Spring Valley - Pierce County Journal

River Falls junior 190-pounder Jacob Hutchins won the Ellsworth Invite with three consecutive wins by pin. Ellsworth’s third place finisher was junior Breken Young.

Ellsworth Invite brings in the best for early test

ELLSWORTH — River Falls, Spring Valley/Elmwood, Prescott and Ellsworth all were on hand for the annual opening week wrestling tournament, the Ellsworth Invitational on Saturday. The tournament … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/11/25

Around the County: Conference play, tournaments and openers

Girls Basketball Elmwood/Plum City had two great wins over the week, beating Chetek-Weyerhaeuser 53-29 and Thorp 57-27. Not only did the Wolves get the wins, but they also cruised to notable … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/11/25

Senior Kylie Fritz has been a key to keeping the offense flowing in the young season, scoring seven points and dishing four assists in a win over Mondovi on Dec. 4.

SV wears down Mondovi in come from behind win

SPRING VALLEY — Trailing 33-21 at the half, Spring Valley girls basketball needed to find its footing when play resumed. That they did, going on a 27-8 run to build a lead and pull a 54-52 win … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/11/25

Around the County: Game on

Girls Basketball Winter sports season is underway, and the girls basketball slate of games delivered on its promise of lots of exciting matchups early. There was a fair share of postponements, … more

By Andrew Harrington | 12/3/25

Ellsworth 150-pounder Knox Hines staves off an escape at the 2024 Ellsworth Invitational.

Wrestling coaches pin down preseason outlook

Wrestling season is right around the corner with most teams taking to the mat for opening meets the week coming out of Thanksgiving. Here’s what the coaches are expecting ahead of a packed … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/25/25

The Spring Valley Equestrian team from left: Natalie Vorlicek, Allen Erickson, Kyah Daun, Afton Danielson, assistant coach Sarah Erickson, Lana Erickson, coach Lisa Bigaouette, Miranda Bigaouette, Colton Deiss and Clay DeGross.

SV Equestrian rides all the way to State

Spring Valley Equestrian had a great program-building year, doubling the team’s size, growing great relationships and qualifying to compete at State in Madison. Spring Valley won Division … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/25/25

River Falls now senior Brody Graetz is expected to have another strong year for the Wildcats.

BBB senior leaders poised for major roles on good teams

With the boys basketball season ready to start up, vibes are high for some late November non-conference action. The coaches weighed in once again to share what they have seen thus far in practice. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/25/25

Spring Valley now sophomore Katie Matthys drills a three during the 2024-25 season.

Coaches bringing high expectations into GBB season

With the girls basketball season openers this week, each area coach gave their thoughts about the highly anticipated months ahead. What do you expect to be the team identity? EPC Head Coach … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/19/25

Elmwood sophomore Trevor Asher is the second leading rusher for UWRF football this season.

Home sweet home: Local athletes have UWRF football making history

There are few better feelings in life than representing your hometown in whatever you do. For a handful of University of Wisconsin-River Falls football players, they get to do that while staying … more

By Andrew Harrington | 11/12/25

River Falls celebrates a tight win over Eau Claire North for the Regional title.

RF wins contested Regional title 3-1 over EC North

The volleyball postseason brought out the best, with no shortage of great matches. River Falls added another Regional title to an already decorated weekend for the school, and Ellsworth, Spring … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/29/25

Beaver Dam and River Falls clash at the goal line on third down. during Round 1 of the playoffs Oct. 24.

RF lone survivor of playoff football opening round

The WIAA football playoffs can be a buzzsaw, and it proved just that, knocking out three county teams in the opening round. The lone team to rise above the noise was the No. 1 seed River Falls … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/29/25

Prescott Head Coach Jordan Hansen encourages the Cardinals, who gave the Middle Border Conference Champion Baldwin-Woodville Blackhawks a fight Friday, Oct. 17.

Around the County: Four more postseasons begin

Football Ellsworth got a massive win heading into the playoffs, beating a strong Osceola team on the road 31-20. Coincidentally, the Panthers hit the road to take on Osceola in the playoff … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/22/25

Prescott’s All-Conference and medalist runners (from left): Addy Allsop, Amber Van Loon, Kyra Dix, Nolan Leask, Dawson Langer.

Top finishes galore at conference XC meets

The Middle Border, Big Rivers and Dunn-St. Croix conferences each held their championship meets over the last week. All-Conference runners were named around the county as the teams now enter the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/22/25

Wildcat Nik Thomas earned the Garage Bikes + Brews player of the game on Thursday night vs Eau Claire North. Nik played with passion and determination, locking down the left side of our defensive line. He read the game well, stepping to deny Husky attackers and that helped lead to a strong counterattack.

Around the County: Conference title races taking shape

Football River Falls headed into the halftime break Friday, Oct. 10 tied with Menomonie at 14. The Wildcats must have heard a motivating halftime speech, though, bursting out of the half to a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/15/25

Sophomore Katie Matthys leaps to fire one across the net in a 3-0 win over Elmwood/Plum City.

Cardinals get a win over EPC in straight sets

SPRING VALLEY — Spring Valley defended its home floor against Elmwood/Plum City on Thursday, winning 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-17). The Cardinals had firm control of all three sets, winning with … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/15/25

River Falls is continuing to find its footing in the back half of the season, taking care of business against Onalaska with a 5-0 win. The Wildcats lost 1-0 to Menomonie on a late goal to break the seal.

Around the County: The waning weeks of fall sports

Football No. 10 ranked River Falls beat No. 3 ranked, undefeated Rice Lake in a road matchup 40-28. The win moved River Falls to 6-1 and the Wildcats are now in a three-way tie at 4-1 atop the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/8/25

Spring Valley and Elmwood/Plum City line up in the trenches in a Sept. 26 in a 29-14 Spring Valley win.

SV spoils EPC rival’s Homecoming

ELMWOOD — Nearby rival Spring Valley came to town for Elmwood/Plum City’s Homecoming, looking to send their rivals a message in an important game for conference positioning. Although the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/1/25

Ellsworth was no match for Baldwin-Woodville on the road, losing 48-8 to a team that is eyeing a State title.

Around the County: RF golf wins BRC Conference Tournament

Girls Golf After a year when Hudson had River Falls’ number throughout the conference meets, the Wildcats struck back at the right time by winning the Big Rivers Conference Tournament. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 10/1/25

Around the County: RF football loses first game of season

Football Spring Valley got things cleaned up at the right time Friday, Sept. 19, beating Cadott 31-6 with two fourth quarter scores from Sam Schmitt to seal it. After an 0-2 start to the year, … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/24/25

Quarterback Mason Winger tosses an out route to receiver Jake Hannack in a 36-28 win over Turtle Lake on Sept. 12.

Cardinal offense taking off at the right time

SPRING VALLEY — The Spring Valley Cardinals have found their groove with back-to-back wins to move to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play, most recently beating Turtle Lake 36-28 in a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/17/25