River Falls - Pierce County Journal

Rory Canaday and Josey Soderbeck placed second and eighth at the Rice Lake Sectional diving competition, with Canaday’s score good for 11th in the State.

RF swim and dive places well at Sectionals

River Falls swimming and diving wrapped up its season at the Rice Lake Sectional with scores and times that went toe-to-toe with the area’s best. River Falls secured a handful of top finishes, … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/11/26

Prescott senior Kyra Dix poses with the Cardinal mascot after finishing fifth at the Griak Invitational back in September.

XC trio posts impressive State times to close season

Prescott senior Kyra Dix took second, Ellsworth senior Adolfo Mendez took fourth and River Falls sophomore Micaiah Black placed 13th in what turned out to be an excellent State cross country meet … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/4/26

The River Falls block rises up to make a play on the ball during the Sectional Semi-finals in River Falls on Thursday.

Wildcat season ends in heartbreak to conference foe

RIVER FALLS — The Wildcat volleyball season was an excellent one in 2026, finishing second place in a stacked Big Rivers Conference with just one conference loss. River Falls entered Sectionals … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/4/26

River Falls senior Ryker O'Keefe celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the playoffs against Brookfield Central on Friday.

HS football season comes to an end after pair of playoff losses

Spring Valley and River Falls saw their football seasons come to a close Friday night, each dropping games in the second round of the postseason. Both teams rode strong senior classes into battle … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/4/26

Ellsworth senior Adolfo Mendez continued an exceptional season with a runner-up finish to qualify for State.

Three runners set to make mark on XC State

Phenomenal Sectional performances have landed Prescott’s Kyra Dix, Ellsworth’s Adolfo Mendez and River Falls’ Micaiah Black spots in the Halloween State meet at Wisconsin Rapids. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/28/26

River Falls senior Amelie Pankonin takes a big swing in a 3-0 win over Onalaska on Thursday.

Wildcats are lone survivors of Regional gauntlet

County teams secured seven playoff volleyball wins with three teams reaching the Regional Final, but River Falls was the lone Pierce County squad to push through to Sectionals. River Falls … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/28/26

A group of Cardinals bring down a Whitehall runner in a 28-27 Spring Valley win Friday.

SV, RF win pair of electric playoff matchups

A Spring Valley win that came down to a two-point conversion, a perfectly executed River Falls drive and Elmwood/Plum City sending off its senior class summed up a dynamite playoff Friday night. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/28/26

Spring Valley, Elmwood/Plum City and River Falls are headed to the playoffs Friday night after each taking unique paths to get there.

Three teams prepare to put hands in the dirt for playoff football

Spring Valley, River Falls and Elmwood/Plum City are headed to the football playoffs. Here is everything to know about their opening round opponents. No. 3 Spring Valley vs. No. 6 Whitehall … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/21/26

Spring Valley’s All-Conference runners in Chetek-Weyerhaeuser.

Two XC teams host conference meets, plenty of top finishes

Ellsworth made its return to hosting cross country meets this season and had the chance to host the Middle Border Conference meet. River Falls also hosted the Big Rivers Conference meet this year. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/21/26

The Wildcats celebrate after securing a set against Hudson on Thursday.

Cats hit stride too late to topple BRC’s unbeaten Hudson

HUDSON — River Falls volleyball got off to a slow start in the rivalry matchup against Hudson, dropping the first two sets. The Wildcats kicked into gear later on, but it was not enough in a 3-1 … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/14/26

With one week of regular season football left to play, the five Pierce County teams are ready to close out the weekend with one last full Friday slate.

The Final Friday: One last night of regular season football is here

Spring Valley enters the final week of the season 6-2 with a 5-1 conference record. Those results have the Cardinals tied for the Dunn-St. Croix’s top spot with Glenwood City. Spring Valley beat … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/14/26

Ellsworth’s No. 1 doubles pairing of Alissa Davis and Brooke Olson qualified for State with a third-place finish at the Altoona Sectional.

Around the County: Tennis, Golf State Tournaments to see area representation

Girls Tennis Ellsworth’s No. 1 doubles pairing of Alissa Davis and Brooke Olson are headed to State. The team had an excellent season, and Davis and Olson will look to represent the team well … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/14/26

Prescott girls golf is heading back to Division 1 State, as the team of Lily Vesperman, Macy Reiter, Avery Braun, Layla Salay and Claire Salay won the Stevens Point Sectional and the Superior Regional.

Cardinal golf does it again, team heading back to Madison

Prescott girls golf is returning to State on Monday and Tuesday, as the team secured conference, Regional and Sectional titles over the last few weeks to reach the biggest stage. Prescott and … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/7/26

Junior running back Trevor Bartlett bursts through the second level of the Hudson defense for a huge gain Friday.

Cats show flashes, Hudson’s consistency too much to keep the jug

HUDSON — River Falls came to play against a Hudson team tearing through its schedule with a 6-1 overall record, but Raider quarterback Grant Bjerke’s 400 total yards and three touchdowns made the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/7/26

Around the County: Playoffs, postseasons and the chase for them

Girls Golf Prescott’s 341 score at the Superior Regional was narrowly enough to get the team victory, beating the host team by four strokes. Seniors Macy Reiter, Layla Salay and Lily Vesperman … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/7/26

Around the County: Golf conference meets, cross country team title steal the show

Girls Golf Prescott won the Middle Border Conference title and Ellsworth finished fourth of eight at the conference championship meet in Amery. Seniors Layla Salay and Macy Reiter of Prescott … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/30/26

Prescott won a seventh consecutive girls golf Middle Border conference title in Amery on Sept. 22. The six in the lineup for the Cardinals were Layla Salay, Macy Reiter, Lily Vesperman, Lyla Randolph, Avery Braun and Claire Salay.

Prescott wins seventh consecutive MBC title

Prescott is back on top of the Middle Border Conference for a seventh consecutive season, River Falls took second and is peaking at the right time in the Big Rivers Conference and Ellsworth secured a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/30/26

The Wildcat bench celebrates after River Falls beat Osceola 1-0 Thursday for the team’s first win of the season.

French’s goal gets Wildcats into win column

RIVER FALLS — River Falls soccer had a great night Thursday, getting the team’s first goal of the season and eventually the first win of the season 1-0 over Osceola. With seven losses and a draw, … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/23/26

Around the County: Rainy days fail to stop the action

Football Spring Valley won the 2026 installment of the SV/EPC rivalry on their home field. It was a rainy, wet day Friday, but the Cardinals got the job done 21-0 to improve to 4-1. The Wolves … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/23/26

River Falls trailed Superior late, but a thrilling fourth down conversion and late touchdown flipped the script Friday.

Goal line stand turns potential heartbreak to jubilation for Wildcats

SUPERIOR — River Falls has now won twice in a row to improve to 2-2. The Wildcats scored a late touchdown with their backs against the wall and got a goal-line stand to win 20-16 in Superior on … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/16/26