Sports - Pierce County Journal

Boys Basketball Prescott won the first installment of the rivalry at home against Ellsworth 70-63 Jan. 21. Kobe Russell’s 26 and Teddy Bernick’s 18 made the difference in a game that … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/29/25

The inaugural Night at the Nest fundraiser will take place Friday, Jan. 31 at Page Arena in River Falls.

‘Night at the Nest’ is this Friday

The "Night at the Nest" is an inaugural UWRF Falcon Athletic fundraiser happening this Friday night (Jan 31) from 6-8:30 p.m. in Page Arena. Registration is required for the live auction event. … more

By Greg Peters | 1/29/25

Shots from the hip: WIAA Division 3 Somerset Sectional is wide open

Heading into the final six weeks of the regular season it appears the WIAA Division 3 Somerset Sectional is wide open. In the northern half of the bracket no team heads into this week with fewer than … more

By Cripe Olson | 1/22/25

Lincoln McCarty picked up his 100th win this week, helping River Falls put together a solid season as a team.

McCarty notches 100th wrestling win for River Falls in eventful Pierce County week

Girls Basketball The Elmwood/Plum City girls had been on a losing streak that dated back to February 2023; however, first year head coach Adrian Hook had the team improving by the day, cutting … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/22/25

Rory Zuehlsdorf looks for a bucket inside against Ellsworth on Jan. 14. Zuehlsdorf sparked Prescott with 15 points in a win.

Prescott GBB takes Highway 10 rivalry with late run

PRESCOTT — The Ellsworth girls basketball team kept Prescott within striking distance for the majority of the game until a late push from the Cardinals put them away once and for all for a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/22/25

The Fusion's Morgan "Mojo" Kivel scores on this wrister in the third period Tuesday, Jan. 14 against CFM at Hunt Arena. The Fusion lost 4-1 and fell to 8-7 on the season.

Fusion stonewalled in sluggish defeat

St. Croix Valley Fusion Head Coach Matt Cranston has been coaching girls' hockey for over 20 years. He's racked up over 300 wins and three state titles during his tenure with the Fusion. "I … more

By Greg Peters | 1/22/25

Rollie Hall and Bailee Bishop pose for a picture before "Wildcat Volleyball Staff & Appreciation Night" in October, Hall's last time in the gym.

Horseplay & Heroes: Remembering Grandpa Wildcat

It was so cold outside this particular January day walking into River Falls High School, my lungs hurt to breathe. The term "runny nose" was oblivious. It was frozen within five steps in the parking … more

By Greg Peters | 1/22/25

River Falls' Preston Johnson drives to the basket on Tuesday night against Eau Claire North. Johnson scored a game-high 30 points. North won on a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Press on for Preston: Wildcats lose to EC North at last second

The intensity for the Eau Claire North/River Falls Big Rivers Conference boys' basketball match-up could be felt at the scorer's table during a short first-half stoppage in play Thursday night in … more

By Greg Peters | 1/22/25

Junior Kovi Prochnow scores his first varsity goal at point-blank range in the second period against Menomonie to tie the game, 2-2.

Fast-paced Wildcats back in the hunt, demolish Menomonie

River Falls Wildcat boys' hockey played their first-ever game as a program in Hunt Arena on the UW-River Falls campus Dec. 3, 1974. The Wildcats lost that game 4-1 to Shattuck-St. Mary's. This past … more

By Greg Peters | 1/22/25

River Falls' junior Abigail Treichel scores 2 of her 7 points against Rice Lake Tuesday night, Jan. 14. Treichel grabbed 31 rebounds in two games last week. She ranks eighth in the state in rebounding.

Treichel tough on the boards, Vitt won’t quit

The Cats' Den River Falls' student section, what looked to be a collection of about 20 freshmen and sophomore boys, yelled in unison, "O-Ver-Ray-ted," when Rice Lake junior Adaline Sheplee missed a … more

By Greg Peters | 1/22/25

A plaque of Spring Valley’s 1,000-point scorers throughout history. Mara Ducklow, who accomplished the feat a year ago, and Cade Stasiek’s names are to be added to the plaque soon.

Stasiek becomes SV’s second all-time leading scorer

SPRING VALLEY — Cade Stasiek, a Spring Valley senior who has shined both as the quarterback of the football team and the point guard for the basketball team, is cementing his legacy as one of … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/22/25

Ellsworth Panther Tori Feuerhelm makes it official with Rochester Community and Technical College volleyball Jan. 9.

Feuerhelm signs to RCTC for volleyball

Tori Feuerhelm, one of Ellsworth volleyball’s leaders on and off the floor, made the commitment to play at the next level for Rochester Community and Technical College in Minnesota. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/22/25

River Falls senior Vinny Costabilo pins Hudson's Eli Mertens at 1:45 in the first period Thursday in River Falls. Costabilo is currently 24-4 on the season.

Wildcat Wrestling pins Hudson, Costabilo plays the part

The River Falls Wildcat wrestling team had just finished beating rival Hudson in their final home dual meet of the season this past Thursday night, 43-34. The Wildcats were back in the win column … more

By Greg Peters | 1/15/25

The Skinny on Falcon Sports: Steve Stocker values all student-athletes

In my never flagging efforts to inform the public, I offer the following: Groucho Marx's daughter, Anya, was an Olympic runner long ago. But did you know that to this day her name is honored at the … more

By Don Richards | 1/15/25

River Falls' Gavin Kohel is shredding opponents for UW-Whitewater wrestling in his sophomore season.

Property Executives Realty ‘Moving On’ report

The Pierce County Journal Sports Department, which includes me and Andrew Harrington, is trying to be creative, shall we say a joint venture in journalism. As a Pierce County Journal sports reporter, … more

By Greg Peters | 1/15/25

Senior Caleb Bartko draws a foul inside in a 66-62 win over Elk Mound on Jan. 10. Bartko finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

Wolf sets the tone inside, SV mounts comeback over Elk Mound

SPRING VALLEY — Despite trailing by double-digits, the Spring Valley Cardinals boys basketball squad never wavered, rallying to win a 66-62 nailbiter over Elk Mound on Friday. With the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/15/25

Shots from the hip: Prescott BB wins over Amery

Guard Teddy Bernick turned in quite a performance on Friday against the Amery Warriors. The senior finished 6-6 from beyond the arc enroute to scoring a career high 20 points in a crucial Middle … more

By Cripe Olson | 1/15/25

River Falls and Hudson players get physical in front of the Hudson net.

RF hockey falls to Hudson, bounces back to beat Rice Lake

River Falls boys hockey took the ice for an important week of skating, coming away with a split after losing to Hudson 3-1 Jan. 7 and beating Rice Lake 5-3 Thursday. The Wildcats are in the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/15/25

The RF boys swim and dive squad is on the right track, pushing to meet its goals in the back half of the season.

RF swim and dive sees leadership, improved times in season’s opening month

RIVER FALLS — The River Falls boys swim and dive team has been on the up and up all season long, and a 91-84 loss to Tartan-North Jan. 7 proved how close they are to the top rather than being a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 1/15/25

Joe Stoffel catches a fourth quarter touchdown pass in the FCS National Title Game in Frisco, Texas on Jan. 6.

Big game, that’s the easy part for Joe Stoffel

River Falls' Joe Stoffel was suited up Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. He was wearing his #82 green, white, and gold North Dakota State football uniform. The fifth-year senior tight end … more

By Greg Peters | 1/15/25