This Thursday the Prescott girls golf team heads to Reedsburg to participate in a 14-team invitational tournament. Along with the Cardinals, other Division 1 teams competing in the tournament include Onalaska, Wisconsin Rapids, Tomah, Baraboo, Fort Atkinson, Waunakee, Mount Horeb, DeForest, and Monona Grove. Prescott and DeForest qualified for the state tournament a year ago. The Cardinals finished as the WIAA Division I runner up last year and DeForest finished sixth. 

Head Football Coach Jordan Hansen and the Prescott football team will participate in a five-team scrimmage this Friday in Osceola. Along with the Cardinals and Osceola, St. Croix Falls, River Falls, and New Richmond will participate in the annual scrimmage that begins at 11:30 a.m. for the varsity. JV Scrimmage begins at 10:15 a.m. with the C teams locking horns at 9 a.m. The event is open to the public. 

The Prescott football coaches call the 2025 version of the Cardinals the fastest team the staff has ever coached. With senior speedsters Andrew Lesso and Kobe Russell, the Cardinals are poised to literally run past opposing defenders this season. With a total of 43 players donning pads this fall, the Cardinals, like all teams in the fall, need to stay healthy. Preseason prognosticators call the conference wide open this season. 

Tickets for the Saturday, Oct. 4 Prescott Hall of Fame Banquet are now available. For planning purposes Chairman Jeremy Kerg and the Hall of Fame Committee urge those wishing to attend to purchase tickets prior to the event. Tickets are available on the Prescott School District website.  

The defending Middle Border Conference Champion Prescott girls golf team officially began practice this week. As always, expectations for Head Coach Chad Salay and his charges are sky high as they look to add more hardware to the display cases at Prescott High School. 

Congratulations to Brad Matzek on being named Prescott head baseball coach. A 1989 Cardinal alumnus, Matzek has served as an assistant coach since 1997 and has coached baseball at all levels in Prescott. He will be assisted by Duane Miller, who will be entering his 21st year next spring. Both Matzek and Miller have been honored by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association as District Assistant Coaches of the Year. Matzek was named the
WBCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2009. 

When a person sees or hears the word graffiti they most likely visualize highway overpasses or railroad box cars adorned with forms of the easily recognizable vigilante artwork. But when it comes to baseball, such artistry is not commonly associated with dugouts. However, at Firehall Field such oeuvre creations exist in one of the dugouts. Four times the phrase “No Seeds,” “No Seeds,” “No Seeds,” “No Seeds” is spray painted onto the back wall. Obviously it was done to remind players and coaches of the no sunflower seeds rule at Firehall Field. Why? Ask Dennis Gagnier, Paul Most, Dallas Eggers, and other volunteers about the difficulties of sweeping up those disgusting discarded shells. I suggest those who complain about the rule volunteer to clean up the seeds that carpet the cement floor of the dugout. You will then understand the reason for the rule. However, what makes the “No Seeds” reminder even more unbelievable is that the four-time spray painted phrase is in the HOME DUGOUT AND NOT IN THE VISITING DUGOUT! Wow.

From the WIAA: The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) announced the establishment of the WIAA Foundation, a brand-new charitable organization dedicated to advancing Wisconsin high school athletics through charitable support and innovation. The foundation will focus its efforts on three impact areas. First, supporting and enhancing high school athletic programs across Wisconsin to provide better opportunities for student-athletes through grants and funding for program expansion. Second, providing enhanced risk minimization resources and support for WIAA student-athletes. And third, expand educational offerings for WIAA-licensed officials through specialized training programs. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR has announced bonus antlerless harvest authorizations for the 2025 gun deer season will be available for purchase online through the Go Wild license portal and at license sales locations starting at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. Bonus authorizations are sold at a rate of one per person per day until sold out or until the 2025 deer hunting season ends. Bonus authorizations are $12 each for Wisconsin residents, $20 each for non-residents and $5 each for youth ages 11 and under. To complete their purchase, hunters will need to know the deer management zone and unit in which they intend to hunt, determine whether they will hunt on public or private land and have a deer hunting license approval. Due to realignment of the Northern and Central Forest Zones, there have been changes made to some deer management unit borders for 2025. The DNR encourages hunters to consult the new maps before buying their licenses. For Pierce, St. Croix, Polk, and a portion of Burnett counties purchase dates will begin at 10 a.m. Aug. 19. 

Headshaker of the Week. Whilst attending a Major League Baseball game a few weeks back, I was struck by how many “first pitches” were thrown during pre-game activities. Years ago, there was one “first pitch” per game. That’s it. Not anymore. During the pregame activities there were seven first pitches before the game started. Yep. Seven first pitches. Yes, I know, times have changed. Sausage races, trivia contests, scoreboard matching games, kiss cams, celebrity look-alikes, dance parties, on field dress up racing contests, and loads of other games designed to “hold” the attention of fans in the stands are identified as being a part of today’s major league baseball game experience. I get it. But come on. Seven “first pitches?” Now that’s a headshaker.