Prescott will play Milwaukee Thomas More in the opening game of the WIAA State Tournament on Thursday. This will be Prescott’s fourth appearance at the Kohl Center. The second semi-final will feature Kiel versus Lakeside Lutheran (Lake Mills). This will be the third trip to Madison for both Kiel and Lakeside Lutheran, and will be the second trip to the Kohl Center for Milwaukee Thomas More. Milwaukee Thomas More features two Division 1 recruits, senior guard Amari McCottry who has scored who has scored 2,255 points over his career and senior center Sekou Konneh who has scored 1,446 points. Kiel guard Pierce Arenz has scored 1,861 points for the undefeated and #2 ranked Raiders. Prescott’s Dallis Wallin will enter the Kohl Center with 1,715 career points and 884 career rebounds. 

WIAA State Tournament fans may remember two years ago players from Milwaukee Thomas More and Fuller Academy were involved in an altercation near the end of a tournament that led to multiple suspensions and the WIAA disqualifying Thomas More from the postseason. A state judge overturned the WIAA decision and Thomas More ended up advancing to the state tournament in 2022. 

Solon Springs qualified for the state tournament for the first time in history. Located in Douglas County, Solon Springs has a population of just over 660 and a school enrollment of 81, easily the smallest school in the tournament field. Solon Springs is the #1 ranked team in Division 5. Two private schools have also qualified, Madison Abundant Life Christian and Marshfield Columbus Catholic. 

Michigan Tech junior guard Isabella Lenz was named to the First Team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the second consecutive year. Lenz, logging the most minutes in the league this season, playing just under 35 minutes per game, scored 215 points in GLIAC play, averaging 11.9 points per outing. She averaged 3.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in conference play. A 2021 Prescott grad, Lenz played all 18 conference games, making 17 starts. Lenz scored in double-figures a team-leading 20 times this season with her career-high of 23 points. A standing ovation to you.

The Prescott baseball team begins practice next week. Returning all-conference players Cullen Huppert, Barrett Temmers, and Nolan Thomley will lead a Cardinal team loaded with experience. Altoona has been picked by the conference coaches as the team to beat in the tough Middle Border. Pitchers and catchers began their WIAA allowed pre-season throwing sessions this week with day one held at Firehall Field. The first game of the year is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28 at home against Big Rivers Conference favorite Hudson. 

Speaking of baseball, the National High School Federation and the WIAA have promised to crack down on the use of profanity this spring by making the elimination of salty language among the umpire’s points of emphasis this season. The Federation and the WIAA remind players, coaches, and fans that education-based athletics is a direct extension of the classroom. The WIAA website includes the following statement: A student who blurts out a profanity either toward someone or simply out of frustration in school would be disciplined by the classroom teacher or the building principal. There is no excuse for foul language in school or on the baseball field. Regardless of what is portrayed at other levels, this is not acceptable and should be addressed by the umpire(s). The rule support for this behavior is clear, the penalties are: (1) a verbal warning to the offender, (2) issuance of a written warning to the offender which warrants being restricted to the bench/dugout for the remainder of the game, or (3) eject the offender for a major offense. Any language that is profane, intimidating, insulting, demeaning or hurtful will not be tolerated. Coaches, school administrators and parent groups should work together to ensure that the game creates a positive environment for all involved. Profanity spoken loud enough to be heard is profanity that needs to be dealt with immediately.” Huh. Let’s see if it will be enforced or will this be just another high school paper tiger point of emphasis.

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR reminds Wisconsinites of the protected tribal right to fish in certain Wisconsin waterways and the legal consequences they could face if found interfering with that right during the upcoming Ojibwe spring fishing season. This year, the season is expected to begin earlier due to the mild winter Wisconsin has experienced. The DNR collaborates with the Ojibwe tribes to uphold these tribal rights. Part of the collaboration between the DNR and the Ojibwe tribes includes working together to set a safe harvest limit for every walleye and muskellunge lake in the Ceded Territory. These safe harvest limits ensure that the walleye and muskellunge harvests do not adversely affect each lake’s fishery. There are 2,300 lakes larger than 25 acres in the Ceded Territory, including 919 walleye lakes and 623 musky lakes. By March 15 of every year, each tribe declares how many walleyes and muskellunge it intends to harvest from each lake based on the safe harvest limits. Harvest begins shortly after the ice melts, with nightly fishing permits issued by the tribes to their members to harvest a specific number of fish, including one walleye between 20 and 24 inches and one additional walleye of any size. All fish that are taken are documented each night by a tribal clerk or warden who are present at boat landings. Once the declared harvest is reached in a given lake, no additional permits are issued for that lake, and the harvest ends. The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) provides daily reports to the DNR for all fish harvested off-reservation by spearing or netting in the Ceded Territory.

Some more WIAA State tournament tidbits. Peter Brookshaw holds the Division 3 record for scoring with 62. Owen Hamilton holds the Division 3 field goal percentage record at 93% (14-15). The Neenah Rockets have made 29 state tournament appearances, the most in state history. Randolph has won 11 state titles and Beloit Memorial is second with seven. Milwaukee Lincoln is the only school to score 100 points in the state tournament with 109 in 1962. 

Headshaker of the week: Of the dozen teams that have qualified for this week’s WIAA state tournament, six of the 12 teams are private schools. Sorry folks, it’s still an issue. And it's a headshaker.