Shawano Leader Sports Headlines

The Marion High School girls basketball team received a No. 1 seed in the WIAA regional tournament brackets released Sunday.

Marion (18-2, 16-1 Central Wisconsin-10) is the No. 1 seed in its Division 5 bracket. It will open the tournament Tuesday against eighth-seeded Gresham (0-20, 0-16 CWC-10). The winner will advance to play either No. 4 Bowler (10-9, 7-8 CWC-10) or No. 5 Tigerton (4-13, 3-11 CWC-10), which play Tuesday in Bowler, March 7.

Bonduel (17-4, 11-2 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) earned a No. 3 seed in its Division 4 bracket and will get a first-round bye. The Bears will open the tournament at home March 7 against the winner of Tuesday’s game between No. 11 Menominee Indian (6-12, 5-10 CWC-10) and No. 6 Crandon (14-5, 11-2 Northern Lakes).

In Division 2, Shawano (5-16, 4-10 Bay) earned a fifth seed and will open the tournament Tuesday on the road against fourth-seeded Antigo (7-12, 4-7 Great Northern). The winner will travel to face top-seeded New London (16-4, 14-1), which beat Shawano 58-22 Tuesday night, in the regional semifinal March 7.

In Division 3, fourth-seeded Wittenberg-Birnamwood (16-4, 11-2 CWC-8) will host No. 5 Clintonville (3-17, 2-13 Eastern Valley) Tuesday. The winner will advance to face top-seeded Oconto Falls (16-2, 11-2 Bay) March 7.

The higher-seeded school will host games through the regional final.

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Wildcats claw Tigers in tourney opener

The second-seeded Gresham Community High School boys basketball team beat No. 7 Tigerton 69-30 to open the WIAA Division 5 regional tournament Tuesday in Gresham.

Christian Haffner scored 23 points and had four assists to lead the Wildcats (15-6, 12-5 Central Wisconsin Conference-10). Scott Cerveny scored 22 points and added six rebounds and three assists. Neil Cerveny had 11 points and seven assists.

Woodrow Nelson led Tigerton with 15 points.

Mustangs lose to Elcho by 1

The fifth-seed Marion High School boys basketball team lost to No. 4 Elcho 65-64 in a Division 5 regional tournament game Tuesday in Elcho.

Bowler loses to Wisconsin Valley Lutheran

The Bowler High School boys basketball team, a sixth seed, lost to third-seeded Wisconsin Valley Lutheran 61-49 in Tuesday’s Division 5 regional opener in Mosinee.

Chargers beaten by Oconto Falls

The fifth-seeded Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School boys basketball team lost to No. 4 Oconto Falls 64-45 in the WIAA Division 3 regional tournament Tuesday in Oconto Falls.

Brad Linke had 16 points to lead the Chargers (6-17, 2-12 Central Wisconsin Conference-8). Nick Kapitz added eight.

Riley Gruetzmacher scored 22 points to lead Oconto Falls (4-17, 2-14 Bay).

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Shawano boys rout Marinette

The Shawano Community High School boys basketball team dominated its regular season finale Saturday at Shawano Community Middle School, beating Bay Conference foe Marinette 68-34.

Kyle Raddant scored 24 points to lead the Hawks (14-8, 12-4 Bay). Dillon Frechette added 13 and Travis Geenen scored 11.

Marcus Maguire led Marinette (2-19, 1-15) with 14 points.

Hawks beaten by New London

The Shawano Community High School girls basketball team lost to New London 58-22 in a Bay Conference game Tuesday in Shawano.

Courtney Vomastic scored eight points to lead the Hawks (5-16, 4-10 Bay).

Nicky Roland led New London (16-4, 14-1 Bay) with 15 points.

Bonduel girls beat Shawano

The Shawano Community High School girls basketball team lost to Bonduel 53-51 in a nonconference game Monday in Shawano.

Courtney Vomastic scored 19 to lead the Hawks (5-16, 4-10 Bay). Lyndsey Kurtz added 17.

Jennifer Dowden led the Bears (17-4, 11-2 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) with 22 points. Deanna Zernicke added 15.

Bears beaten by Pacelli

The Bonduel High School boys basketball team closed out its regular season Saturday with a 56-44 loss to Central Wisconsin Conference-8 champion Stevens Point Pacelli in Stevens Point.

Zach Zernicke scored 19 points to lead the Bears (11-12, 5-9 CWC-8). Connor Rosin scored 13.

Issac Elliott’s 22 points led Pacelli (19-2, 13-1 CWC-8).

Truckers lose to Waupaca

The Clintonville High School girls basketball team lost to Waupaca 45-31 in an Eastern Valley Conference game Monday in Clintonville.

Caitie Carpenter led Clintonville (3-17, 2-13 Eastern Valley) with nine points.

Victoria Nowak scored 13 to lead Waupaca (8-13, 6-9).

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Tauchen, Potrykus win sectional titlesBy: 

Gerrard Diaz, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel High School junior Dan Tauchen, left, wrestles Auburndale’s Wyatt Weiler during the 152-pound championship at the WIAA Division 3 sectional Saturday in Shawano. Tauchen won the title match, 6-4.

Two area wrestlers won WIAA sectional championships Saturday and 9 others also qualified to move on to the state meet that begins Thursday in Madison.

Bonduel High School junior Dan Tauchen (38-7) won the 152-pound championship at the Division 3 Bonduel sectional, and Wittenberg-Birnamwood senior Braxton Potrykus (42-2) won the 152-pound championship at the Division 2 Seymour sectional.

Also qualifying for state were Bonduel second-place finisher Jacob Wudtke (170, 38-6) and third-place finisher Garrett Siokla (113, 39-7); Menominee Indian third-place finishers Kyle Winker (126, 44-7) and Keenan Richmond (220, 40-11); Witt-Birn second-place finisher Bobby Uttecht (126, 38-6) and third-place finishers August Peplinski (182, 44-6), Alex Peplinski (160, 42-9) and Ben Vosters (120, 46-2); and Clintonville third-place finisher Jake Reiter (195, 40-5).

The top two wrestlers in each Division 1 sectional advanced to state; the top three advanced in Divisions 2 and 3.

Division 2 and 3 preliminaries begin at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at the Kohl Center on the University of Wisconsin campus.

Full results from Saturday:

Division 1

Green Bay Preble/East Sectional

Shawano Community High School senior Cody Urban (160, 15-8) just missed qualifying for state with a third-place finish. Urban pinned Neenah’s Forrest Yineman (12-15) in 2:56 in the third-place match, but was pinned by Bay Port's Jacob Jossart (39-9) in 2:45 in the second-place match.

Dalton Parson (126, 23-14), Mike Meisner (182, 26-13) and Jayce Hinkfuss (220, 28-13) all made first-round exits.

Division 2

Seymour Sectional

Potrykus edged Mosinee’s Elliot Sparby (24-4) 3-2 in the 152-pound championship match.

Stetson Potrykus (106, 43-7), Zach Urquhart (113, 34-14), Griffin Magee (145, 31-16), Hunter Kreger (170, 32-11) and D.J. Ostrowski (195, 18-8) made early round exits for Witt-Birn and did not place.

Reiter, a senior, beat New London’s Andrew Clauss (17-16) 18-8 in the third-place match.

Clintonville senior Charlie Poppe (170, 34-10) lost his first-round match.

Division 3

Bonduel Sectional

Tauchen won a 6-4 sudden victory in overtime against Auburndale’s Wyatt Weiler (33-5) after trailing early in the match.

Wudtke was pinned in his 170-pound championship match by Reedsville’s Grant Wedepohl (40-1) in 2:54, but pinned Weyauwega-Fremont’s Brandon Loehrke (31-9) in 5:53 in the second-place match.

Bonduel junior Travis Wollenberg (33-9) just missed state, losing his 126-pound third-place match to Winker on a 6-4 decision.

Bennett Gunderson (195, 26-17) and Mitch Sokolski (160, 31-11) both made first-round exits for Bonduel.

Richmond lost the championship match of the 220-pound bracket to Manawa’s Casey Johnson (43-1) by a 7-3 decision. Richmond then forfeited the second-place match to Coleman’s CJ Pillath (38-9).

Winker lost the second-place match to Stratford’s Alex Heiden (38-5), getting pinned in 2:38.

Vel Hawkins (106, 23-16) and Blake Stoehr (120, 28-15) both lost their first-round matches for Menominee Indian. Antonio Mahkimetas (145, 14-14) won in the quarterfinal, but lost his next two matches. Kyle Komanekin (160, 14-15) lost his first two matches of the day.

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SCHS junior wins two state swim titlesBy: 

Leader Staff

Photo by Troy A. Bruzewski Shawano Community High School junior Zach Soper competes in the 200-yard medley relay during the WIAA Division 2 state championships Friday at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Natatorium. Soper won championships in the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke.

Shawano Community High School junior Zach Soper celebrated atop the podium twice Friday, winning both the 100-yard backstroke and 100 butterfly at the WIAA Division 2 state swim meet in Madison.

This was Soper’s third trip to the state meet, held at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium, in both events. As a freshman, he finished 11th in the butterfly and 13th in the backstroke. Last year, he was fourth in the butterfly and second in the backstroke.

“It feels really, really good,” Soper said. “It feels like all the work I put in really paid off. It just feels great, standing up on the podium in the first-place position.”

Soper won the 100-yard butterfly Friday in 52.24, a hair slower than his sectional-best time of 52.23, edging Shorewood sophomore Michael Perry (52.51) and Monona Grove senior Andrew Sackett (52.85).

He said, of the two events, he was more nervous about the butterfly.

“That was closer as far as the times,” Soper said. “I would say it was my harder event. It was great to get that one out of the way and get the first place.”

The race featured four of last year’s top five finishers. Soper got off to a very quick start, covering the first 50 yards in 24.26 and leading Sackett (24.64) at the midway point. Perry, who also placed second last year, finished strong, turning in the best second 50 (27.65) to overtake Sackett. Soper swam the second half in 27.78.

He saved his best for the backstroke, winning in a personal-best 50.79 — the fifth fastest time in state meet history.

“I felt really good. My legs and my arms, I was really relaxed,” Soper said. “I felt like I would do a good job.”

Soper and Beaver Dam senior Jan Hanson, who won the 100 freestyle title Friday, battled from start to finish, with Hanson clocking the first 50 in 25.21 and Soper in 25.25. But Soper took control on the second turn and was the only swimmer to finish the final 50 in under 26 seconds, clocking a 25.55 to Hanson’s 26.37.

Hanson finished second in 51:58 and Edgewood senior Payton tuDuits was third in 52.82.

“When I finished, for both races, I just looked up and I saw my mom and I just started smiling,” Soper said. “It just meant so much to me, having my mom and my sister and everybody there.”

Soper was the top seed in the event after winning the Stevens Point sectional in 51:06, more than two seconds better than any of the other 16 state finalists’ best times.

He did miss the podium in one event as Shawano’s 200-yard medley relay team placed 15th in 1:45.46. The squad included Soper, freshman Griffin Rades, junior Rolando Colon and junior Jake Klister. Edgewood won the event in 1:36.89.

The Hawks finished with 44 points, 18th of the 34 teams at the meet, which was won by Edgewood (294). Each of Soper’s victories was worth 20 points, and the relay team added four.

Soper’s performance was more than an individual triumph, however.

“It’s great for the school, it’s great for him and the swimming program in Shawano as a whole,” Shawano coach Walberto Colon said. “They were pretty exciting races. … He competed tough. It was a tough competition.”

Going into his senior season next year, in addition to his two state titles, Soper will be a three-time sectional champion in the backstroke and back-to-back sectional titlist in the butterfly.

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By: 

Gerrard Diaz, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School forward Lindsey Kurtz tries to get around a Luxemburg-Casco defender during a Bay Conference game Friday in Shawano. Shawano lost, 43-40.

The Shawano Community High School girls basketball team played three solid quarters, but a lapse early in the second half Friday resulted in a 43-40 home loss to Luxemburg-Casco.

“We have to adjust and learn,” Shawano coach Ryan Koenig said. “One quarter is killing us. We’ve got to play four quarters.”

The Hawks (5-16, 4-10 Bay) had a nice start, holding their Bay Conference foe to four points in the first quarter and building a 21-13 halftime lead. But they were outscored 15-4 in the third quarter.

“We had the lead; that third quarter killed us,” Koenig said. “We played hard. The defensive effort, holding them to four points in the first quarter, all night our defensive intensity was good. There were just some mental lapses.”

Junior guard Sarah Kinnard, who had three points in the first half, sparked the Spartan offense with an early 3-pointer en route to 11 points in the third period.

The Hawks were able to hang around, though, and got to within one point, 37-36, with 2:30 left to play, spurred by the play of sophomore Sara Hokenstad and senior Lyndsey Kurtz.

Hokenstad scored seven of her nine points in the fourth quarter. Kurtz had seven rebounds and eight points in the game.

“We tried coming back and had some chances,” Koenig said. “The girls played hard.”

Down 42-38, sophomore Megan Klitzke made two free throws. The Hawks then fouled Jessica Liebeck, who missed both of her free-throw attempts, but an errant pass gave the ball back to the Spartans (6-14, 4-11).

Shawano then fouled Lexi Kinnard with 7.2 seconds left in the game. Lexi Kinnard made her second free throw to seal the win.

Sarah Kinnard led Luxemburg-Casco with 20 points.

Klitzke finished with nine points. Kayla Hokenstad had seven rebounds for the Hawks.

Luxemburg-Casco (43)

L. Kinnard 2 2-4 8, Warnke 2 0-0 4, S. Kinnard 5 8-8 20, Liebeck 1 4-7 6, Hanmann 1 0-0 2, Cravillion 1 1-2 3

Shawano (40)

Megan Klitzke 3 3-4 9, K. Hokenstad 1 0-0 2, S. Hokenstad 4 1-5 9, Kurtz 3 2-6 8, Boda 2 1-2 5, 1 0-0 2, Vomastic 2 0-0 5

Luxemburg-Casco 4 9 15 15 — 43

Shawano 7 14 4 15 — 40

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The Central Wisconsin Conference race tightened even further Friday with Wittenberg-Birnamwood defeating league-leader Amherst in girls basketball action.

Bonduel, meanwhile, trounced Stevens Point Pacelli 73-10 at home to set up a showdown with Amherst (16-3, 9-2 CWC-8) on Saturday.

Jennifer Dowden led Bonduel (15-4, 10-2 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) with 12 points. Alexa Reinke added 11. Miranda Schmidt, Taylor Weier and Haley Pues all chipped in nine.

The Bears host Amherst at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and close the regular season Thursday at Iola-Scandinavia (8-10, 5-7 CWC-8).

In Wittenberg, Micah Nier’s 22 points led the Chargers (16-4, 11-2 CWC-8) to a 59-51 win over Amherst.

Jamiee Pitt scored 35 to lead Amherst, which travels to Manawa (3-14, 1-9 CWC-8) on Tuesday.

Mikayla Hartman added 16 for Witt-Birn, which closes the regular season Thursday at Pacelli (1-18, 1-11).

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Bonduel boys fall to Amherst

The Bonduel High School boys basketball team lost to Amherst 62-46 Friday in Amherst.

Colton Dobratz and Zach Zernicke led Bonduel (10-11, 5-8 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) with eight points each.

Hayden Blackford led Amherst (16-5, 10-4 CWC-8) with 31 points.

Bowler boys beaten by Tri-County

The Bowler High School boys basketball team lost to Tri-County 50-37 in a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 game Friday in Bowler.

Cody Montez led Bowler (5-17, 3-15 CWC-10) with 11 points.

Other scores

Boys basketball: Menominee Indian lost to Port Edwards 72-42; Marion lost to Almond-Bancroft 59-48.

Girls basketball: Menominee Indian lost to Port Edwards 50-31; Bowler lost to Tri-County 46-29; Clintonville lost to Winneconne 64-54.

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Brackets for the WIAA sectional wrestling tournaments were announced Thursday.

Twenty-eight area wrestlers will compete Saturday at sectionals in Green Bay, Seymour and Shawano.

Regional champions are designated by an asterisk. State rankings by wiwrestling.com are indicated after the wrestler’s win-loss record.

DIVISION 1

GREEN BAY PREBLE SECTIONAL

Shawano Community High School

126: Junior Dalton Parson (23-13) vs. *freshman Elliott Luker (34-6, #13) of Hortonville

160: Senior Cody Urban (13-6) vs. senior Cody Ruppel (18-20) of Appleton North

182: Senior Mike Meisner (26-12) vs. senior Luke Nelessen (23-7) of Neenah

220: Junior Jayce Hinkfuss (28-12) vs. *junior Beau Thompson (39-7, #3) of Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln

DIVISION 2

SEYMOUR SECTIONAL

Wittenberg-Birnamwood

106: Freshman Stetson Potrykus (43-5, #10) vs. *sophomore Paul Bianchi (46-2, #1) of Two Rivers

113: Sophomore Zach Urquhart (33-12) vs. *junior Austin Gonyou (26-15) of Waupaca

120: *Senior Ben Vosters (44-1, #4) vs. senior Austin Jensen (30-13) of Freedom

126: *Senior Bobby Uttecht (36-5, #7) vs. senior Brian Van Rite (16-7) of Denmark

145: Sophomore Griffin Magee (31-14) vs. *senior Jacob Englebert (43-1, #2) Southern Door

152: *Senior Braxton Potrykus (39-2, #2) vs. senior Lucas VanDeurzen (29-14) Little Chute

160: *Freshman Alex Peplinski (39-8) vs. sophomore Adam Vosters (22-15) of Freedom

170: Junior Hunter Kreger (32-9) vs. *sophomore Stetson Burmeister (37-9, #10) of Wrightstown

182: *Sophomore August Peplinski (41-5, #2) vs. senior Luke Seuffer (32-8) of Omro

195: Senior D.J. Ostrowski (18-7) vs. *senior Jake Reiter (37-4, #5) of Clintonville

Clintonville

170: Senior Charlie Poppe (34-9) vs. *senior Hunter Messerschmidt (30-6) of Winneconne

195: *Senior Jake Reiter (37-4, #5) vs. senior D.J. Ostrowski (18-7) of Wittenberg-Birnamwood

DIVISION 3

BONDUEL SECTIONAL

Menominee Indian

106: *Sophomore Vel Hawkins (23-15) vs. freshman Brandon Moravec (30-15) Wabeno-Laona

120: *Junior Blake Stoehr (28-14) vs. senior Mitch Schwahn (33-6, #7) Reedsville

126: *Senior Kyle Winker (41-5, #10) vs. junior Will Micke (24-13) Elcho

145: *Freshman Antonio Mahkimetas (13-12) vs. senior Josh Seilbold (7-5) Florence

160: Freshman Kyle Komanekin (14-13) vs. *senior Dexter Karban (36-4, #1) of Coleman

220: Senior Keenan Richmond (38-9, #7) vs. *junior Trinton Menomin (24-15) Elcho

Bonduel

113: *Sophomore Garrett Siolka (36-6, #8) vs. sophomore Jarod Roberts (20-17) of Crandon

126: Junior Travis Wollenberg (32-7) vs. *senior Alex Heiden (35-4, #7) Stratford

152: Junior Dan Tauchen (35-7, #8) vs. *sophomore Bill Retza (14-14) of Crivitz

160: Junior Mitch Sokolski (31-10, #4) vs. *sophomore Bill Retza (14-14) of Crivitz

170: Senior Jacob Wudtke (35-5) vs. *senior Kellen Bornbach (30-7) of Stratford

195: Sophomore Bennett Gunderson (26-16) vs. *senior Dominic Gunderson (38-2, #2) of Shiocton

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By: 

Gerrard Diaz, [email protected]

Contributed Photo Tigerton High School softball coach Glenda Smith, middle, joins former Milton softball coach Don Vruwink, left, and former Beloit Memorial softball coach John Schroeder as the 2014 Hall of Fame class during the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association’s induction banquet Feb. 8 in Wisconsin Dells.

Glenda Smith, Tigerton High School’s varsity softball coach for the last 23 years, isn’t done coaching yet. That’s why she was kind of shocked at the news.

Smith recently was selected to the Wisconsin Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.

“I had no idea,” Smith said. “When they called, I was like, why me? I’m still coaching, and you think about the hall of fame years later.”

What the WFSCA saw was Smith’s long list of accomplishments. Her record is 378-109, and she has coached Tigerton to eight Central Wisconsin Conference-10 titles and three state tournaments, including a runner-up finish in 2012 and a state championship in 2010. Both of those teams earned the WIAA/Mutual Insurance Sportsmanship award.

Smith has also been a senior all-star coach three times, the National Federation of State High School Associations’ state coach of the year in 2010 and a member of the WIAA coaches advisory committee for three years.

“I’m very honored, and humbled to be chosen with all the outstanding coaches there are in the state of Wisconsin,” Smith said.

Smith, former Milton softball coach Don Vruwink and former Beloit Memorial softball coach John Schroeder were the sixth class inducted into the hall of fame, which has 22 members. They were honored at a banquet Feb. 8 in Wisconsin Dells.

“It was pretty neat,” Smith said. “The whole thing was just something I’ll never forget. I had quite a few family members from Kewaunee and some very good friends from Tigerton there. It was all good.”

Smith said her athletes and the tight-knit community of Tigerton share the honor with her.

“All the kids I’ve coached in the past should look at this and say they were a part of it,” Smith said. “Everybody asks what is the best team you’ve coached and, definitely, the state years stick out, but I’ve had the honor to coach a lot of excellent athletes in the Tigerton area. I’ve had over the years some kids who really worked hard for me.”

Smith, who has coached volleyball the last 31 years and has been Tigerton’s athletic director the last 14, said she found Tigerton to be a special place.

“When I first came to Tigerton, it was to get some experience and move on,” Smith said. “But I’ve made some very good friends there and they’ve always been supportive, the community, the parents, I can’t tell you.”

Smith said, as a coach, she has tried to get her athletes as involved as possible and to make sure they are enjoying themselves.

“Being in a small district, I always hope the kids are participating in as many activities as they can,” Smith said. “I don’t want anybody emphasizing on one or two sports. Go out there, have fun and enjoy every season and not just one or two.”

With softball practices set to begin in less than a month, Smith said being a hall-of-famer won’t change her approach.

“It’s an honor, but when it comes down to the beginning of the season, it’s going to be same-old, same-old,” she said.

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By: 

Gerrard Diaz, [email protected]

The Gresham Community High School boys basketball team handily beat Tigerton 61-37 Thursday in Tigerton, a prequel to their WIAA Division 5 regional game Tuesday night in Gresham.

Gresham (16-6, 13-5 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) jumped out to a 19-10 lead, led 28-16 by halftime and finished off the game by outscoring the Tigers (4-18, 3-15 CWC-10) 17-8 in the fourth quarter.

Scott Cerveny, a senior guard, led the Wildcats with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.

“He really drove the ball well,” Gresham coach Jeff Zobeck said. “Lately — I think he would say the same thing — he’s maybe been settling a little bit for 3s. Actually, over the last few games he’s been the bright spot of perimeter shooting for us. Tonight he looked for opportunities to get into the basket and crashed the boards hard.”

Christian Haffner, a junior guard, added 17 points and four assists. James Kazik scored six points and led the team with seven rebounds.

Woodrow Nelson led Tigerton with 12 points. Tyler Marquardt added 10.

Gresham has been working on its defense of late, and Zobeck said he started to see it come together Thursday.

“We haven’t really been digging in recently on the defensive end the way we wanted to,” Zobeck said. “We made that a point of emphasis tonight. We really wanted to get out and defend. For the most part we showed some improvement.”

The Wildcats beat Tigerton 75-47 earlier in the season.

Gresham is the No. 2 seed in the regional; Tigerton is No. 7. The winner will play either No. 3 Wisconsin Valley Lutheran (10-11) or No. 6 Bowler (5-16, 3-14 CWC-10).

Gresham swept Bowler in both conference games this season but lost 54-52 to Wisconsin Valley Lutheran in a nonconference game on the road Feb. 4.

The tourney matchup didn’t play into Thursday’s strategy, Zobeck said.

“What we did the first time is what we tried tonight,” he said. “Going into tournament play, there’s some things I have in my mind that we might spring on them, but for the most part, what we did tonight is what we have to do again on Tuesday.”

Gresham (61)

S. Cerveny 22, Haffner 17, Eggert 8, N. Cerveny 2, Nietzer 6, Kazik 6

Tigerton (37)

Marquardt 10, Witter 2, Minniecheske 3, Wedemayer 3, Cookle 7, Nelson 12

Gresham 19 9 16 17 — 61

Tigerton 10 6 13 8 — 37

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By: 

Leader Staff

The Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School wrestling team took home a Division 2 team sectional championship Tuesday, defeating host Freedom 35-33.

In Division 3 action, Menominee Indian fell to Crandon.

Witt-Birn wrestlers earning pins were Bobby Uttecht (132), over Dustin Jensen in 3 minutes, 56 seconds, Griffin Magee (152), over Tanner Borckman in 2:38, and John White Wing (285) over Matt Evers in 1:12.

Braxton Potrykus (160) added a 23-8 technical fall over Adam Vosters. Hunter Kreger (182) won a 3-1 decision over Jake VanGrinsven. August Peplinski (195) beat Evan Philibeck 5-0. Stetson Potrykus (106) beat Mitch Garvey 9-7. Ben Vosters (113) beat Mason Manteuffel 10-4.

The Chargers opened the sectional with a 36-32 win over Two Rivers. Witt-Birn wrestlers earning pins were White Wing, over Kyle Behrandt in 3:11; Nick Stringfellow (220), over Dakotah Hurda in 1:18; and Kreger (170) in 31 seconds.

August Peplinski (182) beat Bobby Geiger 5-3 in overtime. Alex Peplinski (160) won a 11-2 major decision over Cody Rebarchek. Braxton Potrykus (152) won a technical fall over Tyler Kust. Uttecht (132) won a 5-3 decision over Cody Yauch.

Witt-Birn will face Pewaukee in the first round of the state tourney at 10 a.m. March 8 at the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse in Madison.

Division 3

Menominee Indian, competing in the Division 3 sectional in Manawa, lost to Crandon 47-30 in a semifinal match.

The Eagles recorded four pins: Kyle Winker (126), over Brandon Torgenson in 50 seconds; Blake Stoehr (120), over Mike Huml in 18 seconds; Vel Hawkins (106), over Tanner Morris in 3:17; and Keenan Richmond (220), over Chase Dewing in 38 seconds.

Menominee Indian also earned a forfeit at 152, but gave up five pins, a technical fall, two decisions and two forfeits.

“It could have went the other way,” Menominee Indian coach Kirk Bahr said. “The guys did well.”

Crandon lost to Coleman 54-27 in the sectional final.

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By: 

Gerrard Diaz, [email protected]

Shawano Community High School junior Zach Soper earned a third trip to the state swim meet with first-place finishes in the 100-yard butterfly and 100 backstroke Saturday at the WIAA Division 2 sectional in Stevens Point.

“We had around 12 personal-best times at the meet and we established three Shawano records,” Shawano coach Walberto Colon. “They were honoring themselves, their team and their school. They did their very best. They performed very well.”

Soper swam away from the competition in the backstroke, finishing in 51:05, more than six seconds better than runner-up Aaron Stange (57.47) of Ashwaubenon.

Soper took the butterfly in 52.23 seconds. Wausau East senior Garrett Richetto (53.69) finished second.

Soper set Shawano records in both his individual events and helped the 200-yard medley relay team, which also included freshman Griffin Rades, junior Rolando Colon and junior Jake Klister, set a school record in that event. Shawano took second place, finishing in 1:44.89, behind Ashwaubenon (1:42.56).

“Did you see the time? They dropped 5 seconds from their seed time,” Walberto Colon said. “So they performed pretty well.”

The Hawks’ time was also good enough to earn them a trip to Madison.

Ashwaubenon won the sectional with 389 points, followed by Rice Lake (224) and River Falls (206). Shawano finished fifth (197).

Other Shawano results: 400 freestyle relay (Klister, Rades, Colon, Soper), fourth; Klister, sixth, 100 freestyle, and seventh, 50 freestyle; Rades, sixth, 500 freestyle, and eighth, 100 backstroke; Rolando Colon, ninth, 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle; Christian Kane, ninth, 100 breaststroke; 200 freestyle relay (Craig Kraning, Easter Kyle, Nathan Kane, Christian Kane), 1oth; Alex Retzlaff, 14th, 100 butterfly, and 17th, 100 breaststroke; Nathan Kane, 18th, 500 freestyle, and 19th, 200 freestyle; Kraning, 22nd, 50 free; and Cayman Kunschke, 22nd, 100 breaststroke.

Finals for the Division 2 state meet are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium in Madison.

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Shawano boys defeat New London

The Shawano Community High School boys basketball team beat New London 59-48 in a Bay Conference game Tuesday in New London.

Shawano lost forward Jack Lacy to injury early in the game and withstood a New London rally that featured seven 3-pointers.

Zeke Gueths led Shawano (13-8, 11-4 Bay) with 18 points. Dillon Frechette added 10 points, and Garrett Schlise had 12 rebounds. Zack Sousek scored eight points, seven coming at the free-throw line down the stretch.

“Zeke down low was fantastic,” Shawano coach Chris Kellett said.

Sam Porath and Ryan Wolf led New London (7-13, 6-9) with 12 points each.

Wildcats fall to Port Edwards

The Gresham Community High School boys basketball team lost to Central Wisconsin Conference-10 leading Port Edwards 68-47 Tuesday in Gresham.

Christian Haffner had 17 points and four assists to lead Gresham (15-5, 13-4 CWC-10). Scott Cerveny had 13 points and six assists.

Chris Montag led Port Edwards (20-1, 17-0) with 18 points. Jared Josslin added 17.

Bowler boys fall to Eagles

The Bowler High School boys basketball team lost to Menominee Indian 66-63 in a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 game Tuesday in Keshena.

Chase Nueske scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds to lead Bowler (5-16, 3-14 CWC-10). Cody Montez added 18 points.

Ron Frechette led Menominee Indian (9-10, 9-8) with 18 points. Michael Pecore added 16.

Bowler boys beat Tigerton

The Bowler High School boys basketball team defeated Tigerton 61-46 in a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 match-up Monday in Bowler.

Cody Montez scored 23 points and had seven rebounds to lead Bowler (5-16, 3-14 CWC-10). Chase Nueske added 17 points and nine rebounds. Thomas Kazik had 15 points.

Woodrow Nelson led Tigerton (4-16, 3-13 CWC-10) with 12 points.

Bowler girls top Eagles

The Bowler High School girls basketball team beat Menominee Indian 45-29 in a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 game Tuesday in Keshena.

Taylor Matche led Bowler (11-8, 8-7 CWC-10) with 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. Ashlynn Brisk logged her sixth triple-double of the season with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 11 steals. Kennedy Malone had 11 rebounds.

Anias Smith and Sasha Peters led Menominee Indian (6-12, 5-10 CWC-10) with five points each.

Tigerton falls to Rosholt

The Tigerton High School girls basketball team lost to Rosholt 44-37 in a CWC-10 game Tuesday in Tigerton.

Emily Wendt led Tigerton (4-13, 3-11 CWC-10) with 17 points and seven steals. Katie Watters had 14 points. Charity Desrochers had eight rebounds.

Tigers top Bowler girls

The Tigerton High School girls basketball team beat Bowler 55-43 in a Central Wisconsin Conference-10 game Monday in Tigerton.

Sarah Gauthier led the Tigers (4-13, 3-11 CWC-10) with 16 points. Erin Robbins added 13.

Truckers beaten by Appleton Xavier

The Clintonville High School boys basketball team lost to Appleton Xavier 56-42 in a Eastern Valley Conference game Tuesday in Appleton.

Emmett Battenberg led Clintonville (9-11, 5-10 Eastern Valley) with 11 points. Andy Schmidt added eight.

Matt Ferris led Xavier (17-4, 13-3) with 13 points. Tom Johnson added 11.

Other scores

Girls basketball: Clintonville beat Ripon 47-37.

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By: 

Gerrard Diaz, [email protected]

The Shawano Community High School boys basketball team has earned a No. 1 seed in the WIAA Division 2 Regional tournament.

The top-seed comes with a first round bye for the Hawks (13-8, 11-4 Bay Conference). Shawano will host a playoff game Feb. 28 and play the winner of Tuesday’s game between No. 4 Antigo (13-5, 6-4 Great Northern) and No. 5 New London (7-13, 6-9 Bay).

“We are still going to have to go out and compete,” Shawano coach Christopher Kellett said. “To be honest, we’ve struggled at home a little bit. Hopefully we’ll get that corrected, but it’s a great accomplishment and I’m proud of our guys.”

Shawano was 2-0 against New London in league play, including a 59-48 win Tuesday in New London.

In the Division 3 tournament, Clintonville earned a No. 2 seed and a bye. The Truckers (9-11, 5-10 Eastern Valley) will host either No. 3 Tomahawk (8-11, 1-9 Great Northern) or No. 6 Northland Pines (0-18, 0-9 Great Northern), which play Tuesday in Tomahawk.

No. 5 Wittenberg-Birnamwood (6-15, 2-11 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) will play No. 4 Oconto Falls (3-16, 2-13 Bay) on Tuesday in Oconto Falls for a chance to take on No. 1 Peshtigo (19-1, 14-0 Marinette & Oconto).

No. 8 Bonduel (10-10, 5-7 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) and No. 9 Menominee Indian (11-10, 9-8 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) will face off Tuesday to open their Division 4 regional. Bonduel will host the game, and the winner will face No. 1 Auburndale on the road Friday.

In Division 5, No. 2 Gresham (15-6, 12-5) will host No. 7 Tigerton (4-17, 3-14 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) on Tuesday. The winner will play either No. 6 Bowler (5-16, 3-14 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) or No. 3 Wisconsin Valley Lutheran (10-10), which play Tuesday in Mosinee.

No. 5 Marion (6-16, 6-12 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) will travel to No. 4 Elcho (10-10, 8-6 Northern Lakes) on Tuesday. The winner will face either No. 1 Newman Catholic (16-5, 10-4 Marawood-South) or No. 8 Lincoln Hills (record unavailable).

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By: 

Gerrard Diaz, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School Mike Meisner throws De Pere’s Miles Thomas during a 182-pound match at the WIAA Division 1 regional tournament Saturday in Pulaski. Meisner finished third place and was one of four Shawano wrestlers who advanced to the sectionals.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano Community High School wrestler Cody Urban tries to roll Pulaski’s Dominick Hendricks during a 160-pound match in the WIAA Division 1 regional Saturday in Pulaski. Urban took second in his weight class and was one of four Shawano wrestlers who advanced to the sectional tournament.

Six Menominee Indian High School wrestlers advanced to the WIAA sectionals Saturday as the Eagles won the Division 3 regional championship in Shiocton.

Six Bonduel wrestlers also qualified for the sectional tourney.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood fared the best of all the area schools, claiming the Division 2 regional title at Nekoosa/Port Edwards and advancing 10 wrestlers, including five champions.

Shawano and Clintonville advanced four and two wrestlers, respectively.

Division 3

Menominee Indian won its first regional title with 213.5 points. Shiocton (170.5) was second.

Four Eagles won their weight classes Saturday — Vel Hawkins (106), Blake Stoehr (120), Kyle Winker (126) and Antonio Mahkimetas (145). Kyle Komanekin (160) and Keenan Richmond (220) also moved on to the Bonduel sectional with second-place finishes.

Six Bonduel wrestlers advanced out of the Division 3 Brillion regional.

Garrett Siolka (113) won Bonduel’s only individual title Saturday, getting a second-period reversal on Coleman’s Jordan Blanchard and hanging on for a 2-1 decision.

“Like a lot of kids on our team, Garrett is wrestling really well right now,” Bonduel coach Chris Rank said. “He wrestled a very good opponent from Coleman and came out on top. It was a very exciting match, close right until the end.”

Travis Wollenberg (126), Dan Tauchen (152), Mitch Sokolski (160), Jacob Wudtke (170) and Bennett Gunderson (195) also advanced to the sectional with second-place finishes.

One of the most thrilling moments of the day for Bonduel was Sokolski’s 12-11 win over Reedsville’s Elliott Ebert in the semifinal. Ebert was undefeated heading into the regional and had beaten Sokolski earlier in the year.

“Mitch just wrestled an amazing match and came out on top,” Rank said. “It was good for him. The gym was as loud as it was all day during that match.”

Coleman won the Brillion regional with 283.5 points, with Bonduel (195) second.

The Bonduel sectional will be held at Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B, with the first session scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Division 2

Ben Vosters (120), Bobby Uttecht (126), Braxton Potrykus (152), Alex Peplinski (160) and August Peplinski (182) claimed regional titles for Wittenberg-Birnamwood.

Stetson Potrykus (106), Zach Urquhart (113), Griffin Magee (145), Hunter Kreger (170) and D.J. Ostrowski (195) advanced to sectionals with second-place finishes.

The Chargers (267) beat out Tomahawk (200) for the team title.

In the Oconto Falls regional, Clintonville advanced two wrestlers. Jake Reiter (195) won the regional title with a pin of Freedom’s Evan Philibeck in 1:17. Charlie Poppe (170) took second place, losing his final to Freedom’s Ramsey Bloy.

Freedom (279.5) won the regional. The Truckers (99) were second.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood and Clintonville will compete Saturday in the Seymour sectional.

Division 1

Shawano Community High School qualified four wrestlers for Saturday’s sectional at Green Bay Preble: Cody Urban (160), second place; Mike Meisner (182), third place; Jayce Hinkfuss (220), fourth place; and Dalton Parson (126), fourth place.

Urban lost the 160-pound final to Bay Port’s Jacob Jossart by a 18-1 technical fall.

“We have some guys that are not top-seeded,” Adam Bieber said. “Mikey (Meisner) just started wrestling three years ago. He’s going to have to change-up his style of wrestling to compete with these guys at the sectional level. Same for Cody, Dalton and Jayce.”

Bay Port (284) won the Pulaski regional. Shawano (151) finished seventh.

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Soper wins 2 sectional titles

Shawano Community High School junior Zach Soper earned a third trip to the state swim meet with first-place finishes in the 100-yard butterfly and 100 backstroke Saturday at the WIAA Division 2 sectional in Stevens Point.

Soper swam away from the competition in the backstroke, finishing in 51:05, more than six seconds better than runner-up Aaron Stange (57.47) of Ashwaubenon.

Soper took the butterfly in 52.23 seconds. Wausau East senior Garrett Richetto (53.69) finished second.

Soper also was a member of the 200-yard medley relay team with freshman Griffin Rades, junior Rolando Colon and junior Jake Klister that placed second, finishing in 1:44.89, behind Ashwaubenon (1:42.56). The Hawks’ time was good enough to earn them a trip to Madison.

Ashwaubenon won the sectional with 389 points, followed by Rice Lake (224) and River Falls (206). Shawano finished fifth (197).

Other Shawano results: 400 freestyle relay (Klister, Rades, Colon, Soper), fourth; Klister, sixth, 100 freestyle, and seventh, 50 freestyle; Rades, sixth, 500 freestyle, and eighth, 100 backstroke; Colon, ninth, 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle; Christian Kane, ninth, 100 breaststroke; 200 freestyle relay (Craig Kraning, Easter Kyle, Nathan Kane, Christian Kane), 1oth; Alex Retzlaff, 14th, 100 butterfly, and 17th, 100 breaststroke; Nathan Kane, 18th, 500 freestyle, and 19th, 200 freestyle; Kraning, 22nd, 50 free; and Cayman Kunschke, 22nd, 100 breaststroke.

Finals for the Division 2 state meet are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium in Madison.

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6 Bonduel wrestlers advance

Six Menominee Indian High School wrestlers advanced to the WIAA sectionals Saturday as the Eagles won the Division 3 regional championship in Shiocton.

Six Bonduel wrestlers also advanced out of the Brillion regional.

Menominee Indian won the regional with 213.5 points. Shiocton (170.5) was second. With the win, MIHS advanced to the team sectional tournament and will face Crandon, winner of the Three Lakes regional, on Tuesday.

Four Menominee Indian wrestlers won their weight classes Saturday — Vel Hawkins (106), Blake Stoehr (120), Kyle Winker (126) and Antonio Mahkimetas (145). Kyle Komanekin (160) and Keenan Richmond (220) also moved on to the Bonduel sectional with second-place finishes.

Coleman (283.5) won the Brillion regional, with Bonduel (195) second.

Garrett Siolka (113) won Bonduel’s only individual title Saturday. However, Travis Wollenberg (126), Dan Tauchen (152), Mitch Sokolski (160), Jacob Wudtke (170) and Bennett Gunderson (195) also advanced to the sectional with second-place finishes.

The Bonduel sectional will be held at Shawano Community High School, with the first session scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

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By: 

Gerrard Diaz, [email protected]

eader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel High School forward Jennifer Dowden passes the ball to Deanna Zernicke during a nonconference game against Oconto Falls on Friday in Bonduel. Bonduel lost, 52-40.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Bonduel High School junior Jennifer Dowden tries to get around Oconto Falls’ Bailey Wolf during a nonconference game Friday in Bonduel. Bonduel lost, 52-40.

The Bonduel High School girls basketball team tried to make it two thrilling comebacks in a row, but stalled down the stretch Friday in a 52-40 loss to Oconto Falls at home.

The Bears (14-4, 9-2 Central Wisconsin Conference-8), who beat CWC-8 rival Wittenberg-Birnamwood in dramatic fashion Thursday, trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, but caught up to Oconto Falls (15-2, 10-2 Bay) in the third quarter.

With Bonduel trailing 38-36 to start the fourth quarter, Taylor Weier, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, tied the game at 38-38 and again at 40-40 with just under 6 minutes left to play.

A pair of baskets by Oconto Falls, one by star McKenna Larsen and another by Elizabeth Watzka, gave the Panthers a four-point lead.

Bonduel went scoreless the rest of the way, while Oconto Falls hit six of 10 shots at the free-throw line and senior Carly Lemke added another basket.

“Yesterday, they were so high, and tonight, they’re so disappointed,” Bonduel coach Missy Dowden said. “They have to hold their chins up. We came out flat. We decided to pick up the defense in the second half … and away we went.”

The Panthers opened the game with a 15-3 run.

“They came out in man (defense),” Oconto Falls coach Mike Kaczmarek said. “That kind of surprised us. We thought they’d play zone.”

Bonduel stayed in the game with a string of five 3-pointers in the first half and had eight in the game. Jennifer Dowden, a 6-0 junior forward who led the team with 19 points, scored three. Deanna Zernicke provided three more and finished with nine points. Alexa Reinke added two more, along with five rebounds and four blocks.

“What they have, and we don’t even have this in the Bay Conference, is their length,” Kaczmarek said. “Their zone, with Reinke and Dowden, we’re not used to that length.

“It was a well-played high school basketball game. Bonduel has a very nice team.”

Larsen led Oconto Falls, scoring 16 of her 25 points in the first half. Watzka added 10.

“We did much better in the second half on her,” Missy Dowden said. “I didn’t think they believed me when I said if she touches the ball she’s going to shoot. To me, we don’t have a player in our conference that if they touch it, it’s going to go in.”

The Bears are in the middle of a decisive stretch, playing Amherst on Monday. Bonduel, Amherst and Wittenberg-Birnamwood are in a close race atop the CWC-8 standings.

“We lost, but it was a good game for us,” Missy Dowden said. “Two games in a row, we get a day off here and then we come right back with Amherst. It’s a good situation for us going into the playoffs.”

The undefeated Bonduel junior varsity team extended its winning streak to 17, beating Oconto Falls 47-25. Kailee Pedersen and Emily Sorenson scored 12 points each.

Oconto Falls (52)

Watzka 3 4-6 10, Lemke 3 3-4 9, Manns 2 0-0 6, Larsen 10 3-5 25, Helmle 1 0-0 2

Bonduel (40)

Dowden 7 2-2 19, Reinke 2 0-0 6, Weier 2 0-1 4, Zernicke 3 0-0 9, Sorenson 1 0-0 2

Oconto Falls 19 9 10 14 — 52

Bonduel 11 9 16 4 — 40

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The Shawano Community High School boys basketball team beat Bay Conference foe Luxemburg-Casco 42-32 Friday night in Luxemburg.

The Hawks had scoring advantages of 8-3 in the second quarter and 11-4 in the third.

Zack Sousek led the Hawks (12-8, 10-4 Bay) with 17 points, including 15 in the second half.

Caleb Willems led Luxemburg-Casco (12-9, 8-7 Bay) with 10 points.

Shawano travels to New London on Monday and wraps up its regular season against Marinette on Thursday.

Shawano (42)

D. Frechette 2 0-0 6, 2 0-2 5, Raddant 2 0-0 5, Sousek 4 9-15 17, Schlise 0 2-2 2, Lacy 1 3-4 6, Hintz 0 1-1 1

Luxemburg-Casco (32)

D. Volotho 1 0-0 3, Kirchman 0 1-2 1, Willems 3 4-7 10, Stevenson 4 0-0 9, Falk 2 1-2 6, Kanz 0 3-4 3

Shawano 10 8 11 13 — 42

Luxemburg-Casco 11 3 4 14 — 32

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