Sports - Pierce County Journal

Shots from the hip: Softball and baseball seasons begin!

The Prescott Softball Association and CAB Company will hold their annual banquet on Thursday, March 25 at the Old Ptacek’s Event Center. Raffles, silent auctions, and games will take place … more

By Cripe Olson | 3/19/25

Ruble steps down from Prescott wrestling, football

PRESCOTT — Prescott’s head wrestling coach of two years, Ian Ruble, announced his resignation in a letter posted to Facebook on March 11. In addition to resigning as head wrestling coach, … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/19/25

Quarterback Teddy Bernick makes it official with St. Scholastica.

Prescott holds signing day for five student-athletes

PRESCOTT — It has been a huge calendar year for Prescott athletics, making State appearances, having their best football season in some time and seeing many notable individual performances. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/19/25

Mitchell Williamson scores a takedown with three seconds remaining to win the NCAA Division-III National Heavyweight Championship.

Former Wildcat wins NCAA national title in wrestling

River Falls' 2018 grad Mitchell Williamson is no stranger to taking the long road. His collegiate wrestling travels have taken him to Iowa Lakes Community College where he won a junior college … more

By Greg Peters | 3/19/25

Cade Stasiek dribbles up the floor as the Turtle Lake defense begins to creep up March 13.

SV drops Sectional heartbreaker on four-point play

Things were looking up for Spring Valley as a few performances to remember brought the Cardinal lead to three with about five seconds to play. Disaster struck in the form of six-foot-six Turtle Lake … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/19/25

River Falls' native Ace Sauerwein has been the "Voice of the Lady Griz" for the past three years on the radio at the University of Montana. Montana will play the Wisconsin Badgers in men's basketball this week in the NCAA tournament.

Ace on the Mic: RF alum is ‘Voice of the Lady Griz’

The beginning journey of a play-by-play sports radio broadcaster can be compared to rummaging through the Tupperware cabinet in someone else's kitchen. There are 25 different bowls with 32 lids … more

By Greg Peters | 3/19/25

Around the County: SV basketball wins Regional, RF gymnastics takes seventh at State

Boys Basketball Spring Valley was the lone team to make it out of their Regional bracket in the county. Because of the weather, they had to play three games in three days to do it, but they did … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/12/25

Trevor Forster fires a three in front of a packed student section during the Regional Championship on March 8.

‘Job’s not finished’: SV soaks in Regional title moment, ready to keep moving forward

SPRING VALLEY — Spring Valley boys basketball took care of business in the Regional bracket, winning all three games to move on to Sectionals. “It means a lot,” senior Trevor … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/12/25

Wildcat seniors Preston Johnson, Lincoln Tremain, and Eli Johnson pose for a post-game picture.

Wildcats drop heartbreaker at the buzzer

Johnson and Johnson may be the name of the "No Tears" tagline liquid soap, but many fans of the Wildcats' version had tears streaming down their cheeks after Friday night's 67-65 nerve racking loss … more

By Greg Peters | 3/12/25

Sophomore Emmett Otto drains a three from the left side against Baldwin-Woodville. Otto was 3 for 3 from beyond the arc and finished with a game-high 22 points.

Cold-shooting Cardinals lose thriller to Amery

Prescott Head Coach Nick Johnson's Cardinals had an up and down regular season, even though it was mostly up with a 16-8 regular season record and a second-place Middle Border Conference finish. … more

By Greg Peters | 3/12/25

The River Falls gymnastics team loading up the bus for their trip to State at Wisconsin Rapids.

RF takes seventh at gymnastics State meet

River Falls took seventh of 10 teams at the D2 State meet in Wisconsin Rapids over the weekend, capping off another memorable season. As a team, the Wildcats scored 133.983 with a 34.633 on … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/12/25

Ellsworth was no match for Amery in the playoffs, losing 68-44 to end the Panthers’ season.

Ellsworth, EPC knocked out in first postseason games

Some reach the destination they pushed for all season, but for those who do not, the journey can still be a valuable one, which is something the Ellsworth and EPC teams are seeing in a year of hard … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/12/25

Cousins Austin Stellrecht (left) and Nick Stellrecht (right) were guarding each other during Friday night's Region Semi-Final boys basketball game in River Falls.

Cousin Clash: Stellrechts battle on the court

The Stellrecht brothers, Nate and Steve, grew up on a dairy farm near Spooner, Wis. They are identical twins in every sense of the term. Nate and Steve weren't attached at the hip, literally, but it … more

By Greg Peters | 3/12/25

Around the County: Wrestling State, GBB and hockey seasons come to an end

Girls Basketball No girls basketball squads escaped the Regional bracket of the playoffs over the course of the week. Prescott got the closest, receiving a bye in round one and taking care … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/5/25

The Skinny on Falcon Sports: UWRF track athlete has great potential

According to his coach, UWRF Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Andrew Eggerth, UWRF sophomore Jacob Balcome has great potential. Balcome began to show that promise as a high school senior at … more

3/5/25

Freshman Jada Hoolihan shoots from deep as a pair of defenders close out during a 44-21 win over Prairie Farm on Feb. 25.

SV picks up playoff win, nearly topples No. 2 seed

SPRING VALLEY — Spring Valley’s girls basketball team did what it needed to in the regular season to earn a home playoff game and took advantage Feb. 25, dominating Prairie Farm 44-21. As a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/5/25

Ellsworth’s Austin Peterson wrestled in the WIAA State Semi-Finals Friday night dropping a heartbreaker by decision, 1-0. Peterson finished in fourth place.

Ellsworth’s Peterson finishes 4th at state; area wrestlers invade Madison

The Kohl Center in Madison hosted the 82nd WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament this past week. It was a buffet for the senses both on the mat and behind the scenes in the half-moon concrete … more

By Greg Peters | 3/5/25

Wildcat junior Chase Rudolph (center) celebrates with a fist pump after his second period goal gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.

Section final hockey game one for the ages

One way to gauge the importance of a high school hockey game is to count the number of fans leaving the rink to visit the parking lot in between periods. The boys' section final showdown between … more

By Greg Peters | 3/5/25

Nora Boles banks a floater over the Northwestern defender in a 51-42 playoff win Feb. 28

Prescott takes playoff opener, outmatched in Regional final

Prescott got into a playoff classic coming out of a bye, taking on a Northwestern team they beat 45-44 earlier in the year. With 31 points from junior Violet Otto, Prescott held their ground for most … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/5/25

Barrett Temmers, Kobe Russell and Emmett Otto walk up the court as Prescott lined up for free throws in a 69-48 win at Ellsworth on Feb. 27.

Cards peaking at perfect time with win at Ellsworth

ELLSWORTH – It was a regular season finale, but came with a playoff feel as Prescott and Ellsworth took the court to renew their rivalry Thursday night. Prescott completed the season sweep, … more

By Andrew Harrington | 3/5/25