Congratulations to Head Coach Chad Salay and the Prescott girls golf team on winning their fourth consecutive WIAA Division 2 State Championship. Only a handful of Wisconsin high school girls teams have duplicated this impressive feat. The Stevens Point softball team won four WIAA Division I titles, and Waukesha West won four Division I titles in cross country. The Waupun volleyball team won five straight Division II titles. Darlington won an incredible six consecutive Division III state championships in cross country, and Madison Edgewood won a remarkable nine straight Division II state golf championships. And remember, the majority of the Prescott roster returns next season. 

Congratulations to Breckin Schommer and Jayde Canfield for earning spots on the Middle Border Cross Country All Conference team. The Prescott harriers turned in a fourth-place finish last Thursday with Schommer and Canfield finishing in the top 14; Schommer was named to the First Team and Canfield the Second Team. The boys and girls sectional meet will be held this Saturday in Rice Lake. The first race is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

Another congratulations goes out to Head Coach Tracey Budworth and the Prescott girls volleyball team on earning a share of the Middle Border Conference Championship after their thrilling five-set victory over Osceola last Thursday in Prescott. Barring an upset, it appears the two teams will square off in round two of the WIAA Division II Tournament that will be hosted by the Cardinals. Expect a battle. 

A proposal to expand the Middle Border Conference to eight teams has been nixed. Fluctuations in school enrollments make conference alignment an inevitability. Within the Middle Border Conference, enrollment projections show Altoona experiencing the greatest growth with Amery showing the greatest decrease in student numbers. High school enrollment in Prescott is expected to be at or near 400 over the next several years. Schools mentioned as possible Middle Border Conference additions include St. Croix Falls, Bloomer, and Elk Mound. 

Speaking of volleyball, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved a number of coaches’ recommendations, impacting five fall sports at its meeting. They support the coaches’ recommendation to add a fifth division to the Girls Volleyball Tournament Series beginning in the fall of 2024. Beginning in 2023, a mandatory running clock will be applied during the 8- and 11-player football regular season and Tournament Series when the point differential reaches 35 points in the second quarter of a game. If a deficit falls below 35 points at any point prior to the start of the fourth quarter, the running clock will be discontinued. If the point differential falls below 35 points in the fourth quarter, the running clock will continue for the remainder of regulation. There remains a great deal of confusion when it comes to application of the running clock during high school games. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR reminds hunters that the state's 2023 pheasant season opened at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14 and will run through Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Pheasant hunters need a valid small game license and a 2023 Pheasant Stamp, which can be purchased through the Go Wild website or at a license sales location. Starting Monday, Oct. 16, the daily bag limit increases to two roosters per day. This limit will remain in place for the remainder of the season. Hunters may harvest a rooster or hen when hunting in designated hen and rooster hunting areas.

Middle Border Conference football champion Rice Lake garnered a #1 seed in Division 3 and will host La Crosse Logan on Friday. Conference runner up St. Croix Central, a #1 seed in Division 4, will host Altoona. Number 5 seed Ellsworth travels to #4 Baldwin-Woodville and Somerset, the #6 seed will travel 254 miles to take on Oconto Falls. Incidentally, seven of the nine Prescott opponents qualified for the WIAA playoffs. 

This paragraph will certainly draw the ire of many readers. Let’s just say this…it wouldn’t be the first time. Hats off to members of the Prescott High School band who braved the elements and performed at Laney Field last Friday. It made me think of the Greek historian Herodatus whose phrase "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” That oft mentioned idiom has been historically connected to letter carriers of the U.S. Postal Service. So, well done Band Director Jason Canfield and the young performers of the high school pep band who endured less than stellar performance conditions for Friday night spectators. For this fan there is nothing like the reverberating sound of a high school band at sporting events. However, today, when it comes to music and prep sports, as Bob Dylan sang many years ago  “The Times They are a Changin.’” Sadly, it is becoming less and less commonplace to hear raucous teenage percussion solos and the sound of sliding trombones on Friday nights. The echoes of that sound is little by little, drip by drip, being replaced by canned, Billboard Top 100 music blaring over sound systems. Classic pep band tunes like “Seven Nation Army” and “Land of a 1,000 Dances” are being supplanted by Tayler Swift ballads and Carley Rae Jepson and Nicki Minaj sing alongs. Whether it be pregame, post game, timeouts, between quarters, between halves, between matches, between games, before lineups, or during lineups, high school band music is being shoved aside for PA music by 50 Cent, Eminem, Doja Cat, and Olivia Rodrigo. Anyone who has been to an NCAA sporting event can see and hear how collegiate bands enhance the fan experience. The same is true for high school sports. It is another sad reality of how the high school athletic experience is changing. Perhaps that’s good, perhaps that’s bad. But for this fan, I’ll take the Prescott High School Pep Band version of “Don’t Stop Believin’” over a Luke Bryan song any day. 

Thanks to the Prescott CAB Company for giving Firehall Field its annual fall facelift two weeks ago. Approximately two dozen people donated several hours of their time moving dirt, field prepping, and other types of field maintenance. A big thank you to John McNamara, Matt Monteith, and Bruce Platson for donating their time and moving equipment necessary for the day's work.

Congratulations to Denny Olson on his 50 years of serving as a member of the varsity football chain gang. Since 1974, Olson has been a fixture on the sidelines at Laney Field. Along with being recognized by the football team, Olson received a lifetime pass to all Middle Border athletic events from the conference athletic directors for his commitment to high school sports. Bravo Mr. Olson. 

Headshaker of the week. The WIAA hosted a “selection” show while announcing the tournament brackets for football playoffs. They did the same for basketball. My guess viewing parties at downtown establishments is on the horizon. Come on…it’s high school sports. It’s not the NCAA Basketball Tournament, it’s high school sports. Yep, I know I am on the outside looking in on this one. For me, it’s a headshaker.