The Prescott Softball Association and CAB Company will hold their annual banquet on Thursday, March 25 at the Old Ptacek’s Event Center. Raffles, silent auctions, and games will take place during the evening.  The featured speaker will be Todd Andrews of River Falls. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; dinner is at 6:30 p.m. with the program beginning at approximately 7:15 p.m. Cost of the banquet is $30. 

Head Coach Nick Johnson and the defending WIAA Division 3 State Champion Cardinal softball team officially began practice this week. As expected, the Cardinals are expected to be among the favorites in the Middle Border along with Ellsworth, Baldwin-Woodville, and Somerset. 

Freshman pitcher Cullen Huppert has appeared in three games for the Southwest State University Mustangs. An Honorable Mention All-State Selection last spring, Huppert is expected to get a number of opportunities to toe the rubber for the Mustangs this spring. 

Speaking of toeing the rubber, Prescott Cardinal pitchers and catchers begin practice this week. Despite the loss of Middle Border Conference Player of the Year Cullen Huppert to graduation, Prescott returns a number of arms including lefties Cole Platson and Max Monteith, and right hander Dain Pechacek. All three allowed less than two runs per game last season. The 2024 Cardinal pitching staff was the first in recorded history to have four varsity pitchers in one season throwing a minimum of 25 innings pitched and earned run averages below 2.00. 

Michigan Tech women's basketball senior guard Isabella Lenz was named to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first team and All-Defensive team. Lenz finishes her career for the Huskies as the 2021-22 GLIAC Freshman of the Year, a three-time All-GLIAC first team selection, and a two-time All-Defensive team member. A 2021 Prescott grad, Lenz finished this season eighth in the conference in scoring and 12th in the league in assists. She recorded the best free-throw percentage in the GLIAC, going 51-of-57 from the charity stripe (89.5) and sixth in 3-point percentage, connecting on 35-of-96 from beyond the arc (36.5).

Lenz wrapped up an impressive collegiate career with 1,340 points, good for 10th place all time. The three-time all-conference guard also finished in the Top 10 all time in assists and free throw percentage. Lenz finishes her career among the most accomplished college athletes in Prescott history. 

From the Department of Natural Resources: The DNR reminds Wisconsinites of the protected tribal right to fish in certain Wisconsin waterways and the legal consequences they could face if found interfering with that right during the upcoming Ojibwe spring fishing season.

“The safety of Ojibwe fishers is a top priority for the DNR. The agency fully supports legally protected Ojibwe treaty rights and tribal sovereignty,” said DNR Secretary Karen Hyun. “We will swiftly act on incidents of violence and harassment against tribal citizens. We support Ojibwe citizens to exercise their rights and engage in traditional practices, knowing the DNR, in collaboration with our various valued partners, are working to ensure a safe and successful spring harvest.”

All fish that are taken are documented each night by a tribal clerk or warden who are present at boat landings. Once the declared harvest is reached in a given lake, no additional permits are issued for that lake, and the harvest ends. The Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) provides daily reports to the DNR for all fish harvested off-reservation by spearing or netting in the Ceded Territory. The Ojibwe Spring harvest, which includes spearfishing, is an integral and respected part of Wisconsin’s history. The DNR is actively engaged with tribal law enforcement officers to protect tribal rights not only for the upcoming season but for generations to come and will continue to work to ensure all who participate are able to have a safe and enjoyable experience. These treaties and court decisions remain in place today, ensuring the Ojibwe can continue to exercise their right to hunt, fish and gather off-reservation in the Ceded Territories. To assist in regulating those activities, 11 Ojibwe bands have formed GLIFWC, which provides fully trained wardens who patrol the Ceded Territory to make sure tribal citizens are following applicable tribal conservation laws. Violations are cited in tribal courts for prosecution. Ojibwe spearing and netting are carefully monitored and regulated by staff from both GLIFWC and the Wisconsin DNR. Anyone violating tribal rights could be charged under several Wisconsin laws, fined up to $10,000 and sentenced up to nine months in prison. 

When it comes to Wisconsin knowledge of political geography, I’m okay. But while pursuing the qualifying teams for the girls and boys state basketball tournaments I was unable to find the following communities: Assumption, Aquinas, Edgewood, and Xavier. And Google Maps was not helpful. Perhaps they are townships or are consolidated schools similar to those that comprise Northwestern High School. Regardless, it’s a mystery. 

The Amery Cinderella basketball story came to an end last weekend as the Warriors lost a heartbreaker to Elk Mound by a score of 54-52. Despite leading by as many as 13 points midway through the second half, the Warriors could not withstand a furious Mounder comeback as Elk Mound qualified for the state tournament for the third time in school history. And congratulations to the Turtle Lake Lakers who qualified for the state tournament for the first time in school history with a 53-45 victory over Rib Lake. One of the most intriguing stories about Turtle Lake’s march to the state tournament is the Lakers are led by Head Coach Angela Wagner, the first woman in Wisconsin boys basketball history to shepherd a team to the state tournament. 

Headshaker of the Week: Stories galore around the country connected to verbal and physical altercations at the conclusion of athletic contests. We’ve all seen videos of post-game brawls and shoving matches involving players, coaches, and fans after games. Sadly, there are emerging discussions regarding the possibility of ending the post-game handshake tradition for fear of some type of physical brouhaha. The possibility of eliminating shaking hands after the games? That’s a headshaker.