River Falls - Pierce County Journal

River Falls senior Addison Reisdorfer runs onto the field after the 3-0 section final win over Onalaska to celebrate with her teammates on Saturday. The Wildcats are headed to the WIAA state soccer tournament for the fourth time in school history. They will play Pewaukee on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in Milwaukee.

For many high school kids, summer is a time for lazy days and kicking back. That is not the case for River Falls forward Olivia Doerre. Her schedule is as full as a Pierce County rain gauge this … more

By Sarah Nigbor | 6/18/25

Nathalie Rotsaert (pictured) takes a corner kick for the Wildcats. River Falls had just 11 shots on goal compared to Marshfield's three. The Wildcats advanced by a final of 2-0. Hannah Cook and Elliott Bell each scored a goal for River Falls. The Wildcats have won 11 straight Regional Championships with 13 of the 14 years during Head Coach Charles Conley's tenure. The Wildcats will host New Richmond in round three of the play-offs. The Tigers took down the Wildcats last time out, 2-0.

Around the County: Spring sports enter final chapter

Track and Field Prescott’s 4x100 relay team of Andrew Lesso, Andrew Russell, Wyatt Budworth and Ethan West broke the State record with a 42.00 time to win the event. West chased down a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 6/11/25

Chase Rudolph turns a double play in the top of the third inning against Wisconsin Rapids last Tuesday. The Wildcats advanced to the WIAA second round with a 2-1 win.

Jeffers throws a gem for RF baseball

It's easy to see the "Karate Kid" connection watching a River Falls High School baseball game this season. River Falls Sports Broadcasting play-by-play man Kevin Westhuis is all over it, similar to … more

By Greg Peters | 6/11/25

Ellsworth senior Maleah Petersen was the WIAA Division 2 State Champion in the girls' discus this past Friday in La Crosse.

Area tracksters shine at State Meet

The WIAA State Track and Field Championship is the oldest state high school track meet in the country. It was first held at UW-Madison's Camp Randall in 1895. It has been held at Veteran's Memorial … more

By Greg Peters | 6/11/25

Prescott won the golf Regional, marking the first in team history.

Around the County: Full buses headed to State track

Track and Field Maleah Petersen had a performance to remember for Ellsworth at Sectionals, qualifying for State in both the shot put and discus. Petersen broke the school record shot put by two … more

By Andrew Harrington | 6/4/25

The Wildcat boys 4x400-meter relay team dominated the section meet in Hudson on Thursday, finishing first with a time of 3:21.00. Pictured from River Falls are Quin Andrews (center top left), Ty Bauschelt (center top right), Jack Silloway (center lower left) and Charlie Burke (center lower right).

Wildcats roaring into State track meet

River Falls Track and Field Head Coach Kady Bauschelt had high expectations for her team heading into the WIAA section meet at Hudson on Thursday. "We always have high expectations," said … more

By Greg Peters | 6/4/25

River Falls' senior pitcher Auden Pankonin (pictured) gave up one run through six innings on Thursday hosting BRC-foe Eau Claire North. Pankonin also collected two of just three total Wildcat hits in game two of the double header, as the Wildcats dropped game 2, 4-0. The Wildcats lost a nail-biter, 3-2 in eight innings, in game one. Chase Rudolph pounded out three hits in game one. River Falls (12-8 overall) won 8-5 over St. Croix Central on Saturday. Cal Usgaard and Kingston Quinn led the Wildcats with two hits apiece. Quinn, a sophomore, is second on the team hitting at .318.

Around the County: Prescott baseball, golf each win MBC

Softball Elmwood/Plum City kicked off a postseason run with a dominant 17-2 win over Owen-Withee on May 22. Next up is a matchup at 11-4 Rib Lake on May 27. Spring Valley also earned a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 5/28/25

Prescott senior Ethan West starts a sprint during an early season meet.

Three squads take second at conference track meets

Dunn-St. Croix Elmwood/Plum City and Spring Valley were in Mondovi for the Dunn-St. Croix Conference Championship on May 22, with the EPC girls leading the way with a second-place finish. The … more

By Andrew Harrington | 5/28/25

Aurora Sampair broke the EPC school record in discus throwing with a toss of 110 feet, 11 inches.

Around the County: Sampair sets EPC school record discus throw

Baseball Prescott has won eight of nine games after sweeping Baldwin-Woodville 8-4, 7-4 and Platteville 13-6, 10-0. Their winning ways have given them a 9-3 conference record, good for a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 5/21/25

The Wildcats' Olivia Doerre had a second-half penalty kick blocked by Hudson’s Hannah Kendhammer.

Wildcat soccer stonewalled by Kendhammer

Wildcat girls’ soccer and the weather took a turn for the worse last Thursday in River Falls. Thursday morning, outside temperatures were in the low 80's and calm. The Wildcats had racked up … more

By Greg Peters | 5/21/25

Wildcat baseball coaches Ryan Bishop and Mark Vrieze are pulling out their inner 1984 "Mr. Miyagi" for the Wildcats this season.

From Horseplay to Heroes: Mr. Miyagi and Wildcat baseball

I had just turned 12 years old in June 1984 when the Celtics and Larry Bird captured the NBA title over the Los Angeles Lakers. I was either mowing neighborhood yards for $5 or playing Whiffle Ball … more

By Greg Peters | 5/21/25

Prescott freshmen Amelia Haeg ran the third leg of the girls' 4x200-meter race. Prescott set five school records on Friday at the Stan Barr Relays in New Richmond.

Track & Field heating up with the weather

The Ellsworth, Prescott, and River Falls high school track teams competed in the 58th Stan Barr Relays in New Richmond on Friday. With conference meets a week away, the Stan Barr Relays are a time … more

By Greg Peters | 5/14/25

Aidan Dorau (pictured) was solid at second base but led the Cardinals at the plate going 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Dain Pechacek and Barrett Temmers each had two RBI, as the Cardinals pounded out 11 hits in the 8-7 win over Elk Mound in game one of the Saturday double header at Fire Hall Field. Jackson Matzek picked up the win on the mound.

Around the County: Prescott and Ellsworth softball cross paths for important set of games

Softball Ellsworth went on a tear, beating Osceola 14-7 and 10-0 and Altoona 13-11 and 9-7 in eight innings. The Panthers got a walk-off three-run blast from Aliza Acker and a sixth inning grand … more

By Andrew Harrington | 5/14/25

Around the County: Prescott sweeps track and field meet

Softball Spring Valley got its first two wins of the season, beating Elmwood/Plum City 14-11 and Unity 9-5. The Cardinals found an offensive force at the right time with the postseason weeks … more

By Andrew Harrington | 5/7/25

Wildcats swarm Dylan Paulson after scoring a perfectly placed deep shot into the back of the net.

RF blanks Wausau West to continue winning ways

RIVER FALLS — River Falls girls soccer was looking to make a statement coming out of the 2024 season with a State Tournament appearance. Thus far the Wildcats are well on their way to reaching … more

By Andrew Harrington | 4/30/25

Around the County: Prescott baseball to play for conference’s top spot

Baseball Prescott went 3-0 on the week, beating St. Croix Falls 5-4 and St. Croix Central 4-0 and 2-0. Prescott is now a game out of the top conference spot at 4-2 with an overall 8-2 record. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 4/30/25

River Falls junior Olive Halvorson recently broke the school indoor mile record and has her sights set on Annie Frisbie's 10-year-old outdoor mile record of 4:59.

Wildcat track heroes set sights on breaking records

In literature, an olive branch is commonly used as a metaphor offering peace and goodwill. River Falls track star Olive Halvorson's name fits her like a custom-made track shoe. Halvorson, … more

By Greg Peters | 4/22/25

Wildcat senior Cal Usgaard turns a double play in the first inning on Monday against Champlin Park.

Wildcat baseball is off to a strong start

The River Falls Wildcat baseball team had three games under their elastic navy-blue belts before they had their first on-field outdoor varsity practice this year. Between tryouts, a chicken fry … more

By Greg Peters | 4/22/25

Around the County: Rainy weather reshapes athletic calendar

Softball Ellsworth is out to an impressive 8-1 start, scoring double-digits in seven of them. The Panthers beat Zumbrota-Mazeppa 5-4, and St. Croix Central 13-3 and 20-7 to boast a 3-0 week. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 4/22/25

Preston Johnson was selected to play in both the football and basketball Wisconsin all-star games.

Preston Johnson to play in football and basketball state all-star games

Preston Johnson, a River Falls senior and Minnesota State University Moorhead football signee, was named to both the football and basketball Wisconsin Coaches Association All-Star games. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 4/16/25