SHOTS from the Hip

The Prescott Pirates opened the St. Croix Valley Baseball League double elimination tournament with a 4-3 win over Ellsworth._ On Sunday, the Pirates were vanquished by the Spring Valley Hawks by a score of 11-5._ Prescott will play at 7:30 p.m. this Friday in Ellsworth against the winner of the game between Bay City and Plum City. The Pirates enter the week with an overall record of 15-6 and are expected to be among the SCVBL team selected to play in the fast-approaching WBA State Tournament later this month._ Firehall Field will be hosting another baseball tournament the second week of August._ The CAB Company will be looking for volunteers once again to run the concession stand and serve as groundskeepers throughout the weekend._ Second year Head Coach

By Cripe Olson

Jordan Hansen and the Cardinal football team began practice this week._ A Somerset native, Hansen’s coaching staff includes longtime Cardinal Assistant Coach Jay Bartsch and Prescott alumnus Jake Block. Additional coaches include Eric Brown, Jake Holub, Jeremy Kerg, Mike Thomley, Zach Stuhr, Pat Mahoney, and Tim Leis. Also, this Saturday the team will hold an open practice and inter-squad scrimmage at Laney Field beginning at 10 a.m. The controlled scrimmage will be followed by a Prescott Cardinal alumnus flag football game beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m._ Additionally, Coach Hansen and his charges will be participating in a_team scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 13 in Osceola. The Cardinals will scrimmage against New Richmond, St. Croix Falls, and St. Croix Central.__ Earlier this summer Jordan Hansen and Eric Brown traveled to Ferris State University and met with Head Football Coach Tony Annese._ Under Annese, the Bulldogs have become one of the most potent offenses in NCAA Division II football._ Hansen and Brown spent two days with Annese and staff.

There are more than a few sports fans spending recent summer evenings cheering on the likes of USA athlete Sunisa Lee in the Tokyo Olympics._And speaking of the Olympics,_ Prescott resident and Cardinal booster extraordinaire Brad Jerrick has a connection to the summer games. In fact, the 1983 Luck High School graduate_participated in the 1983 Olympic Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo._Jerrick participated in baseball in the Olympic tune up and played against the likes of future Major Leaguers Wally Joyner and Mark McGwire.__ Speaking of baseball, a slew of soon to be Prescott Cardinal baseball players recently participated in end of regular season Metro League All Star game tournaments._The 14-year-olds who represented Prescott included Caiden Arnston, Owen Bayer, Cole Platson, Barrett Temmers, Joaquin Magee, Grayson Riley, and Slevin Reitkerk. _ The two 14-year-old teams, coached by Thad Magee and Owen Bayer, both finished 3-2 in their respective tournament bracket. The 13year-olds, who finished second in their tournament bracket included aspiring Cardinals Jackson Matzek, Brody Temmers, and Ryder Doyle._ Finally, the 12-year-olds were represented by John Rohl, Andrew Heinrich, Case Platson, Nolan Hoepfl, and Emmett Otto._ Congratulations._ From the Department of Natural Resources: The Wisconsin DNR will launch Operation Deer Watch on Aug. 1, allowing citizen scientists around Wisconsin to report deer sightings in their area, which provides crucial data for deer management. Participation in Operation Deer Watch is simple, requires no registration and can be done using a computer or mobile device. DNR researchers ask participants to report deer sightings, including bucks, does and fawns, between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 via an easy-to-use online form. Data collected provides insights into the reproductive status of Wisconsin's deer herd and helps shape deer management for the state._County Deer Advisory Councils also use data from the survey to develop deer season framework, harvest quotas and permit level recommendations.

Headshaker of the week: An area baseball player put his own spin on the uniform recently. _The bearded third baseman decided to shirk the wearing of an undershirt and have his jersey unbuttoned an inch or two above his belly button with chest hair heaving from his jersey top. His “Werewolves of London '' look was quite off putting._In fact, it was a headshaker._