Sports - Pierce County Journal

Addison Neidermyer and Evah Butts attempt a block during a win over Clear Lake at the Baldwin-Woodville quad Sept. 12.

SV volleyball’s confident play leads to early season wins

BALDWIN — Spring Valley volleyball is off to a strong start this season, and as the 2023 Dunn-St. Croix Conference champions with an 8-0 record in conference play, the Cardinals are well on … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/18/24

Three of our local officials leaving the court after a job well done at the boys state tournament.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (in sports officiating)

With the onset of another school year and the kickoff of the fall sports season, it might be a good time to ponder behavior at school athletic events from the perspective of game officials. Since I … more

By Craig Finstad | 9/18/24

Prescott is off to a perfect start to conference play through six events, and it has been a team effort all around.

Prescott wins sixth straight conference event, Ellsworth continuing to battle for top 3 spot

EAU CLAIRE — Prescott is now six-for-six in Middle Border Conference events on the year, heading to the Princeton Valley Golf Club in Eau Claire and winning by 18 strokes over second place … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/18/24

The Spring Valley Cardinals football team seniors for the 2024 season.

Catch up on Pierce County sports Sept. 18 roundup

Football Prescott’s absolute dominance continued Friday, picking up a 49-0 win over Osceola. Now sitting at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, the squad has allowed just 30 points on … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/18/24

EPC trap team enters fall season with mental focus

The Elmwood/Plum City trap shooting team is entering the fall season with high expectations, as the team has a strong history and the willingness to improve. EPC has 15 student-athletes on the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/18/24

Chippewa Falls went for 240 yards and four scores on the ground in a 35-21 win over River Falls on Sept. 13.

RF misses first half opportunities in loss to Chippewa Falls

RIVER FALLS — The Wildcats had their chance to strike to tie the game in the final minutes, but an untimely interception gave Chippewa Falls a 35-21 win over River Falls in Big Rivers … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/18/24

The River Falls Wildcats girls’ golf team competed Tuesday, Sept. 1 at the Holmen Invite at Drugan’ Castle Mound Golf Course in Holmen where they placed third overall.

Catch up on Pierce County sports

Football Prescott is off to a 3-0 start to the year and all three games have been absolute dominance. In the conference opener for the Cardinals, they gave Altoona all they could handle and more … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/11/24

Tustin Todd celebrates after bringing River Falls out of a deficit to beat Chippewa Falls 4-3 Sept. 5.

From two goals down, RF soccer rallies to 4-3 win

RIVER FALLS — Chippewa Falls soccer floated in a goal to open the second half and take a 3-1 lead, but the River Falls Wildcats stormed back for a thrilling 4-3 win Thursday. The Wildcats … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/11/24

Braydon Anderson punches in his second rushing touchdown of the game in a win over St. Croix Central.

Ellsworth defense stifles SCC in top-10 matchup

ELLSWORTH — In a battle of top 10 ranked teams to kick off Middle Border Conference play, Ellsworth proved to be up for the challenge, taking a 26-6 win over St. Croix Central on Friday. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/11/24

River Falls Wildcats celebrate after a touchdown in the eventual 51-26 loss to D.C. Everest on Aug. 30.

River Falls no match for D.C. Everest offense in home opener

RIVER FALLS — D.C. Everest was too much for the River Falls defense to handle, as the Evergreens coasted to a 51-26 win Friday afternoon. “It’s a good team, and it’s not … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

Ellsworth volleyball celebrates a point during their opening match at the Menomonie Sprawl.

Three county squads attend Menomonie Sprawl, River Falls takes second

MENOMONIE — River Falls, Ellsworth and Elmwood/Plum City’s volleyball teams each took part in the Menomonie Sprawl at UW-Stout this past weekend, with River Falls leading the way with a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

Wyatt McGrath placed third in the 450B class at Loretta Lynn's AMA National Motocross Championship in Tennessee.

McGrath takes 3rd at Loretta Lynn's AMA National Motocross Championship

BELDENVILLE — Wyatt McGrath, a 17-year-old from Beldenville, is no stranger to the big stage. Meet after meet, McGrath faces some of the toughest motocross competitors in the world, and Loretta … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

EPC players line up for the national anthem in a game that would quickly be postponed due to a storm.

Blair-Taylor returns from weather delay to tackle EPC

PLUM CITY — The Elmwood/Plum City Wolves got off to an interesting home opener. When many teams opted to delay or cancel their games due to Thursday’s wild weather forecasts, EPC tried to … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

Kyra Dix led Prescott to a solid opening race at home, landing in fourth place.

Cross country seasons kick off across Pierce County

PRESCOTT — Prescott and Ellsworth kicked off their cross country seasons at a high-difficulty race in Prescott. Prescott finished fourth of six teams in the girls’ race and fourth of … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

Ian Hakes makes a contested catch for a two-point conversion in Spring Valley’s season opening win Aug. 23 against Durand.

Cardinals control momentum to topple Durand-Arkansaw

DURAND — Spring Valley headed to enemy territory and prevailed to open its football season, as the Cardinals claimed a 28-20 win. Each of Durand-Arkansaw’s three touchdowns were … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/28/24

River Falls boys’ soccer squad listens to Head Coach Adam Koger after preseason practice.

RF looks to ride high energy identity to winning season

RIVER FALLS — River Falls boys’ soccer has taken the field again, and their first handful of practices have shown the team what it will take to have a strong season. “We have a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/28/24

Ellsworth’s defensive line face-to-face with the offensive line of La Crosse Logan during the team’s season opener Aug. 22.

Ellsworth drops heartbreaker to open season

ELLSWORTH — High school football season is officially underway in Ellsworth, as the Panthers took on La Crosse Logan in what proved to be a heartbreaking 22-21 loss for Ellsworth on Thursday … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/28/24

Cal Smith set to deal a pitch during a nine-inning, one-run performance against the Bay City Bombers on June 29.

Spring Valley’s season comes to an end after illegal player disqualification

SPRING VALLEY — Things changed in a hurry for the Spring Valley Hawks who had defeated the Tilden Tigers 12-10 in 15 innings Aug. 11. Days later, it was announced on the Hawks’ Facebook … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/22/24

Ellsworth players warm up before practice Aug. 15.

County coaches discuss high school football’s return

With high school football starting back up, each of the county’s coaches feel their teams have made positive steps in the offseason. While each team feels they can compete, that only means the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/22/24

The Fighting Fish players mob pitcher Charley Griffin after delivering the final pitch of a complete game to take the state title.

Fighting Fish ride starting pitching to reclaim state title

RIVER FALLS — A long season that included a lot of winning, 32 times to be exact, all resulted in the River Falls Fighting Fish reaching their ultimate goal, winning the Wisconsin Baseball … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/22/24