Sports - Pierce County Journal

Sophomore Hannah Schommer holds off an Osceola drive in a 57-41 conference win Jan. 9.

Prescott GBB’s defense shuts down Osceola

PRESCOTT — Looking to make improvements defensively, the Prescott girls basketball team is already taking strides in the right direction, holding Osceola seven points below its team average in a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/14/26

EJ Langer had the match of the night, scoring a massive reversal into a pin on the brink of a loss.

Panthers take down third-ranked Osceola in dramatic fashion

ELLSWORTH — It may be too early to dub a “Dual of the Year,” but Ellsworth’s 40-34 win over the state’s third-ranked team, Osceola, on Jan. 8 is going to be tough to beat. There were wild … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/14/26

For the 31st consecutive year, Prescott took home the Middle Border Conference Championship.

Dance teams put their best feet forward at conference meet

NEW RICHMOND — Prescott held onto the Middle Border Conference title for the 31st consecutive year, Ellsworth had its best showing of the season and Spring Valley had a solid day themselves at the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/14/26

Shots from the Hip: Cards basketball seeing success entering 2026

The Prescott Cardinals boys basketball team entered 2026 in grand fashion with a pair of impressive non-conference wins. Head Coach Nick Johnson and his charges easily disposed of La Crosse … more

By Cripe Olson | 1/7/26

Kemri Schlegel fires a corner three in a Dec. 4 comeback win against Mondovi.

SV exits break with three tight games

Spring Valley girls basketball was looking for a spark coming out of the winter break, and they got it, winning two out of three tight games to improve to 4-5 on the year. The first came against … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/7/26

River Falls senior Cal DuMond lays one in during the Holiday Classic against D.C. Everest on Jan. 2.

Border squads shine at Holiday Classic

RIVER FALLS — River Falls and Prescott boys basketball each took part in the Jan. 2-3 Holiday Classic in River Falls. The two squads had success during their winter game slates, taking strides … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/7/26

Spring Valley/Elmwood 165-pounder Asher Turner drives his opponent into the mat in a 6-3 seventh place match win at the Northern Badger.

Northern Badger brings massive turnout on and off the mat

Yet again, the fans and wrestlers stuffed River Falls High School for another Northern Badger event, featuring around 50 schools. St. Croix Falls took the individual title, but there were tons of … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/7/26

UWRF players rejoice after winning the Division III National Championship for the first time in school history in Hall of Fame Stadium at Canton, Ohio, Jan. 4 24-14 over North Central.

‘The mud is the process it takes to be in the clouds’: UWRF wins first football National Title in school history

Canton, OHIO — They have done it. For the first time in school history, the University of Wisconsin River Falls is the Division III Football National Champion. In a defensive Stagg Bowl finale, an … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/5/26

Woodbury’s Blake Rohrer scores a 79-yard touchdown in the final minute to beat Johns Hopkins and advance to the National Championship.

Local players lead UWRF to National Championship game

It all comes down to this. The spectacular UW-River Falls Falcons are 13-1, WIAC champions and heading to the Stagg Bowl to compete for a National Championship. In what has become the greatest season … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/31/25

Shots from the Hip: Cripe's New Year's hopes

They all made them. From the Ancient Babylonians to the Knights of the Middle Ages, New Year’s resolutions have in some way, shape, or form been made for centuries. Following up last week’s … more

By Cripe Olson | 12/31/25

It was standing room only for the opening round of the 2024 Northern Badger, as the region’s best went head-to-head.

Northern Badger back for 40th annual holiday clash

Winter break for most means time off for the holidays, but for wrestlers, there are no days off when it comes to aiming for the top. The Northern Badger is back for yet another holiday season, this … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/31/25

The 2024-25 EPC Wolves after then senior Lucas Glaus scored his 1,000th career point.

EPC finding rhythm through steady diet of non-conference play

Elmwood/Plum City boys basketball started the year with a tough loss to Clear Lake 76-69 in a conference battle. Given that Clear Lake is a strong team expected to finish in the middle of the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/31/25

The Ellsworth bench celebrates after Parker Peterson drills a three right before their eyes Dec. 22 against Rice Lake.

Ellsworth basketball crushes doubleheader heading into break

Ellsworth basketball went into the winter break on a jolly note, sweeping a girls and boys basketball doubleheader. The girls crushed from the opening tip to the final horn in a 52-22 win over … more

12/31/25

Residents of River Falls’ Our House Memory Care visited D-Bat to test their luck in the batting cages.

Senior care residents soak in the spotlight after home run swings land them on national news

RIVER FALLS — What unfolded into a story on NBC News with Tom Llamas had much simpler origins out of River Falls. With D-Bat’s baseball and softball facilities having a few quieter hours during … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/23/25

Shots from the Hip: Christmas list 2025

I have made a list and checked it twice. Here is my Christmas list for 2025. For a winter with legitimate snow cover. It’s been a while since we have had a blanket of snow throughout the … more

By Cripe Olson | 12/23/25

Junior Jake Hannack battles contact to lay it in during a 62-51 win over Cornell.

Young Cardinals slotting into roles nicely

SPRING VALLEY — With a roster of two seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen, Spring Valley boys basketball is operating with essentially zero returning varsity production from a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/23/25

Ellsworth senior Omar Coulson scored 13.1 points per game for the Panthers during his junior season, good for second on the team behind George Rohl’s 14.1.

Cancellations not stopping Ellsworth BBB

The December snowstorms have cancelled multiple opportunities for Ellsworth boys basketball to take the court. Most recently, the team’s rivalry matchup with Prescott scheduled for Dec. 18 was … more

By Adrew Harrington | 12/23/25

Senior defensive lineman Jack Olson out of Prescott lays a hit on the Johns Hopkins quarterback in a wild 48-41 win to advance to the Stagg Bowl.

Wild final minute lands UWRF in Stagg Bowl

RIVER FALLS — The score was 41-41 with just over three minutes to play in the Division III Semi-Final on Saturday. UW-River Falls and Johns Hopkins had gone back-and-forth all afternoon through … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/20/25

Around the County: Snowstorms cause postponements once again

Boys Basketball With the Tuesday slate of games being entirely cleared due to weather, it made for a light week of both boys and girls basketball. Spring Valley won its lone game in a … more

12/17/25

Shots from the Hip: Scoring trends in basketball

Prescott 1,000-point scorer Violet Otto is among the top 10 scorers in the state of Wisconsin. The St. Cloud State-bound sharpshooter scored 39 points last week at Amery and is on pace to have … more

By Cripe Olson | 12/17/25