by Cripe Olson

Congratulations to Head Coach Chad Salay and the Prescott girls golf team on winning the school’s first WIAA State Championship. In a sport that has been dominated by private schools Madison Edgewood, The Prairie School, and LaCrosse Aquinas for over two decades, Prescott became the first public school in years to take home top honors._ With the bulk of their team return, the Cardinals will be heavy favorites to repeat next season.__ The Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association released their mid-season rankings last week._ Perennial power Grantsburg is ranked #3 in Division III and St. Croix Falls has also received some votes on the statewide coaches poll. In football the Ellsworth Panthers, as predicted, cracked the top ten in the most recent Wisconsin Football Coaches Association rankings._ Head Coach Rob Heller and the first place Panthers are ranked #7 in Division 4. Other areas schools mentioned include Spring Valley and Durand ranked #4 and #5 respectively in Division 6. River Falls and Hudson are also ranked in their respective divisions._ The WIAA girls basketball season begins on November 16th and lasts until the week of February 22nd. Boys basketball and wrestling begins the week of November 23rd with wrestling concluding the week of February 15th. Boys Basketball will conclude the week of March 1st._ The Prescott softball, baseball, boy’s golf, and track and field are scheduled to begin on April 19th.__ Middle Border Conference Schools Osceola and Baldwin-Woodville remain two of the 29 schools in Wisconsin with team nicknames, logos or imagery related to native people._ Since 1990, 34 schools have changed or retired their team names, nicknames, or logos that referenced native people or culture._ Even us Nebraska transplants recognize the significance of the passing of the legendary journalist and broadcaster Sid Hartmann. The iconic Minneapolis native passed away last weekend at the age of 100. Listeners from all over the Midwest tuned into WCCO 830 weekly and certainly Sunday mornings to hear Hartman’s harangings. My guess is there are even a few Packer fans out there who not only enjoyed reading the columns of the longtime Minneapolis Star Tribune Sports Writer, but also met Hartman’s Sunday morning commentaries with smiling eye rolls and head shakes. Nevertheless, Hartman’s passing leaves an enormous void in the world of Midwest sports journalism._ This Friday the Prescott Cardinal football team will travel to Somerset to take on the Spartans._ It will be the first matchup between Cardinal Head Coach and Somerset native Jordan Hansen and long time Spartan Head Coach Bruce Larson.__ Good news from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources… As of Oct. 15, students of all ages can earn their Wisconsin hunter education safety certification through a single, onlineonly hunter education course under a temporary change approved by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The temporary change allows those under age 18 to take the online- only course from Oct. 15 through Dec. 31, 2020. Those interested in taking the online-only course who are over 18 years of age may continue to do so._ Students of the online-only course will be required to pay the approved online vendor fee plus the $10 state-required course fee. Those interested in hunter education can learn more on the Safety Education webpage.Those under age 18 who take the onlineonly course for the remainder of 2020 will not be required to complete the inperson field day. Nominations for the Prescott Hall of Fame can be made at https://www.prescott.k12.wi .us/page/3192._ The next hall of fame banquet and induction will be held in the fall of 2021._ Headshaker of the week. While hunting ruffed grouse this past weekend on public land in Northwestern Wisconsin I and my hunting companion were disgusted by the amount trash scattered in ditches and along the wood’s edge._ The most likely culprit?_ Slob, road hunters._ Not only too lazy to get out of their vehicles to walk the edge of the woods, but also too slothful and selfless to take their empty cans and potato chip bags back to their homes and deposit them in the trash._ It was a headshaker._