Head Coach Owen Hamilton and the Prescott girls’ basketball team open their season this Friday when they host the Hudson Raiders of the Big Rivers Conference. Last year Hudson defeated Prescott by a score of 59-39 and finished 2023 with an overall record of 21-5. Two of Hudson's top scorers return in Ella Carstenson and Olivia Grothaus. The two seniors are three-year starters for the Raiders. 

Congratulations to Reese Ptacek on being named 1st Team All State. The senior hitter and middle blocker signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at the University of Kansas last week and will head to Lawrence, Kan. soon to enroll at the University. Also, bravo to junior defense back Barrett Temmers on being named All Region by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. Temmers had six interceptions and made 74 tackles during his Middle Border All Conference season. 

Brava to senior Lila Posthuma on signing her letter of intent to play basketball at Bradley University and hats off to senior southpaw Cullen Huppert who signed to play baseball at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn. 

The Prescott boys’ basketball coaching entourage led by 13-year Head Coach Nick Johnson began practice this week. Picked to finish second in the Middle Border by Wisconsin pundits, the Cardinals return plenty of experience from last year’s 21-6 team. Dallas Wallin, the leading rebounder and second leading scorer from a season ago, is identified as one of the premier players in Division III. Seniors Mason Schommer and Ian Leask, along with junior guard Barrett Temmers bring back valuable experience for the Cardinals. Johnson enters this year with an overall record of 245-56. 

The Somerset Spartans are ranked #6 in the Wisconsin Boys Basketball Coaches Association Preseason poll.  Prescott and St. Croix Central are listed as Honorable Mention as the 2023-24 season opens. 

Isabella Lenz scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Huskies of Michigan Tech opened the 2023 season with a 76-57 non-conference victory over William Jewell College of Liberty, Mo. last Friday. On Saturday, the Prescott alumna scored 10 points and dished out a game leading seven assists as the Huskies topped Lewis University of Romeoville, Ill. by a score of 83-64. Michigan Tech will host Southwest Minnesota State this Thursday and on Sunday will take on defending NCAA Division 2 defending National Champion Ashland of Ohio. 

Congratulations to Rice Lake on advancing to the WIAA Division 3 Championship game at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Rice Lake defeated private school Green Bay Notre Dame by a score of 30-15 to advance to the title game for the eighth time in school history. The Warriors will take on Grafton at 10 a.m. this Friday. Baldwin-Woodville succumbed to top ranked Lodi by a score of 49-29 in their semi-final game last Friday. 

Speaking of Baldwin-Woodville, a new bill was introduced last week in the Wisconsin Assembly related to the use of race-based logos, team names, and nicknames in the realm of athletics. Currently there are 26 schools who use such imagery. In 1991 there were 65 Wisconsin schools who used such monikers. Stay tuned. 

A senior student at Chippewa Falls High School has filed a lawsuit against the school district and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) after he was determined to be ineligible to play hockey for the Cardinals this year. According to the lawsuit, the family moved from Mahtomedi, Minn., to 8695 141st St., Chippewa Falls, on Sept. 1. They still own the property in Mahtomedi, which is listed for sale. The student attended Mahtomedi High School last year where they played hockey. The lawsuit claims that the Chippewa Falls School District’s athletic director initially told Mick Marlow he would be eligible to play this season. However, at the end of August the athletic director told the family they need to have a complete change of residence. The lawsuit contends that neither the district nor the WIAA have offered them an opportunity to present evidence or testimony to show that they have made a total and complete change of address. On Oct. 31, Thompson declared Marlow was ineligible to play this school year. The WIAA informed them on Nov. 2 that they were not entitled to an appeal. If the Wisconsin State Court system changes the basic principles of the WIAA transfer rule as a result of the lawsuit it could have an enormous impact, mostly negative, on high schools and their extracurricular programs. Stay tuned. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR encourages the public to report any black bear den locations across Wisconsin to help with an ongoing study on black bear reproduction in Wisconsin. The Black Bear Litter and Diet Survey, now entering its third year of data collection, will generate updated estimates of black bear reproductive rates within each of the state's bear management zones. These updated estimates will improve the accuracy of the population models used in each zone. Additionally, researchers are investigating a possible connection between the consumption of human food by bears and bear reproduction success, as diet can affect cub survival rates and litter sizes.

Headshaker of the week. Thousands of “hunters” will head to the Wisconsin woods this weekend for the traditional nine-day gun season. Hunters will be cloaked in required blaze orange and carry the weapon and ammunition of their choice as they hope for a successful opening weekend harvest. But it’s more than a 270 or 308 rifle they will be carrying out to the woods. Not anymore. Today it is far different. And it goes something like this. First, they drive the four-wheeler within 50-100 yards of their elevated, four-sided, heated, shingle-roofed “tree stand.” Affixed to the four-wheeler is a heaping backpack loaded with hunting necessities for their two-person “cottage in the woods.” As they finish their laddered ascent to the threshold of their “hunting castle,” they are greeted by a fold out kitchen table and two padded chairs. Atop the table there is ample room for all the essentials packed inside their Fleet Farm carry on. Water. Thermos full of coffee. Pop. Crackers. Potato chips. Beef sticks. Cheese curds. Bologna sandwiches. Laptop/iPad. Cell phone. Portable charger for both phone and computer. Kleenex. Hunting knife. Hand warmers. (oops forgot them, but there is a portable propane stove/heater in the stand so no big deal). Deck of playing cards (forgot them too. That’s okay because I can play Solitaire or Texas hold 'em on my computer). Portable radio (Doggone it. Forgot it. No matter. I have good internet service in the heated stand). This is the future of the traditional nine-day gun deer season and what deer hunting for many has become. Oh well, they used to hunt and shoot buffalo from train cars many years ago. Sorry folks, it’s a headshaker.