April 10, as a state Department of Natural Resources conservation warden after a 29-year career with the state agency.

After 29 years with the state Department of Natural Resources, James Horne on April 10 called it a career as a conservation warden.

Horne, 53, of Shawano, said a couple of incidents in recent months influenced his decision to move on.

“It was just one of those things where it was just time,” he said. “There were a couple of bad accidents that I dealt with over the winter. I knew it was time to move on.”

Regional conservation warden Ben Treml, who oversees 16 counties in Northeast Wisconsin, said the DNR and area residents will miss Horne’s personable demeanor.

“His customer service and public relations in Shawano County were spectacular,” Treml said. “He made community education public service a high priority.”

Horne made the decision to retire about two months ago, he said, and shared the decision first with Shawano County’s dispatchers.

“They were the first I told, and probably were the closest to, where I check in a lot,” Horne said. “They were the ones watching over me and making sure I am safe out there.”

Horne, originally from Hartland, in Waukesha County, has always been interested in wildlife but did not envision himself becoming a warden until 1983, when he worked at Pike Lake State Park.

“I saw different things during that time that made me feel like I could make more of an impact in the law enforcement end,” Horne said.

His job with the DNR began in 1986. He worked in Oconto Falls, Madison and Green Bay before moving to Shawano County in 1991.

“The beauty of being a game warden in Shawano are the changing of the seasons,” Horne said. “It is a constant change, and that is the beauty of the job — it is never the same.

“Shawano County has everything to offer that the state of Wisconsin has, and it has just been a good place to raise a family and stick around.”

Horne and his wife, Katie, have two children, Matt, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and Nicole, a senior at Shawano Community High School.

Mark Schraufnagel, a warden at the northern Waupaca station, worked with Horne since 2005.

“Jim is an extremely dedicated conservation warden and he is pretty much willing to drop everything and lend a helping hand,” said Schraufnagel, who supervises a portion of Shawano County that includes the towns of Belle Plaine and Pella.

Schraufnagel and warden Alyssa Gove, who joined the local DNR staff in January, will assume Horne’s duties until a statewide assessment is completed in December, Treml said.

In February, there were 22 vacant DNR law enforcement positions in the state, including 12 field officers, three supervisors, four environmental investigation wardens, two recreational safety officers and one investigator.

The state has hired 11 recruits, who will be given their assignments toward the end of the year.

Horne said he has no firm plans about retirement except to take some time to relax.

“Just going to go hunting and fishing, where I will relax and decompress, and then I will do something else in the future, but I am not sure yet,” he said.

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Bonduel High School’s boys and girls finished atop the standings in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8 Pre-Conference Meet held Monday at Little Wolf High School in Manawa.

Haley Pues paced the Bonduel girls with first-place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles, 300 hurdles and high jump. Emily Sorenson also placed first for the Bears, in the long jump.

First-place finishers for Wittenberg-Birnamwood were Maddy Pietz, who swept the 100 and 200 dashes; Paige Norrbom in the 400, Taylor Nier in the 800 and Alexis Balliett in the 3,200. The 4x400 and 4x800 relay team also came out on top.

Hunter Berry won the 1,600 and 3,200 for the Bonduel boys. Trebor Rueckert won the 400, and the Bears’ 4x100 and 4x800 relay teams also won their events.

Brian Szutkowski took the only first for the Witt-Birn boys, winning the 100.

CWC-8 Pre-Conference Meet

Girls results: 1. Bonduel 154, 2. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 132, 3. Iola-Scandinavia 100.25, 4. Pacelli 68, 5. Little Wolf (Manawa) 67, 6. Shiocton 57, 7. Weyauwega-Fremont 54.75, 8. Amherst 13

Bonduel (top three): Emily Sorenson, first, long jump, 14-10.5, and second, 100 and 200; Peyton Hrabik, third, 100 and high jump; Haley Pues, first, 100 hurdles, 19.21, 300 hurdles, 54.58, and high jump, 4-6; Danee Collier, third, 300 hurdles; 4x100 relay, third; 4x200 relay, third; 4x400 relay, third; Hayley Sorenson, second, high jump; Megan Fisher, third, high jump and triple jump.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood (top three): Maddy Pietz, first, 100-meter dash, 14.02, and 200, 28.41; Paige Norrbom, first, 400, 1:04.93, and third, 200; Taylor Nier, first, 800, 2:41.53; Alexis Balliett, first, 3,200, 13:03.37; 4x400 relay, first, 4:23.91; 4x800 relay, first, 11:07.60; Mikayla King, third, 400; Alyssa Meverden, third, 800 and 1,600; Aleah Miller, third, 3,200; 4x200 relay, second; Anna Hartman, second, shot put, and third, discus;

Boys results: 1. Bonduel 132.5, 2. Little Wolf (Manawa) 101.5, 3. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 90, 4. Iola-Scandinavia 89, 5. Shiocton 79, 6. Weyauwega-Fremont 57, 7. Pacelli 50, 8. Amherst 48

Bonduel (top three): Trebor Rueckert, first, 400, 55.69, third, 200; Hunter Berry, first, 1,600, 4:53.83, and 3,200, 11:02.88; 4x100 relay, first, 50.48; 4x800 relay, first, 9:42.82; Danny Tauchen, second, 400; Austin Marcks, second, 1,600; Preston Robaidek, second, high jump; Spencer Perry, third, discus.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood (top three): Brian Szutkowski, first, 100, 12.26, and second, 200; Tyler Weller, second, 800; 4x400 relay, second; 4x800, second; Mason Enjaian, second, shot put; Andy Bork, third, shot put.

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SOCCER

Shawano 7

Clintonville 0

Perhaps cold, wet weather is just what the Shawano girls soccer team needed to get its offense untracked as it heads into the Bay Conference season.

The Hawks scored from close and long range Monday and did not need to record a single save in goal. Six players tallied for Shawano (2-3, 0-0 Bay Conference): Morgan Klitzke, from 19 and 27 feet; Carlie Hinnefeld, 90 feet; Megan Kliltzke, 52 feet; Louisa Keenan, 45 feet; Sarah Dickmann, 23 feet; and Teagan Monfils, 8 feet.

Keenan also recorded two assists. Dickmann added an assist, as well.

The Hawks, who scored only three goals in their first three losses, have scored 10 goals in their last two wins, both shutouts. They open conference play against Luxemburg-Casco on Thursday.

SOFTBALL

Almond-Bancroft 7

Menominee Indian 1

The Lady Eagles lost at home despite Taylor Mahkimetas’s three-hit game Tuesday.

Cami Newby recorded the win for Almond-Bancroft (1-1, 1-0 Central Wisconsin Conference-10). She struck out 12, walked two and gave up eight hits.

Kelsey Corn was charged with the loss. She walked five and struck out seven.

Menominee Indian (2-2, 2-2 CWC-10) scored its only run in the sixth inning on a RBI single by Ania Smith.

GOLF

Hawks fall to L-C, Menasha

Braden Mueller earned medalist honors, but the Shawano golf team trailed both Luxemburg-Casco and Menasha at a Bay Conference meet Tuesday at Shawano Lake Golf Course.

L-C won the meet with a 168, followed by Menasha (177) and Shawano (184).

Mueller shot a 38. Josh Mueller fired a 43, Cole Huntington carded 50 and Casey Clark finished with 53.

Acker shares medalist honors at triangular

Zach Acker tied for low with a 45 as Bonduel finished second among the three teams competing Monday at Weyauwega-Fremont.

Weyauwega-Fremont shot 199 to win the meet. Bonduel (210) was second. Menominee Indian also competed but did not have enough golfers for a team score.

Austin Acker shot a 52 for Bonduel. Mitch LaBerge finished with a 54, Garrett Riemer 59 and David Parrott 64.

“It was extremely cold and windy, so I was very happy to see a few of our kids battle through the elements and put up some decent scores,” Bonduel coach Dave LaBerge said.

BASEBALL

Bonduel 14

Gillett/Suring 0

Bonduel scored 12 runs in the first two innings to open the floodgates in a nonconference win Tuesday in Bonduel.

The Bears (5-0, 2-0 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) pounded out 10 hits in five innings and were aided by six Gillett errors. Steven Olson went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, and Travis Wollenberg went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs. Patrick Thiel and Connor Rosin had doubles for the Bears.

Mitch Umentum had two hits for Gillett/Suring (1-5, 0-2 Marinette & Oconto Conference).

Austin Siolka pitched four solid innings for Bonduel to earn the win. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out six. Brian Zahn took the loss for the Hornets.

Almond-Bancroft 11

Menominee Indian 1

Menomnee Indian’s lone run Tuesday crossed the plate in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Ty Latender.

Almond-Bancroft (5-0, 2-0 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) never trailed after scoring two runs in the first on an error and RBI single.

Nick Corn was the losing pitcher. He lasted 4 2/3 innings, walked none, struck out six and allowed five runs.

Menominee Indian (4-3, 3-2 CWC-10) had only three hits in the game.

Menominee Indian 15

Crandon 14

A walkoff single by Dante Caldwell provided the winning run Saturday at Crivitz.

Crandon scored eight runs in the first inning. Menominee Indian chipped away at the lead, with six runs in the first and another in the third. The Eagles took the lead, 12-10, with a five-run fourth inning and added another run in the sixth. Crandon responsed with two in the sixth and took the lead with two more in the seventh. Menominee Indian put the game away, however, with two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Crivitz 10

Menominee Indian 0

The Eagles were unable to generate much offense in a six-inning shutout loss Saturday in the first of two games at Crivitz.

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By: 

Scott Owen, Special to the Leader

Defending track champions Ron Berna and Travis VanStraten raced to wins Saturday on the opening night of the 53rd year of racing at the Shawano Speedway.

Matt Oreskovich, Brock Saunders and Grant Kastning also made their way to victory lane as the 2015 racing season started under clear skies.

Late Models

After suffering engine problems during Friday night's practice, Brett Swedberg came back strong on Saturday. Swedberg led the first three laps of the Late Model feature before Berna raced to the inside on lap four to take the lead. Swedberg stayed on the tail of Berna as the race went on, got a nose to the inside of Berna on more than one occasion but could not make a pass. Late in the race, smoke began to show from the back of Swedberg’s mount. On lap 22, Swedberg dropped off the pace and was forced pitside. Berna went on to win, holding off Tom Naeyaert and Troy Springborn after a lap 23 restart.

IMCA Modifieds

At the start of the IMCA Modified feature, it looked as though defending track champion Marcus Yarie would run away and hide. Yarie started outside row one and quickly put distance between himself and Chris Engels. After a lap four restart, Lance Arneson moved to second, while John Berna and Oreskovich battled for third. On lap seven, Oreskovich passed Berna to take third. With Yarie still leading, Oreskovich ran down Arneson and made the pass to move into second place on lap 13. Oreskovich then set his sights on Yarie. Entering turn one on lap 15, Oreskovich snagged the lead and held it the rest of the race. Yarie finished second. Eddie Muenster made a late race pass to take third from Arneson.

IMCA Stock Car

Mike Schmidt held the lead of the IMCA Stock Car feature for the first four laps until VanStraten took over the point. VanStraten, last year’s track champion, began to pull away from the rest of the pack while Brandon Czarapata raced to second. The race went green to checkered without a caution flag. VanStraten picked up where he left off last year, in victory lane. Czarapata took second. Steven Stewart finished third.

IMCA Sport Mods

After a caution-plagued start, Saunders put himself into the lead at the start of the IMCA Sport Mod feature. Saunders quickly asserted himself as the car to beat while Wyatt Block, Lucas Lamberies and Tracy Wassenberg battled for second and third. The race was ultimately cut short due to the cautions. Saunders picked up his second career win at Shawano Speedway. Block held off Lamberies to take second. Wassenberg finished fourth.

Grant Kastning out-duelled Brad Wedde to score the Mighty Four feature win.

Racing continues Saturday night with a 6:30 p.m. start time.

Shawano Speedway

April 18

Race Summary

Late Model Feature: 1. Ron Berna, 2. Tom Naeyaert, 3. Troy Springborn, 4. Nick Anvelink, 5. Joel Bennett, 6. Joe Reuter, 7. Paul Parker, 8. Doug Blashe, 9. Jeremy Kazynski, 10. Derek Jahnke.

Heat 1: 1. Anvelink, 2. Chris Oertel, 3. Bennett.

Heat 2: 1. Springborn, 2. Reuter, 3. Brett Swedberg.

IMCA Modified Feature: 1. Matt Oreskovich, 2. Marcus Yarie, 3. Eddie Muenster, 4. Lance Arneson, 5. John Berna, 6. Tony Wedelstadt, 7. Cody Hudson, 8. Chris Engels, 9. Jerry Muenster, 10. Jamie Schmidt.

Heat 1: 1. Yarie, 2. Wedelstadt, 3. Hudson.

Heat 2: 1. Jerry Wilinski, 2. Eddie Muenster, 3. Jerry Muenster.

Heat 3:1. Oreskovich, 2. Rob Charapata, 3. Berna.

IMCA Stock Car Feature: 1. Travis VanStraten, 2. Brandon Czarapata, 3. Steven Stewart, 4. Mike Schmidt, 5. Dustin Loberger, 6. Tom Riehl, 7. Kyle Frederick, 8. Vern Stedjee, 9. Luke Uttecht, 10. Harley Simon.

Heat 1: 1. Schmidt, 2. Loberger, 3. Frederick.

Heat 2: 1. VanStraten, 2. Stewart, 3. Trent Nolan

IMCA Sport Mod Feature: 1. Brock Saunders, 2. Wyatt Block, 3. Lucas Lamberies, 4. Tracy Wassenberg, 5. Jordan Barkholtz, 6. Jason Jach, 7. Jordan Bartz, 8. Logan Fleischman, 9. Don Woller, 10. Kyle Raddant.

Heat 1: 1. Lamberies, 2. Wassenberg, 3. Brandon Nygaard.

Heat 2: 1. Saunders, 2. Block, 3. Lamberies.

Mighty Four Feature: 1. Grant Kastning, 2. Brad Wedde, 3. Kasey Gross, 4. Josh Slewinski, 5. Dalton Nelson, 6. Carl King, 7. Lucas Hacker, 8. Matt DeWilde, 9. Calvin Stueck, 10. Tom Kralovetz.

Heat 1: 1. Gross, 2. Wedde, 3. Slewinski.

Heat 2: 1. Kastning, 2. Kralovetz, 3. Hollie Welch.

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Young driver returns to IMCA Sport mod class at speedwayBy: 

Troy A. Bruzewski, Leader Correspondent

Contributed Photo Lucas Lamberies, 16, of Clintonville won the IMCA Northern SportMods feature April 1 at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. He is one of the young drivers to watch again this season at Shawano Speedway.

The winner is usually easy to determine. As the checkered flag waves, the first to cross the line takes the trophy. However, some winners are determined in post-race inspection.

At Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Clintonville’s Lucas Lamberies discovered he won the IMCA Northern SportMods feature well after the engines had cooled April 1.

“Right after tech (inspection) started, I was told the winner was getting disqualified,” Lamberies said.

Though not in the traditional fashion, Lamberies claimed the win he seemed to be headed toward early in the race. Lamberies took an early lead, pacing the field for the first five laps until Brayton Carter took the point. Carter maintained the lead while Lamberies remained among the frontrunners.

A late caution worked in the 16-year-old’s favor, setting-up a shootout in the final laps. The restart dissipated Lamberies’ deficit to the car ahead of him and he took advantage, passing his way to second before Carter crossed the finish line for the apparent win.

“We were running about fourth the whole race and when the cautions came out, I was able to pass a few cars and it opened-up for me,” Lamberies said. “I could see I was gaining, but it was tough to pass. The track was slick, but on the restart, I thought I had an advantage.”

Lamberies didn’t have the advantage in the final standings, until inspectors examined the cars in post-race inspection. There, the initial winner was removed from atop the leaderboard.

“We basically have to run a stock ignition and (Carter) basically had a computerized chip ignition,” said Terry Lamberies, Lucas’ father. “It’s a very simple thing and I almost can’t believe he knew it was there, because it’s such an easy thing to find.

“We’d rather not win that way, but it’s as simple as one driver being legal and the other driver not being legal.”

Terry Lamberies said the success from this trip to Iowa was partially due to their first experience on the national scene, which wasn’t nearly as fruitful.

“In our first national event in Iowa, we kind of got our butt kicked,” Terry Lamberies said. “We learned a lot and got out of the hole.”

The 2014 IMCA champion for Wisconsin had his first win of 2015.

Terry Lamberies said the family race team is planning to run another full season in 2015, including Shawano Speedway, of course, and additional events outside Wisconsin.

“This is a family hobby and maybe Lucas will go one more step up to IMCA modified,” Terry Lamberies said. “We’re just having fun.”

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Special nights highlight speedway scheduleBy: 

Brad Luepke, Special to the Leader

Contributed Photo IMCA Modifieds run at the Shawano Speedway every Saturday during the racing season, which opens this weekend.

The 2015 schedule of the famed half-mile Shawano Speedway, which opens its season Saturday, is once again littered with special events — something for the whole family.

The highlights again this season include the return of the World of Outlaw Late Models on July 28 for the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win Sun Drop Shootout.

This season the Modifieds and Stock Cars join the shootout, which should make for an unbelievable show.

On June 13, The Havoc on the Half Mile Late Model special sponsored by Suebert Calf Ranches returns. Once again, the admission price and the pit price will not be raised for the this night, so with Plymouth and Cedar Lake running the UMP Summer Nationals not running that night, for $10 you can see the best Late Model drivers in our area competing for $2,000 to win and their share of the $15,000 purse.

The following week, on June 20, the Hammond Farms & Greenhouse IMCA Stock Car Showdown returns. The winner of the 25-lap race wins $750. With “Hard Charger” and lap leader money, the purse for this event is in excess of $5,500.

The fifth annual Racing for a Reason returns July 11. This event has raised $43,000 for local childhood cancer awareness charities in its first four years.

Many other events return as well, including the following:

• Family Night, July 4: Mom, dad and kids all get in for $15.

• Fan Appreciation Night, Aug. 29: Adult admission only $5.

• Mother’s Day with Ladies Night, May 9: The first 500 ladies get in free.

• Cody Hudson Racing Autism Awareness Night, Aug. 8: Free corn roast after the races.

Of course, the Spectator Eliminators return in 2015, and what grudge matches will pop up this season?

I could go on and on, but grab a schedule and check it out for yourself. There is something to do every week.

So, I went over the old, but what about the new? Where to start.

Let’s start with the drivers. We have increased the purse for the IMCA Mods, Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Mighty Fours by more than $2,000 a week. We also went out and got feature winner decals, and every feature winner will get a feature winner plaque.

B & J Custom graphics will be redoing our entire victory lane sign and give it a fresh look.

To help drainage on the track, we moved pit entrance down on the front stretch.

For the fans, we upgraded our Kid’s Club, design-the-car contests, bike/scooter/skateboard giveaways, Sun Drop water truck ride and are working on more. We will be moving Kid’s Club under the grandstand in the Kid’s Zone. Our goal is to make this area very interactive for families.

We are adding a TV in the beer garden area. We will be showing previous weeks’ races and some old races from throughout the years. This should add to our fans experience here.

June 27 will bring our first Alumni Night. Shawano Speedway is one of the longest running dirt tracks in the country, and we felt it was time to honor those who paved the way. We will have old programs and photos all over the grounds, old videos playing on the TV. 1st Choice Auto and Kelsey Coatings will be displaying and hot lapping the coupes. I was also told that there will be some new old-school cars that will debut that night.

We will finish Alumni Night off by kicking off your Fourth of July week with a big fireworks show after the races. This should be a fun one.

Chuck Buckbee and JJ Smith will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 28. These are great choices as they cover a few eras from Shawano Speedway.

On the track, we have Jared Siefert, Modified driver and multi-time Mod champion in Shawano, in a Late Model this season.

Look for Josh Oakley, Gary Janke and rumblings of a few others in the Late Model division this season as well.

Stock Car frontrunner Scott Stewart and Derek Loberger look to tear up the half-mile this season. The Stock Car class will see the return of a few drivers in 2015. 2013 Rookie of the Year Maria Steinke returns to the seat after a year off, as well as fan favorite Dan Michonski. Matt Alvey moves from a Mod to a stock car as well this season, and Scott Blanke moves from the 4 cylinders to a stock car.

Sport Mods will see new names join the ranks this season, including go-kart hot shoe Kyle Raddant.

Will Van Straten continue his dominant ways? Will Berna get his eighth track championship? Will the rookies or returners make a splash? Time will tell, but to you, the best fans anywhere, you deserve the best show possible and we will do everything in our power to make that happen.

So, please, leave the hustle and bustle of your week behind, and sit back on Saturday Nights and enjoy the show.

AT A GLANCE
Shawano Speedway 2015 Schedule

April 18 — Opening night

April 25 — Regular race night

May 2 — Y100 Night. Spectator Eliminators.

May 9 — Mother’s Day Ladies Night sponsored by Charlie’s County Market; first 500 ladies get in free.

May 16 — Kersten Excavating Night. Spectator Eliminators.

May 23 — Twig’s Beverage Sun Drop Night.

May 30 — Kim Parsons Memorial Tour Race Night. Spectator Eliminators.

June 6—Shawano Cement/Gillett Cement Product, Kid’s Gold Rush Night.

June 13 — Seubert Calf Ranches Late Model Special $2,000-to-win 40-lap feature.

June 20 — Hammond Farm and Greenhouse IMCA Stock Car Shootout, $750 to win, $5,500 purse. Spectator Eliminators.

June 27 — Alumni Night, Relive our History. Fireworks show by Fireworks Country.

July 4 — Family Night presented by 22 Shell. Mom, dad and kids get in for $15. Spectator Eliminators.

July 11 — Fifth annual Racing for a Reason Night/Bonduel firefighters and Pulaski firefighters, racing money for Childhood Cancer Awareness.

July 18 — Reinhart Night at the Races — Kid’s Build a Car Night. Spectator Eliminators.

July 25 — Hall of Fame Night honoring Chuck Buckbee and JJ Smith.

July 28 — World of Outlaw Late Model Series/$10,000 to win Sun Drop Shootout. Also, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars. Rain date: July 29.

Aug. 1 — Bud Lynn Memorial Night. Spectator Eliminators.

Aug. 8 — Cody Hudson Racing Autism Awareness Night, free corn roast after the races.

Aug.15 — Little Caesar’s/Mike’s Video Kid’s Back Pack Night. Spectator Eliminators.

Aug. 22 — Regular race night

Aug. 29 — Fan Appreciation Night sponsored by Seubert Calf Ranches. Adult admission only $5. Spectator Eliminators.

Sept. 4 — Enduro race at the fair

Sept. 5 — Budweiser Championship Night sponsored by Fabiano Bros.

Sept. 6 — Tripleheader at the fair: tag races, Spectator Eliminators, trailer races.

Sept. 7 — Demolition Derby

Brad Luepke is the promotion and marketing director 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 yet

Speedway opens 52nd season SaturdayBy: 

Scott Owen, Special to the Leader

Here we go again. Racing at the historic half-mile Shawano Speedway will return Saturday for the 52nd season.

As always there were a lot of offseason moves by various drivers. Former Shawano Speedway IMCA Modified track champion Jared Siefert has made the move to a late model this summer and will be piloting a Stronglink chassis built by Nick Anvelink.

Clint “Chucky” Forstner, a former track champion in the IMCA Sport Mod class, will be moving up to the IMCA Modified ranks.

Former Mighty Four frontrunner Scott “Point” Blankewill join the field in the IMCA Stock Car class.

Former Shawano Speedway scoreboard operator Kyle Raddant will become the third generation in his family to race at Shawano when he debuts his IMCA Sport Mod this summer. Kyle is the grandson of Willard Raddant and son of Brad Raddant.

There might be some new faces throughout the summer in the IMCA Modified class as they have now allowed quick-change rear ends, which makes it a lot more cost effective for racers to run at different length tracks.

Speaking of modifieds, ageless Jerry Muenster has made a number change this year back to his old number 79.

Previewing the divisions this summer, there is no reason to think that the Late Model class won’t come down to a battle between Ron Berna, Nick Anvelink and Troy Springborn again. Brett Swedberg might be primed to crash the party, though.

The IMCA Modified division could certainly be a battle between Marcus Yarie, Cody Hudson, Eddie Muenster and Jerry Wilinksi. Mitch Stankowski could be a dark horse to win some races.

The IMCA Stock Car class was dominated last year by Travis VanStraten and Mike Schmidt. Expect them to be near the top again, but look for drivers such as Dustin Lobergerand Trent Nolan to have big years also. Former champion Dan Michonski expects to be out with a new car later this summer and will most certainly be fast.

The IMCA Sport mod class might just be the most competitive of all. Last year’s track champ, 16-year-old Lucas Lamberies, has already asserted himself as one of the top racers in the nation in competition in Iowa earlier this year. Lamberies will be pressured by a pair of Jordans, Bartz and Barkholtz, as well as Jason Jach, Brock Saunders and Tracy Wassenberg.

The Mighty Fours typically are the last feature of the night but always put on a good show. Look for names such as last year’s champion, Josh Slewinski, Grant Kastning, Dalton Nelson, Tanner Westphal, Matt Hatterman, Brad Wedde and Lucas Hacker to finish at the top this year. Longtime go-kart pilot Lewis Jepson is also expected to compete this summer as a rookie.

Of course. it’s always hard to predict who will have a big year on the track.

One thing is for certain, I’m ready for racing. I can’t wait until they thunder out of turn four, get on the loud pedal and bring the noise.

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

Amanda Jaskolski leads conference in home runsBy: 

By Joe Vanden Acker, Special to the Leader

Contributed Photo Amanda Jaskolski takes a cut at a pitch in a recent Lawrence University softball game. Jaskolski leads the Midwest Conference in home runs.

To describe Amanda Jaskolski’s first home run against Mount Mary University recently, think of the movie “Major League”and play-by-play announcer Harry Doyle:

“Jaskolski swings and crushes one toward South America. The left fielder’s gonna need a visa to catch this one. It is out of here, and there is nothing left but a vapor trail.”

In the opening game of Lawrence University’s doubleheader sweep of Mount Mary, Jaskolski hit two home runs against the Milwaukee school, the first one being a mammoth blast out of Kulwicki Park. The senior shortstop from Shawano has eight round-trippers in what is becoming a banner season at the Appleton college.

“Home runs are never in the mindset for me,” said Jaskolski, who leads the Midwest Conference in home runs. “They just happen when they do.”

They’ve been happening a lot as Lawrence has built a 17-9 record heading into the stretch run of the regular season. Jaskolski is fourth in the conference in hitting with a .453 batting average and is second with an .867 slugging percentage. Her 25 runs batted in is good for third in the conference.

“In the time I’ve coached softball, she’s one of the top kids I’ve had the pleasure of having in our program,” said Lawrence coach Kim Tatro, who is in her 22nd season with the Vikings.

“Jazz (Jaskolski’s nickname) is the complete package offensively and defensively,” Tatro said. “She’s very competitive and very humble. When you put all of those characteristics together, you have a very special player.”

The 2014 Midwest Conference North Division Player of the Year, Jaskolski is putting up impressive numbers despite the fact that every opposing pitcher knows who she is and how good she is.

“That’s my struggle this year,” Jaskolski said. “Last year I came in as a junior and nobody really knew how to pitch to me. I liked that last year. I could get a lot of pitches in the zone.

“I have to be more patient. I love to hit. I don’t like to be walked, but with age and experience, I see that getting a walk will help the team in the long run.”

Jaskolski leads the league with 23 walks and is tops in the conference with a .582 on-base percentage.

“Her swing is smooth and thorough and she’s very patient,” Tatro said. “Teams pitch around her, and when they don’t, they pay the price.”

It’s been tough to pitch around Jaskolski, who hits third in the lineup, because Tierney Duffy, Anna Wawiorka and Savanna Marsicek have been getting on base ahead of her. Forced to pitch to Jaskolski, the result is she ranks 14th in all of NCAA Division III at .33 home runs per game.

“That’s definitely not my mindset when I get up there,” Jaskolski said of hitting homers. “It’s really to be patient and just get a good pitch to hit.”

If Lawrence is to make a push to make the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament, the Vikings will need that continued hot bat from Jaskolski. The Vikings, the 2013 league runner-up, is looking for a third straight trip to the conference tournament.

“If we can get our team back (to the MWC Tournament) and do better than we did last year, that is better in my eyes than being the conference player of the year,” said Jaskolski, who is a 2010 graduate of Shawano Community High School.

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SOCCER

Shawano 3

Waupaca 0

Megan Klitzke scored two goals as Shawano picked up its first win of the season at Waupaca.

Klitzke scored from 13 and 19 feet. Morgan Klitzke also scored, from 45 feet, and recorded an assist. Sarah Dickmann also had an assist.

Carlie Hinnefeld had six saves for the Hawks (1-3, 0-0 Bay Conference).

Waupaca fell to 0-6.

SOFTBALL

Menominee Indian 9

Tigerton 2

Joan Waukau hit two home runs Thursday to lift Menominee Indian past Tigerton in a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 game in Keshena.

The Eagles (3-1, 3-1 CWC-10) collected 21 hits, including four extra-base hits. Khyla Grignon drove in the opening run in the first inning. In the third, Kelsey Corn’s single brought in three runs. Shaunte Sackatook and Taylor Mahkimetas each had RBI singles in the fifth inning.

Corn registered nine strikeouts and allowed two earned runs on five hits over seven innings. She issued three walks.

Summer Kopitzke took the loss for Tigerton (1-1, 1-1 CWC-10). She allowed nine runs in six innings, walked four and struck out two.

Bowler 13

Port Edwards 6

Bowler scored seven runs in the sixth inning to take control of the first game of a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 doubleheader Thursday.

Kristina Koenig was the winning pitcher, going the distance. Leading hitters were Cassi Brei with three hits and three RBIs, Maranda Brei with two hits and three RBIs, and Kristina Koenig with two hits.

Bowler 26

Port Edwards 1

Ashlynn Brisk had five RBIs as Bowler (2-1, 2-1 CWC-10) completed its sweep of Port Edwards (2-3, 2-2 CWC-10) Thursday at home.

Brooke Breitrick and Kristina Koenig each had two hits.

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By: 

Gary Seymour, [email protected]

It is normally a time of high celebration when your kid is good enough of an athlete that colleges might give him or her a free four years in exchange for wearing their colors.

Yet, a conversation with a friend on this matter soon turned into discussion about isobars, big fish, little ponds, anticyclones, little fish, big ponds and the mixed bag that is April weather in the Midwest.

His boy is a shortstop who started as a sophomore and hit .500 for a team that went deep into the postseason playoffs, setting off a flurry of correspondence from college suitors.

By the next season, though, the phenom buzz started to wear thin. His kid got off to a slow start, and because a good chunk of the season was lost to bad weather, he wasn’t able to come close to matching his sophomore year stats. His stock as a hot prospect dropped, and suddenly my friend was once again looking at the possibility of college bills that he would have to foot.

“Darn this gosh-darn weather around here,” he said, approximately. “Four games they played, all of last April. That’s it. I might as well move to Arizona.”

High school athletes in Wisconsin who specialize in baseball, softball, golf or tennis in the spring get a bit cheated by the weather, compared to schools in warmer climes. The stud pitcher or infielder good enough to play college ball might never even get a sniff because of the truncated, weather-influenced schedule. There is a long line of quality baseball players from the north relegated to playing at junior college due to minimal exposure in high school.

Of course, there are geographic trade-offs wherever you are. The high school baseball player from Texas might play 40 games before summer league, compared to the 15 or so that teams typically play in Wisconsin. Then again, the guy from Wisconsin doesn’t have to check his spikes for scorpions before putting them on.

Baseball and softball in the cold are almost always not fun. Even when you hit one on the fat part of the bat, you will feel that numbing sting running from the hands all the way up the arms. Unlike football, where 22 players are moving on every play, baseball involves a lot of standing around and freezing between pitches.

Golf is just as bad in the cold, and maybe worse, because you know for a fact that you will be swinging and making contact at least 50 times. When every swing results in some degree of pain, eventually the swing becomes tentative, and tentative is no way to stand over a golf ball, or in the batter’s box.

I have played golf with guys whose idea of playing weather is anything above freezing. Writing for a golf magazine, I played with the assistant club pro at one of the courses the magazine was reviewing. It was April, but it was cold and windy, and it started to snow on the sixth hole. By the turn it had got so cold that the tips of my fingers turned white. By the 12th hole there had accumulated enough snow on the greens that every putted ball grew about 50 percent by the time it reached the hole, from the snowball effect.

“Should we maybe call it a day?” I offered, holding up the snow-enhanced Calloway as cause to pack it in.

“Nah, might as well finish,” the assistant pro said. “We’re playing golf in April. … If you can play in this, you can play in anything!”

The guy was known by his peers as hardcore, serious, die-hard. A true player, but this list of character traits didn’t seem complete without “psychotic.”

Maybe he’s just better adapted. Anyway, it could be worse here. In rainy England, they say, there is a day that is not an official holiday but is celebrated as one, where people revel in the balmy temperatures and sunshine, gathering in parks, enjoying music, games, food and general conviviality.

That day is known as summer.

Veteran sportswriter Gary Seymour’s column appears weekly in the Leader. To contact him, send 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

BASEBALL

Bonduel 15

Witt-Birn 1

Bonduel belted out 15 hits and Trevor Pedersen pitched five hitless innings at home Thursday as the Bears remained undefeated.

The Bears scored three in the first and seven runs in the second, all with two outs. They added three in the third and two in the fourth. Witt-Birn plated its only run in the first on a walk, a wild pitch and a passed ball.

Pedersen struck out nine, walked three and hit one batter. David Archer took the loss for the Chargers (0-3, 0-3 Central Wisconsin Conference-8).

Travis Wollenberg was 3 for 3 with a double and five RBIs for Bonduel (4-0, 2-0 CWC-8). Tanner Mews went 3 for 4, and Austin Siolka was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Connor Rosin hit a solo home run in the third and scored three runs.

Menominee Indian 13

Tigerton 3

Nine runs in the first three innings allowed the Eagles to put the game away early Thursday at Menominee Indian High School.

Four Menominee Indian players had two hits: Michael Pecore, who also had two RBIs; Nick Corn, who scored three runs and had one RBI; Forrest Webster, who had three RBIs; and Dayton Latender, who also scored two runs.

Corn got it done on the bump, allowing eight hits and three runs over five innings while striking out five and walking two. Logan Moderson took the loss for Tigerton (2-2, 2-2 Central Wisconsin Conference-10). He allowed nine runs in 2 1/3 innings, walked seven and struck out none.

Menominee Indian (3-1, 3-1 CWC-10) collected 11 hits and nine walks in the game.

SOFTBALL

Witt-Birn 2

Bonduel 0

Wittenberg-Birnamwood picked up its first win of the season Thursday at Bonduel.

Erika Alwes was the winning pitcher. She scattered three hits, struck out one and did not issue a walk over four innings before giving way to Jessica Anderson, who picked up a save with three strikeouts and one walk over three innings. She gave up one hit.

Carissa Konkol and Denee Reimer scored the Chargers’ two runs in the second inning.

Deb Reinke had two of Bonduel’s hits. Jen Dowden took the loss despite giving up four hits in six innings. She struck out seven and walked two.

Bonduel fell to 1-4, 0-2 in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8, while Witt-Birn improved to 1-5, 1-2 CWC-8.

GOLF

Shawano boys win nonconference quad

Braden Mueller won medalist honors with a 41 as the Shawano Community High School boys won a quadrangular Thursday at Shawano Lake Golf Course.

Shawano tallied 173. Bonduel (202) finished second and Clintonville (220) third. Menominee Indian also competed but had only three golfers and did not qualify for a team score.

Other scores for Shawano were Cole Huntington 42, Braxton Surber 43 and Josh Mueller 47.

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TRACK

L-C, Oconto Falls outscore Shawano

The Shawano Community High School boys and girls teams both finished third Tuesday at a Bay Conference meet with Oconto Falls and Luxemburg-Casco in Oconto Falls.

L-C won the girls meet with 82 points, while Oconto Falls finished with 76 points and Shawano with 27. In the boys meet, L-C also came out on top, with 92 points, easily outscoring Oconto Falls (52) and Shawano (42).

First-place finishers for the Shawano boys were Zeke Gueths, discus; Dan Boivin, 300-meter hurdles; Jake Klister, 800-meter run; and Andrew Cardish, 3,200-meter run.

First-place finishers for the SCHS girls were Onalee Siegfried, 100-meter dash; Sara Hokenstad, 200-meter dash; Kristy Kurtz, pole vault.

Bonduel boys win Charger Relays

Bonduel won the boys meet and Wittenberg-Birnamwood the girls meet Tuesday at the eight-team Charger Relays at Wittenberg-Birnamwood. Tomahawk, which finished second in both meets, posted the best combined team score, with Witt-Birn second and Bonduel third. Menominee Indian was sixth in the boys, girls and combined scores.

First-place winners for the Bonduel boys were Allen Mays, 300-yard hurdles, and Preston Robaidek, high jump. The 1,600 medley relay team of Hunter Berry, Robaidek, Trebor Rueckert and Danny Tauchen also placed first, as did the 4,000 medley relay team of Austin Marcks, Tauchen, Rueckert and Hunter.

First-place winners for the Bonduel girls were the distance medley relay team of Ashlie Mastey, Hayley Pues, Emily Sorenson and Haley Sorenson.

First-place winners for the Witt-Birn girls were Samantha Kasprak, 100-yard hurdles; Erica White Eagle, 300 hurdles; Micah Nier, high jump; Anna Hartman, shot put. The Chargers also won the 4x400 relay (Emily Norbom, Maykayla Verkuilen, Paige Norrbom, Maddy Pietz), 4x800 relay (Taylor Nier, Alexis Balliett, Mikayla King, Emily Norrbom) and 800 sprint medley relay (Paige Norrbom, Kylie Linke, Maddy Pietz and Emily Norrbom).

The 4x800 relay team of Dustin Tomson, Riley Bohlman, Damon Wolff and Tyler Weller won the Witt-Birn boys’ only first.

SOFTBALL

Peshtigo 5

Bonduel 4

Bonduel was unable to hold an early lead in its nonconference game Tuesday at Peshtigo.

Kailee Pedersen was 2 for 3 and scored two runs for Bonduel (1-3, 0-1 Central Wisconsin Conference-8). Becca Carpenter also had two hits for the Bears.

Bonduel led 2-0 after the first inning, but fell behind 3-2 in the second. Bonduel tied the game in the third, only to fall behind again in the fourth when Peshtigo plated two runs. Kaylee Rynish scored the Bears’ final run in the sixth.

Cameri Gehm took the loss. She gave up nine hits, struck out four and walked one.

Tasia Tann was the winning pitcher. She gave up eight hits, struck out six and walked two.

Tigerton 14

Marion 0

Summer Kopitzke gave up just one hit and recorded three strikeouts for Tigerton in the Central Wisconsin Conference-10 game Tuesday.

Sarah Gauthier went 2 for 4 with a double for the Tigers. Ashley Knaup, Megan Anheuser, McKenna Marquardt, Abby Knaup and Sara Shumaker also collected hits.

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Laude works 9 shutout innings in 2nd gameBy: 

Jason Arndt, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Shawano Community High School junior Nate Laude delivers a pitch against Rhinelander in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday at Memorial Park. The hurler tossed nine innings and allowed no runs in the Hawks’ 1-0 11-inning win.

Playing a doubleheader can be an endurance test for any team on the baseball diamond.

But on Saturday, the Shawano and Rhinelander high school squads played the equivalent of nearly three games, with Shawano sweeping the twin bill, 4-3 in eight innings and 1-0 in 11 innings.

Senior pitcher Jack Lacy notched both victories in relief. He took the rubber in the 10th inning of the second game after junior Nate Laude turned in nine strong innings, striking out seven Hodags, walking two and allowing six hits.

“That was a solid performance. To go nine innings, that is a great achievement for a high school kid to do that, so he really stepped up and contributed,” Shawano coach Rob Wolff said.

“It is not only me that did this, it was the team that was behind me,” Laude said. “The pop-ups to the outfield helped me a lot. … My arm started to hurt toward the end.”

With Rhinelander as the home team in the second game, Lacy got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the 10th inning, coaxing catcher Ben Quade (1-4) to pop out to first baseman Tommy Stueck.

“(Lacy) did a really good job,” Laude said. “He got the first win, and the second win for me.”

Kasey Kristof (1-4) scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the top of the 11th.

Kristof and Brandon Warrington (1-4) were the only Hawks with hits, as Rhinelander starter Nick Spencer and reliever Kurt Zuiker combined for 13 strikeouts and eight walks.

“I gotta tip my cap to both pitchers for the performance,” Wolff said.

Rhinelander coach Joe Waksmonski credited Spencer for getting himself out of early jams.

“This was everyone’s first time outside today,” said Waksmonski, whose team has been practicing indoors due to rain and wet field conditions. “(Spencer) got himself out of tough jams, made some strikeouts when needed.”

Shawano (3-1, 0-0 Bay Conference) squandered two scoring opportunities with the bases loaded earlier in the game.

“We had 19 innings of baseball, 5 1/2 hours of baseball. … Twice in the game we did not execute, ending either with a pop-up or strikeout,” Wolff said.

The leading hitters for Rhinelander (0-2, 0-0 Great Northern Conference) were Kent Matthews (2-4), Brandon Reinthaler (2-5) and Logan Fruend (2-5).

In the first game of the doubleheader, senior shortstop Zack Sousek scored both the first and game-winning runs.

Sousek scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by senior Chase Henning (0-2) in the bottom of the first inning. Senior left-fielder Adam Bartz (2-3) scored the second run on a single by catcher Jack Hanauer (2-2) in the third inning. Stueck scored in the bottom of the fifth inning before the Hodags tacked on two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game at 3.

Sousek scored the winning run on an error.

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Local Conservation Congress meeting draws about 80By: 

Ross Bielema, Leader Correspondent

John Hoeffs

Nearly 80 sportsmen and outdoors enthusiasts from the Shawano area proved their passion for fish and wildlife Monday night by voting on 114 issues that could ultimately affect hunting, fishing and trapping regulations.

At the same time, sportsmen in 71 other counties did the same thing in their home counties during the annual joint Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources spring hearings and Wisconsin Conservation Congress meetings.

There were a few hot-button topics that drew some spirited discussion at Shawano Community Middle School, but for the most part, the ballot questions were only briefly explained or in some cases (mostly with fishing regulations proposals that applied only to other counties and specific lakes or streams), skipped over entirely.

Everyone in attendance was allowed to vote on three separate ballots: one for proposed wildlife and fisheries rule changes and Natural Resources Board advisory questions; one for Conservation Congress advisory questions; and one for citizen-introduced resolutions.

Each of the 77 people present at the school used the paper ballots to mark their yes-or-no choices as Wisconsin DNR game warden Mark Schraufnagel moderated the event.

Among the topics most discussed or affecting the most sportsmen were:

• Changes on panfish bag limits that would affect 100 lakes statewide and continue until 2026. Although some anglers spoke in favor of these reduced bag limits, with the goal to produce bigger bluegills, crappies and other panfish, a few others noted that the somewhat complex regulations would create much confusion when fishing with young children or grandchildren. The proposal would allow a total of 25 panfish a day (the same as the current law), but no more than 10 of any one species. During the May and June spawning season, only 15 panfish could be kept per day, including no more than five of any one species. In some cases, the limit would be 15, including no more than five of any one species year round.

Shawano County’s White Clay Lake would use the 25/10 regulation if this plan is approved. DNR Fisheries Technician Elliot Hoffman noted that 25 6-inch panfish and six 8-inch panfish yield the same one pound of fillets. Similar changes tried elsewhere in Wisconsin and Minnesota resulted in an overall 1-inch increase in the average size of bluegills.

• Revising trout fishing regulations for the state’s 13,000 miles of trout streams, which have not been changed since 2003. A package of rule changes would “simplify regulations” and expand fishing options, according to the DNR. The changes were based on suggestions from trout anglers gathered at 41 meetings over the past few years. Among the changes would be a trout fishing opener of the first Sunday in March, rather than the first Saturday in May.

• Allowing the current 25-panfish limit to remain on the Cloverleaf Chain of Lakes (Round, Grass and Pine lakes) in Shawano County, but implementing a limit of five sunfish (bluegills and pumpkinseeds) over 7 inches long.

• Banning the feeding and baiting of deer statewide from Sept. 1 through the last day of any deer season.

• Supporting DNR implementation of antler point restrictions if County Deer Advisory Council members recommended it. Conservation Congress delegate Kevin Marquette has previously opposed such a plan, which could also make it difficult for young hunters to shoot their first buck.

• Increasing the small game possession limit from two times the daily bag limit to three times the daily limit. Two years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did the same thing for migratory birds, and Wisconsin adopted that same rule for ducks and geese. This would make the possession limits of rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, quail, partridge and grouse all three times the daily limit.

• Trapping issues that included elimination of the daily 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. closed period (making it difficult for those with other jobs and commitments to participate), raising the breakaway rating on cable restraints from the current 285 pounds to 350 pounds (which allows deer to escape) and allow spring-activated foot cable restraints beginning Dec. 1 each season.

• Eliminate the requirement that waterfowl hunters and blinds be concealed if they are within 3 feet of shore.

• A three-year trial period that would allow tree stands and ground blinds to be left unattended on public lands north of state Highway 64, from two days before the gun deer season until the end of the muzzleloader-only season. This would eliminate having to tear down and set up stands and blinds each day. Reduced competition for choice hunting spots in many areas is one reason for the suggestion. Studies have shown that most tree stand falls occur when hunters are setting up or taking down stands, so the proposal could also reduce injuries.

• Setting uniform opening days for spring turkey season and allowing the fall turkey season to remain open during the firearms deer season.

Brian Heinz, one of five Shawano County delegates on the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, said the Shawano County Deer Advisory Committee has recommended maintaining the current deer population for the coming seasons.

The 15,350 antlerless permits designated for the county would be split in a 94-6 percent private-public lands split. Wednesday is the last day available for an online deer survey at the DNR website.

Heinz was re-elected to a three-year term for Conservation Congress and Chairman John Hoeffs was re-elected to a two-year term. Both were unopposed. The other Shawano County delegates not up for election now are Vice Chairman Tony Janecek, and members Bob Bohardt and Marquette.

Hoeffs, 68, of Shawano, was recently honored for more than 30 years of service on Conservation Congress, a grassroots advisory organization that helps shape Wisconsin fish and wildlife management. It is the only such grassroots organization in the nation.

Hoeffs read two local resolutions for votes. One would restore the Natural Resources Board as a regulatory authority, rather than making it an advisory board to the DNR secretary as proposed in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget. Several spoke that changing this 80-year-old policy would reduce citizen oversight of the DNR.

The other proposal was to establish a hook-and-line sturgeon season on the Wolf River, with 25 sturgeon tags a year and a 50-inch size minimum. Some noted that hook-and-line sturgeon fishing is available elsewhere in the state.

The local and statewide vote tallies were not available late Tuesday.

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SOCCER

Green Bay Southwest 4

Shawano 2

Morgan Klitzke scored two goals, but Shawano still lost its third straight match.

Carlie Hinnefeld recorded seven saves in goal for Shawano (0-3, 0-0 Bay Conference).

GOLF

Bonduel second at Manawa meet

Although some members of the Bonduel High School golf team were making their varsity debuts, the Bears finished second Monday at a nine-team meet in Manawa.

Iola-Scandinavia won the meet, which was a scramble for nine holes and then best-ball format for nine. Bonduel was followed by Wittenberg, Pacelli, Weyauwega, Amherst, Marion and Manawa. Menominee Indian did not have enough golfers to qualify for the final team scores.

For Bonduel, Austin Acker and Noah Treptow each shot an 87, Zach Acker and Mitch Froemming each shot 88, and Garrett Reimer and David Parrot shot 91.

“The consistency among the three groups was what gave us a decent overall team score,” coach Dave LaBerge said. “Several teams had lower scores as individual teams, but as a group our kids did a nice job on a very windy day.”

BASEBALL

Bonduel 8

Peshtigo 5

Bonduel broke open Tuesday’s nonconference game with three runs in the seventh inning.

Peshtigo led 4-0 before Bonduel countered with three runs in the fourth on hits by Travis Wollenberg and Tanner Mews, who had two hits and three RBIs in the game. Bonduel drove in solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game at 5.

The Bears claimed the win with three runs in the seventh on a double by Hunter VanDerLinden, a single by Bennett Gunderson, two walks, a sacrifice fly by Mews and a single by Trevor Pedersen.

Wollenberg, who scored three runs, earned the win with two innings of scoreless relief, striking out one without giving up a hit or walk. VanDerLinden worked five innings, giving up five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks.

Danny Payne took the loss for the Bulldogs, giving up five runs on six hits, striking out one and walking three. Tyler Marquardt had two hits to lead Peshtigo (0-2, 0-0 Marinette & Oconto Conference).

Oshkosh North 8

Shawano 1

Coming off an extra-innings doubleheader sweep against Rhinelander on Saturday, Shawano was unable to mount much offense Monday at home against Oshkosh North.

Dylan Sumnicht took the loss for Shawano (3-2, 0-0 Bay Conference). He worked five innings, giving up seven runs, five earned, on eight hits. He struck out four and walked one.

Chase Henning provided a double and RBI in three trips to the plate, but North hurler Aaron Roth kept Hawks hitters off balance for much of the game. Roth recorded five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and gave up four hits.

For Oshkosh North (3-2, 0-0 Fox Valley Association), Brandon Schroeder was 2 for 3 with three runs scored, and Roth was 2 for 3 with a triple.

Bonduel 3

Pacelli 0

Bonduel used three walks and two hits in the fourth inning to score two runs Monday at Pacelli in Central Wisconsin Conference-8 play.

Connor Rosin tossed the complete game shutout for Bonduel, striking out seven, walking three and giving up four hits.

Travis Wollenberg had two hits, including on a double, for the Bears (2-1, 1-1 CWC-8).

Matt Helms took the loss for Pacelli, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out six and walking four. Cal Hintz had two hits for Pacelli (3-1, 1-1 CWC-8).

Menominee Indian 16

Marion 0

Fourteen runs in the first three innings Monday powered Menominee Indian past host Marion in a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 game dominated by Ty Latender.

Latender reached base four times, including a double, scored three runs and had one RBI. On the mound, he gave up just one hit, allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out nine during five innings of work.

The Eagles climbed to 2-1 overall and in the CWC-10.

Teagan Wudstrack took the loss for Marion (0-2, 0-2 CWC-10). He allowed 10 runs in two innings, walked 11 and struck out one.

Wild Rose 9

Gresham 1

Gresham did not score until the bottom of the seventh in its home loss Monday to Central Wisconsin Conference-10 rival Wild Rose.

By then, Wild Rose (4-1, 3-1 CWC-10) had built a 9-0 lead behind 14 hits. Tanner Diest had three RBIs to pace Wild Rose, which collected four doubles and a triple.

Ty Butzin was the winning pitcher, giving up three hits, striking out five and walking seven.

Gresham fell to 2-2 overall and in the CWC-10.

SOFTBALL

Shawano 12

Denmark 2

At Shawano, Brianna Zook pounded out four hits and Nicki Ainsworth drove in five runs Tuesday as Shawano picked up a Bay Conference victory.

Erin Cerveny earned the victory on the mound, allowing five hits and one earned run in the five-inning complete game.

Shawano improved to 3-2 overall, 2-1 in the Bay.

Malorie Konkol had two hits for Denmark (3-2, 1-1 Bay). Taylor Ullman took the loss, allowing 18 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Menominee Indian 6

Marion 1

Taylor Mahkimetas struck out 14 batters and Joan Waukau knocked in three runs Monday in a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 game at Marion.

Mahkimetas allowed one earned run, two hits and five walks over six innings. Waukau singled in the first and fifth innings and doubled in the sixth inning.

Menominee Indian (2-1, 2-1 CWC-10) scored four runs in the fifth inning on two singles and two more in the sixth. Waukau’s double brought in Merissa Lyons in the sixth, and Waukau scored on Khyla Grignon’s single.

Marion (0-2, 0-2 CWC-10) scored its only run in the third inning on a hit-batsman.

Pacelli 4

Bonduel 2

Bonduel suffered its first Central Wisconsin Conference-8 loss of the season Monday to undefeated Pacelli.

Bonduel (1-2, 0-1 CWC-8) managed only five hits against winning pitcher Kaylee Krostag, who also recorded eight strikeouts and one walk. Kaylee Rynish was 2 for 3 with one RBI for the Bears.

Jen Dowden took the loss. She gave up eight hits, struck out two and walked one.

Ashleigh Fuchs and Nicole Schroeder each had two hits for Pacelli (4-0, 2-0 CWC-8).

Oconto 1

Bonduel 0

Bonduel 7

Oconto 4

Bonduel opened its season Saturday by splitting a nonconference doubleheader at Oconto.

After dropping the opener in eight innings, the Bears bounced back in the second to get their first win of the young season. Cameri Gehm was the winning pitcher.

Lexi Reinke was 4 for 6 on the day, and Jen Dowden was 2 for 5. Dowden was the losing pitcher in the first game.

TENNIS

Hawks open season with 4th-place finish

Shawano opened its season with a fourth-place finish Saturday in the seven-team Kaukauna Invitational.

Kimberly won the meet with 43 points, followed by Kimberly and Kaukauna. Shawano and Appleton West each finished with 22 team points.

The No. 2 doubles team of Kyle Easter and Manuel Morel placed second for the Hawks’ best finish of the day. The No. 1 doubles team of Teddy Mickelson and Zach Soper placed sixth.

In singles play, Rolando Colon was third at No. 2, Kale McHugh fourth at No. 3, and Jacob Schoenike and Shawn Klemens sixth at No. 1 and No. 4, respectively.

Hawks pick up first dual win

Shawano defeated Green Bay West 6-1 Monday in a triangular nonconference meet at Bay Port High School. The Hawks also lost, 7-0, to Bay Port.

Against West, the Hawks won three of four singles matches. Zach Soper defeated Lue Vang, 6-2, 7-5, at No. 1. Rolando Colon defeated WaCha Xiong, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 2. Teddy Myers defeated Darwin Ponfils, 5-7, 6-3, 12-10, at No. 4, and Jacob Schoenike lost to Soom Thao, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 3.

In doubles play, at No. 1, Dalton Parson and Sajen Knueppel defeated Brett Steele and Antonio Rodriguez, 6-0, 6-0; at No. 2, Manuel Morel and Kyle Easter defeated Jose Ramirez and Xeng Vang, 6-1, 6-4; at No. 3, Shawn Klemens and Dashawn Bell defeated Ruben Kong and Srisanang Lee, 6-3, 6-1.

Against Bay Port, no match went to three sets. Colon came the closest to extending his match at No. 2 singles, losing to Dylan Sudin 6-0, 7-6 (7-2).

TRACK

Hawks place 3rd at Wausau meet

The Shawano Community High School boys track team finished third Friday at the nine-team Wausau West Warrior Invitational in Wausau.

West won the meet with 176.3 points. Newman Catholic (155) finished second and was followed by Shawano (67.3) and Wittenberg-Birnamwood (64).

Hawks recording first-place wins were Dan Boivin in the pole vault and Jake Klister in the 800-meter run. Chase Lhotka finished third in the 3200.

The Shawano relay team of Andrew Cardish, Chase Lhotka, Brandon Pagel and Austin Lhotka placed third in the 20-lap relay. The four-lap relay team of Richard Wilber, Jake Klister, Olin Gilliam and David Boivin also finished third.

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SOFTBALL

Shawano 6

Green Bay Preble 2

At Denmark, freshman Erin Cerveny struck out eight and scattered seven hits for the complete game victory.

Courtney’s Ainsworth’s three-run triple in the third gave Shawano a lead it never relinquished. Ainsworth, Alli Raddant and Nikki Ainsworth each had two hits for Shawano (2-1).

Preble loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Shawano’s second baseman Alli Raddant turned a double play to end the game.

Rachel Pointek took the loss for Preble, allowing 10 hits and striking out 3.

TRACK

Shawano claims 2 firsts at Wausau West

Erica Dunnam took first in the shot put and Kristina Kurtz first in the pole vault as the Shawano Community High School girls team placed seventh Thursday at the Wausau West Warrior Invitational.

Stevens Point won the 12-team meet. Wittenberg-Birnamwood placed third.

Dunham’s winning toss went 35 feet, 5.75 inches. Kurtz cleared 9 feet to win the vault. Teammate Onalee Siegfried placed third in the pole vault.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood was led by Maddy Pietz, who was first in the 200-meter dash, third in the 55 dash and fourth in the long jump. Paige Norrbom took first in the high jump, and the Chargers’ 4x400 relay team also earned a first.

Other top-five finishers for Witt-Birn were Micah Nier, second in the triple jump and fifth in the high jump; Anna Hartman, third in the shot put; Alexis Balliett, third in the 3,200; Emily Norrbom, fifth in the 400-meter dash. The 3x295 relay team placed third, and the 4x737.5 team was fourth.

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By: 

Gary Seymour, [email protected]

As kids playing Wiffle ball in the backyard, my brothers and I used to prop up a small picnic bench lengthwise behind home plate. If the pitch hit the bench, it was a strike, regardless of where the ball crossed the plate.

It was an imperfect system — batters had to protect against the shoestring-high slider, for example — but our “umpire” was perfect for our needs because it was impartial and consistent, two of the qualities not always present when the human element is introduced.

The picnic-bench ump came to mind in the wake of the off night that was had by the officiating crew of the NCAA basketball title game won by Duke over Wisconsin.

Specifically, how does one ensure that, in the capstone event of a enormously popular and even more enormously lucrative tournament with wide-sweeping career implications, the officials regulating the ebb and flow of the contest will be bringing their “A” game, too? Because the refs on Monday were a huge, steaming bowl of awful.

Before going any further, let’s get this part out of the way: Complaining about referees is generally always considered poor form. It can make the squawking side look small, petty and in need of a lollipop. Conventional wisdom holds that good teams overcome bad calls because bad calls are like life’s bad breaks. Everyone gets them at one time or another, and everyone has to surmount them.

There is also this: Duke might have been a better team than Wisconsin, at least from a matchup standpoint. The Badgers got beat on the drive all night by Duke’s super-quick guards. They had similar problems with Duke in December when they met as undefeated teams ranked in the top five, and Duke won by 10. Duke had its own matchup problems with Notre Dame, which gave the Blue Devils two of their four losses. Because A beat B and B beat C, it does not necessarily follow that A will beat C.

With all that said, the referee calls that drew the most scrutiny were plays that went against Wisconsin — one where a Duke player with possession of the ball stepped on the out of bounds line and the officials didn’t see it. The other was a rebound tipped out of bounds where it was ruled that Wisconsin touched the ball last.

Referees and umpires are unique in sports in that anything less than their 100 percent accuracy can trigger pandemonium. Teammates and coaches routinely try to lift up the player who boots a grounder or dribbles the ball off a foot, but rare are the words of encouragement for the ref who blows a call. It is impossible to get every bang-bang play right, especially when a tangle of extremities are involved.

That’s why the NCAA went to the trouble of giving authority to “replay officials,” who could sort out some of the bang-bang plays in slow motion replay and get the call right.

It’s when these “replay officials” move slower than a banana slug and still not see what was obvious to the television announcers and every other person watching — that the tipped ball was last touched by Duke — that you wonder what they are even doing there.

By this time, late in the game, the tide had already turned in Duke’s favor. Down by nine points, Duke had stormed back behind hard-charging guard Grayson Allen, whose 3-point field goal cut the deficit to six.

Our maybe “hard-driving, but never charging” guard is more precise. In the biggest play of the night, Allen barrelled off right tackle — that is, he drove the right side of the lane — and plowed into a crush of stationary Wisconsin defenders. Allen threw his arms in the air after putting up the shot, as if it wasn’t he initiating all the contact, and got the call — a spectacularly bad call, at that. Three-point play.

Instead of up by six points with possession, the Badgers, who throughout this memorable season demonstrated among other things that they could protect a lead better than anyone in college basketball, had their advantage cut in half. The Blue Devils had the all-important momentum basically handed to them and played with abandon the rest of the way.

Worse, no one on the floor, refs included, knew what they thought they knew in the first half. The criteria for charging/blocking fouls changed, just like that, from one half to the next. All that can be said about the refs’ capricious interpretation of the rules is that it was a shame.

It’s possible that the best team won. It’s a drag that, as a basketball fan, you have to question it.

Veteran sportswriter Gary Seymour’s column appears weekly in the Leader. To contact him, send 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

Lady Eagles’ offense on display in first two gamesBy: 

Leader Staff

Competing for a softball conference championship in the Central Wisconsin Conference-10 will be no small order for Menominee Indian High School, but with two of the more important components back on board, the season promises to be worth watching.

Junior pitcher Taylor Mahkimetas, one of three three-year starters in coach Bob Smith’s lineup, was a second-team all-league selection last year. Her batterymate, senior Joan Waukau, is a four-year starter who made first-team all-CWC-10 at catcher a year ago.

Senior outfielder Raeshene Pocan is the other three-year starter for Menominee Indian, which bounced back from an 8-6 season-opening loss to Port Edwards with a 12-0 drubbing of Gresham.

Three-fourths of the infield are returning letter-winners: sophomores Monae Waukau, who plays first, sophomore second baseman Khyla Grignon and sophomore shortstop Merissa Lyons. Another sophomore, outfielder Aaliyah Pecore, is also a returning letter-winner.

“Playing in the CWC-10, we know there are going to be some challenges ahead for us,” Smith said. “We have to remember to take one game at a time and not to overlook anybody.”

Shortstop Angel Fish, who hit .375 a year ago, and starting center fielder Kylee Pamonicutt were lost to graduation.

But there is talent in reserve, with freshman center fielder Faith Munson, freshman outfielder Liz Corn, junior outfielder Naneque LaTender and junior pitcher Kelsey Corn all ready to contribute.

As the mercurial springtime weather poses its annual set of challenges to dry softball diamonds everywhere, Menominee Indian will be working to iron out some of the kinks in meshing as a unit.

“The team chemistry is something that will need to get better if we plan on exceeding expectations,” Smith said.

With an offense that produced 18 runs in its first two games and an all-conference pitcher back on the mound, the goals are attainable: Menominee Indian wants to be competitive in each of its games, to make a serious run at a league title, and to win a regional game.

“With the seven starters we have back, and the big group of freshman we have, this team should be able to compete,” Smith said.

AT A GLANCE

Menominee Indian High School

Softball Schedule

April 13 at Marion

April 16 vs. Tigerton

April 20 at Bowler

April 21 at Tri-County

April 23 vs. Wild Rose

April 27 at Rosholt

April 30 vs. Tri-County

May 1 vs. Port Edwards

May 4 at Gresham Community

May 5 at Wittenberg-Birnamwood

May 7 at Almond-Bancroft

May 8 vs. Marion

May 11 at Tigerton

May 14 vs. Bowler

May 18 at Wild Rose

May 19 at Tri-County

May 21 vs. Rosholt

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SOCCER

Manitowoc Lincoln 1

Shawano 0

Shawano was unable to mount an offense in its second consecutive loss of the season Thursday at Manitowoc Lincoln.

Carlie Hinnefeld had eight saves for the Hawks (0-2, 0-0 Bay Conference).

The lone goal came in the 45th minute, and the game was called at halftime.

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Eagles also solid defensivelyBy: 

Leader Staff

Good pitching and defense, the announcers are forever reminding us, constitute the simple equation to winning baseball. This is good news at Menominee Indian High School, where the Eagles are justified in looking for improvement to last year’s 16-8 mark.

“Our middle infield will be tough,” Menominee Indian coach Chris Rice said. “And our pitchers will give opposing hitters trouble. Defense and pitching should be our strong points.”

Throw in the fact that the Eagles can manufacture runs and hang tough in close games, and it is easy to appreciate the high spirits this spring in Keshena. Menominee Indian was outhit 10-4 in its opener at Port Edwards, and was tied 6-6 in the fifth after leading 6-0.

Not a problem, though, as the Eagles made the most of 10 walks and fought back to win 9-7.

Untidy games are the earmark of early season, but the rough edges are easier to take in victory. With the redoubtable pitching staff that Rice has at his disposal, winning could become a fast habit.

A couple of junior pitchers, Nick Corn and Ty Latender, will carry much of the load this season for the Eagles, who look to improve on last year’s 12-6 record in the Central Wisconsin Conference-10. Latender threw three one-hitters last season, struck out 43 and had an ERA of 1.14. Corn had a 3.19 ERA and fanned 29 last year for Menominee Indian, whose pitchers combined to strike out 15 Port Edwards hitters in this season’s opener.

Corn plays shortstop and outfield when he isn’t pitching, and when he is, Latender plays short. Both were second-team all-CWC-10 picks a year ago. Latender was also second-team all-conference in 2013.

Senior Forrest Webster, an honorable mention all-CWC-10 last year, returns, as does senior third baseman/catcher/pitcher Michael Pecore, a three-year starter.

Senior John Maskewit missed most of last season due to a hamstring injury, but the letter-winner outfielder is back, as is junior outfielder/catcher Bryan Madosh, a starter last season.

Menominee Indian graduated three starters from last year’s lot — pitcher Richard Corn, first baseman Lowell Chevalier and catcher Dallas Madosh.

But senior Waylon Penass, a letter-winner last year, is back to play first base and pitch, and freshman Dayton Latender will see playing time at second base.

“I think we’re going to be strongest fielding the ball,” Rice said. “But we have a very tough schedule.”

In addition to formidable challenges from perennial CWC-10 powerhouse Rosholt, Menominee Indian will play a couple of nonconference games against Iola-Scandinavia, which returns seven starters from last year’s CWC-8 champion group.

“We won’t win many games being outhit like we were in the opener,” Rice said. “We’ll have to really be aggressive at the plate. Michael Pecore and Waylon Penass are a couple of pitchers who we need to work into the mix, so we should be solid at pitching. We’re looking forward to a good season.”

AT A GLANCE

Menominee Indian High School

Baseball Schedule

April 9 vs. Almond-Bancroft

April 13 at Marion

April 14 at Iola-Scandinavia

April 16 vs. Tigerton

April 18 vs. Crivitz

April 20 at Bowler

April 21 at Tri-County

April 23 vs. Wild Rose

April 27 at Rosholt

April 30 vs. Tri-County

May 1 vs. Port Edwards

May 4 at Gresham

May 7 at Almond-Bancroft

May 8 vs. Marion

May 11 at Tigerton

May 14 vs. Bowler

May 18 at Wild Rose

May 21 vs. Rosholt

May 26 vs. Iola-Scandinavia

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