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, but games were sneaked in when they could be.

River Falls took down Ellsworth in a tight one 63-58. The Wildcats moved to 3-0 on the year, pairing the win with a 59-50 win over Baldwin-Woodville and a 53-49 win over North Fond du Lac. Ellsworth’s other two games were a 45-39 win over Turtle Lake and a 49-29 loss to Boyceville.

Prescott got into a pair of nailbiters, losing 53-49 to Elk Mound and beating McDonnell Central 63-61.

Spring Valley played just one, losing a tight battle 58-56 against Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran. Elmwood/Plum City played two, losing 43-21 to Prairie Farm/Clayton after a slow start and losing 36-29 to Clear Lake.

Boys Basketball

Prescott has a busy opening week, hosting Durand-Arkansaw on Dec. 1, Colfax on Dec. 4 and heading to UW-Stout for a tip-off classic over the weekend. Spring Valley’s young team will hit the road to face Alma/Pepin on Dec. 2 and will also compete in the event at UW-Stout over the weekend. Elmwood/Plum City plays in Elmwood against Clear Lake on Dec. 2, at Osseo-Fairchild Dec. 4 and will be the third county team at the UW-Stout Classic over the weekend. Ellsworth plays at Black River Falls on Dec. 4 for its season opener. River Falls’ lone opening week game is Dec. 4 at home against St. Paul Central.

Wrestling

Wrestling is also back this week. Spring Valley/Elmwood and River Falls will join Ellsworth in their house along with plenty of other teams for the annual Ellsworth Invitational on Saturday. Other competitions include a triangular with Ellsworth, Prescott and Saint Croix Central on Thursday at Saint Croix Central and River Falls competing against Saint Croix Falls and Cannon Falls at Saint Croix Falls on Thursday.

Hockey

The River Falls boys were absolutely dominant in their first two games, winning 12-3 over Osseo and 6-2 over Regis/Altoona/McDonnell over the weekend. Captain Jaxon Flanagan has five goals and four assists through the first two games to lead the team.

For the St. Croix Valley Fusion, the season opened with an 8-0 win over Red Wing. The Fusion beat Black River Falls 4-2 and lost to Bay Area Co-op 5-1 in a weekend against two of the state’s best.

Gymnastics

River Falls gets its season started Dec. 6, heading to Wisconsin Rapids to compete against six other schools. The first home event is Jan. 20, hosting Rice Lake.

Boys Swim and Dive

The River Falls swim and dive season is also getting underway. The Wildcats take on a fleet of teams at Chippewa Falls on Dec. 6. The next home event is Dec. 9, hosting White Bear Lake.