Shawano Leader Sports Headlines

Seniors of the Year each competed in 3 sportsBy: 

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Jacob Wudtke and Courtney Schmidt were honored as Bonduel High School Senior Athletes of the Year at the spring athletic banquet June 2 at the school.

Wudtke, who played four years of football, wrestling and baseball, was a team captain in all three sports and a two-time state qualifier in wrestling.

“He’s one of those guys, if you look in the dictionary under the word leader, they’d show a picture of him,” baseball coach Don Gruenewald said. “He’s always taking charge. If someone isn’t doing something right, he’ll make sure they pick it up and start doing it right.”

Wudtke was named first-team All-Central Wisconsin Conference-8 in football and took second-team honors in baseball this year. He was also named a WIAA Scholar Athlete.

Gruenewald said Wudtke worked hard over the last four years.

“As a freshman, he wasn’t that good of a hitter,” Gruenewald said. “He worked at that, and he worked at catching, too. He really wanted to get better at calling pitches.”

Schmidt played four years of volleyball, basketball and softball.

“Courtney was consistent in all three sports this year,” basketball coach Missy Dowden said. “I don’t think she missed a practice in any sport this year.”

Schmidt was an honorable mention in volleyball this season. A sprained ankle limited her down the stretch in basketball. During the softball season, Schimdt played where needed.

“She’s a real team player in every sport,” Dowden said.

Softball

Kaylee Rynish, Jen Dowden and Alexa Reinke shared the softball Most Valuable Player Award. Reinke and Dowden were named team captains, along with Deanna Zernicke, who couldn’t play this season because of a shoulder injury.

Rynish was the team’s leading hitter. Kailee Pedersen was named Most Improved Player.

Baseball

Hunter VanderLinden and Connor Rosin were co-Most Valuable Players for the baseball team. VanderLinden joined Wudtke as a team captain. Travis Wollenberg was named Most Improved Player.

Track

Runner Hunter Berry and jumper Emily Sorenson were named the boys and girls Most Valuable Players, respectively. Trebor Rueckert was named the boys team’s Most Improved Athlete. Isaac Palmer was a team captain.

Katie Zeitler and Anna Palmer were named the girls’ Most Improved Athletes.

Mallory Mews and Indian Tauchen shared captain honors. Mews was also named a WIAA Scholar Athlete.

Boys golf

Ben Shoup was the golf team’s Most Valuable Player. He was also the team captain. Mitch LaBerge was named Most Improved Player.

Zach Zernicke was the third athlete to earn a participation award. He played football for three years, cross-country for one, basketball for four years and track for four years.

Other awards

Missy Dowden, the girls basketball coach, and her husband, Geoff, won the John E. Reinke Memorial Booster Award.

Greg and Rachel Strayer won the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association Service Award.

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Mueller finishes 60th at University RidgeBy: 

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Photo by Mary Langenfeld Shawano Community High School junior Braden Mueller scopes out his approach as he nears the 18th green at University Ridge near Verona during the WIAA boys state golf tourney Monday. His coach, Dean Kugler, right, accompanied Mueller around the course. Mueller finished 60th in the two-day tournament.
Photo by Mary Langenfeld Shawano Community High School junior Braden Mueller reacts as his ball lips out on the 18th green Monday at University Ridge in Madison during the WIAA Boys State Golf Championship. Mueller scored 85 on Monday and 79 on Tuesday to finish 60th.

It has been a methodical climb for Braden Mueller.

The Shawano Community High School junior golfer qualified for the WIAA Division 1 sectionals as a freshman, finished in the top 10 at sectionals as a sophomore and this year qualified for the state meet Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.

Mueller shot an 85 Monday and then brought his score down to 79 Tuesday, finishing at 164 and in 60th place.

“I thought I did pretty good, considering the conditions of the course,” Mueller said. “It’s probably the nicest course I’ve ever played on. It was fun.”

Mueller said he liked the fairways, and the greens were perfect, a little too perfect.

“It’s a little different putting on those greens,” he said. “I could have easily shot much lower, but the putting got to me.”

He said figuring out those greens helped bring his score down Tuesday.

“I think he started to make putts today,” Shawano coach Dean Kugler said. “Yesterday, a couple of shots were in the wrong place. Today he was in the right place. He played on the short side of the green a little better, that sort of thing.”

The issue on the greens didn’t crop up in a practice session Sunday.

“Nothing was straight in,” Kugler said. “Every shot had a slope here and a slope there. Just not what we’re used to seeing.”

Making his first trip to state, Mueller was surprised most by the crowds.

“Probably the coolest thing is all the people that come and watch,” Mueller said. “There were a lot of people there. It was very cool to see.”

“This was a learning experience for me as well,” Kugler said. “It was fun to be able to see guys hitting shots and people watching.”

There were also a lot of good golfers. Oak Creek’s Kaylor Steger won the meet, shooting 142 (68, 74) over the two days. Homestead won as a team, shooting 618 to edge out Green Bay Notre Dame Academy (619) and Eau Claire Memorial (624).

“Just really consistent golfers, that’s what it is,” Kugler said.

Since he has improved every year, Mueller hopes a return trip to state is in the cards his senior year.

“Definitely make it back again,” Mueller said when asked about his goals for next year.

Kugler expects to see Mueller improve for a fourth year.

“I think Braden, he sees what he needs to work on for next year,” Kugler said. “He’s probably going to work hard at it.”

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Shawano's season ends in shootoutBy: 

Leader Staff

For the second time this season, and only the third time in coach Robert Croschere’s tenure as coach, the Shawano Community High School girls soccer team’s match ended in a shootout.

After the third-seeded Hawks (13-8) finished tied 1-1 with No. 2 Marshfield in regulation play, the two teams went scoreless through two overtime periods in Saturday’s WIAA Division 2 regional final in Marshfield.

In the shootout, like Shawano’s Bay Conference championship game against West De Pere, the Hawks lost, falling 3-1.

“This is my 15th season of coaching soccer, 13 with the boys and two with the girls,” Croschere said. “It’s only the third time I’ve been involved in a shootout. Two of three have been in the last three matches. It’s kind of rare, but our season kind of came down to that at two points.”

Megan Klitzke gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead 35 minutes into the match, knocking in a goal in front of the net.

Marshfield responded about a minute into the second half.

That would do it for the scoring in the match.

The Hawks started the season 1-4, then went on five- and six-game winning streaks to finish second in the Bay Conference.

They fought back from a lot of different things,” Croschere said. “Being down to different teams and coming back. Definitely a team of fighters this year.”

The team says goodbye to seven seniors.

“We’re losing a lot of talent,” Croschere said. “We do have a fairly young group still. We only had one junior. I think we should be strong for a few years.”

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Eastern Division

Neopit 3, Shawano 2

Alex Peters took the win, handing Ben Scheidermayer the loss.

Dustin Peters, Carl Peters, Alex Frechette and Daryll Wilber each had one hit for Neopit.

Robby Umland Jr. was 2 for 5 with a double. Bobby Brunker, Taylor Prey, Clint Dallas and Brandon Estep each had a hit.

Clintonville 4, Gresham 1

Ryan Ebert’s two-run home run helped Clintonville top Gresham. Dean Muthig also had a home run.

Jansen VanDaalwyk earned the win, while Adam Carroll took the loss.

Nate Ejnik was 2 for 4 to lead Gresham.

Marion 12, Menominee 8

Kavit Beyersdorf earned the win, and Steve Awonopay took the loss.

Dave Jueds led Marion, going 3 for 5. Cody Reimer was 2 for 4 with a double. Joe Green and Mark Miller both had doubles.

Melvin Chevalier was 3 for 5 for Menominee. Cody Vigue was 2 for 4. Morgan Frechette was 2 for 4.

Western Division

Tigerton 7, Bowler 3

Eric Kroening’s bases-loaded double in the seventh helped Tigerton get the win. Kroening also had a single and finished with four RBIs.

Brad Beaker was 2 for 3 with a double. Jon Berg also had a double.

Thomas Kazik was 3 for 3 to lead Bowler. Andy Pierzchalski was 2 for 5. Paul Murphy had a triple, and Rainer Shooter had a double.

Paul Sellner earned the win, Murphy took the loss.

Little Falls 5, Caroline 1

Jeremy Bauer earned the win, and Nathaniel Krueger took the loss.

Drew Radies was 3 for 4 for Little Falls. Mark Radies was 2 for 3.

Andrew Kristof and Lee Verg each had two hits.

Leopolis 9, Tilleda 5

Andrew Cunliffe hit a seventh-inning double gave Leopolis the lead. He was 2 for 3 with a double.

Tyler Dillenberg was 2 for 4 with a triple. Bryce Rodriquez was 2 for 4.

Stephen Reinke was 3 for 5. Curt Brei and Andy Brei were each 2 for 4.

Hunter Hoffman earned the win. Brei took the loss.

Other divisions

Northern: Elderon 9, Eland 7; Polar 8, Birnamwood 4; Aniwa 16, Wittenberg 1

South-Central: New London 7, Scandinavia 2

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Shawano 3, Cecil 0

Eric Stenson pitched a complete game shutout for the Shawano Lobos in a 3-0 win over the Cecil Mudhens on Sunday.

Stenson struck out seven and gave up three hits in nine innings. Lucas Postl was 2 for 4. Jimmy Lacy was 2 for 3 with a RBI double.

Kurt Blythin and Ben Bystol each had doubles.

Shawano 12, Broncos 1

The Shawano Lobos beat the Bonduel Broncos 12-1 in eight innings Friday on the arm of pitcher Jimmy Lacy, who stuck out two, allowed one unearned run and gave up five hits in seven innings of work.

Grant Bystol went 2 for 4 with five RBIs to lead the Lobos at the plate. John Berg had a grand slam home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Other scores

Navarino beat Pulaski 9-5, Hortonville shutout Freedom 10-0, Hortonville beat Bonduel 10-1, Hofa Park beat Nichols 4-0, and Pulaski beat Freedom 8-1.

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By: 

Leader Staff

Clintonville High School’s Allison Johnson won a state championship, Menominee Indian’s Ania Smith took second in the discus, and Gresham/Bowler’s Drew Payne reached the podium in two events as the WIAA State Track and Field Championships wrapped up on a rainy Saturday in La Crosse.

Rain and lightning, which forced the meet’s morning session to be postponed until the afternoon, pushed back the Division 2 girls 800-meter run until late in the evening. Once things got under way, Johnson, a junior runner for the Truckers, won the event with a time of 2:16.41, eclipsing her own school record by 3 seconds and edging out Dodge/Mineral Point’s Mary Hanson by .59 seconds.

Smith, a sophomore, locked down second place in the Division 3 girls discus on her first throw of the day, going 123 feet, 3 inches.

Gresham/Bowler junior Drew Payne was fourth in the long jump (20-9 1/4) and fifth in the triple jump. “It feels amazing,” Payne said.

Marion’s Cole Drafahl reached the podium in the Division 3 boys shot put, taking fifth with a throw of 51-11.

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Olsen, James qualify for finalsBy: 

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Three area athletes reached the podium as the WIAA track and field championships began Friday in La Crosse.

Menominee Indian High School sophomore Ania Smith took fifth in the Division 3 shot put, going 39 feet, 11 inches on her final throw of the day. The toss moved her from eighth place onto the podium.

“It was a pretty good performance,” Menominee Indian coach Chris Clache said. “We had a delay that kind of threw everybody off a little bit, but she pulled it out at the end. It was a pretty impressive throw.”

Rain delayed the meet, held at Veterans Memorial Stadium in La Crosse, for about an hour and a half.

Marion junior Cassidy Detert moved up to third with her final throw of 40-1 1/2. Algoma’s Kennedy Blahnik won the event with a toss of 48-8.

Gresham/Bowler junior Drew Payne took fifth in the Division 3 triple jump, going 42-2 3/4 on his second jump of the day.

“It felt amazing,” Payne said. “My first one was all right, my second one was my longest one.”

Payne said he felt like the meet was dragging on after the delay as he waited for his chance to jump.

The jump was a personal record for Payne, which was his goal heading into the meet.

“That’s all I wanted,” he said.

Spring Valley’s Zac Webster won the event, jumping 44-8 1/2.

Menominee Indian junior Gordon James III had the seventh-fastest time, 11.53, in the 100 dash preliminaries. He will compete in the finals Saturday. He missed the cut in the 200 dash.

Gresham/Bowler senior Austin Olsen took 10th in the 300 hurdles preliminaries, qualifying for Saturday’s finals in that event. His time was 41.94.

Division 2

Wittenberg-Birnamwood senior Aaron Monnot jumped 42-7 3/4 in the triple jump, taking 10th place. University School of Milwaukee’s Djdade Denson won the event with a 46-7 3/4 jump.

The Chargers’ 4x800 relay team of Alexis Balliett, Mikayla King, Taylor Nier and Erica White Eagle took 15th with a time of 10:38.25.

The 4x400 relay team of King, White Eagle, Maykayla Verkuilen and Denica Wendler took 16th with a time of 4:16.86.

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Truckers lose to Notre Dame

The No. 3 Clintonville High School baseball team lost 4-1 to top-seeded Notre Dame in Friday’s WIAA Division 2 regional final in Green Bay.

Notre Dame will face No. 2 Mosinee in the final Tuesday in Chilton.

No other information was available by the Leader’s press time.

Tigerton edged by Pittsville

The second-seeded Tigerton High School baseball team lost at top-seeded Pittsville 4-3 Friday in a WIAA Division 4 regional final.

On Tuesday, Tigerton will host the sectional, which will feature Pittsville and either Columbus Catholic or Northland Lutheran/Wisconsin Valley Lutheran in the morning semifinal and Wausaukee and Niagara in the second semifinal. The final will be played at 4 p.m.

No other information was available by the Leader’s press time.

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Menominee Indian loses final, 6-0By: 

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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Menominee Indian High School pitcher Nick Corn throws against Oconto in Friday’s WIAA Division 3 regional final in Oconto. Menominee Indian lost, 6-0.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Menominee Indian second baseman Adam Isham tries to tag out Oconto’s Gabe Hintz during the WIAA Division 3 regional final game Friday in Oconto. Menominee Indian lost to the Blue Devils, 6-0.

After a solid WIAA Division 3 regional run, the Menominee Indian High School baseball team’s season came to an end Friday as the third-seeded Eagles fell 6-0 at No. 1 Oconto.

Oconto clung to a 1-0 lead through the first six innings, but any hopes for a Menominee Indian rally faded when Oconto put together a five-run sixth inning.

“They battled hard all season,” Menominee Indian coach Chris Rice said. “I’m really proud of those guys.”

Sophomore pitcher Nick Corn, who allowed just one run on three hits through the first three innings, was struck by a line drive in the fourth. Corn, who also serves as the Eagles’ lead-off hitter, left the game for two innings before returning and playing center field.

“Nick was pitching a great game,” Rice said. “We had only given up one run up to that point. He hung a curve ball and got hit in the back of the head. Luckily, he was able to come back into the game. A really gutsy performance by him.”

Senior Lowell Chevalier came in for Corn, forcing a ground out and a line out to get out of the inning. Chevalier, who would allow five runs on five hits, was solid again in the fifth, forcing a fly out and striking out pinch hitter Bryce Bostedt, before getting another batter to line out.

The sixth turned ugly for Menominee Indian. The Blue Devils took a 2-0 lead on a pair of singles. With two runners on, Oconto’s Teague Camps took off for second base, only to realize the player on second was not advancing. This prompted a reaction from Chevalier, which the umpires called a balk.

Rice complained about the call to the umpires, but the call stood.

“The one thing we were trying to do was not get rattled,” Rice said. “I think it rattled us a little bit with that balk call. It was something that we had no control over. I think it’s the first time we had something go against us that was not our own doing. It was really tough for the kids to bounce back from that.”

Menominee Indian let three more runs score before getting out of the inning.

With Menominee Indian’s recent late-inning success, the top of the seventh started promisingly with a Dallas Madosh double, but two fly outs and strikeout ended the game.

Grant Frazer, who pitched the first four innings for Oconto, held Menominee Indian to just one hit while striking out seven and walking none. Richard Mataitis came in in the fifth and allowed two hits and struck out two.

Oconto scored on a wild pitch in the first.

Rice said he was proud of how his team matured this season, making it to a regional final for only the second time in school history.

“We’ve been building all year, trying to get better and better each game and practice,” Rice said. “When it came to crunch time, they really stepped it up.”

The team says goodbye to Chevalier, Madosh and Richard Corn.

“All three of them are all-conference players,” Rice said. “They’ve contributed in huge ways, and just their leadership, it’s going to be greatly missed.”

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By: 

Scott Owen, Leader Columnist

It was a nearly indescribable race.

You really needed to be there to see it.

It might never be repeated.

If you were at the Shawano Speedway on Saturday, I hope you stayed for the very last race. If you weren’t in attendance, or if you left early, you missed one of the most talked-about races in recent memory.

Yes, the video can be found online, and it’s pretty entertaining. Mike Thorne did a great job as always promoting local racing through this video. As of Monday night, more than 100,000 people had viewed it, and it was shared over 1,100 times by people in 42 states. By the time you read this the numbers will be even more impressive.

The Spectator Eliminators have long been a fan favorite at the Shawano Speedway. The fact that anyone with a car and a helmet can have a shot on the historic half mile is an attractive proposition to many people.

Through the years the Spectator Eliminator drivers and cars have produced some characters. Leo Frank and the “Two Ton Terror,” Willard Raddant in his Volkswagen, Mel Westphall, the “Grumpy Gremlin,” and Jeff “Land Shark” Schroeder are just a few of the fan favorites throughout the years.

The two drivers in the aforementioned race are both former dirt track racing regulars, ”Dr. Gear” Dave Stoffer and “The Mayor of Mattoon” Scott Williams.

The race itself came down to a side-by-side, full contact, battle royal to the finish line.

The two cars got together in turn three and both spun and came to a stop. It briefly looked as though both cars had stalled. They both were able to re-fire though.

Stoffer put the block on Williams, but he still needed to get his car turned around. In a move Luke and Bo Duke would be proud of, Stoffer lit up the rear tires and swung the car back around to the right direction.

Both drivers hammered the gas and Stoffer was able to beat Williams to the checkered flag.

Needless to say, the crowd loved it and went wild.

Part of the attraction to racing is the fact that anything can happen at any time. There is no script. It is literally fly by the seat of your pants action from one lap to the next, all the way to the end of the night.

Last Saturday’s race might never happen again, but you know what maybe it will, and you can tell everybody you were there for it.

See you at the races.

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 yet

Klitzke scores 3 goals against HortonvilleBy: 

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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School sophomore Morgan Klitzke falls over Hortonville goalie Becka Pieper during the WIAA Division 2 regional match Thursday in Shawano. Klitzke scored three goals in the Hawks’ 6-3 victory.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School sophomore Sarah Dickmann, right, fights a Hortonville defender during Thursday’s WIAA Division 2 regional tournament in Shawano. Shawano won, 6-3.

Sophomore forward Morgan Klitzke knocked in a hat trick as the Shawano Community High School girls soccer team beat Hortonville 6-3 in a WIAA Division 2 regional match Thursday in Shawano.

Sophomore midfielders Rachel Schnell and Sarah Dickmann added a goal each for the third-seeded Hawks.

“It seems like we step up when we need to,” Shawano coach Robert Croschere said. “We can get that goal, in most of the matches, whenever we need it.”

Freshman goalie Carlie Hinnefeld had four saves but gave up a trio of goals to Hortonville forward Miranda Natrop.

With the win, the Hawks will travel to Griese Park in Marshfield for a showdown with No. 2 Marshfield in the regional final at 1 p.m Saturday.

“We just have to keep playing our own game,” Croschere said. “Not play to what everyone else is doing. We need to keep doing what we’re doing. We’ve moving the ball well. We’re playing good at this point.”

The match was similar to the teams’ previous meeting this season, when sixth-seeded Hortonville’s every score was immediately matched by Shawano, which pulled away in the second half.

“It was basically back and forth,” Croschere said. “They’d score, and we’d score right back.”

The Polar Bears got the scoring going in the first minutes of the game Thursday, when Natrop got a breakaway to score. Shawano answered on the next possession when Klitzke got a goal off a scrum in front of the Hortonville net.

Dickmann put the Hawks ahead 2-1 with a goal 15 minutes into the match, but Hortonville answered with another Natrop goal.

“We did more of a team effort, we didn’t put a person on her,” Croschere said. “We figured, with the offense we’ve been having lately, we could outscore one person.”

A few minutes later, a Dickmann kick that landed in front of the Hortonville goal was knocked into the net by a Hortonville player to put the Hawks ahead 3-2.

Shawano held that lead until Natrop struck again 15 minutes into the second half, but back-to-back goals by Klitzke in under 2 minutes gave Shawano breathing room.

In the match’s 69th minute, sophomore midfielder Schnell capped the scoring and put Shawano ahead 6-3.

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6 Menominee Indian players selectedBy: 

Leader Staff

The Bonduel High School baseball team led the way with seven players earning All-Central Wisconsin Conference honors, and Menominee Indian had six, as the teams were released this week.

Bonduel High School juniors Colton Dobtatz and Connor Rosin were named to the Central Wisconsin Conference-8 baseball all-conference first team.

Seniors Jake Luepke and Jacob Wudtke earned second-team honors. Hunter VanderLinden, Travis Wollenberg and Steven Olson, all juniors, were honorable mentions for the Bears (12-8, 10-3 CWC-8).

Senior Cory Mortenson made the second team for Wittenberg-Birnamwood (4-12, 2-11). Keegan Miller, Nick Kapitz and Colin Klumpyan were honorable mentions.

Iola-Scandinavia’s Cam Gruenwald was the Player of the Year.

Senior Jennifer Dowden and sophomore Kaylee Rynish were second-team selections for the Bonduel softball team (9-9, 6-7 CWC-8). Alexa Reinke was an honorable mention.

Jessica Anderson and Siri Zeinert were also honorable mentions for Wittenberg-Birnamwood (5-15, 2-11).

Iola-Scandinavia’s Jane Oligney was named Player of the Year.

Central Wisconsin Conference-10

The Menominee Indian High School baseball team, who had six players earn conference honors, had two players named first-team all-conference in seniors Richard Corn and Lowell Chevalier.

Sophomores Ty Latender and Nick Corn were second-team selections. Forrest Webster and Dallas Madosh were honorable mentions for the Eagles (16-7, 12-6 CWC-10).

Senior Scott Cerveny was named to the first team for Gresham (9-11, 8-9). Kevin Ile and Christian Haffner were honorable mentions.

For Bowler (10-8-1, 9-7-1), senior Walker Miller earned first-team honors. Thomas Kazik and Zach Olson were honorable mentions.

Senior Tyler Marquardt was a first-team selection for Tigerton (10-8, 9-8). Woodrow Nelson was a second-team selection, and Hayden Harris was an honorable mention.

Aaron Hoffman, a Marion High School senior, was named first team all-conference for the Mustangs (3-14, 3-13). Justin Miller was an honorable mention.

Rosholt’s Jarod Richter and Nick Lemke were Players of the Year.

In softball, Menominee Indian junior Joan Waukau earned first-team honors. Taylor Mahkimetas was second team, and Angel Fish was an honorable mention for the Eagles (5-10, 5-9).

Senior Kimmie Petrich, junior Brianna Stehberger and freshman Makena Arndt were all honorable mentions for Gresham (0-17, 0-16).

Junior Ashlynn Brisk was a first-team selection for Bowler (3-15, 2-14). Morgan Olson was honorable mention.

Tigerton (16-5, 15-3) had two first-team selections in seniors Emily Wendt and Erin Robbins. Sarah Gauthier was a second-team selection.

Senior McKenzie Thoma earned first-team honors for Marion (15-9, 10-7). Jessica Reminger was a second-team selection.

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Mueller 1st Hawk at state since 2005By: 

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The third try at sectionals was a charm for golfer Braden Mueller.

The Shawano Community High School junior came in third with a round of 76 Wednesday at the WIAA Division 1 sectional at Thornberry Creek at Oneida.

The score was good enough to earn Mueller a berth in next week’s state tournament.

“He was just playing fantastic,” Shawano coach Dean Kugler said. “I mean, wow! He really played well.”

Mueller, who qualified for sectionals in his freshman and sophomore years, was the second individual state qualifier behind Austin Elsner, of New London, who tied Green Bay Notre Dame’s Robert Petitjean for medalist honors with a 75.

“He was playing pretty relaxed,” Kugler said. “We knew he was right around the number he needed to be at. For me, I knew he was going to play well when I saw the first hole, which was eating everyone up.”

While many golfers struggled with the hole, Mueller managed a par four.

Mueller and Elsner both scored 38 on the front nine.

Mueller is the first SCHS boys golfer to reach the state tournament since Adam Austreng in 2005.

Mueller will compete at the state meet Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.

“He’s wanted this for a while,” Kugler said, “probably since his freshman year.”

Shawano, which qualified for sectionals as a team for the second year in a row, placed seventh with a team score of 361. Notre Dame won with a score of 310, followed by Appleton East (326) and Pulaski (336).

“We’re competing against Pulaski, Appleton East, Notre Dame, these are bigger schools than us,” Kugler said. “We did OK. At least we went two years in a row, that’s a good accomplishment. “

Ian Lewis, who like Mueller earned first-team All-Bay Conference honors this season, finished 24th overall, carding 87. Garret Schlise and Cole Huntington each came in at 99, and Ryan Hoffman shot 103.

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Gresham golfers miss state bid

Gresham’s Killian Eggert shot a 90 at the WIAA Division 3 golf sectional at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Hortonville on Wednesday, finishing 15th and six strokes off the state qualifying mark of 84.

Kyle Miller finished with a 93 for Gresham. Cole Hoffman shot a 110, James Kazik 119 and Chase Denomie 144.

As a team, Gresham finished ninth with a team score of 412. Crandon won the meet with a score of 363, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas (366) and Weyauwega-Fremont (367).

Iola-Scandinavia’s Nolan Wolberg was the meet medalist, carding 80.

Eagles advance to regional final

A five-run seventh-inning rally gave the third-seeded Menominee Indian High School baseball team an 8-7 win over No. 2 Coleman in a WIAA Division 3 regional baseball game Wednesday in Coleman.

The Eagles (16-7, 12-6 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) were led by Lowell Chevalier, who had a double and two RBIs. Michael Pecore also had a double and an RBI. Richard Corn earned the win, pitching seven innings, allowing seven runs on 14 hits, walking one and striking out six.

Menominee Indian faces No. 1 Oconto on the road Friday in the regional final.

Doornink, Truckers upset Peshtigo

Turner Doornink hit two home runs and a double to lead the third-seeded Clintonville High School baseball team past No. 2 Peshtigo 7-2 in the WIAA Division 2 regional tournament Wednesday in Peshtigo.

The Truckers (13-8, 9-7 Eastern Valley) took a 3-0 lead in the first and were ahead 5-0 after four innings.

Doornink finished 4 for 5 with four RBIs. Nick Hogen struck out 10 batters to earn the win and was 2 for 4. Parker Mindel and Marcus Sharkey each had two hits for Clintonville.

Clintonville plays top-seeded Green Bay Notre Dame in the regional final Friday in Green Bay.

Tigerton tops Gresham, 6-1

The No. 2 Tigerton High School baseball team took care of No. 3 Gresham 6-1 in their WIAA Division 4 regional game Wednesday in Tigerton.

Tigerton will play No. 1 Pittsville for the regional championship Friday in Pittsville.

No other statistics were available by the Leader’s press time.

Bowler falls to Pittsville

The fifth-seeded Bowler High School baseball team’s WIAA Division 4 regional run came to a quick end Wednesday, losing 15-5 in six innings to top-seeded Pittsville.

Pittsville faces No. 2 Tigerton in the regional championship Friday in Pittsville.

No other statistics were available by the Leader’s press time.

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Shiocton eliminates Bonduel from tourneyBy: 

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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel High School shortstop Hunter VanderLinden hits a two-RBI single during the fifth inning of a WIAA Division 3 regional game against Shiocton on Wednesday in Bonduel. Bonduel lost, 6-3.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel High School pitcher Jake Luepke throws during a WIAA Division 3 regional game against Shiocton. Bonduel lost, 6-3.

Three home runs, including a pair by Shiocton senior Talon Heinemeyer, were too much for the Bonduel High School baseball team to overcome in a 6-3 loss Wednesday in Bonduel.

The defeat in the WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal ended the Bears’ season and the high school careers of eight seniors.

Heinemeyer set the tone early, with a first-inning, two-run shot over the right field fence. Riley Woop added another home run in the second inning, and Shiocton added another run in the third on a Bonduel error to take a 4-0 lead.

“We were kind of down in the first part of the game,” Bonduel coach Don Gruenewald said. “The home runs didn’t help. We kind of hung our heads a little bit.”

In the fourth inning, Jacob Wudtke drew a walk, advanced to third on a Travis Wollenberg double and then scored on a Lloyd Allen fly out to center field.

Heinemeyer hit an RBI double in the top of the fifth inning, but the Bears cut the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the inning on Hunter VanderLinden’s two-RBI single.

“We put a couple of innings together where we hit the ball pretty well,” Gruenewald said. “We came back, and they started to get back into it, but we just couldn’t get the hits when we needed them in the end.”

A pitching switch in the sixth seemed to give the Bears’ a lift. Sophomore Trevor Pedersen, who spent most of the season pitching on the junior varsity team, came in for Jake Luepke and struck out the side, but Bonduel did nothing in the bottom to take advantage.

Gruenewald was complimentary of his young reliever.

“Trevor is going to do very well on varsity,” Gruenewald said. “He earned every inning that he got on varsity, because he is the real deal.”

Pedersen continued to pitch well in the seventh, forcing a fly out and a strike out before giving up another home run to Heinemeyer.

That was the only hit Pedersen allowed in two innings of work.

“That’s just a good athlete,” Gruenewald said of Heinemeyer. “He’s a talented kid.”

Shiocton pitcher Gavin Braun, who finished the game with 10 strikeouts, six walks and allowed three runs on five hits, stifled any comeback in the seventh, striking out the first two batters. VanderLinden reached base on an error, but Braun ended the game with a strikeout.

Luepke allowed five runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked two in five innings.

Travis Wollenberg and Colton Dobratz each had two hits for Bonduel.

Gruenewald said it will be hard to say goodbye to the seniors, four of whom were starters.

“They’ll be tough to replace,” Gruenewald said. “A couple of them, Jacob Wudtke, he’s the heart and soul of this team, he’s the backbone, he’s the one that keeps everything together. Jake Luepke, he’s been pitching for two years now, he’s a tough competitor. Kyle Fischer, this year he really stepped up. Lloyd Allen, he had missed part of last year, but he came out and started every game for us.”

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Urban, Smurawa named Athletes of the YearBy: 

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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz From left, Austin Lhotka (most improved), Carlos Merino (most valuable, relay), Brice Bergner (most valuable; most valuable, running), Dan Boivin (most valuable, field), Katheryn Kugel (most valuable, running), Kristina Kurtz (most valuable, relay; most improved), Kia Smurawa (female athlete of the year; most valuable) and Isabella Gonzalez (Coach’s Award; most valuable, field) earned track and field awards at the spring athletics banquet Monday at The Gathering in Shawano.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School boys tennis players, from left, Austin Steinbach (most valuable), Zach Soper (most improved), Patarapol Chittanurak (team player), Tom Cumberland (most valuable) and Ted Mickelson (most dedicated) were among the honorees at Monday’s spring athletic banquet at The Gathering in Shawano.

Seniors Cody Urban and Kia Smurawa received Athlete of the Year awards at the Shawano Athletic Booster Club’s annual spring banquet Monday at The Gathering in Shawano.

Urban qualified for the state tournament in wrestling, was the football team’s Most Valuable Player award recipient and played baseball.

“I figured I had a good year for sports, but I was not expecting getting it whatsoever,” Urban said.

Looking back on his career at Shawano Community High School, Urban said the trip to the state wrestling tournament was the highlight.

“The best part was obviously state,” Urban said. “Just being in the arena, the best wrestlers in the state, to be part of that was just crazy.”

Smurawa earned the Al Hartman Most Valuable Player award for the track and field team. She also participated in basketball and girls tennis.

“It’s kind of sad that it’s my last sports banquet, but it feels good because I got all these awards,” Smurawa said.

Smurawa will participate in the long jump at the state track and field meet Saturday.

Lindsey Kurtz received the Don Martzke Award and Scholar Athlete of the Year, both $500 scholarships. Kyle Raddant also earned a Don Martzke Award, and Clint Dallas was the other Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Raddant and Kayla Hokenstad were presented with the Sandi Neumann Award, a scholarship presented by Neumann’s family.

Urban, Smurawa, Dallas, Hokenstad, Kurtz, Raddant, Garret Schlise, Connor Neuman-Sleeper and Jaryd Wilber were all presented with 12-sport participation plaques.

Boys golf

Braden Mueller earned the boys golf team’s MVP award. Ian Lewis was named team captain. Ryan Hoffman was named most improved, and Daniel Hetue earned the Coach’s Award. Mueller and Cole Huntington earned Academic All-State honors this season.

Girls track and field

Isabella Gonzalez won the Coach’s Award, and she was named the MVP for field events. Katheryn Kugel earned the running event MVP award. Kristina Kurtz was the relay team MVP and was named the most improved.

For the boys, Brice Bergner was named the Al Hartman Most Valuable Player and was the running event MVP. Carlos Merino was named the relay MVP and won the Coach’s Award. Austin Lhotka was named most improved player. Dan Boivin was named the field events MVP.

Boys tennis

The No. 1 doubles partners Tom Cumberland and Austin Steinbach were named the MVPs. Zach Soper was named most improved. Patarapol Chittanurak earned the Team Player Award. Ted Mickelson was named most dedicated player.

Softball

The softball team’s trio of seniors took home awards. Brianna Laabs was named MVP. LaRissa O’Kimosh was named offensive MVP. Courtney Baumann won the Heart of the Hawk Award. Saige Henning, who was ninth in the Bay Conference with a batting average of .419, was named the team’s rookie of the year.

Baseball

Chase Henning was named the MVP and the offensive Player of the Year, batting .375. Clint Dallas was named Defensive Player of the Year. Grant Wainio was rookie of the year.

Girls soccer

Lindsey McFarlane was named MVP. Haley Going earned defensive Player of the Year, and Sarah Dickmann won the award for her play on offense.

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Ainsworth unanimous first-team selectionBy: 

Leader Staff

Shawano Community High School placed two players on the first teams of both the All-Bay Conference softball and soccer teams announced this week.

Junior softball player Courtney Ainsworth was a unanimous first-team selection, and was joined by LaRissa O’Kimosh.

Soccer players Morgan Klitzke and Sarah Dickmann both made first-team all-conference honors.

Ainsworth, a junior catcher/shortstop, was the first unanimous selection for the Shawano softball team in the last five years. She hit .370 in conference play and racked up 21 RBIs, fourth in the conference, for SCHS, which finished sixth in the Bay Conference with a 6-9 record.

Saige Henning earned second-team honors for Shawano. Fellow Hawks Nicki Ainsworth, Allison Raddant and Courtney Baumann were honorable mentions.

Hortonville’s Sammi Sullivan was the Player of the Year.

Soccer

Klitzke, a sophomore forward, was tied for fourth in scoring in the Bay with five goals. Dickmann, a sophomore midfielder/forward, led the Bay in assists and had four goals.

Lindsey McFarlane and Megan Klitzke, who was second in the Bay in scoring with eight goals, were named to the all-conference second team. Colleen McFarlane was an honorable mention for the Hawks, who finished second in the Bay Conference at 7-3.

West De Pere’s Tia Irish and New London’s Alexis Messina were named co-Players of the Year.

Baseball

Shawano junior center fielder Chase Henning was named second-team all-conference. He was eighth in the conference in hitting, with an average of .375. He also had 10 RBIs.

Henning was the only Shawano player to receive conference recognition for the Hawks, who finished seventh in the Bay Conference at 5-11.

Denmark’s Alex Loberger was named Player of the Year.

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Shawano loses to PulaskiBy: 

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Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School pitcher Grant Wainio took the loss as the Hawks fell 6-2 Tuesday to Pulaski in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal game. Wainio gave up six hits, struck out two batters and walked two.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School senior Taylor Prey’s RBI single opened the scoring in the Hawks’ WIAA Division 1 game against Pulaski on Tuesday in Pulaski. Shawano lost, 6-2.

The Shawano Community High School baseball team came up short Tuesday in its effort to replicate last year’s WIAA regional win over Pulaski.

Like last year, the 10th-seeded Hawks were on the road at Memorial Park to face No. 7 Pulaski in a Division 1 regional semifinal. Unlike last year, when Shawano posted a 5-3 upset, the Hawks faded down the stretch, giving up three runs in the sixth inning to lose 6-2 after being behind 3-2 for most of the game.

“We played well enough to win,” Shawano coach Rob Wolf said. “That 6-2 score really doesn’t reflect that. It was definitely a closer ballgame than that.”

The game could not have started much better for the Hawks (7-16, 5-11 Bay), who collected four straight singles off Pulaski ace Luke VanLanen. Taylor Prey’s single scored Zach Sousek to give Shawano a 1-0 lead.

“We got on top right away,” Wolf said. “That’s just a confidence builder. We’re facing one of the best pitchers in the area.”

The Red Raiders had an answer, though, tying the game on a VanLanen hit in the bottom of the inning.

In the second inning, the Hawks regained the lead on a Ky Schmidt RBI single.

Once again Pulaski (10-14, 9-11 Fox River Classic) had an answer. Conrad Feivor’s double scored two runs to give the Red Raiders the 3-2 lead they would hold until the bottom of the sixth.

Pulaski led of the sixth with a pair of singles. After Pulaski’s Taylor Splan ground up, Shawano intentionally walked Luke Reynolds, loading the bases.

Shawano pitcher Grant Wainio, who had held Pulaski to three hits through the first five innings, struck out one batter before giving up two runs on a hit batsman and a walk. Wainio gave up another run on a single, before striking out a batter to end the inning.

Wolf had high praise for his junior pitcher, who gave up six hits, struck out two batters and walked two.

“He shut their offense down,” Wolf said. “Yes, they were hitting the ball, but they were right at them. That’s what Grant is, more of a contact pitcher. Hitting his spots and making them put the ball in play, and we had good defense behind him.”

Jaryd Wilber took a base on balls, but that’s all the Hawks could muster in the top of the seventh.

“We had, I think, four or five runners on second base,” Wolf said. “He’s one of the best pitchers in this conference. We did what we needed to do. We had the opportunities, the breaks just didn’t go our way.

“In that last inning we had some mistakes, which were the first mistakes we made all game.”

With the loss, the Hawks say goodbye to five seniors: Cody Urban, Clint Dallas, Jonathan Koth, Jaryd Wilber and Prey. The good news is that seven juniors with experience will return next year.

“We need to put the time and energy in, but I think we’ll have a hell of a ball team next year,” Wolf said.

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By: 

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Bonduel High School golfer Ben Shoup shot an 84 to finish 14th Tuesday at the WIAA Division 2 sectional at Crystal Springs Golf Course in Seymour.

“After a pretty rough first couple of holes, Ben recovered and fought hard for the rest of the round,” coach Dan Anderson said. “The wind was very gusty, the worst kind for a golfer, and the scores reflected it.”

Shoup’s 84 was four strokes off the individual qualifying mark of 80.

“Making it to sectionals is an accomplishment in itself and I know he enjoyed his day today, even though it didn’t turn out exactly as he had hoped,” Anderson said.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s Brant Linke shot a 99, finishing tied for 60th. Teammate Kyle Adamski shot a 106 and finished 71st.

“Both Brant and Kyle started out well, parring the first hole, but as the round went on the wind and course got the better of them,” Wittenberg-Birnamwood coach Chris Bartletti said. “To their credit, they both ground it out even when they knew that moving on was no longer in the picture.”

Winnebago Lutheran Academy’s Chris Colla was the meet medalist, with a round of 75.

Marinette won the meet with a team score of 319.

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Western Division

Bowler 9, Caroline 3

Bowler scored six runs in the seventh inning to overcome a 3-2 deficit.

Paul Murphy earned the win while Travis Verg took the loss.

Bowler’s Paul Murphy was 4 for 6 with two doubles, a triple and two RBIs. Phil Duffek had three hits, including two doubles. Andy Pierzchalski was 3 for 3 with two RBIs. Kregg Boldig and Ryan Zarda each had two hits.

Lee Verg was 3 for 5 with a double to lead Caroline.

Other divisions

Northern: Wittenberg beat Hatley 9-8, Aniwa stomped Eland 17-6. Elderon topped Birnamwood 12-7.

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