Shawano Leader Sports Headlines

East-West Division

BOWLER 12, LEOPOLIS 4

WP — Nate Laude; LP — Tom Kazik

Bowler: Zach Olsen was 2 for 4. Ryan Zarda was 2 for 5; Tom Kazik was 2 for 4 with a double.

Leopolis: Ryan Boettcher had a three-run double. Kasey Kristof was 2 for 4.

GRESHAM 25, MENOMINEE 2

WP — Pete Caroll

TIGERTON 8, TILLEDA 1

WP — Erik Kroening; LP — Curt Brei

Tigerton: Jayden Sivertson was 2 for 3 with a home run. Dylan Berg was 2 for 3. Pat Provoast was 2 for 3. Maverick Gehrman hit a home run. Brad Breaker had a double.

LITTLE FALLS 6, CAROLINE 4

WP — Jeremy Bauer; LP — Nick Desrochers

Little Falls: Kyle Fisher had three hits, including a double. Jenner Gullixon had two hits. Hunter Grunewald had two hits, including a home run.

Caroline: Mike Weatherwax had three hits. Phil Dufek hit a double.

Northern Division

POLAR 5, HATLEY 1

WP — Cole Kuenzli; LP — Adam Janikowski

Polar: Mike Waldvogel was 3 for 4 with a double. Brady Tatro was 2 for 5. Jordan Unsinn was 2 for 5.

Hatley: Travis Olds was 2 for 4.

WITTENBERG 2, BIRNAMWOOD 1

WP — Dominik Anderson; LP — Nathan Olds

ELAND 9, ELDERON 8

WP — Ryan Richter; LP — Trevor Groshek

Eland: Ryan Richter was 2 for 4 with a home run.

South Central Division

PLOVER 20, LANARK 0

WAUPACA 6, OMRO 0

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Menominee Indian's Smith medals for 2nd straight yearBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Photo by Brian Roebke Bonduel High School senior Trebor Rueckert runs in a 400-meter dash preliminary heat Friday at the WIAA Division 2 state meet at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Rueckert’s time of 52.09 seconds was not fast enough to qualify for Saturday’s final.

Bonduel High School junior Emily Sorenson could not replicate her state-meet magic from last year.

The junior, after taking third at the state meet a season ago, took eighth in the WIAA Division 2 long jump Friday.

Sorenson’s distance of 16 feet, 6 3/4 inches was nearly 2 feet behind the winner, Jefferson senior Mikaela Grant (18-5 1/2).

In addition to dragging her toe on the final jump, taking away roughly 8 inches of her jump, other factors also affected Sorenson’s performance.

“She had a little trouble finding the board. Most of her jumps were from behind the board,” Bonduel coach James Westrich said. “She didn’t quite have a lot of pop off her jump. She just struggled a little bit with that.”

Sorenson’s best jump of the season was 18-4 3/4 at the Shawano Invitational.

“She had some really good jumps this year at several different meets, so she knows it wasn’t a one-time thing,” Westrich said. “She’s just excited she’s got another year to come back and try to get better next year.”

Senior Trebor Rueckert, who was seeded 14th in the 400-meter dash, finished his preliminary race in eighth place. His time (52.09 seconds), which was over a second slower than his time at the sectional meet (50.89), was the slowest of all the competitors in Division 2.

“He felt good going in,” Westrich said. “With a long day sitting around like that, maybe he could have warmed up a little bit better, he thought.”

Rice Lake’s Kenny Bednarek had the best time (47.42) in the event. Winneconne’s Matthew Barthel (50.41) was the final qualifier.

Rueckert was disappointed but not upset with his performance.

“When he was done, he was happy to have to opportunity to finish his career on the state track, so he was really excited about that,” Westrich said.

Menominee Indian senior Ania Smith placed third in the Division 3 shot put with a best throw of 39-6 1/2. Sydney Thompson, of Mercer, won the meet with a toss of 44-1.

“She went out there in the shot today,” Menominee Indian head coach Chris Clache said. “She did the best that she could. We’re happy with what she did. To be able to come down here twice in her career and come away with medals every time she’s here, it’s pretty awesome.”

Smith’s state meet is not over, however, as she will participate in the discus on Saturday. Clache believes Smith has a shot at first place, as many of the throwers have been around the same distance throughout the season.

It will also mark the end of Smith’s storied career for the Eagles.

“I’m sure I’ll be a little more emotional than she’ll be,” Clache said. “She was a little sad because she knows it’s coming to an end, but everything does.”

Clintonville had two participants at the state meet. Junior Kara Pyatskowit (11:01.29) placed fifth in the finals of the 3,200. (Amery’s Alicia Monson ran away with the title in 10:40.10.) Freshman Allysin Booth (16.99) was 0.4 seconds away from qualifying for the finals in the 100 hurdles. (Grant posted the best time of 14.98.)

Wittenberg-Birnamwood sophomore Maddy Pietz (12.84) won her preliminary race of the 100. Milwaukee Lutheran freshman Ja’Cey Simmons (12.76) had the top time in the other prelim.

Pietz (25.26) also took first in her heat of the 200, again finishing behind only Simmons (24.63).

Chargers sophomore Paige Norrbom (47.04) advanced to the finals in the 300 hurdles with the sixth-fastest time of the day.

The Chargers 4x400 relay team of Paige Norrbom, Kylie Linke, Emily Norrbom and Pietz (3:57.64) posted the fastest time of the day in the preliminaries.

The Wittenberg-Birnamwood 4x800 relay team of Alyssa Meverden, Alexis Balliet Erica Wendler and Emily Norrbom (10:39.32) finished in last place of its preliminary race.

Gresham/Bowler sprinter Allison Stewart (27.36) took last place in her 200 prelim in a time of 27.36. She also false started in her 100 preliminary race, erasing her chance of advancing to Saturday’s finals.

WIAA State Meet

June 3

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Division 2

Boys team scores: Freedom, 20; Wisconsin Lutheran, 14; Berlin, 13; Little Chute, 12; Jefferson, 10; Lake Mills, 10; Sheboygan Falls, 10; Westby, 9; Xavier, 8; Spooner, 8; Valders, 8; Monroe, 7.5; Winneconne, 6; Sturgeon Bay, 6; Luxemburg-Casco, 6; West Salem, 5.5; Lakeland, 5; Chequamegon, 5; Belleville/New Glarus, 5; Winnebago Lutheran Academy, 4; Evansville, 4; Kettle Moraine Lutheran, 4; Medford, 3; Northwestern, 3; Chetek-Weyerhaeuser, 2; Catholic Memorial, 2; Cambridge, 1; Wrightstown, 1; Baldwin-Woodville, 1; Ashland, 1; Rice Lake, 1.

Girls team scores: Jefferson, 16; Big Foot, 10; Amery, 10; Little Chute, 10; Lakeland, 10; Edgerton, 10; Martin Luther, 8; Brodhead/Juda, 8; Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, 8; Hayward, 8; Wisconsin Lutheran, 6; Kettle Moraine Lutheran, 6; Bloomer, 6; East Troy, 6; Marinette, 5; Whitewater, 5; Berlin, 5; Seymour, 5; Messmer, 5; Lodi, 4; Altoona, 4; Grafton, 4; Clintonville, 4; Chilton, 4; Waterloo, 4; Lakeside Lutheran, 4; Shorewood, 3; Freedom, 3; Sheboygan Falls, 3; Belleville/New Glarus, 2; Osceola, 2; Monroe, 2; Viroqua, 2; Bonduel, 1; Kiel, 1; Luxemburg-Casco, 1.

Local top-10 finishers:

100 prelims: 1, Maddy Pietz, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 12.84.

200 prelims: 1, Pietz, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 25.26.

3,200 finals: 5, Kara Pyatskowit, Clintonville, 11:01.29.

4x400 relay prelims: 1, Wittenberg-Birnamwood (Paige Norrbom, Kylie Link, Emily Norrbom, Pietz), 3:57.64.

300 hurdles prelims: 3, Paige Norrbom, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 47.04.

Long jump finals: 8, Emily Sorenson, Bonduel, 16-6 3/4; 9, Pietz, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 16-5 3/4.

Division 3

Boys team scores: Marathon, 18; Unity, 11; Alma/Pepin, 10; Bangor, 10; Boscobel, 10; Rosholt, 10; Melrose-Mindoro, 10; Wayland Academy, 10; Wild Rose, 10; Spring Valley, 8; Valley Christian, 8; Madison Country Day/Abundant Life, 8; Spencer, 8; North Crawford, 6; Webster, 6; Eleva-Strum, 6; Coleman, 6; Princeton/Green Lake, 5; Newman Catholic, 5; Algoma, 4; McDonell Central, 4; Flambeau, 4; South Shore/Washburn, 4 St. Mary’s Springs, 3; Crivitz, 3; Three Lakes/Phelps, 2; Boyceville, 2; Blair-Taylor, 1; Reedsville, 1; Fall Creek, 1; Lincoln, 0.5; Shell Lake, 0.5.

Girls team scores: Elmwood/Plum City, 14; Cuba City, 14; Iola-Scandinavia, 13; Lourdes Academy, 10; South Shore/Washburn, 10; Mercer, 10; Flambeau, 8; Ozaukee, 8; Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, 8; Dodgeland, 8; Unity, 8; Deerfield, 6; Menominee Indian, 6; Weyauwega-Fremont, 6; Regis, 6; Newman Catholic, 6; Fennimore, 5; Colfax, 5; Cashton, 5; Rosholt, 4; Thorp, 4; Reedsville, 4; Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg, 4; North Crawford, 3; Wauzeka-Steuben, 3; Tri-County, 3; Rio, 3; Living Word Lutheran, 2; Webster, 2; Albany, 2; Southwestern, 1.5; McDonell Central, 1.5; Shell Lake, 1; Marathon, 1.

Local top-10 finishers:

Shot put finals: 3, Ania Smith, Menominee Indian, 39-6 1/2.

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By: 

Leader Staff

Bonduel High School senior catcher Kaylee Rynish and junior shortstop Kailee Pedersen have earned first-team all-conference recognition from coaches in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8.

Senior second baseman Miranda Schmidt was an honorable mention selection for Bonduel, which finished fourth in the CWC-8.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood, which went winless in conference play, placed Jordyn Krueger on the conference’s second-team. Siri Zeinert and Victoria Dombeck were honorable mention selections.

Central Wisconsin Conference-8

First team: Brook Nagorski, Pacelli; Paige Hintz, Pacelli; Christonna Shafranski, Pacelli; Sydney Wilcox, Shiocton; Hannah Guyette, Shiocton; Karissa Akey, Weyauwega-Fremont; Kiley Akey, Weyauwega-Fremont; Kaylee Rynish, Bonduel; Kailee Pedersen, Bonduel; Kendall Johnson, Iola-Scandinavia.

Second team: Nicole Schroeder, Pacelli; Sydney Alery, Pacelli; Corrie McCarthy, Shiocton; Tina Ubl, Shiocton; Cadyn Ehrenberg, Weyauwega-Fremont; Jordyn Krueger, Wittenberg-Birnamwood; Jayden Podgorny, Iola-Scandinavia; McKenzie Zielke, Manawa; Skye Amador, Manawa; Grace Moe, Amherst.

Honorable mention: Taylor Raflik, Pacelli; Emma Kulick, Pacelli; Cailin Firkus, Pacelli; Gabrielle Gunderson, Shiocton; Rachel Knorr, Weyauwega-Fremont; Jordan Rucks, Weyauwega-Fremont; Hailey Krause, Weyauwega-Fremont; Siri Zeinert, Wittenberg-Birnamwood; Victoria Dombeck, Wittenberg-Birnamwood; Miranda Schmidt, Bonduel; Kaylin Ellioff, Iola-Scandinavia; Sam Yenter, Amherst; Maizie Berry, Amherst; Lexi Haferbecker, Amherst.

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By: 

Leader Staff

Menominee Indian High School senior Kelsey Corn has earned Central Wisconsin Conference-10 softball Player of the Year honors. She also was on the first team last year.

Corn, who will continue her softball career at Northland College in Ashland, was the ace for the Eagles in addition to being a major contributor at the plate.

Menominee Indian(13-8, 12-6 CWC-10) took second place in the CWC-10.

Gresham’s Hailey Hoffman joined Corn on the first team, as did Marion’s Cheyanne Lockman, Bowler’s Reanne Kietlinski and Tigerton’s Summer Kopitzke.

Gresham, which took fourth in the conference, its best finish in the history of the program, added two more players on the second team, Makena Arndt and Mackenzie Hoffman.

Second baseman Liz Corn was Menominee Indian’s lone member on the second team. Marion pitcher Skylla Szczerbak, and Tigerton’s Abby Knaup and Erin Buch also earned second-team honors.

Central Wisconsin Conference-10

First team: Hailey Hoffman, Gresham; Dani Forseth, Wild Rose; Kelsey Corn, Menominee Indian; Kailey Bagley, Tri-County; Amber Baehman, Tri-County; Cheyanne Lockman, Marion; Reanne Kietlinski, Bowler; Emily Rink, Rosholt; Kaitlynn Lehman, Rosholt; Summer Kopitzke, Tigerton.

Second team: Makena Arndt, Gresham; Mackenzie Hoffman, Gresham; Ashley Schmidt, Wild Rose; Liz Corn, Menominee Indian; Skylla Szczerbak, Marion; Emily Takacs, Almond-Bancroft; Paige Skibba, Rosholt; Mackenzie Glodowski, Rosholt; Abby Knaup, Tigerton; Erin Buch, Tigerton.

Honorable mention: Miranda Gust, Wild Rose; Jasmine Duchnowski, Wild Rose; Jalen Corn, Menominee Indian; Abby Polzin, Marion; Breeley Warzynski, Almond-Bancroft; Taylor Schafer, Almond-Bancroft; Catie Schmidt, Almond-Bancroft; Abbie Hutkowski, Port Edwards; Cassidy O’Shasky, Port Edwards; Erica Wolf, Bowler; Miranda Brei, Bowler; Brooke Breitrick, Bowler; Taylor Kaminski, Rosholt; Kaila Fletcher, Rosholt; Andrea Stroik, Rosholt; Bre Richter, Rosholt; Jaidan Miller, Tigerton; Ashley Knaup, Tigerton.

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By: 

Leader Staff

Gresham pitcher Derek Bowman and shortstop Neal Cerveny were recognized by coaches across the Central Wisconsin Conference-10 for their performance this season. Both received first-team all-conference honors.

Also earning first-team recognition were Bowler’s Cody Thiex and Tigerton’s Hayden Harris. Almond-Bancroft’s Johl Turzinski was named the Player of the Year.

Menominee Indian had one athlete honored on the second team, shortstop/pitcher Nick Corn. Marion’s Mitchell Elandt and Tigerton’s Conner Harris and Logan Moderson also were second-team selections.

Menominee Indian and Gresham each placed three players on the honorable mention list.

Gresham, which placed third in the CWC-10 and qualified for the WIAA sectional tourney, missed a chance at a conference title with back-to-back losses to Almond-Bancroft late in the season.

Bowler’s season ended at the hands of Gresham in the WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal. Tigerton lost its regional semifinal to Pittsville. Marion lost in the regional quarterfinal to CWC-10 foe Rosholt.

Central Wisconsin Conference-10

First team: Schuyler Waller, Wild Rose; Nick Rasmussen, Port Edwards; Neal Cerveny, Gresham; Cody Thiex, Bowler, Derek Bowman, Gresham; Johl Turzinski, Almond-Bancroft; Derek Baumgartner, Almond-Bancroft; Kyle Groshek, Rosholt; Dylan Richter, Rosholt; Hayden Harris, Tigerton.

Second team: Nick Corn, Menominee Indian; Tanner Deist, Wild Rose; Alec Wiczek, Almond-Bancroft; Mitchell Elandt, Marion; Beau Schauer, Port Edwards; Ian Gibbs, Port Edwards; Claude Cleeremen, Tri-County; Caleb Lemanczyk, Rosholt; Logan Moderson, Tigerton; Conner Harris, Tigerton.

Honorable mention: Grant Gomeyosh, Menominee Indian; Dayton Latender, Menominee Indian; Ty Latender, Menominee Indian; Drew Seefeldt, Wild Rose; Jacob Pettit, Wild Rose; Jacob Strassburg, Bowler; Carter Newby, Almond-Bancroft; Wyatt Richtmyre, Almond-Bancroft; Garrett Yonke, Almond-Bancroft; Matthew Radtke, Marion; Jared Joslin, Port Edwards; Ethan Saylor, Port Edwards; Jake Kramer, Tri-County; Brandon Peckham, Tri-County; Hunter Garski, Rosholt; Tony Kroplodowski, Rosholt; Ryan Rzentkowski, Rosholt; Drew Haffner, Gresham; Beau Hoffman, Gresham; Ray Creapeau, Gresham.

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By: 

Scott Owen, Leader Columnist

It’s true, the home of the Truckers has become a hotbed for young racing hot shots, and even though the Shawano Speedway is only 16 miles from Clintonville, it is not just dirt racers that are making a name for themselves.

The triumvirate of Lucas Lamberies, Wyatt Blashe and Jason Ebert are three of the hottest drivers going nowadays. Lucas Lamberies, who will be entering his senior year at Clintonville High School next fall, has been on the scene for a few years already.

The third-generation racer is the two-time defending champion at the Shawano Speedway, in addition to being a former state points champion in the IMCA Sport Mods division.

Lamberies has also had a considerable amount of success racing the top drivers in the nation at the IMCA Supernationals held annually in Boone, Iowa.

Wyatt Blashe, a soon-to-be high school senior as well, has been getting the job done in the pavement Late Model ranks. Blashe, a familiar last name in local racing circles, hails from a racing family. Both of his parents, Brandon and Sarah, are former racers.

Wyatt’s grandfather, Terry Baldry, is among the winningest pavement racers in Wisconsin as well. Uncles Kevin and Brady Baldry, as well as great-uncle Doug Blashe, are also accomplished racers.

Wyatt, who recorded his first Late Model feature victory a season ago, scored a first-place finish this past Memorial Day at the Golden Sands Speedway in Plover in the Back 61 race. The race ran 61 laps in honor of legendary Late Model pilot Jim Back.

Last Saturday at the Shawano Speedway, soon-to-be high school junior Jason Ebert secured his first career IMCA Sport Mod feature. Ebert won in only his second night of competition at the track.

Ebert, who began racing go-karts at the age of 6, was the IMCA Sport Mods rookie of the year last season at the Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway.

The future looks very bright for each of these young racers. All have had varying degrees of success, and incidentally each of them cut his teeth racing go-karts.

Clintonville, which for many years was known for its basketball prowess and as the hometown of Mike Jirschele, has quickly gained notoriety in racing circles for its heavy-footed youth.

Though these three racers are still teenagers, they have proved that they can compete with competition of any age.

See you at the speedway.

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

Hawks survive second-half scare, advanceBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School senior Sarah Dickmann posted a hat trick, including the winning goal in extra time, in a 4-3 win over New London in a WIAA regional semifinal Thursday in New London.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School sophomore Sydney Steinbach heads a ball toward a teammate early in Shawano’s 4-3 road victory over New London on Thursday. The Hawks scored three first-half goals.

Shawano withstood a second-half comeback from host New London on Thursday to advance to a WIAA Division 3 regional final.

Senior midfielder Sarah Dickmann completed a hat trick with the winning goal in extra time for a 4-3 victory over the third-seed Bulldogs.

Shawano will face Mosinee at 2 p.m. Saturday in the regional final in Mosinee.

Dickmann scored twice in the first half to help the Hawks build an early 3-0 advantage.

“Throughout the last four years, she’s kind of been that player in the middle of the field kind of patrolling everything,” Shawano head coach Bob Croschere said. “It doesn’t really surprise me much at this point that she’s still a big part of it.”

On the game-winner in the 99th minute, Dickmann received the ball outside the box, dribbled in on the left side of the goal and hit her shot far post, beating New London goalkeeper Liz Tank.

Tank had recorded a save on a breakaway to prevent the Hawks from taking the lead one minute previously.

Dickmann drilled a penalty kick past Tank in the fourth minute to open the scoring after a defensive hand-ball in the box.

Senior Morgan Klitzke had a breakaway goal, beating two defenders down the field and sliding the ball past Tank eight minutes in.

“It’s tough to go down that quick,” New London head coach Joe Messina said. “It seems like you’re fighting the whole way back.”

Dickmann would not make life any easier for the Bulldogs, using her right foot to curl in a corner kick in the 40th minute to give Shawano a 3-0 lead.

Croschere used his best defender, junior Colleen McFarlane, to shut down New London’s main scoring threat, Marina Solberg, who had 31 of the team’s 59 goals this season prior to Thursday.

“McFarlane, she’s their key player to me,” Messina said. “She brings a lot of energy up the middle.”

McFarlane and the Hawks were able to keep Solberg and the Bulldogs out of the scoring column for the first 45 minutes, and it took a little luck for New London to get on the board in the second half.

Sophomore Shania Krake hit a ball past Shawano goalkeeper Carlie Hinnefeld, but it hit the post and bounced back into play. Krake appeared to shoot the rebound wide right, but the referees, to Shawano’s dismay, awarded New London its first goal of the game.

Both coaches said afterward that the goal should not have counted.

The Bulldogs took the momentum, however. Using long passes to get the ball through the Shawano defense, New London scored again in the 74th minute when Krake again found the back of the net.

New London (9-11-5, 4-4-3 Bay Conference) tied the game on a goal by Paige Faucher in the 78th minute.

The Hawks (7-9-2, 4-5-2 Bay) then regained control of the ball, putting up four quality shots in the final 10 minutes of regulation before heading for extra time, where Dickmann won the game.

“We had possession most of it, I think, so I wasn’t really worried most of the time,” Croschere said. “They had a couple of runs and a couple of opportunities, but we came out on top.”

“To be honest, I didn’t want to play Shawano,” Messina said. “We play each other tough all the time. It’s one game can go one way, the other can go the other, so you never know how they are going to go.”

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Senior is 3rd generation to compete at stateBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

TREBOR RUECKERT

When Bonduel High School senior Trebor Rueckert steps onto the track at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for the WIAA Division 2 400-meter dash preliminaries Friday, he will continue a family tradition.

Rueckert, who spent the winter in the weight room, will be the third generation of Rueckerts to compete at the state meet. His father, Bob, who took fourth in the triple jump in 1988, and his grandfather, Joe, placed second in the long jump in the 1960s.

“I didn’t really feel pressure from my family, but since there was a history, I felt like I kind of had to (qualify),” Trebor Rueckert said.

Rueckert, Central Wisconsin Conference-8 champion in the triple jump, had a difficult day at the regional meet, taking sixth place with a top jump of 41 feet, 17 inches less than his season best.

“I just think it got inside his head a little bit and he had a hard time relaxing,” Bonduel head coach James Westrich said. “Track is so mentally tough because you can’t get into the flow of anything. You’ve got all those nerves built up, and then you’ve got three jumps and you’re done. It’s really hard to control the nerves.”

Rueckert, who has been running track since eighth grade, was able to bounce back and focus on the 400, placing second in the regional behind Little Chute’s Parker Gloudemans by two seconds.

Westrich said a slow start was hurting Rueckert.

“‘You’ve got at least half a second you can shave if not more,’” Westrich told Rueckert after that race.

Rueckert cut his time by .55 seconds in the sectional to finish fourth.

“That’s what he did,” Westrich said. “He gutted it out at the end and was able to get through.”

Now, the pressure is off Rueckert, seeded 14th at the state meet, which could help lower his time and sneak into Saturday’s finals.

“I made it there, and that’s what I wanted to do,” Rueckert said. “So from here, it’s just having fun.”

The other Bonduel state qualifier, junior Emily Sorenson, will be competing in her second consecutive state meet.

Sorenson, who jumped 17-9 1/2 feet for third place at the state meet last season, reached 18-4 3/4 feet at the Shawano Invitational earlier this season.

“She had a lot of pressure on herself to get back,” Westrich said. “I think, now that she’s there again, she can relax and enjoy it a little bit.”

At her first trip to state last year, Sorenson was able to avoid high expectations; but not this year.

“Last year was easier because I didn’t have a bar set on me,” Sorenson said, “but I think I’ll be alright.”

Jefferson’s Mikaela Grant, who took second in the long jump last year at state, has the longest jump this year in Division 2, 3 inches farther than Sorenson’s longest leap this season.

Westrich hopes Sorenson will have her best leap of the season at state — just as she did last year.

“She wants to jump her best at state. She did it last year, so hopefully, we just keep her calm and keep her relaxed and ready,” Westrich said. “She’s more than capable of doing that this year. She’s just got to control those nerves.”

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Wildcats strand 8 runners on baseBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Gresham High School players celebrate after defeating Sevastopol 8-3 in a WIAA Division 4 regional final Wednesday at home.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Gresham High School third baseman Beau Hoffman fires a throw to first baseman Ray Creapeau in the Wildcats’ 8-3 victory Wednesday. The Wildcats did not commit an error in the field.

With Gresham ace Derek Bowman on the mound, the Wildcats would not be denied a regional title against visiting Sevastopol.

As Bowman struck out five batters in the first three innings, the Wildcats compiled a five-run lead that would expand into an 8-3 victory in a WIAA Division 4 regional title game Wednesday in Gresham.

“They came out with confidence, and they were hungry,” Gresham head coach Scott Cerveny said. “Big opportunity. Not too often we get that opportunity to be regional champs.”

Ray Creapeau, Bowman and Beau Hoffman all drove in runs in the opening frame, and Drew Haffner and Creapeau again pushed runs across in the second inning to build the five-run lead.

Sevastopol head coach Jason Marggraf thought his team came out flat after upsetting top-seeded Wausaukee in the regional semifinal, 3-1, in eight innings Tuesday.

“I hate to blame it on that, but they did come out a little bit flat,” Marggraf said. “We are a better ball team than what played tonight.”

Things turned in the visitors’ favor in the third inning, when Gresham, with the bases loaded and no outs, could not tally another run.

With the bases loaded, Marggraf made the switch from starting pitcher Lucas Stenzel to senior Will Hartman. Hartman struck out Nathanial Juga and Legacy Skenandore, Gresham’s eighth and ninth hitters, then got Neal Cerveny to ground out to second base.

“He battled and got us out of that jam, and we kind of had some (momentum) going a little bit and scored a couple of runs in that inning,” Marggraf said. “It wasn’t quite enough, obviously, but I was impressed.”

The Pioneers (6-14, 3-11 Packerland Conference) battled for two runs in the fourth, but Gresham immediately responded with two runs of its own. One run came on a Todd Otradovec single, and the other on a balk, which scored Hoffman.

The Wildcats (15-5, 13-5 Central Wisconsin Conference-10), who had not had a winning record for a long time prior to last season, added another run in the fifth for good measure, and Bowman finished a complete game to seal the regional title.

“I’ve coached these kids since their Little League years, and it’s pretty rewarding to see them through to regional champs,” Cerveny said.

Bowman struck out 11 batters, allowing five hits and one walk.

“We’ll be disappointed,” Marggraf said. “We know we had our chances. This is a game we could have won tonight, but we just didn’t play the brand of ball I would have liked.”

Gresham stranded eight runners on base in the game.

“We’ve got to do a better job of getting runs, and we can’t leave many stranded,” Cerveny said.

The Wildcats, who dispatched CWC-10 foe Bowler, 4-1, in a regional semifinal Tuesday with Drew Haffner on the mound, will travel to Rosholt for the sectional semifinal against Niagara (14-6, 7-5 Marinette & Oconto Conference) Tuesday. The sectional final will be played the same day.

The other teams in the sectional are Rib Lake (13-4, 8-2 Marawood North Conference) and Pittsville (18-7, 8-4 Marawood South Conference).

His coach has high expectations for Bowman in the sectional. Bowman has struck out 30 batters in two games on the Rosholt mound this season, both victories for Gresham.

“Hopefully that mound is good to him, the ump is good to him,” Cerveny said.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

Sevastopol 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 5 2

Gresham 3 2 0 2 1 0 x 8 9 0

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Megan Klitzke, Gueths honored as athletes of the yearBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School honored seniors who competed in 12 sports over their four years in school Wednesday at the annual spring sports awards banquet.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School soccer players honored Wednesday are, from left, Morgan Klitzke (Co-Offensive Player of the Year), Sarah Dickmann (Most Valuable Player), Colleen McFarlane (Defensive Player of the Year) and Megan Klitzke (Co-Offensive Player of the Year).

Shawano Community High School concluded its spring sports season with an awards banquet Wednesday at The Gathering.

Seniors Zeke Gueths and Erika Dunnam were awarded the Martzke Award for their years in athletics. Gueths and Teagan Monfils were chosen as the Scholar Athletes of the Year.

The final awards of the night, for male and female Athletes of the Year, went to Gueths and Megan Klitzke.

Both the Scholar Athletes of the Year and Athletes of the Year awards were voted on by all varsity coaches at the high school.

SCHS Activities Director Charmaine Schreiber also recognized the seven senior athletes who are continuing their education while participating in athletics at the collegiate level. The athletes are Brandon Bolin, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, cheer; Alli Raddant, UW-Oshkosh, cheer; Kristy Kurtz, UW-Eau Claire, track; Monfils, UW-Eau Claire, cross-country; Sarah Dickmann, UW-Stout soccer; Dunnam, Carroll University, volleyball; and Gueths, Northern Illinois University, football.

Boys tennis

With seven positions on the varsity roster filled with first-year players, head coach Brian Beyer was pleased with the tennis team’s improvement.

No. 1 singles player Shawn Klemens was honored as the most valuable player. Senior Kyle Easter, who played with four different partners over the course of the season at the top doubles spot, was given the Coach’s Award.

Levi Johnson took home the honor for being most improved, and Chris Black was the Rookie of the Year for a team that placed third in the Bay Conference.

Softball

The softball team, with mostly underclassmen on the roster, reached the regional final May 27 at Luxemburg-Casco.

Raddant, a four-year starter, was the big winner Wednesday, taking home the Most Valuable Player award and the Golden Glove for her work at second base.

Junior Saige Henning won the Silver Slugger award for her Bay Conference-leading batting average and five home runs.

Freshman Bayleigh Laabs, who took over at shortstop this season, was given the Most Improved Player award, and Sarah Petry, the team’s third baseman, earned the Heart of the Hawk award.

Baseball

The Hawks fell in a regional semifinal matchup with Oconto Falls on Tuesday to wrap up their season.

Senior Tasa Grignon was named the team’s most valuable player, while senior shortstop Kasey Kristof was the team’s defensive player of the year.

Junior Jack Hanauer earned the Offensive Player of the Year award, and junior Dylan Sumnicht took home the Pitcher of the Year award.

Alex Hoffman was the team’s rookie of the year.

Track

The Shawano track team awarded Al Hartman MVP awards to the athletes who earned the most points for the team over the course of the season: Payden Buck and Kurtz.

Head coach Scott Smurawa then recognized athletes in the field, relays and running events. The winners were Dunnam and Gueths for field events, Hannah Wendorff and Atty Wagner for relays, and Carrie Young and Michael Mault for the running events.

Parker Pues and Dunnam were recognized for being the most improved performers. Tori DePerry and Crede Timm each received a Coach’s Award.

Boys golf

The Hawks’ No. 1 golfer throughout the year, junior Josh Mueller, earned the team’s Most Valuable Player award.

Tyler Buerman won the award as the most improved golfer.

Braxten Surber was honored as the team’s captain.

Girls soccer

Morgan and Megan Klitzke, who finished the regular season one goal apart, shared the Offensive Player of the Year Award for the soccer team, which begins WIAA Division 3 regional play Thursday in New London.

Dickmann, a senior midfielder, earned Most Valuable Player honors from head coach Bob Croschere, while junior Colleen McFarlane was the Defensive Player of the Year award winner for the second straight season.

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By: 

Gary Seymour, [email protected]

Let sleeping dogs lie, lest you’re made to pay the kind of surcharge levied on the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week.

This is not to be confused with the fee coughed up for a pair of courtside seats to Game 7 of the Western Conference finals – but more on that in a second.

The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors overcame a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate Oklahoma City and advance to the finals against Cleveland. In doing so, the Warriors avoided becoming the best regular-season team ever to tank in the playoffs. They broke the all-time mark for victories with 73, leaving only the defense of their title to lay claim as the most dominant team in league history.

League MVP Steph Curry led the Warriors over the Thunder, who at one point were sitting pretty after going up three games to one in the best-of-seven series.

But sitting pretty and closing the deal are two different things, and Oklahoma City’s superstar, Russell Westbrook, might regret the possible extra motivation he gave Curry and the Warriors.

In a press conference held while the Thunder were up 3-1, Westbrook and teammate Kevin Durant were asked if they thought Curry’s defense was underrated. Curry is best known for his outside shooting, and he often is not assigned to cover the opponent’s best guard.

But he led the league in steals, which is nothing to sneeze at – or to laugh at, as Westbrook did when the question of Curry’s defense was raised.

Westbrook’s outright mocking of Curry suggested that Westbrook figured the series was over, and that it was already open season on burying the myth of Curry’s greatness.

Three games later, the Thunder are going home and the Warriors are the ones yukking it up. A good rule of thumb in professional sports is that if you’re inclined to bluster about a conquest, stick to the ex post facto kind.

Back on those courtside seats, some fat-cat fan shelled out $58,000 for a pair of tickets on the floor. It was a good Game 7, but it wasn’t that good.

The ridiculous sum for two tickets to one game says a lot about the degree of social relevance that sports have gained in our culture over the years. Not long ago, the idea of paying the kind of money for two tickets that could put two new cars in your driveway was unthinkable.

But sports have become larger than life in today’s world, and it isn’t going to slow down. It’s not a question of “if,” but “when” the top dollar for a ticket to a championship event will hit six figures.

The World Series has brought in $17,553 for a single ticket, and the top price for a 50-yard line seat at this past Super Bowl was $20,500.

That was a bit of a bump up from the first Super Bowl, for which the average price of a ticket was $12. Scalpers were out of luck for that one, too, because there were almost 39,000 empty seats at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum when the Green Bay Packers spanked the Kansas City Chiefs.

An interesting footnote about that game was that the Chiefs also had a good player who ran his yapper a little too soon. Kansas City’s defensive back Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, boasted beforehand about skulling Packers receivers Boyd Dowler and Carroll Dale with forearm shivers that would knock them out of the game.

Both Dowler and Dale played till the end, but the Hammer did not. He collided with Packers running back Donny Anderson in the fourth quarter and was carted off the field.

Many years between but on a similarly big stage, Williamson and Westbrook had some good laughs. They just didn’t have the last one.

Veteran sportswriter Gary Seymour’s column appears weekly in the Leader. To contact him, send an email to [email protected] this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Bears leave 13 runners on base in tourney lossBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School junior Josh Richter turns a double play in the first inning of the Bears’ 3-0 loss to Brillion at home in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal Tuesday.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School senior Bailey Dingeldein throws to first base for an out late in the Bears’ 3-0 loss to Brillion at home in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal Tuesday.

Bonduel stranded 13 runners, including nine on second or third base, in a 3-0 loss to Brillion in a WIAA Division 3 regional baseball semifinal Tuesday at home.

“We just couldn’t come up with the big hit when we needed it,” Bonduel head coach Donnie Gruenewald said. “They scored all their runs with two outs. They got the big hits. We hit it hard, we squared it up, but then we’d hit it right at somebody.”

In the sixth inning, for example, with two runners on base, senior Bailey Dingeldein hit a deep fly ball that was caught just a few feet short of the outfield fence.

With runners on second and third in the fourth inning, Brillion pitcher Dylan Knoespel struck out Jordan Boldt.

With the bases loaded in the fifth, the Brillion senior fanned Garrett Siolka to end the threat.

Knoespel scattered eight hits and three walks in his complete-game shutout.

“After you get through one (jam), you kind of think, ‘Hey, we can do it again,’” Brillion head coach Chad Shimek said.

Shimek said the Bears seemed to be pressing a little too much to create runs on their home field, which led to some of Knoespel’s seven strikeouts.

Junior Josh Richter led the Bears at the plate with three hits. Brent Pieper had two hits.

On the mound, Bonduel senior Trevor Pedersen kept the Lions in check for the majority of the game. He struck out 13 batters, including five consecutive, but allowed three earned runs in seven innings.

Pedersen, who fractured the thumb on his left hand just over a week ago, could not hit.

“It would have been nice to have his bat in the lineup,” Gruenewald said. “When you take a guy that’s batting about .450 out of the lineup, it kind of hurts you a little bit.”

Brillion junior Quenten Schwartz started the scoring in the fourth inning with an RBI double to left-center, scoring Ty Williams from third base.

Williams sent a fastball from Pedersen to the left-center fence in the fifth inning to expand the Brillion lead to 3 runs.

Dontae Krizenesky and Trevor Jandrey each had two hits for Brillion, while Williams led the run production with two RBIs.

Bonduel, which finished 11-3 in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8, closed the season with a 16-5 record.

“It’s just tough to take,” Gruenewald said of the loss.

Brillion (16-6, 11-5 Eastern Wisconsin Conference) will travel to St. Mary Catholic (21-0, 18-0 EWC) Wednesday for the regional title game.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

Brillion 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 3 7 2

Bonduel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1

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No Hawks golfers qualify for stateBy: 

Leader Staff

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School junior Josh Mueller watches a putt on the 12th hole at the WIAA Division 2 sectional at Crystal Springs Golf Course on Tuesday. Mueller shot a round of 94 as the Hawks finished in 10th place.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School freshman Kobe Schreiber watches his putt inch toward the hole at the WIAA Division 2 sectional at Crystal Springs Golf Course on Tuesday. Schreiber finished with a round of 87, a team-best.

One week after pulling out a third-place finish in a WIAA Division 2 regional, Shawano could not recreate the magic at the sectional tourney in Seymour.

The Hawks, paced by Kobe Schreiber’s round of 87, took 10th place at Crystal Springs Golf Course on Tuesday with a 363 team total, falling well short of a state tourney berth. Braxten Surber added a 90, Austin Kohl a 92 and Josh Mueller a 94.

Shawano did not have a round higher than 94 when it shot 343 last week at Little River Country Club in Marinette. Tuesday, two Hawks shot 94 or higher.

Xavier (316) and Marinette (332) advance to the state team meet. Berlin’s Sam Marks (75), Waupaca’s Mason Gardner (80) and Wrightstown’s Logan Cieslewicz (81) advanced as individuals to the state meet Monday and Tuesday at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.

All five of Shawano’s varsity golfers, including Tyler Buerman, who finished with a 95 Tuesday, will return next season.

WIAA Division 2 Sectional

May 31

Crystal Springs Golf Course

Par 72

Team scores: Xavier, 316; Marinette, 332; Luxemburg-Casco, 349; Waupaca, 349; Berlin, 352; Winneconne, 352; Freedom, 355; Oconto, 356; Roncalli, 359; Shawano, 363; Peshtigo, 368; Two Rivers, 371.

S: Kobe Schreiber, 87; Braxten Surber, 90; Austin Kohl, 92; Josh Mueller, 94; Tyler Buerman, 95.

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Seniors dominate annual awardsBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Contributed Photo Bonduel High School seniors honored Monday at the spring sports banquet for participating in three sports in all four years at the school included, from left, Miranda Schmidt, Blake Stoss, Preston Robaidek and Hayley Pues. Not pictured are Trevor Pedersen, Taylor Weier and Bennett Gunderson.
Contributed Photo Recipients of track awards at the Bonduel High School spring sports banquet Monday were, from left, Spencer Perry (Most Improved), Christine Sell (Most Improved), Emily Sorenson (MVP), Clare Martell (captain), Preston Robaidek (captain), Hayley Pues (captain) and Trebor Rueckert (MVP).

Bonduel High School honored athletes in five sports at the annual spring awards banquet Monday in the school commons.

Seven seniors were recognized for participation in three sports for all four years of high school: Trevor Pedersen, Blake Stoss, Preston Robaidek, Bennett Gunderson, Miranda Schmidt, Taylor Weier and Hayley Pues.

Track

Senior Trebor Rueckert and junior Emily Sorenson, the two state qualifiers for the Bears, received the Most Valuable Player awards for the track team.

Robaidek and Rueckert each received a captain award for the boys team, which won its third straight Central Wisconsin Conference-8 team title. Spencer Perry was chosen as the most improved athlete.

For the girls, thrower Christine Sell secured the Most Improved Player award. Seniors Clare Martell and Pues were honored as team captains.

Golf

Sophomore Austin Acker earned the team’s Most Valuable Player award.

Acker, in addition to being the captain, was the No. 1 golfer for the Bears the entire season. He earned second-team all-conference recognition for his 87 average in conference meets.

Hunter Hammond was named the most improved athlete on the team, which started the season with a combined score of 499 and finished the year with a round of 381.

Baseball

Senior captains Pedersen and Bailey Dingeldein shared the MVP award.

Junior Brandon Olsen, who played left field, earned the Most Improved Player award from head coach Donnie Gruenewald.

Softball

Senior catcher Kaylee Rynish and junior shortstop Kailee Pedersen each earned Most Valuable Player awards from softball coach Chris Reinke.

The two also were team captains. Pederesen also was recognized as the top hitter for a team that finished the season 11-11 overall and 6-8 in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8.

Sophomore Brynn Reinke and Kelsey Krueger were named the most improved players.

Dance

The Most Valuable Dancer award went to Kaitlin Szoszorek, and Sierra Van Bellinger won the Best Showmanship award.

The captains were Emily Fassbender and Mackenzie Mews. Stephanie Chmielewski was named the most improved dancer. Jaden Bohm was honored as the most dedicated dancer.

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Van Straten wins 4th featureBy: 

Scott Owen, Special to the Leader

Contributed Photo Travis Van Straten won his fourth IMCA Stock Car feature of the season Saturday at Shawano Speedway.
Contributed Photo Jason Ebert won his first IMCA Sport Mods feature Saturday at Shawano Speedway.

Sporting a big smile and a Clintonville Trucker football shirt, 16-year-old Jason Ebert posed in victory lane after scoring his first career feature Saturday in only his second night of racing at the Shawano Speedway.

Ebert, who won the IMCA Sport Mod feature, was joined in victory lane by Tom Naeyeart (Late Models), Jerry Wilinski (IMCA Modified), Travis Van Straten (IMCA Stock Car) and Hollie Welch (Mighty Fours).

Naeyaert and Welch won their first features of the year.

Late Models

Pole-sitter Derek Jahnke led the opening lap before succumbing to the pressures of Ron Berna, who initially put some distance between himself and the rest of the field.

Naeyaert moved past Jahnke and into second place on lap three. By lap five, Naeyaert began to pressure Berna for the lead. For the next two laps, Naeyaert began to work to the inside of Berna.

Exiting the second turn on lap eight, Naeyaert pulled ahead of Berna for the lead. With Naeyaert continuing to lead, Nick Anvelink worked his way past Jared Siefert and Berna to move to second on lap 17.

As the laps wound down, Anvelink was able to close the gap on Naeyaert, but Naeyaert would not be denied his first victory of the year. Anvelink finished second, followed by Troy Springborn, Berna and Siefert.

IMCA Modifieds

Shawn Frelich led the first four laps of the race before Wilinski, who started in ninth, took control of the race on lap five.

Behind Wilinski, Clint Forstner and Lance Arneson locked horns in a battle for second place. Arneson moved into second on lap 14.

By this point in the race, though, Wilinski had built nearly a straightaway lead and was able to cruise to victory for the second time this season. Behind Wilinski, it was Arneson, Mitch Stankowski, Forstner and Chris Engels completing the top five.

IMCA Stock Cars

Harley Simon led the opening two laps before Rod Snellenberger took the lead following a lap three restart.

Snellenberger’s time in front would be short, though, as Van Straten took the lead on lap four. As Van Straten distanced himself from the rest of the field, Dan Michonski joined Snellenberger in the battle for second. The two former track champions raced door to door, lap after lap.

Meanwhile, behind them Gary Kasperek and Mike Schmidt raced side by side for a number of laps in the battle for fourth. Van Straten cruised to victory, his fourth of the season. Michonski edged Snellenberger by a fender for second place while Kasperek beat Schmidt to the line for fourth.

IMCA Sport Mods

Brianna Ambroziak and Brandon Nygaard battled for the lead at the drop of the green flag. The pair raced side by side for the first two laps before Ambroziak began to pull away just a bit from the rest of the field.

While Ambroziak led, Nygaard began to feel some heat from Ebert for second. Ebert cleared Nygaard on lap eight.

On lap 10, Ambroziak lost the handle on the car in turn four and spun, bringing out the caution flag and handing the lead to Ebert.

Though it was only his second night of racing at Shawano, Ebert looked like a seasoned veteran, holding the lead for the duration of the race. Kyle Raddant made a three-wide pass to move to second place and pestered Ebert for the lead as the race wound down.

Ebert held Raddant at bay to win his first career feature. Nygaard finished third, Jordan Barkholtz was fourth and Wyatt Block took fifth.

Mighty Fours

Travis Welch led the first four laps of the Mighty Four feature before Calvin Stueck battled past on lap five. Welch moved into second on lap nine.

With Stueck seemingly in control, Welch made up a ton of ground on the last lap, as rain began to fall on the track, and raced past Stueck to score the win.

Stueck had to settle for second, Travis Welch finished third, Brad Wedde fourth and Grant Kastning took fifth.

Shawano Speedway

May 28

Race Summary

Late Model Feature: 1) Tom Naeyaert, 2) Nick Anvelink, 3) Troy Springborn, 4) Ron Berna, 5) Jared Siefert, 6) Michael Stangl, 7) Derek Jahnke, 8) Jeremy Kazynski, 9) Doug Blashe, 10) Tony Habeck.

Heat 1: 1) Naeyaert, 2) Blashe, 3) Jeff Curtin.

Heat 2: 1) Berna, 2) Springborn, 3) Siefert.

IMCA Modified Feature: 1) Jerry Wilinski, 2) Lance Arneson, 3) Mitch Stankowski, 4) Clint Forstner, 5) Chris Engels, 6) Marcus Yarie, 7) Eddie Muenster, 8) Jeremie Hedrick, 9) Mark Weisnicht, 10) Matt Oreskovich.

Heat 1: 1) Wilinski, 2) Feck, 3) Hedrick.

Heat 2: 1) Frelich, 2) Muenster, 3) Forstner.

IMCA Stock Car Feature: 1) Travis Van Straten, 2) Dan Michonski, 3) Rod Snellenberger, 4) Gary Kasperek, 5) Mike Schmidt, 6) Harley Simon, 7) Vern Stedjee, 8) Tom Riehl, 9) Joe White, 10) Eric Zwirschitz.

Heat 1: 1) Luke Uttecht, 2) Van Straten, 3) Riehl.

Heat 2: 1) Simon, 2) Trent Nolan, 3) Snellenberger.

IMCA Sport Mod Feature: 1) Jason Ebert, 2) Kyle Raddant, 3) Brandon Nygard, 4) Jordan Barkholtz, 5) Wyatt Block, 6) Kevin Bethke, 7) Jordan Bartz, 8) Jason Jach, 9) Ryan Besaw, 10) Brekken Kleinschmidt.

Heat 1: 1) Brock Saunders, 2) Brianna Ambroziak, 3) Bethke.

Heat 2: 1) Block, 2) Ebert, 3) Nygaard.

Mighty Four Feature: 1) Hollie Welch, 2) Calvin Stueck, 3) Travis Welch, 4) Brad Wedde, 5) Grant Kastning, 6) Aaron Milavitz, 7) Kasey Gross, 8) Lucas Hacker, 9) Jason Hopinka, 10) Tony Hokenstad.

Heat 1: 1) Hopinka, 2) Travis Welch, 3) Josh Slewinski.

Heat 2: 1) Stueck, 2) Hollie Welch, 3) Gross.

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SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION

SCANDINAVIA 8, LANARK 7

Scandinavia: Willie Rosenthal, Connor Zblewski and Ryan Makuski all hit solo home runs.

Lanark: Cal Krusick was 3 for 4. Brad Cieslewicz was 2 for 4.

WAUPACA 13, WEYMONT 2

NORTHERN DIVISION

ANIWA 6, WITTENBERG 4

WP — Denton Mortenson; LP — Dominik Anderson

Aniwa: Bryce Chrudimsky was 3 for 4, and Cory Mortenson was 2 for 5.

Wittenberg: Brad Stankowski was 2 for 4.

ELDERON 8, BIRNAMWOOD 2

EAST-WEST DIVISION

TIGERTON 9, CLINTONVILLE 3

WP — Paul Sellner; WP — Mitch Ebben

Tigerton: Erik Kroening was 2 for 5 with a home run. Jon Berg was 2 for 4. Paul Sellner was 2 for 3. Woodrow Nelson was 2 for 5.

Clintonville: Mitch Ebben was 3 for 5. Jared Westphal was 3 for 5 with a home run. Jansen VanDaalwyck was 2 for 6 with a home run.

CAROLINE 4, SHAWANO 0

WP — Nick Descrochers; LP — Taylor Prey

Caroline: Phil Dufek was 3 for 4. Tyler Marquardt was 2 for 4 with a double. Mike Weatherwax was 2 for 4, and Conner Senzig was 2 for 4.

Shawano: Bobby Brunker and Kregg Boldig each had two hits.

NEOPIT 20, BOWLER 2

WP — Alex Peters III; LP — Tom Kazik Jr.

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BASEBALL

Oconto Falls 4

Shawano 0

Shawano allowed four runs on three hits in the sixth inning of its road loss Tuesday in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal.

Tasa Grignon had a double to lead Shawano (7-17, 3-9 Bay Conference).

Nate Laude took the loss for the Hawks, striking out nine batters and giving up six hits over six innings.

Oconto Falls (11-9, 8-7 North Eastern Conference) advanced to face Seymour (13-10, 7-5 Bay) in the regional title game Wednesday.

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Shawano heads into D3 regional play ThursdayBy: 

Chris Caporale [email protected]

Leader photo by Chris Caporale SCHS junior Colleen McFarlane’s been a vocal leader for the Shawano soccer team this spring, aiding a growing youth corps on the defensive side of the ball.

Shawano junior Colleen McFarlane has been the defensive leader for the girls soccer team for the past two seasons.

Working with a young group, including sophomores Niki Hoefs and Hannah Milavitz, McFarlane has helped the Hawks grow over the course of this spring season.

“She’s been playing since she’s been five years old, select stuff over the summer,” Shawano head coach Bob Croschere said. “Time on a field allows people to see things faster and react a little bit faster.”

“The experience factor makes her more of a leader back there,” Croschere continued.

It’s exactly that experience sixth-seeded Shawano will need when facing No. 3 New London in Thursday in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal road game in New London.

The Hawks (6-9-2, 4-5-2 Bay Conference) and Bulldogs (9-10-5, 4-4-3 Bay) split their two regular-season meetings. The defense early in games has been critical in the matchups, with the team that finds the back of the net first winning both games.

Senior Teagan Monfils scored in the ninth minute in the first contest, and helped the Hawks jump out to a 3-1 lead in the opening half.

In the teams’ second meeting, New London tacked on two goals in the first 12 minutes, before Shawano posted a late goal to cut the deficit to 1.

Croschere likes what he has seen out of the defense.

“I think they have grown slightly and grown into their roles as far as what they are supposed to be doing,” Croschere said of his defensive unit. “So, I think we should be OK.”

The familiarity with New London is something Croschere hopes the girls can use to their advantage as well.

“We know what they are like, we know what they are going to do, so we’ll see what happens,” Croschere said.

The offense should not be an issue, as Shawano has been able to find scoring in all but four games this season, including eight goals in the two games with

The Hawks have been able to score goals on New London in both meetings this season, averaging four goals per game against the Bulldogs.

Megan Klitzke has two goals and two assists in the two meetings with the Bulldogs, while senior midfielder Sarah Dickmann has three goals in the two games.

Morgan Klitzke posted four goals in the Hawks’ 11-1 victory over Clintonville to take the team lead for goals this year with 21 in the regular season. Megan Klitzke trails her sister by two goals. Megan Klitzke and Dickmann tied for the team lead in assists, with 15 apiece.

The move to Division 3 could help the Hawks this season, having played top-seeded Seymour, third-seeded New London and No. 8 Clintonville.

Shawano tied the Thunder, in the first of the two meetings, showing the parity across the regional.

“I think, any given day, anybody can beat anyone,” Croschere said. “It’s going to be one of those regionals where it could be a surprise who could come out of it.”

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Shawano falls 5-4 to Luxemburg-CascoBy: 

Chris Caporale [email protected]

A seventh-inning comeback was in the works, with the Shawano softball team scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning, but the Hawks could not push the tying run across the plate in Friday’s WIAA Division 2 regional final on the road against Luxemburg-Casco.

Trailing 5-1 entering the final frame, Brandi Gueths ripped a two-RBI double to cut the Luxemburg-Casco lead to 2, and Kristina Wynos blooped a single to score the third run of the inning.

With the bases loaded and two outs, the Spartans got the final batter to fly out to end the rally.

“The girls battled till the end,” Shawano interim head coach Brian Johnson said. “We had our chances tonight.”

Luxemburg-Casco jumped out on the Hawks early, posting a run in the opening frame.

Shawano then tied up the game in the third inning when Julia Beck hit a sacrifice fly, scoring courtesy runner Kate Hoffman.

Brandi Gueths doubled to start the production in the third inning for the visiting Hawks (17-10, 11-3 Bay Conference). Hoffman would run for Gueths to eventually score Shawano’s first run of the game.

The Spartans (21-6, 14-4 North Eastern Conference) would respond with a run of their own in the third inning before tacking on their final three runs of the game in the sixth inning.

For the second straight game, Shawano had the bases loaded in the seventh inning, but could not push the winning runs across the plate.

Seniors Alli Raddant, Julia Beck and Lauren Roloff will leave the program, but Johnson expects the upcoming young athletes in the program to fill those roles in the upcoming years.

“The team is loaded,” Johnson said. “They are going to be for the next three years.”

Johnson, who took over for the final three weeks of the season after serving as the junior varsity coach early in the spring, said that he would potentially be interested in coming back to coach the team next spring.

For the spring of 2016, Johnson will have lasting memories with this group.

“Just the kids’ passion,” Johnson said of what he will remember most. “They played with a lot of passion. It was a fun group to coach.”

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Small-ball propels Hawks past BulldogsBy: 

Chris Caporale [email protected]

Leader photo by Chris Caporale Shawano freshman Kate Hoffman slides under Peshtigo’s Megan Behnke for the game-winning run in the ninth inning of Thursday’s WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal contest at home.

Shawano Community High School freshman Kate Hoffman, after being stranded as the potential game-clinching run on third base in the bottom of the seventh inning, used her speed on a bunt from freshman Bayleigh Laabs to score the game-winning run in a 7-6, nine-inning victory over Peshtigo on Thursday.

Hoffman, who did not have an at-bat in the first two innings of the game, which were played on Wednesday prior to inclement weather, had three bunt singles when play resumed on Thursday with the Hawks ahead 5-4.

Hoffman laid down her bunt and stole second base, and Kristina Wynos put down a sacrifice bunt to get Hoffman to third. Laabs came up knowing she had to push a bunt to the right side of the infield, giving the Peshtigo defense a more difficult play at the plate.

“With Kate’s speed, I was willing to take that gamble,” Shawano interim head coach Brian Johnson said. “We had just talked about it right before the inning, I said, ‘It’s going to come down to a big bunt,’ and Bayleigh Laabs made a great bunt.”

Hoffman, on third base, was ready to make her move on contact.

“I was going no matter what, which was pretty scary, but I got there,” Hoffman said.

She beat Peshtigo catcher Megan Behnke to the plate. Behnke also lost control of the ball while trying to tag her out at the plate.

In total, Shawano had 12 successful bunts in the game.

After Peshtigo (21-4, 14-0 Marinette & Oconto Conference) tied the game up at 6-6 in the sixth inning with two runs, the Hawks (18-9, 11-3 Bay Conference) made a rally in the seventh, but couldn’t push the winning run across.

Hoffman again hit a bunt. Wynos sacrificed herself to get Hoffman to second base, where she was then able to steal third. Laabs reached base on a strikeout that hit the dirt, and Behnke would not test Hoffman’s speed at third base. When Laabs stole second base, Peshtigo head coach Tom Christensen made the decision to intentionally walk Shawano senior Lauren Roloff to load the bases.

Christensen wanted to get a force out at home, but it brought up Shawano’s leading hitter, Saige Henning. Henning would get ahead in the count, 3-1, before striking out.

“That was a dream. I was like, ‘Thank you.’ I’ll take that at-bat any time,” Johnson said. “Saige is going to win that battle nine out of 10 times. They just happened to hit their lucky day with her.”

Christensen couldn’t help but applaud the effort by both teams, despite his team being on the wrong side of the decision.

“It was one hell of a ball game,” Christensen said. “I think, pretty well-matched teams went at it. Nine innings. Great game. The girls will remember this game for the rest of their life.”

Sophomore Erin Cerveny, who pitched three innings on Wednesday before the weather postponed the game, continued where she left off. In total, she pitched nine innings, allowing five hits and six runs. Four of the runs were earned.

Cerveny was aided by strong defense in the outfield as well. Wynos made a running catch down the left-field line in the fifth inning and two more catches by Hannah Hein in center field, one in the seventh inning, and another in the ninth inning.

“Our outfield was special today. Wynos and Hein just made three catches that were just absolutely just major league,” Johnson said. “That was fun to watch. They were excited. That’s what you need this time of year, kids making plays, and they sure did that.”

For the Bulldogs, Teja Tonn threw two innings on Wednesday, and then Christensen put senior Amanda Majewski in the circle to start play Thursday. She tossed seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits.

Shawano will travel to face top-seeded Luxemburg-Casco on the road at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

Peshtigo 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 5 4

Shawano 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 11 3

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