The Prescott girls basketball team moved to within a game and a half of first place with both a methodical and convincing 46-33 victory over Baldwin-Woodville last Thursday. It was the first conference loss for the defending Middle Border Conference Champions and has created a log jam at the top of the league standings.  As we head into the final month of the regular season, all conference games, regardless of opponent, will be consequential. 

Senior Violet Otto leads the Middle Border in scoring averaging 23 points a game and is third in rebounding pulling down 8.3 boards a game. Otto is also shooting 86.7% from the free-throw line. Otto is also among the league leaders in assists and blocked shots.

According to Wisconsin Grappler, Prescott girls wrestler Addyson Allsop is listed among the Top 15 wrestlers at 114 pounds in Division 2. A senior and a multi-sport athlete, Allsop is also a high honors student. Ninth grader Bryce Feran enters the week ranked #5 at 106 pounds in Division 2. 

There is nothing like high school athletics. Today, with the transfer portal and NIL, the college game sadly has begun to resemble professional sports, with athletes leaving programs for greener pa$ture$. But thankfully, despite increased specialization and open enrollment, the prep game remains relatively pure. Each night fans can witness in person Jim McKay’s oft used narrative phrase during the intro to ABC’s Wide World of Sports: “the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.” Prep sports bring smiles to the faces of high school kids when they sink the game-winning shot, drive in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh or score the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. And at the same time, we are able to witness the disappointment teens feel when they miss the front end of a one-and-one with two seconds left, fumble at the goal line late in the second half or strike out to end the game. It is what high school sports teach us. Both how to win and lose with grace and dignity and it can be a tough lesson for kids. Adults on the other hand, should have the acumen to deal with both the euphoria of winning and the dejection of losing. Last week, area basketball fans witnessed quite a performance. A head coach, moments after a big victory, proceeded to stand on top of a player’s bench chair, faced the crowd, and raised his arms above his head in an NFL referee touchdown-like fashion and exhorted the fans to respond. The Lebron James-like celebration, minus the talcum powder, resembled the celebration of a third grader after they score a touchdown at recess. Stay tuned the next time the two teams play this season. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR encourages the public to register for a hunter education courses now before courses begin filling up in the spring. Hunter education plays a vital role in keeping Wisconsin a safe place to hunt. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1973, is required to hold a hunter education certificate to purchase a hunting license unless hunting under the Mentored Hunting Law. The first months of the year are a great time to secure your spot to earn your hunter education certificate this spring. Individuals aged 17 and younger are required to take the traditional or internet + field day and are not eligible for the online-only course. Individuals ages 18 and older are eligible to take any option, including the online-only course.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls baseball program will be hosting the 42nd Annual Northwest Coaches Clinic on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. The clinic will feature Falcon Head Coach Steve Bartlein and Assistant Coach Weston Lombard. Those wishing to attend should contact Steve Bartlein via email at Steven.Bartlein@uwrf.edu and/or complete the online registration at www.uwrfbaseballclinics.com to secure your spot. Final date to RSVP is Feb. 4. Additional information will be forthcoming next week. 

Stevens Point (#12), Oshkosh, La Crosse, and Platteville are all ranked in the top 25 in the most recent Men’s NCAA Division 3 National Poll. For the women Oshkosh (#3), Whitewater, and Platteville are ranked in the Women’s most recent NCAA Division 3 National Poll. As is the case with all athletics, you would be hard pressed to find a better NCAA Division 3 Conference than the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Conference.  

Headshaker of the Week. Today we have ribbons for 32nd place, JV and 9th Grade State Tournaments, and now youth basketball tournament rings. A recent area youth basketball tournament did not award ribbons, trophies, or medals to the winners or teams who “placed.” Instead, the young hoopsters were awarded real rings. No folks, they weren’t made of plastic. They were real rings. They were not dollar tree purchases or mock metal classroom awards usually given to first graders for good behavior. They were real rings. Unbelievable. I guess Lifetouch, Herff Jones, and Jostens have found a new demographic to tap into. Awarding rings for youth basketball tournaments? Now that’s a headshaker.