Prescott senior Nolan Thomley advanced to the finals of the St. Croix Falls Wrestling Classic on Saturday after suffering a back injury in his semi-final victory.  Listed by Wisconsin Grappler as Wisconsin's eighth ranked wrestler at 150 pounds, Thomley is expected to wrestle at this weekend’s Cashton Invitational. Thomley improves to 33-5 on the season after three hard fought victories in St. Croix Falls. The senior captain defeated Carter Othoudt by a score of 6-4, followed by a 2-0 win over Ethan Fischer, and a thrilling last second 3-2 victory over Mitchell McGee of Glenwood City. St. Croix Falls won the 21-team tournament with Totino-Grace High School of Minnesota finishing second. 

Prescott alumnus and UMD Bulldog hurdler Megan Gilles won two blue ribbons at Saturday’s Twin Ports Invitational on the campus of UW-Superior and one in record fashion. The Bulldog women's 4x200 meter relay team including Gilles, Kate Fitzgerald, Jordan Grail and Jacqi Rae ran to a school record of 1:45:28 and surpassed the former record of 1:46:27 set in 2006. Gilles also finished atop the podium in the 200-meter hurdles with a time of 28.67. Gilles is a 2021 Prescott grad and is majoring in psychology and cognitive science. Another 2021 Prescott graduate Sammy Braunlich is a member of the UW-River Falls track team. A mid distance runner, Braunlich is a senior for the Falcons. 

Bravo to Wartburg College runner Ella Johnson who won the 800-meter run at the Jack Jennett Invitational in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Friday Jan. 19 with a time of 2:26. Johnson’s impressive performance time puts her at #75 in Division 3 in the 800-meter. Johnson also pole vaulted 9 feet in the meet for a new personal best in her first collegiate track and field meet. Johnson is a 2023 graduate of Prescott High School. 

Another former Prescott thinclad, Madison Matzek is competing in track and field for the Minnesota State Mavericks. On Saturday, Jan. 12, Matzek finished second in the 3,000 meters in the Annual Bearson/Gathje Classic Indoor Invitational hosted by Minnesota State. Matzek is in her second season competing for the Mavericks. 

Isabella Lenz and the Michigan Tech Huskies rebounded from a Thursday loss at Kenosha-Parkside with a 63-51 victory at Purdue-Northwest on Saturday. The 2021 Prescott grad scored 15 points as Michigan Tech evened their record at 8-8 on the season and 4-4 in conference play. Lenz is 10th in the conference in scoring and is the top free throw shooter in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference converting 89% of her attempts from the charity stripe. 

A handful of Wisconsin lawmakers have proposed a bill where hunters would be prohibited for the next four years from shooting antlerless white-tailed deer in northern Wisconsin. Hunter discontent increased following the 2023 gun deer hunting season in November. Hunters statewide registered 173,942 deer during the nine-day gun season, a decrease of 18% from the previous year and 11% below the five-year average, according to a DNR preliminary report. The proposed law is in its infant stages. Stay tuned. 

Cardinal senior Dallas Wallin is poised to score his 1,500th career point and grab the 800th rebound of his high school career. When it comes to Prescott boys’ basketball history Wallin is on pace to finish in the top three in both categories. The next Cardinal basketball player who appears to be on pace to become the next player to hit the century mark is Violet Otto. The talented sophomore is inching her way toward scoring the 500th point of her young career. 

We are about a month away from the beginning of the WIAA Basketball Tournament. Here are updated records of non-Middle Border Conference teams to keep an eye on when the post season begins. For the girls: Elk Mound (16-0), Arcadia (11-5), St. Croix Falls (12-5), Barron (12-4), La Crosse Aquinas (13-3).  For the boys: Bloomer (13-1), Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (13-3), Elk Mound (13-2), Omro (11-3).

Speaking of scorers, Amery Warrior Carter Wollan has scored over 1,400 points in his high school career. The Amery junior will undoubtedly become the first 2,000 point scorer in Amery Warrior history. No high school basketball aficionados, 6’11” Amery alumnus Al Rudd (1973-1976) did not score 2,000 points in his career. 

Headshaker of the week. Currently there are 21 states with officiating assault laws. State laws run the gamut and involve high school games and any sporting event that’s open to the public. A Wisconsin bi-partisan bill introduced in 2023 defines a sports official as a referee, umpire, linesman, timekeeper, inspector, judge, or person who performs similar functions. They could be paid or unpaid. A recent WIAA survey of active officials found that nearly half of respondents—48% of male referees and 45% of female ones—had felt unsafe due to their involvement with officiating, and 57% believe sportsmanship is getting worse, mostly due to parents, coaches and fans. Yes, this issue has been mentioned countless times, but it remains rampant today.  It’s a headshaker.