SHOTS from the Hip

Tickets for the Oct. 9 Prescott Hall of Fame Induction Banquet can now be purchased at Ptacek’s IGA, Croix Insurance, City Hall and the High School._ The 2021 Prescott Hall of Fame class includes Nick Schommer, Char Magee and Roy Finley. The ceremony will be held in the Prescott High School Commons and begins with a social at 6 p.m. Dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m. and the induction ceremony will commence at approximately 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.__ The Prescott varsity girls’ golf team won the Amery Invitational last Friday and the Cardinal junior varsity team placed second._Ava Salay shot a tournament best 76 to take home top honors and senior Jessica Heinsch turned in a round of 83 to finish in second place. Liz Rohl finished fourth, Finley Magee fifth, and Rhianna Stutz as the Cardinal won their third consecutive match._A day earlier Chad Salay’s linksters helped the South beat the North in the first ever Middle Border Matchup._ Liz Rohl shot a match best with a round of 74 at the Clifton Hollow Golf Club last Thursday._ It was the fourth time Prescott senior running back Aiden Russell has rushed for 100 yards wearing a Cardinal varsity uniform._The 183-yard performance on Friday against Spooner was a career high for the talented 12th grader. Also eclipsing the century mark was signal caller Grant Stanton._ The senior quarterback ran for 101 yards in Friday’s convincing victory over Spooner._Last fall, Stanton ran for over 100 yards against Baldwin-Woodville and Osceola._ Speaking of 100-yard running backs, Durand’s Simon Bauer ran for 207 yards in the Panthers 33-14 opening win over Spring Valley. A season ago, Bauer ran for 1,375 yards including a 295-yard performance in the season finale against Grantsburg. Junior running back Dawson Hartung also ran for 128 yards in Friday’s win over Spring Valley. __ Durand left the Middle Border Conference after the 2014 season and now competes in the Cloverbelt. A year ago, Durand finished with an overall record of 5-3 and finished in second place behind conference champion Eau Claire Regis._The last time the Panthers and the Cardinals played a conference game ended with Prescott winning by a score of 24-6.__ Middle Border Conference teams went 6-1 last Friday in their 2021 openers._The only blemish was a 24-14 St. Croix Central loss to New Richmond. The Tigers are now members of the Big Rivers Conference.

Prescott Assistant Coach Jeremy Kerg serves as a substitute for the Minnesota Vikings Football Chain Gang. The Elmwood native reports he has never been called to substitute for a current Viking chain gang member._ Firehall Field will be hosting another round of games this coming weekend from teams around the Midwest._ Also, the CAB Company Helicopter Drop is also fast approaching with the top prize being $2,000 with six other prizes of $500 each.__ From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR encourages hunters in the central and northern forests to participate in the final year of sampling for a multi-state study on West Nile virus found in ruffed grouse. To participate, fill out a short online form to receive a free sampling kit in early September ahead of the Sept. 18 ruffed grouse season opener. The number of kits provided per individual is limited to ensure samples come from a large geographic area. The DNR will work with conservation partners to distribute 500 kits to hunters. Additional data collection through hunter-contributed samples increases the overall sample size and strengthens study results. Hunters who have unused kits from previous years are encouraged to collect a sample and send it in to be processed as items in the kit do not expire. Sample testing will begin after the close of ruffed grouse season with results available several months after testing. Hunters will receive test results via email.

Great to see a team from my hometown of Hastings, Neb. advance to the Little League World Series. It is only the second time in history a team from the Cornhusker State has advanced to Williamsport. Back in 2012 the club from Kearney made it all the way to Pennsylvania. Seems like yesterday I was playing youth and town team baseball for Hastings in the Blue River Youth and Men’s Leagues.__ Headshaker of the week: Analytics, analytics, analytics. _ Yes, they are in every sport._Additionally, the term Assistant Coach appears to be on the way out as new euphemisms are being used to identify the ever-evolving roles of the coaching profession at all levels. Apparently using the term Assistant Coach minimizes the role and its importance. Last week I read about the Minnesota Twins “Run Producing Coordinator.” Huh? Apparently, he is not an Assistant Coach._He is the “Run Producing Coordinator.'' What is next? “Projectile Receiving Consultant?” “Spherical Movement Director?” It is becoming the norm and this new coaching “terminology” is finding its way into every sport. “Run Production Coordinator?” It’s a headshaker._