Those familiar with high school track and field in western Wisconsin know the reputation of Prescott High School relay teams. What happened last Saturday did little to change that. Not only did Andrew Lesso, Andrew Russell, Wyatt Budworth, Ethan West win the WIAA Division II 4x100 State title, the foursome did so in grand fashion setting a meet record with a time of 42.0 seconds flat. And the 4x400 relay team of Jack Kreager, Kobe Russell, Will Packard, and Andrew Russell finished sixth. Additionally, Ethan West finished fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 22.0 and grabbed a fifth-place ribbon and set a new school record after clearing 14 feet in the pole vault. And speaking of school records, first time state track and field participant sophomore Kyra Dix set the school record with her performance in La Crosse in the 3,200-meter run.  Truly an impressive state tournament for the Prescott Cardinals thinclads and their coaches Carl and Emily Calabrese. 

Congratulations to Scott Hamilton and the Prescott Cardinal golf team for advancing to the WIAA State Tournament for the first time in school history. Prescott along with the teams from Big Foot, Cambridge, Burlington Catholic Memorial, Lakeland and Seymour qualified for the tournament held at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison. The Cardinals won last week’s Hayward Sectional with a two-stroke win over Lakeland. Senior Tyler Reiter finished third with a round of 70 to lead the Cardinals to the school’s first ever sectional championship. Luke Kinneman, Harris Linderholm, Sam Vesperman, and Beau Risdon all contributed to Prescott’s first place finish. Bravo. 

Cardinal senior catcher and Concordia-St. Paul recruit Leah French was named Middle Border Conference Player of the Year. French shared the award with Aliza Acker of Ellsworth who will be playing next year at Southwest State in Marshall, Minn. Prescott's Rory Zuehlsdorf and Talli Roth were also named to the first team. Senior outfielder Kelsey Sterud was named second team and junior shortstop Cadyn Hillebrand received Honorable Mention honors.  

The Prescott softball team finished the season with an overall record of 21-7, the third consecutive year the Cardinals finished the season with 20 victories. The 2021 team finished with 24 victories, the most in team history. The Cardinal baseball team has also cracked the 20-win regular season milestone and headed into this week with an overall record of 21-4. The 2012 State Championship team finished with a school record 26 victories. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR is looking for landowners to host hunters with disabilities for the Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities, which will take place Oct. 4-12, 2025. To be part of the Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities program, landowners must have at least 60 acres available, be able to host at least three hunters and complete an online application by July 1, 2025. The DNR asks interested landowners to fill in all the property information fields on the application. The Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities began in 1992 and provides hunting opportunities for approximately 400 hunters each year. This hunt is only possible with the generous support of landowner sponsors.

Congratulations to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team on winning their third NCAA Division III National Championship last week. The Warhawks pummeled Messiah University (Pennsylvania) by a score of 21-5 in the title game. The Warhawks scored 74 runs over the course of their five games at the World Series, a Division III record. The Warhawks won national titles in 2005 and 2014. 

The deadline for Prescott Hall of Fame Nominations is fast approaching. Hall of Fame Chairman Jeremy Kerg and the other 10 committee members hope to have several additional candidates by the July 1 deadline. The Hall of Fame Banquet is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4 and will be held in the Prescott High School Commons. Further details to follow in coming weeks. 

Headshaker of the week. Growing up whenever we visited grandma’s house the first thing she always said was “Take your shoes off!” She did not want dirt or mud tracked into the house. That was Grandma’s rule and we all followed it, no questions asked. When it comes to playing games at Firehall Field, there are rules teams are expected to follow. The list of “Firehall Field Commandments” are posted in the third base dugout and includes seven rules - one being no sunflower seeds in the dugout. During last Friday’s regional final game against Altoona, the visiting Railroaders chose to ignore one of the rules - no playing catch in front of the dugout. As Head Coach Jeff Ryan made his way to the third base coaches box the first, third, fifth, and seventh innings, he had to “bob and weave” Railroader thrown baseballs like Mohammed Ali trying to avoid the punches of George Foreman in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle. What Altoona did at Firehall Field last week would be the equivalent of ignoring Grandma’s rules and walking on her living room carpet with mud-caked shoes. Unbelievable. And it’s a headshaker. 

Congratulations to Dain Pechacek on being named Middle Border Conference Baseball Player of the Year. The senior pitcher/outfielder was one of three Cardinals named First Team All Conference. Shortstop Barrett Temmers was named to the first team for the third consecutive year. Pitcher/Outfielder Cole Platson was also named to the First Team. Platson was a Second Team selection a year ago. Senior infielder Aidan Dorau and junior infielder Max Monteith were both named Second Team All Conference. Monteith was a second team selection last season.