Congratulations to PHS seniors Will Packard and Jeanne Rohl on being named the Middle Border Conference Scholar Athlete representatives for Prescott. Packard and Rohl are three sport athletes who have also excelled in the classroom. Both are members of the National Honor Society and Rohl is the president of the Student Council. Rohl and Packard will be honored at a banquet at St. Croix Central High School in the coming weeks and will be nominated for the statewide WIAA Scholar Athlete Award.

Congratulations to long-time Prescott Cardinal Booster and former KDWA Radio Personality Roy Klein on receiving the “The Friend of Prescott Softball Award” last Thursday at the annual Play Ball Banquet at the Old Ptacek’s Event Center. Beginning in the early 1990’s and for more than a decade after, there were few people who were a greater enthusiastic supporter of Cardinal sports than Roy Klein. A popular play-by-play commentator, Klein’s voice became commonplace on radio dials around Prescott and the surrounding area. His quick wit and at times biting sarcasm were a big hit with Cardinal fans young and old alike. Hats off the Prescott Softball Association for presenting the award for such a deserving individual.

Speaking of the Play Ball Banquet, River Falls comedian Todd Andrews was a big hit. The Boston native shared thoughts about Midwest manners, dialects, and lexicon. Andrews has lived in the area for approximately two decades and performs throughout the Twin Cities area. 

Add the Fresno State Bulldogs to the list of schools that have offered a football scholarship to Prescott junior Kobe Russell. The University of Northern Iowa and Kent State are two other schools who are hoping the talented 11th grader wears their uniform. Additionally, the University of Minnesota and Washington State have also expressed interest.  

The Prescott Hall of Fame Committee is seeking nominations for induction consideration for Fall 2025. Nomination forms are available on the Prescott School District website and are due on July 1. A reminder: nominating someone for the Hall of Fame requires a considerable amount of work. Once submitted, all nominations are evaluated and scored individually by the 11 members of the Hall of Fame Committee using an objective rubric developed by original Hall of Fame committee members. 

“It is certainly not a system where you are nominated and you are in,” says current Hall of Fame Committee Chairman Jeremy Kerg. “It is designed this way for a reason and getting into a Hall of Fame is not supposed to be easy.” 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR will accept applications for the next class of conservation wardens from April 10 through May 6. The DNR expects to hire about 10 full-time wardens for the upcoming 2026 class. Successful applicants will begin their law enforcement officer training in January 2026 or April 2026, depending on experience level. DNR conservation wardens serve in urban and rural stations statewide. They enforce laws protecting fish and wildlife, the environment, state parks and forests, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Wardens also serve as ambassadors and educators, teaching the public about natural resources, outdoor safety and environmental conservation.

With the transfer portal and NIL, my interest in college basketball has certainly waned. The demonstrative celebrations and showboating after seemingly every basket, even when behind by 25 points, is tiresome. However, last weekend I watched the last five minutes of the game between #1 seed Florida and #3 seed Texas Tech. Yes, the Red Raiders did fold down the stretch as Florida advanced to the Final Four largely due to the play of Florida Guard Walter Clayton Jr. A senior, the Florida native drained three three-pointers in the final three minutes in leading the Gators to victory. As the senior guard sent his Gator teammates, coaches, and fans into a frenzy as he drained each shot, the Florida native did not pound his chest, flex and scream to the heavens, or flash some kind of sign to the Florida throng. As each shot passed through the net, the Iona College transfer avoided any over the top exhibitions or gyrations. On the contrary, Butler maintained a steel intensity throughout the comeback that would have impressed any marine boot camp drill instructor. A rare sight these days. Well done. Bravo Walter Clayton Jr. 

Headshaker of the Week: According to the coaches, the Prescott baseball team practiced outside on Firehall Field for the first time last week. As players were entering the gate nearest the concession stand, players and coaches alike had to navigate around two full bags of canine stool. Since the plastic bags full of fermenting dog feces in the middle of the concrete walkway were different colors it could be argued there were two offenders. What is wrong with you? Leaving heaping bags of pet excrement in full view of the public? Now that’s a headshaker.