The last time the Prescott Cardinal football team opened the season with three consecutive victories was in 2017. Head Coach Jordan Hansen’s club will travel to Somerset to take on the 1-2 Spartans who fell to the #4 ranked Baldwin-Woodville Blackhawks by a score of 26-20. The undefeated Cardinals entered this week ranked in the top 10 in Division 4, the first time Prescott has cracked the rankings in over two decades. Last year the Cardinals fell at home to the Spartans by a score of 16-8. 

Last week four teams from the Middle Border Conference were ranked in the top 10. Look for Rice Lake to become another ranked conference team in Division 3 at some point this season. 

Breckin Schommer finished second, Jayde Canfield fourth, and Nolan Leask eighth as the Prescott Cardinal cross country team finished second in the nine-team St. Croix Central Invitational last Thursday. Led by Ava Budworth and Katie Huppert, the girls placed fifth in the tournament. The Cardinal harriers are back in action this Thursday competing in the 10-team Somerset Invitational. 

Osceola is the lone Middle Border Conference team listed in the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Ranking released last week. The only area team ranked in the top 10 is Altoona at #9. Osceola is ranked #12. For the girls, three Middle Border Conference teams are ranked in the top 10. Osceola leads the way at #5, with Amery and St. Croix Central slated at #8 and #9 respectively. 

Speaking of state rankings, the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association released their first state poll last week with the Bloomer Blackhawks the #4 ranked team in Division 2. No other Division 2 teams in the area were mentioned. In Division 3, perennial power St. Croix Falls is ranked #2. 

Tickets can now be purchased via the Prescott School District website for the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet at Prescott High School.  Jaci Kosin, Steve Block, and Ryan Berg will become the fifth class inducted into the Prescott Hall of Fame. Doors open at 6 p.m., meal served at 6:45 p.m., with induction program beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. Cost of the banquet is $25 with a limited number of tickets being sold at the door. Hall of Fame Committee Members remind and encourage everyone to nominate those deserving of Hall of Fame consideration for induction in 2025.  Nomination forms are available via the school district website. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Last week the DNR released the 2023 fall forecast series detailing the coming seasons’ hunting outlook for a variety of popular game species. These forecasts outline what hunters and trappers across the state can expect this year while pursuing their favorite game species. Forecasts also include helpful reminders about public land access opportunities, game registration requirements and season dates. Hunters can access the information at the DNR website. 

Cardinal defensive back Barrett Temmers now has five interceptions on the season. The junior three-sport athlete had another circus pick on Friday in Osceola. Along with the three interceptions, Temmers also ran for 113 yards, scored two touchdowns, and made 12 tackles for the undefeated Cardinals. Not a bad night’s work. 

The Prescott girls golf team has six of the top eight golfers in the Middle Border Conference with junior Gabi Matzek leading the way for the Cardinals. In last week’s tournament in Ellsworth, the Cardinals won the Middle Border Conference “Mini-Meet” with a seven-stroke victory over St. Croix Central. Junior Lydia Feran was top finisher for the Cardinals ending the day in fifth place. Fellow junior Jeanne Rohl turned in a sixth place. 

Hmmmm…Strange that humility in athletics when it comes to coaches, athletes and fans, at all levels and appears to be becoming passe. I also wonder if Packer fan parents admonish or scold their young children if they catch them doing the griddy in the backyard, the living room, or the basement? 

Wow! The No. 23-ranked UW-River Falls football team opened its 2023 season on a high note upsetting two-time national champions and No. 3-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor 45-22 last Saturday afternoon at David Smith Stadium in River Falls. A trio of Prescott alumni are on the Falcon roster this season: Junior offensive lineman Austin Fox, sophomore linebacker Jack Olson, and freshman linebacker Brady Block. This week the Falcons will travel to Delaware, Ohio to take on the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan and will undoubtedly move up in the NCAA Division III national rankings. 

Did you know… In 1876 Wisconsin prohibited deer hunting with dogs and in 1892 it was lawful to kill any dog chasing deer. In 1905 salt licks were prohibited. In 1925 the Wisconsin State Legislature passed a law closing deer season in alternative years. There was no deer hunting season in 1927, 1929, 1931, 1931, 1933, and 1935. Wearing red clothing while hunting deer became required in 1945; in 1980 blaze orange became the requirement for all deer hunters. 

Headshaker of the week. At a Hudson restaurant last week, a western Wisconsin Packer fan shared how he has “moved on after Rodgers” (He was wearing a local high school sweatshirt). For the next two minutes the neck vein popping, wild-eyed Green Bay rooter went on a tirade mocking and deriding New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The emotion pack rant included voodoo-doll like curses hoping the surefire ballot Hall of Famer fails miserably in the Big Apple. It’s a good thing he has moved on.  It was also a headshaker.