Shawano Leader Sports Headlines
Clintonville wins North Division title
The Clintonville American Legion team wrapped up the Central Wisconsin American Legion-North Division title with an 11-1 win over Menominee on Thursday in Menominee.
The Diamond Cats (13-3, 11-1 CW-North) took an 8-0 lead after two innings. Turner Doornink and Jansen Van Daalwyk combined to hold Menominee to four hits, walking two and striking out six.
Clintonville’s Hunter Vollmer was 3 for 4, and Parker Mindel went 2 for 4 with a double and four RBIs.
Scott Cerveny took the loss for Menominee, allowing 10 runs on nine hits, walking four and striking out one. Tom Williams went 2 for 3.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetShawano Run Club helping people train
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Running Club members Maddie Hanson, front, and Alice Hoffman run the Shawano Community High School cross-country course Thursday. The new club helps runners train during the summer.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Teagan Monfils runs the Shawano Community High School cross-country course Thursday during a Shawano Running Club’ practice. The new club has helped runners stay fit this summer.
The Shawano Community High School cross-country course is 3.1 miles.
For about a dozen runners in the Shawano Run Club, the goal is to run the course more than 64 times this summer, getting into the elite 200-mile club.
“It’s about getting miles underneath them so, when the (high school) season starts, they are in shape,” said Robert Buss, Shawano Run Club president.
The group was organized by Buss and a few parents of cross-country runners to help their kids, and anyone else who wants to run, stay in shape during the summer months.
“It gets them in shape, and everyone else has something like this going on,” Buss said. “We just try to help all the kids.”
Buss, whose son Alex was a state-qualifying cross-country runner for SCHS before graduating in 2012, keeps track of how many times the runner completes the course during the nightly running sessions. The runners who get to 200 miles get a T-shirt and party at the end of the summer.
Teagan Monfils, a member of the group and a SCHS cross-country runner who made it to state two seasons ago as a freshman, says the work is definitely helping.
“It improves a lot of people’s times for the season,” she said. “When we’re running like eight miles a night, and then only run three for a race, it’s easy peasy. That’s pretty nice.”
More than just the workouts, the group also brings the runners together, creating a team atmosphere long before the team holds its first practice.
“Everyone can go run 5Ks, 10Ks. This, there’s no watch,” Buss said. “We like to see people in groups, but there’s no time. It’s about togetherness, the bonding that they get right now.”
“I don’t know about anyone else, but when I’m at home and I have to go for a run, I’m like, ‘Ugh, I don’t want to go,’” Monfils said. “When you have other people there running beside you, you want to go, and you want to talk to people while you run. It’s a lot more fun.”
The summer runs usually have around 12 to 15 runners each day, and include runners from the middle school, high school and even some alumni.
“It’s open to any age group,” Buss said. “We’re getting a couple of kids from the middle school that will be running this fall. Everybody is welcome. It doesn’t matter who they are, how old they are. Just come and run.”
The group will continue running daily at the high school course until the midnight run, a longtime tradition for SCHS cross-country, the night of Aug. 17. The cross-country season officially begins Aug. 18.
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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Legion runner Mason Boogren collides with Menasha catcher Nathan Jack during Wednesday’s American Legion baseball game at Memorial Park in Shawano. Shawano lost, 9-2.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano batter Zack Sousek watches a high pitch go by during Wednesday’s game against Menasha at Memorial Park in Shawano. Shawano lost, 9-2.
The Shawano American Legion baseball team struggled on defense against division-leading Menasha, losing 9-2 Wednesday at Memorial Park in Shawano.
“They’re a good team,” Shawano coach Will Gillis said. “They’re at the top of the league for a reason. They don’t make many errors at all. We had quite a few tonight, some mental, some physical. Physical errors you can excuse, but the mental ones, those are tough to overcome sometimes.”
Menasha (14-7, 10-1 FRV-West) has lone possession atop the Fox River Valley-West Division. Shawano (10-5, 8-4) is in second place.
After falling behind 3-1, Shawano threatened to tie the game in the fourth. Mason Boogren got a base hit, Clint Dallas drew a walk and both advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Jaryd Wilber. After Zack Sousek grounded out for the second out, Ky Schmidt popped out to the third basemen to end the inning.
From there Menasha pulled away.
Shawano had a lead early when Boogren scored in the second inning after reaching on a fielder’s choice, getting to second a Dallas base hit and scoring when Wilber hit a single to deep left field.
Menasha went ahead in the third on Josiah Boucher’s RBI double and Nathan Jack’s RBI single. Kelvin Medrano scored another run for Menasha in the fourth after hitting a triple and scoring on an error.
Nathan Jack had an RBI triple and Griffin Jack had an RBI single in the fifth to extend Menasha’s lead to 5-1.
In the bottom of the frame, Chase Henning, who was 2 for 3 to lead Shawano, sent a rocket over the left center field fence, but that was all Shawano could manage the rest of the way.
“Chase had a couple of good at bats tonight,” Gillis said. “They throw him a lot of curve balls. The secret is out on Chase. When he gets deep in counts and forces guys to throw him the fast ball, he can hit it a mile.”
Menasha added another run in the sixth on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan Schmidt after Tommy Stueck replaced Boogren on the mound.
Boogren allowed six runs on six hits, struck out two and walked four in five innings of work. Stueck allowed two runs on two hits, struck out two and walked two in two innings.
“Mason is our top reliever,” Gillis said. “I threw him in there because he really hasn’t gotten a lot of innings. He really threw well. We just didn’t give him the kind of support on defense that we should have. That’s too bad because he threw well.”
Later in the sixth, a base hit by Boucher brought in two more, and another run scored on a wild pitch to give Menasha a 9-2 advantage.
Richard Vanden Branden went the distance for Menasha, allowing two runs on eight hits. He struck out four and walked two.
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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano County Conservation Congress delegate Chairman John Hoeffs presents Lenore Behnke with a certificate of recognition of her late husband, Herb Behnke, for his work on conservation issues.
Herb Behnke, a Shawano County conservation activist who died in December, is getting one more accolade for his lifetime of working on issues that impacted Wisconsin’s hunters and fishermen.
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress recently presented Herb’s wife, Lenore Behnke, a certificate recognizing his contribution to the congress and the state.
John Hoeffs, Shawano County Conservation delegate chair, said that the honor was more than earned.
“Herb served on the Conservation Congress, and he was on the Natural Resources Board for about 20 years. Before that, he served on the Shawano County Conservation Congress as a delegate,” Hoeffs said. “He was just a good, stand-up guy when it came to conservation needs.”
“I think it’s very kind of them to recognize his service,” Lenore Behnke said. “It’s something he really would have appreciated.”
Lenore Behnke said her husband, who grew up on a dairy farm in Lena, believed that conservation was an important issue to the people of Wisconsin.
“He always felt that the sportsperson was the one he was fighting for,” she said. “The average man or woman on the street, he wanted there to be land for all of them. Hunting privileges are worth it.”
Herb Behnke graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and worked for Badger Breeders Cooperative until 1989, when he retired. He was appointed to the Wolf River Basin Regional Planning Commission by Gov. Gaylord Nelson in 1967. In 1968, he was appointed to the Natural Resources Board by Gov. Warren Knowles.
Behnke served on the Natural Resources Board until 1972, then returned to the board in 1989 after being appointed by Gov. Tommy Thompson. His second stint lasted until 2007, including serving as chair of the board from 1993-97.
In 2009, he was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame. A portion of the lower Wolf River basin is named in his honor.
Over the years, he earned many different awards and recognitions, including being named one of the top 20 Wisconsin conservationists of the 20th century by Wisconsin Outdoor Journal.
For Hoeffs, Behnke’s biggest impact was as an advocate statewide for Shawano County,
“He backed our county. That’s what we needed here,” Hoeffs said. “I think he did a super job for Shawano County. He was a sportsman himself, so he knew all about it.
“Whenever he represented, he was fair. I know I appeared in front of the board with him. I know he did a good job. He was well-liked.”
Lenore Behnke said her husband got involved in conservation issues in his 20s.
“He was friends with conservation wardens and heavily involved in the Conservation Congress at the time, and he just natural progressed, became active and felt it was extremely worthwhile,” she said.
story created on Thursday 7/3/2014 at 4:22:33 pm by Gerrard Diaz
Holsey takes over Chargers football program
Leonard Holsey has been hired to coach the Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School varsity football team this season, moving up after spending a season as an assistant coach under former coach Aaron Doll.
Holsey, a Duke University graduate, played in the NFL for the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and Washington Redskins. After football, he coached for a number of programs, including Shawano Community High School and Menominee Indian High School.
“I am determined to bring back the contagious habit of winning to this football program,” Holsey said.
Holsey will be on hand at WBHS’s athlete/parent meeting Aug. 5.
Doll coached the Chargers the last three seasons, compiling a 7-20 record and going 1-8 last year, 0-7 in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8. His best season was in 2011, when the Chargers were 4-5 overall and 3-4 in the CWC-8.
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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Legion pitcher Taylor Prey throws to a Bay Port batter during a game Monday in Howard. Prey and Shawano shut out Bay Port, 10-0.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Legion outfielder Clint Dallas rounds third during Monday’s game against Bay Port. Shawano won, 10-0.
Taylor Prey pitched a shutout, nine Shawano batters had hits and a shorthanded Shawano American Legion baseball team beat Bay Port 10-0 Monday in Howard.
Prey was focused on the mound, scattering three hits in seven innings of work.
“We really played well,” Shawano coach Will Gillis said. “Taylor Prey went out there and pounded the zone, which is really what we’ve been preaching for him.”
Prey struck out seven and walked one.
“I know in the high school season and early in the Legion season, he was really trying to be too fine and hit corners all the time,” Gillis said. “Sometimes you just got to go at guys. That’s what he did today.”
At the plate, Shawano had success up and down the lineup. Despite missing a few players, including slugger Chase Henning, nine of 10 batters managed hits.
“Everybody had good at-bats,” Gillis said. “Even the guys who didn’t have a lot of hits, they still were deep in counts, which was a big thing. Especially with the first pitcher (Bay Port) threw. He threw fairly hard and had a nice curve ball.”
Shortstop Zack Sousek singled off Bay Port pitcher Garrett Borley to lead off the game. Sousek advanced to third on a Ky Schmidt double and scored when the throw to third sailed high. Schmidt was brought home on Prey’s double two batters later, giving Shawano a 2-0 lead.
After drawing a walk to start the second inning, Clint Dallas made it home on a hit by Sousek.
Shawano added a pair of runs in the third on Mason Boogren’s double and extended its lead to 6-0 when Schmidt plated another run on a passed ball in the fifth.
“We played some small ball,” Gillis said. “We hit and run a little bit. Our running game has been really good. … Those are big plays in a game, getting from first to third. So many more ways, obviously, to score from third. That was big for us tonight, too.”
Back-to-back singles by Alex Frechette and Prey scored a run, followed by a double by Grant Wainio, which chased Borley from the mound in favor of Kyle Heinzen, but Shawano wasn’t done.
Heinzen got Mason Boogren to fly out, but then allowed an RBI single to Dallas, an RBI double to Jaryd Wilber and an RBI single by Jon Koth before getting the third out.
The two Bay Port pitchers combined to allow 13 hits, struck out 10 and walked four.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetShawano Youth League tournaments kick off
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Red 12U softball team coach Bill Laabs huddles with his team after a game against Shiocton on Saturday at Memorial Park. Tournaments for the 12U softball, 10U softball and 8U baseball were held over the weekend.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano 12U softball player Gracyn Habeck beats a throw to home plate during Saturday’s game against Shiocton.
Threat of rain might have kept a few people away, but the Shawano Youth League was able to successfully complete its first weekend of tournaments this season at Memorial Park.
The tournaments for 7-8U baseball, 10U softball and 12U softball, which began Friday and went until Sunday, drew 28 teams.
“A lot of good ball players here this weekend,” said Dustin Beyer, a tournament representative/coordinator and coach of the Shawano 7U baseball team. “We have teams from all over the place … There’s some good, competitive baseball going on this weekend.”
For Bill Laabs, coach of the Shawano Red 12U softball team, it’s a fun way for the players to learn the sport.
“The reason we hold this is for the kids to learn, to teach the game and to teach how to play as a team,” Laabs said. “They’re all doing very well. The kids love it. It’s something the parents love. They’re learning a lot.”
The Shawano Red took second in the 12U softball tournament, behind Pulaski-Red.
The Shawano 8U baseball team took first in the coach-pitch baseball tournament. Bonduel took second.
Freedom won the 10U softball tournament.
“It’s great for the kids to play on their home diamond in front of their friends and relatives, and everyone they know can come down and watch,” Beyer said. “There’s a lot of people in from all over the place, but a lot of fans from Shawano come down to watch some Little League baseball, which is great for the community.”
Besides generating revenue for local restaurants and hotels, the tournaments serve as the Shawano Youth League’s primary fundraiser. Profits from concession sales are funneled back into the program to provide for equipment, uniforms and maintaining the facilities.
“All of it goes right back into the program,” said Karen Rusch, who was helping coordinate the concessions Saturday.
Rusch said around 50 volunteers, with a core group of about 20, organize and run the tournaments.
“You get enough people and enough help, and it goes pretty smoothly, like it has this weekend,” Beyer said. “We have two more weekends left to go.”
The 11U and 12U baseball tournaments will begin Friday and run through Sunday. The 9U and 10U baseball tournaments will be held July 25-27.
AT A GLANCE
Shawano Youth League tourney results
Coach-pitch 7-8 baseball
1. Shawano 8
2. Bonduel
3. Greenville
4. Kaukauna
10U softball
1. Freedom
2. Kimberly
3. New London
4. Kaukauna
12U softball
1. Pulaski-Red
2. Shawano-Red
3. New London
4. Plover Americans
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetBABA Roundup
East-West Divisions
Tigerton 5, Clintonville 4
Tyler Berg singled home Paul Sellner with the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning as the Tigers handed the A’s their first loss of the season.
Sellner earned the win and had a double. Eric Kroening and Brad Breaker were 2 for 5.
Jesse Wiley was 2 for 4 with a home run to lead Clintonville. Aaron Everts and Jansen Van Daalwyk each had two hits. Pat Van Daalwyk took the loss.
Leopolis 2, Shawano 1
Leopolis scored two runs in the first inning and held on for the win against Shawano.
Hunter Hoffman was 2 for 4 and pitched a two-hitter. Brandon Laabs was 2 for 3. Ryan Boettcher had a two-run triple.
Bobby Brunker and Taylor Prey each had hits for Shawano. Ben Schiedermayer took the loss.
Marion 11, Caroline 0
Chase Stenson struck out 11 batters and scattered four hits to earn the win for Marion.
Cody Reimer was 3 for 5 with a double for Marion. Mark Miller was 3 for 3. Dave Jueds was 2 for 6. Jeff Miller was 2 for 4. Jake Westphal was 2 for 4 with a double.
Mike Weatherwax took the loss.
Tigerton 14, Menominee 6
Brandon Sivertson was 3 for 4 with two home runs and a double for Tigerton. Brad Breaker had two doubles. Jon Berg had a home run and a double.
Eric Gendusa had a double and earned the win pitching.
Cody Vigue took the loss. Lowell Chevalier was 2 for 5 with a double.
Little Falls 17, Gresham 6
Drew Radies had three hits, including a home run, to help Little Falls. Brady Huettner was 2 for 2 with an inside-the-park home run and five RBIs. Jeremy Bauer was 2 for 4.
Tom Williams and Brett Berkholtz were 3 for 6. Pete Carroll and Matt Carroll each had two hits.
Pete Carroll took the loss.
Neopit 11, Marion 1
Alex Peters earned the win while Dave Jueds took the loss.
Anthony Leeman led Neopit, going 3 for 3 with a double. Sasweon Waukechon was 2 for 5 with two doubles. Dustin Peters also had a pair of doubles. Carl Peters was 3 for 5. Brandon Frechette was 2 for 3. Will Corn had a double.
Jake Westphal led Marion with a pair of hits.
Clintonville 16, Bowler 2
John Dunlavy earned the win while Paul Murphy took the loss.
Jared Westphal was 4 for 6 for Clintonville. John Dunlavy was 3 for 7. Aaron Everts and Jesse Wiley were both 2 for 6.
Rainer Shooter was 2 for 4 with a double for Bowler. Phil Duffek and Zack Olson each had doubles.
Neopit 16, Tilleda 1
Anthony Leeman was 3 for 5 with a double to lead Neopit. Dustin Peters was 3 for 5. Roger Corn was 2 for 4.
Peters earned the win for Neopit. He gave up three hits.
Other divisions
Northern: Elderon beat Hatley 12-8, Birnamwood dominated Eland 13-0, and Wittenberg beat Polar 7-2.
South-Central: Plover topped Rosholt 4-1.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetHawks building football tradition with youth camp
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Brady Hannes, of Shawano, dives into a pile of pads looking for the football during Thursday’s session of the Shawano Hawks Youth Football camp at Shawano Community High School. The four-day camp drew 33 fourth- through eighth-graders.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Seth Williams, of Shawano, runs around a dummy during a skills challenge Thursday at the Shawano Hawks Youth Football camp at Shawano Community High School. Williams and 33 other fourth- through eighth-graders worked on skills at the four-day camp.
Shawano Community High School football coach Al Tomow spent this week guiding his second Shawano Hawks Youth Football camp, running 33 fourth- through eighth-graders through drills designed to build their skills.
Tomow hopes the work, ultimately, will pay off for the Hawks’ football program.
“We put an emphasis on trying to build a strong tradition,” Tomow said. “It starts with our kids helping out the younger kids, trying to instill a sense of pride in them. We’re all Hawks, whether you’re in fourth grade, fifth grade. Eventually, we’re all wearing the same high school jerseys.”
Tomow had about 20 current and former SCHS varsity players helping out over the four days of the camp.
“We had a lot of our guys help out,” he said. “Even some kids that graduated came back to help.”
The camp was split in half, with the first and third days focused on offense and the second and fourth day on defense.
“The first two days we worked on a lot of fundamentals and the technique part of it,” Tomow said. “The next two days we kind of let them apply those skills by setting up skill challenges. We let them see what they had learned and compete a little bit with each other.”
Tomow said the camp was helped by great weather.
“The weather was a lot cooler (than last year),” he said. “We were able to move things on and teach them a little bit more.”
The high school Hawks, who had contact days the first week of July, will spend four days at a team camp starting Sunday at Winona State University in Minnesota.
Tomow, a SCHS graduate who played football at Winona State, hopes to make the camp a regular part of his team’s offseason.
“It was big when I was in high school,” Tomow said. “The coach took some guys down there. Seeing as I graduated from there, and some of the coaches that are there are my former teammates, we thought it was going to be a lot of fun.”
Tomow was surprised by the interest his players expressed in the camp.
“We put it out there for the kids, expecting to get about 20 kids,” he said. “We ended up with 35 kids signed up.”
Tomow said the offseason work is also designed to help his players with heat acclimatization, which the WIAA has focused on after passing new rules this year.
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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Menominee’s Michael Pecore rounds third base during Thursday’s game against Shawano. Menominee won, 12-3.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Menominee pitcher Richard Corn throws against Shawano during Thursday’s American Legion baseball game in Keshena. Menominee beat Shawano, 12-3.
Slugger Lowell Chevalier had three doubles as Menominee American Legion hitters rocked Shawano pitchers for 18 hits in a 12-3 win Thursday in Keshena.
“There’s not much positive to say about today,” Shawano coach Will Gillis said. “We really didn’t come to play.”
The loss ended Shawano’s recent momentum from winning a key game against Fox River Valley-West foe Kaukauna on Monday and a 9-3 win over Bonduel Friday.
“They’ve been playing some good ball, I’ve been keeping up with them,” Menominee coach Brandon Frechette said. “When they come up here with that momentum, the boys have to be aware of it and come to play, and they did.”
“We made adjustments,” Frechette said. “That’s what I was most happy with, the adjustments they made at the plate.”
Trouble appeared for Shawano (7-5, 5-3 FRV-West) right away, when Menominee pitcher Richard Corn struck out three of the first four batters in the first inning.
Menominee (7-4) drew two walks from Shawano pitcher Shane Latender in the bottom of the frame, and then Chevalier, who would finished 3 for 4 with three RBIs, brought both home with a bouncing ball up the third baseline past third baseman Jon Koth.
Menominee extended its lead to 5-0 with an RBI single from Scott Cerveny and a two-RBI double from Brady Hoffman in the third.
In the top of the fourth, Shawano managed a run when Latender walked, advanced to third on a Jaryd Wilber single and scored on Koth’s single.
Latender gave way to Brendan Cummings on the mound in the bottom of the fourth, but Menominee’s bats continued to be hot. A Tom Williams single and Chevalier’s second double of the day set up Cerveny, who got both home on a single, to make the game 7-1.
In the fifth, Williams added a run on a sacrifice fly. That was followed by Chevalier’s third double, which brought in a run, and Walker Miller hit an RBI single.
Shawano managed three hits in the sixth, including a two-RBI double by Tasa Grignon, but Menominee shut down the rally when Ky Schmidt, who led Shawano with three hits, flew out to right field and Menominee caught Zack Sousek trying to tag up at first for the third out.
Sousek was also caught at third in the third inning when Corn nabbed a pop-up by Alex Frechette and quickly fed the ball to Williams on third base.
“Sometimes it’s about building a chemistry,” Frechette said of his defense. “That’s what they’re learning to do. If you don’t learn to play together, talent doesn’t do you a whole lot. … Being able to communicate on those double plays, that’s what we’re looking for.”
The game ended in the bottom of the sixth when Williams drove in a run off Schmidt, who came in for Cummings, and Menominee scored again on a Shawano fielding error on the same play. The teams had conflicting scores in their books, but both agreed to end the game.
Shawano’s trio of pitchers combined to allow 18 hits and four walks. They struck out four.
Corn allowed three runs on nine hits, struck out five and walked three.
“I can’t say enough about Richard Corn,” Frechette said. “Without him on the mound, it’s probably a lot closer game. He had them off balance. He just never slowed down since high school.”
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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Menominee Legion base runner Dallas Madosh slides into Iola catcher Steve Niemi to score the go-ahead run in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game in Keshena. Menominee won, 2-1.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Menominee Legion pitcher Tom Williams throws against Iola on Tuesday in Keshena. Menominee won, 2-1.
The Menominee American Legion baseball team managed to score the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and hold on for a 2-1 win against Iola on Tuesday in Keshena.
“We got it done,” Menominee coach Brandon Frechette said. “Iola is a good team. They beat us over in their field. It came down to the end and we clutched up.”
After leading 1-0 through the first three innings, Menominee (6-4) allowed Iola (3-5) a run in the third.
The 1-1 tie would hold until the sixth inning, when Dallas Madosh reached on a base hit, stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice by Walker Miller. After Lowell Chevalier walked, Scott Cerveny hit a ground ball to shortstop Nate Korb. With only one out, Korb made the throw home, but it bounced in front of catcher Steve Niemi and rolled past him as Madosh reached home plate.
With two out in the top of the seventh, Madosh walked a batter and hit two more to load the bases. That brought up Iola pitcher Cam Grunwald. With a full count, Madosh’s final pitch got past Grunwald’s swinging bat, ending the game.
“You don’t want to be in those situations,” Frechette said, “but that’s where you kind of find out what your team is about. Those are the situations that prepare you for the tournament, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Menominee scored in the first when Michael Pecore crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Korb hit an RBI single in the third to tie the game.
Tom Williams allowed one run on three hits, struck out seven and walked three in 4 2/3 innings of work, giving way to Madosh, who held Iola scoreless the rest of the way. He allowed one hit, struck out one and walked one.
“Dallas did good,” Frechette said. “We asked him to come in and throw strikes and that’s what he did. Tommy was hurting a little bit. He did good, he didn’t do bad pitching, but he was hurting a little bit so we had to get him out.”
Frechette said he hopes his team will get more of a killer instinct as the tournament nears.
“That’s one of the things we hope to get down by the tournament, being able to put teams away,” he said. “We had a little break. The few rainouts hurt us. They weren’t on the field for a while. Not to make excuses, but our pitchers haven’t been getting the work that we’ve wanted for them.”
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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano American Legion third baseman Tasa Grignon throws to first after scooping up a ground ball Monday against Kaukauna. Grignon hit a game-winning RBI single in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano American Legion pitcher Grant Wainio throws against Kaukauna in a 3-2 victory Monday at Memorial Park.
Tasa Grignon’s RBI single in the sixth inning broke a 2-2 tie as the Shawano American Legion baseball team earned a key 3-2 win over Fox River Valley West Division foe Kaukauna on Monday at Memorial Park.
After falling behind 2-0 in the third, Kaukauna (8-5, 5-3 FRV-West) got a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly and a base hit in the top of the sixth. But Shawano (7-4, 5-3 FRV-West) had an answer in the bottom of the frame.
Shawano’s Alex Frechette got on base after taking a pitch to the helmet, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Clint Dallas then drew a walk to set up Grignon, who drove the ball between Kaukauna’s first and second basemen to bring in Frechette.
“Tasa Grignon had a big hit to take the lead,” Shawano coach Will Gillis said. “I’m really happy with the way the guys played.”
Shawano opened the scoring in the bottom of the third after Kaukauna pitcher Alex Meyerhofer walked the first two batters. Ky Schmidt then hit an RBI single, and Chase Henning hit a sacrifice fly to bring in another run.
Grignon and Schmidt each had a pair of hits.
“We had good at-bats all night, and that was really the key,” Gillis said. “No one really swung at pitches out out of the zone, which is important.”
Shawano pitcher Grant Wainio allowed two runs on five hits, walked one and struck out three in seven innings of work.
“Wainio, obviously, pitched a great game,” Willis said. “I went out there a couple of times to talk to him, and he told me to go back to the dugout because he had it covered.”
Meyerhofer struck out five, walked four and allowed three runs on four hits in six innings.
“Their pitcher really pitched pretty well,” Gillis said. “He pitched well against us last time as well. We had some really good swings on him early in the game.
“I really thought we were going to score a lot of runs tonight. It didn’t turn out that way. We hit some balls right to guys, and that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetClintonville teen wins Speedway Challenge
Scott Owen, Special to the Leader
Highway 22 Shell night at the races proved to be a historic night Saturday at Shawano Speedway, with Lucas Lamberies becoming the first racer this season to succeed in the Challenge (opting to start in last place).
Lamberies picked up not only his first win of the year in the IMC Sport Mod feature at the Speedway, but also took home an extra $250 for winning the Challenge. The Clintonville teenager is the first driver this year to win the Challenge in any class.
In the Late Model feature, Paul Parker took the lead after a restart on lap four and held off Nick Anvelink in a side-by-side battle in the final lap for the win, his first of the season at Shawano Speedway.
Also, Travis Vanstraten (IMCA Stock Car) won his fourth feature in a row, Matt Oreskovich (IMCA Modified) won his first feature of the year, and Josh Slewinski (Mighty Four) came from last to win his second straight feature.
Late Models
Outside pole sitter Michael Stangl led the first three laps of the Late Model feature. Parker took the lead after a restart on lap No. 4, while Doug Blashe moved into the second position.
On lap No. 9, with Parker still leading, Nick Anvelink passed Justin Hirt to move into third. After a lap No. 13 restart, Anvelink passed Blashe to take second.
The race stayed green the rest of the way. As the laps ticked off, Parker continued to lead with Anvelink right on his back bumper looking for a way around.
As the race for the lead was taking place, Blashe and Troy Springborn locked horns in a battle for third. As the white flag waived, Anvelink took to the inside of Parker and the pair raced side by side down the back straight away and into turn three. They crossed under the flag stand still side by side with Parker winning by the slimmest of margins. Blashe held off Springborn to take third.
IMCA Modifieds
Mark Weisnicht battled his nephew Chad Olson on the opening laps of the IMCA Modifieds feature.
Eddie Muenster passed Olson for second on lap four, with Weisnicht still leading. Weisnicht led the first 12 laps of the race before Oreskovich wrestled the lead from him on lap No. 13.
Oreskovich held off Weisnicht and Eddie Muenster to win his first feature of the year. Muenster passed Weisnicht on the final lap to finish second.
IMCA Stock Cars
Nate Michonski led the first three laps of the IMCA Stock Car feature before being overtaken by VanStraten, who started the race in eighth place.
VanStraten would lead the rest of the way to win his fourth feature race in a row. Michonski held off Mike Schmidt to finish in second. Shawn Wagner took the Challenge and finished in eighth after starting in last.
IMCA Sport Mods
In the IMCA Sport Mod feature, Lamberies took the Challenge, electing to start in last place.
Lamberies didn’t take long getting to the front of the field, though. He took the top spot from early race leader Brandon Nygaard on lap five.
Lamberies looked like he would run away with the race, while Jordan Bartz and Jason Jach tried to run him down.
A lap 13 caution wiped away the Lamberies lead.
On the restart, though, Lamberies quickly began to pull away again. Bartz did not give up. She quickly reeled the leader back in on the ensuing laps.
The pair of second-year racers battled it out over the final laps with Lamberies prevailing. Bartz raced to a solid second-place finish. Jach took third.
Lamberies took home an extra $250 for winning the Challenge.
Mighty Fours
In Mighty Four action, Grant Kastning led the opening lap before giving way to Tanner Westphal. Westphal then led the race until Scott Blanke made a pass for the lead on lap nine.
Meanwhile, Slewinski had worked his way through the field to take second on lap 10 after starting 17th. On lap 11, Slewinski overtook Blanke for the lead and went on to win his second feature in a row.
Eliminators
Matt Congos put an end to Brian Welch’s undefeated streak to win the four- and six-cylinder Spectator Eliminators. Dave Stoffer beat Mike Sortino to take the V8 finale.
This week
Racing will continue at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the fourth annual Racing for a Reason night. More information is available at www.shawanospeedway.net.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetBABA Roundup
Eastern Division
Shawano 9, Menominee 8
Hunter Galeski had three RBIs for Shawano.
Ben Scheidermayer earned the win. Alan O’Kimosh took the loss.
Clintonville 9, Neopit 2
John Dunlavy led Clintonville with four hits and four RBIs. Turner Doornink was 3 for 4 with a home run and a double. Garrick Morgan was 3 for 4.
Anthony Leeman was 2 for 4 for Neopit. Dustin Peters was 2 for 4 with a double.
Riley Knapp picked up the win while Wil Corn took the loss.
Marion 17, Gresham 15
Chase Stenson earned the win, and Adam Carroll took the loss.
Cody Reimer, Jeff Miller and Ryan Mortenson were all 3 for 5 for Marion. Jake Westphal was 2 for 4.
Nate Ejnik was 4 for 6 for Gresham. Pete Carroll was 4 for 4. Aaron Larson had a home run.
Western Division
Tigerton 3, Leopolis 2
Dylan Berg hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to break a 2-2 tie to give Tigerton the advantage. He also had a triple and earned the win pitching. Eric Gendusa was 2 for 4 with a double. Eric Kroening also had a double.
Hunter Hoffman was 2 for 4 for Leopolis. Brock Hoffman and Ryan Boettcher were both 2 for 3.
Hoffman took the loss.
Bowler 15, Tilleda 1
Paul Murphy earned the win while Curt Brei took the loss.
Pat Provoast led Bowler, going 5 for 5 with a double. Kregg Boldig was 3 for 4, and Andy Pierzchalski was 3 for 5. Murphy was 2 for 3 with a triple. Rainer Shooter was 2 for 4 with a home run, and Wakler Miller was 2 for 5 with two doubles.
Brei was 2 for 3 for Tilleda.
Leopolis 6, Caroline 4
Justin Reminger was 3 for 4 and earned the win for Leopolis.
Bryce Rodriquez was 3 for 4 with a double for Leopolis, and Austin Hoffman was 2 for 3.
Adam Weatherwax was 3 for 5 with a double to lead Caroline. Mark Maas was 2 for 5. Mike Weatherwax was 2 for 4.
Jake Madsen took the loss.
Tigerton 7, Little Falls 2
Paul Sellner picked up the win, and Jeremy Bauer took the loss.
Eric Kroening was 2 for 4 with a home run to lead Tigerton. Dylan Berg was 2 for 4. Jon Berg was 3 for 5, and Neil Hoffman was 2 for 3. Brad Breaker had a home run and two RBIs.
Kyle Fischer was 2 for 4 for Little Falls. Kal Fischer was 2 for 2.
Other divisions
Northern: Elderon beat Aniwa 7-4, Birnamwood topped Hatley 14-1o, and Eland swamped Polar 7-1.
South-Central: Rosholt beat Lanark 2-1 in 10 innings, Waupaca beat Plover 7-3, and Scandinavia bombarded New London 11-1.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetTriathletes welcome perfect weather in Leopolis
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Casey Clark and Rolando Colon, of Shawano, ride two-person bike during the Leopolis Triathlon on Friday.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Ezekiel Gueths, of Shawano, runs in the Leopolis Triathlon Friday. Gueths was the top finisher in the youth event, male 13-16 division, with a time of 33.10.
Sid Steinke put together a triathlon to prove to a local weightlifter that big muscles do not make a person a good athlete.
Thirty-one years later, the Leopolis Triathlon is still going strong as a Fourth of July tradition that brings runners from across the state to the small community for a race that tests their endurance and versatility.
“We set a date, the Fourth of July, and there were 13 of us,” Steinke said of that first triathlon in 1983. “Of course, (the weightlifter) was a no-show.”
The group did it again the next year, and formed the Leopolis Booster Club to manage the triathlon in 1985.
“It’s amazing,” Steinke said of the success of the event. “It’s just been progressing ever since. It’s a good thing for the community on the Fourth of July.”
Steinke is going as strong as the triathlon itself, completing the beerbelly, a race consisting of a 100-yard swim across Leopolis Pond, a five-mile bike race and a two-mile run. He finished in 44 minutes, 51 seconds.
Basil Hansen, of Waupaca, won this year’s beerbelly, clocking in at 27:17. Tony Witt, of Appleton, took second with a time of 27:21, and Mason Bohm, of Shawano, was third with a time of 27:53.
The youth race, which is the same as the beerbelly, was won by Allison Graper, of Bear Creek. She finished in 31:19. Ben Carroll, of Shawano, was second with a time of 32:57. Ezekiel Gueths finished in 33:10 to take third.
The jock race, which is the same 100-yard swim and includes a 12-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run, was won by Mike Heidke, of Neenah.
Heidke, who won the race last year with a time of 1:03:55, finished in 59:58 this year. Mike Heling, of Appleton, took second with a time of 1:01:02. Wes Wiesman clocked in at 1:03:00 to take third place.
The jock race was adjusted this year because of road construction, which sent the jock runners up Hoppe Hill.
After dealing with extreme heat the last two years, the 149 triathletes in this year’s race only had to deal with a high of 81 degrees.
“The weather is beautiful,” said Carol Peterson, treasurer of the Leopolis Booster Club. “It’s kind of just right now.”
Casey Clark, of Shawano, who ran the event for the seventh time Friday, agreed.
“Real good weather,” Clark said. “Not too hot, not too cold.”
Peterson says the only snag this year were weeds in Leopolis Pond.
“We don’t normally have the weeds this time of year,” Peterson said. “This is kind of like a first, and quite a challenge to clean an area where they could come through.”
The event had a similar draw to last year when 169 triathletes competed.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetShawano blasts Bonduel, 9-3
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel’s Hunter VanderLinden steals second base Friday just ahead of the throw to shortstop Ky Schmidt at Jack Reinke Field in Bonduel. Shawano beat Bonduel, 9-3.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano slugger Chase Henning hits a home run Friday in the first inning of an American Legion game in Bonduel. Henning finished with two home runs and a double for the day. Shawano beat Bonduel, 9-3.
Chase Henning didn’t want to wait until dusk for Fourth of July fireworks.
Henning and the Shawano American Legion (2-5, 0-2 Fox River Valley) baseball team provided plenty of fireworks in a 9-3 win over Bonduel (2-3) Friday afternoon in front of a big crowd at Jack Reinke Field in Bonduel.
Henning hit two two-run home runs and had a double as Shawano piled up 14 hits.
“Chase, the numbers speak for themselves,” Shawano coach Will Gillis said. “Two home runs and a double, and the nice thing about his double is it was down the right-field line there. He’s hitting the ball to all fields, which is really a big thing.”
Henning’s first home run, a deep shot over the left-field fence, came on just the third at-bat of the game, and followed a double by Ky Schmidt.
“Like I told the team, Shawano is a good hitting team,” Bonduel coach Jason Luepke said. “They hit Connor (Rosin), who is probably our best right now. (Rosin) might not have had everything, but it didn’t matter. … That first inning set the tone.”
On defense, Shawano pitcher Clint Dallas had a no-hitter going into the fifth inning.
“He likes to play around sometimes, but when it’s his day to pitch — he’s a lot like Matt Garza in that way — when it’s his day to pitch, he’s pretty much all business,” Gillis said. “He really competes and threw strikes. He’s not afraid to throw the ball and make the guys hit it.”
Leading off the third, Henning hit a double and scored on a Taylor Prey single. An Alex Frechette single and a fielding error on a stolen base got Prey home. Frechette then scored on another Bonduel error on a ground ball by Mason Boogren to give Shawano a 5-0 lead.
Zack Sousek hit a double to lead off the fourth, and advanced to third on an error by Bonduel. Two batters later, Henning made it 7-0 with his second home run of the day, a rocket over the left center-field fence.
Prey and Frechette followed with doubles, but Bonduel escaped the inning without suffering any more damage.
In the bottom of the fifth, Bonduel finally got a hit when Jacob Springborn slipped a ground ball past the Shawano infield.
Bonduel went on to score three runs in the inning, getting a pair of RBI doubles from Rosin and Bailey Dingeldein, who went on to score on a Colton Dobratz single.
“I’m glad that they didn’t fold up and quit,” Luepke said. “I’m glad some of the guys came off the bench and got some hits. That’s what I was happy to see. That’ll push the other guys.”
Shawano got two runs back in the sixth with an RBI double from Grant Wainio and a sacrifice by Dallas.
“Our offense this year has been pretty good,” Gillis said. “I’ve been really happy with that. We’ve played some spotty defense, to put it nicely, but when we get on the board early and put the other team on the ropes is when we really thrive.”
Dallas allowed five hits and three runs. He struck out four and walked one.
Rosin allowed seven runs on 13 hits, struck out five and walked one before giving way to Trevor Pederson in the fifth inning. Pederson allowed two runs on one hit, struck out four and walked three.
Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetMemories made at the Speedway
Scott Owen, Leader Columnist
A large part of what makes racing great are the memories made at the track. The moments might be on or off the track. People remember them for many reasons.
For me, the ones that stand out involve friends and family.
I remember the night that Craig Bartz won his first IMCA Modified feature at the track. Bartz had to qualify for the feature through the “consy” race, or last chance qualifier, and start in one of the last rows of the feature race.
Another memory that stands out is the night that Tom Naeyeart and Pete Parker had a little extracurricular activity on pit lane. The duo of Late Model racers had taken turns bumping each other on pit lane right in front of the crowd in the grandstands while waiting to go to the scale after the race.
After the incident, Tom’s wife, Laura, could be seen heading toward Parker’s trailer to give him a piece of her mind.
I remember the night that Cody Grosskreutz and David Fieber collided on the front stretch and Fieber’s car came to rest on top of Grosskreutz’s car.
Fuel began to leak from Fieber’s car and caught fire. Fellow racer Jeff Curtin helped pull Fieber from his car. The flames continued to build until the fire crew was able to get the fire under control. It was an eerie scene as the stands were evacuated during the clean-up process.
Being that Grosskreutz is my brother-in-law, it was a nerve-racking moment.
I remember the night that Bud Lynn was involved in a wreck in front of the tower. Everyone seemed fine that night, but Lynn passed away a few days later. This happened in 2004, my first year announcing at the track, and I really had no idea what to say to the crowd during the opening ceremony the following week.
Thankfully, my mentor Joe Verdegan came to speak to the crowd of fans and racers who had gathered to remember Lynn. I recall the large number of racers passing helmets through the grandstands to raise money to help Lynn’s family.
Off the track, I remember my children participating in the build-a-race car contest and the gold rush, and my son winning the ride-along in the Sundrop water truck at intermission.
I remember all the people turning up to support the Racing for a Reason night at the track.
The racetrack can be a great place to make memories, whether it is gold rush night, build-a-race car night, the Bud Lynn memorial night or Racing for a Reason night.
Scott Owen is the track announcer at Shawano Speedway.Rate this article: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetLegion Roundup
Clintonville falls to Omro
The Clintonville Legion baseball team lost 3-0 to Omro in a nonleague game Wednesday in Omro.
Parker Minel took the loss, throwing five innings, striking out seven, walking six and allowing three runs, two earned. Jaden Doornink pitched one inning and struck out two.
Jake Van Allen went 2 for 3 to lead the Diamond Cats (4-3, 4-1 Central Wisconsin Legion).
Isaac Reyes earned the win for Omro and had a hit. Allen Reyes and Joe Robl each had doubles.
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New statewide regulations restricting the amount of player-to-player contact in high school football practices will not have a major impact at Shawano Community High School.
Passed by a 10-0 vote of the WIAA board of directors June 26 in Stevens Point, the new regulations do not call for anything different than what SCHS is already doing, according to football coach Al Tomow.
“I like to think we weren’t the reason for the changes,” Tomow said. “We were proactive, did a nice job of taking care of our players. That doesn’t really change our practices a whole lot.”
Tomow said he likes to use practice time to do a lot of teaching instead of having the players do a lot of hitting.
“We have to maximize our time together,” Tomow said. “Maximize our live sessions, try to create competition and use our time wisely.”
The new safety rules were devised by members of a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association advisory committee, three doctors and officials from the WIAA.
During the first week of practice, which can begin Aug. 5, the new regulations limit players to “wrap” (drills run at full speed until contact, which is above the waist and the players remain on their feet), “air” (unopposed without bags or any opposition) and “bags” (shields, bags, pads or contact with soft surfaces).
Live contact and “thud” (same as wrap but tempo is competitive) would be limited to 75 minutes in the second week. In the third week and after, thud and full contact would be limited to 60 minutes a week during practice.
“Remember we are always thinking of the safety of the players who participate in our great sport of football,” WFCA Executive Director Dan Brunner wrote to coaches last week. “We feel we have put together a plan that will serve as the national model for contact regulation.”
In January, the WIAA released guidelines for member schools dealing with acclimatization, trying to prevent incidents of heat illness during practices.
Both steps, the WIAA leadership says, shows they are being proactive in making football safe.
“I think it’s a good step in a right direction to protect football players and making football a safer sport in the long run,” Tomow said.
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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz The A’s 10U baseball team celebrates its first-place season at Tuesday’s Shawano Youth League Awards night at Memorial Park in Shawano.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Alyssa Krueger accepts an award during Tuesday’s Shawano Youth League awards night at Memorial Park. Krueger was on the first-place Racers girls 12U softball team.
Rain, which had already pushed back the Shawano Youth League annual awards night from June 29 to July 2, threatened to postpone it once again Tuesday.
The 429 players, their parents and family were in luck, though, as the clouds broke, a rainbow appeared and the ceremony went off without a hitch.
“We hold this event to recognize all the time and effort all the kids put in from mid-April to the end of June,” said John Reinders, president of the Shawano Youth League.
Dustin Beyer, coach of the first-place Owlz boys 8U team, said it’s lots of fun having the awards night and celebrating as a team.
“It’s a fun night recognizing these young players,” Beyer said. “They had a great summer playing ball. … These kids put in a lot of time and improved all summer. That’s what it’s all about. I’m just really proud of these kids.”
The SYL had a lot to celebrate this season, according to Reinders.
“The biggest thing is that we had a record number of players and teams this year, which is fantastic,” Reinders said.
The league consisted of 38 teams and 10 travel teams.
With the league season wrapping up, the players are turning their attention to the tournament season, including three weekends of tournaments in Shawano, beginning with the coach-pitch baseball tournament and the 10U and 12U girls softball tournaments July 11-13.
The 11U and 12U boys baseball tournaments will be held July 18-20. The 9U and 10U tournaments will be held July 25-27.
The tourneys will be played at Memorial Park and bring teams from all over Wisconsin to Shawano.
“We’d like to encourage the community to come out in July for our tournaments,” Reinders said. “Come out, see good baseball. We have, I believe, 77 teams coming in across three weekends, from quite a ways away in some cases, and people will be staying at hotels and campgrounds and eating at restaurants.”
Shawano Youth League
Final Standings
* Interleague tournament champions
Boys 7/8
1. Owls*
2. Rockhounds
3. Raptors
4. Lugnuts
5. B-Mets
6. Hot Rods
Girls 7/8
1. Bonduel
2. T-Rats
3. Storm
4. Grasshoppers
Boys 9/10
1. A’s
2. Twins*
3. Dodgers
4. Reds
5. Rangers
6. Mets
7. Giants
Girls 9/10
1. Volunteers
2. Badgers
3. Bonduel
Boys 11/12
1. Braves
2. White Sox
3. Angels
4. Red Sox
5. Cubs*
6. Orioles
Girls 11/12
1. Racers
2. Pride
3. Bandits
4. Bonduel
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