The Cardinals will close out the 2020 season this Friday when they host Amery. Throughout the week the high school_ students will be celebrating _ homecoming complete and participating in trivial contests, _ performing faculty and student skits, decorating hallways, crowing the homecoming King and Queen, and hosting powder puff football games._ Ellsworth remained undefeated on Friday as they bested Somerset by a score of 33-8. Amery picked up their first Middle Border Conference win with a 13-12 victory over Osceola, and New Richmond upended Baldwin-Woodville by a score of 31-7. Ellsworth has climbed to #3 in the most recent Wisconsin Sports Network Division 4 state rankings and St. Croix Central is ranked #10._ After this week’s game the 2020 football playoff pairings will be released on November 7th._ The St. Croix Falls will advance to this week’s WIAA Volleyball tournament. The Saints advanced to the final four after beating Mosinee in three straight games. It is the first time the Saints have advanced to the state tournament in volleyball._ Happy belated Halloween. Here are some scary sports stories related to the season._ According to visiting teams and players like Bryce Harper and Brandon Phillips swear Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel is Let’s turn back the clock and end the two and three hour pregame shows before NFL and NCAA Division 1 college football games._ Let’s turn back the clock to a time when coaches could offer suggestions and changes to a player without being called a “negative coach”._ Let’s turn back the clock when there were more practices than games and the fundamentals were the most important part of coaching high school athletes._ Let’s Turn back the clock to a time when sports were void of the paralyzing impact of analytics. _ When it comes to major league baseball, “numbers” seem to control all decisions made during games and the games themselves are becoming long, lethargic contests. The human side coaching is being eliminated by this statistics based decision making. One more thing, How did using analytics work out for the Tampa Rays when they used “the numbers” to pull Blake Snell in game six._ As the great Bob Costas said recently “Sports have a heartbeat.” __ Let’s turn back the clock and end open enrollment._ If you live in Prescott, you play for Prescott._ You live in Elmwood, you play for Elmwood. Open enrollment has had an adverse effect on schools in so many ways._ Let’s turn back the clock and eliminate AAU._ Do not get me started on what this vulture- like organization has done to prep sports._ Let’s turn back the clock when all high school athletes wore letter jackets._ Let’s turn back the clock and eliminate 24 hr sports channels._ ESPN, Fox Sports North, Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Northeast, The Big 10 Network. The NFL Network, The MLB Network…and on and on and on._ Reading the newspaper and listening to the radio._ Headshaker of the week._ I hope you voted. If you did not, it’s a headshaker._ haunted. They and many other players over the years tell of spooky experiences while staying in the city._ Hall of Fame Pitcher and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania native Eddie Plank is said to haunt the house he occupied before his death.

And of course we have all heard of those famous curses The Billy Goat and the Cubs, Babe Ruth and the Red Sox, and Bobby Layne and the Lions.__ This past weekend we turned back the clock and much to the delight of many gained an hour of sleep._ Perhaps we should consider turning back the clock when it comes to some aspects of athletics. What are the chances of any of these happening? Zero.

It’s still okay to dream or look back upon the past with a nostalgic gaze._ Let’s turn back the clock and return to the days of having separate state tournaments for private and public schools._