The #7 ranked Prescott boys basketball team continues their grinding schedule this week when they travel to Durand-Arkansaw to take on the Panthers on Jan. 3, followed by a Monday evening contest at home against River Falls. The Cardinals hop on the bus the next day and travel to Altoona to take on the Railroaders, and then on Friday with host #10 ranked Amery. Amazingly, after the Jan. 10 game against Amery, Prescott will be halfway through the season. 

Amery features one of the most prolific scorers in Middle Border Conference basketball history. Senior Carter Wollan heads into this weekend with 1,828 career points. A UW-La Crosse recruit, Wollan is on pace to finish his career with more than 2,200 career points, placing him in the top 30 all time in the state of Wisconsin. Additionally, his sophomore brother Keaton Wollan has scored 528 career points, providing the Warriors with a formidable one-two punch. 

The Elk Mound girls basketball team is the only Division 3 team listed in the top 10 in the latest Wisconsin Sports Network State Rankings. The Mounders are ranked #7. When it comes to wrestling, the St. Croix Central Panthers are ranked #10 in the most recent Wisconsin Grappler State Rankings in Division 2. 

It’s a sure bet Prescott cager fans are scouring Wisconsin Sports Network for the records of teams in the same WIAA Division III Tournament Sectional. For the boys, fans are well aware of the exploits of teams in the Middle Border Conference and several others in the top half of the sectional bracket. However, in the bottom half of the sectional, unfamiliarity reigns. Two teams from the West Cloverbelt, the undefeated and first place Bloomer Blackhawks and the highly regarded Stanley-Boyd Orioles are making the most noise in conference play. In the far east, Berlin is in second place in the East Central Conference and has an overall record of 6-1. For the girls the same familiarity rings true in the top of half of the bracket. In the bottom half of the sectional Wisconsin Dells and Elk Mound are both undefeated and are garnering a great deal of attention. Arcadia from the Coulee Conference and Mauston from the South Central Conference are lurking with solid seasons thus far. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR reminds anglers that they will be able to target any of Wisconsin’s inland trout species using artificial lures only starting Jan. 4, 2025, through May 2, 2025, on designated early season trout streams. Any trout caught during this time will need to be immediately released. All anglers are encouraged to continue to practice responsible catch and release and reduce their reel and handling time with the fish as much as possible. Anyone wishing to participate in the season will need a 2024-2025 fishing license and an inland trout stamp, which are both good until March 31, 2025, and can be purchased online through Go Wild or at one of many license sales locations throughout the state. 

The Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association announced the Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Former Chippewa Falls McDonnell Head Coach Eric Wedemeyer will be inducted this February in Madison at the WBCA Hall of Fame Banquet. Wedemeyer ended his head coaching career with an overall record of 320-116. During his tenure, McDonnell won 10 Cloverbelt West Conference Championships and won 12 regional championships. Wedemeyer led the Macks to five WIAA State Runner-Up finishes. Prescott has played Chippewa Falls McDonnell two times over the past two decades. The Macks defeated Prescott 11-6 in the 2006 Division 3 Sectional Semi-Finals, and the Cardinals beat McDonnell in the spring of 2014 by a score of 7-3. 

Speaking of high school baseball, the Prescott Cardinal baseball team will be traveling to Dyersville, Iowa on May 16 to practice on the same field used in the iconic baseball film “Field of Dreams.” Visited by thousands each year, the movie site has become a baseball pilgrimage for many fans from around the country and the world. The next day the Cardinals will travel to nearby Platteville to take on the Hillmen in a varsity doubleheader. 

Last year more than 3,000 high school coaches and athletic directors responded to a nationwide survey conducted by Growing Great Relationships (GGR) in cooperation with the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA). The purpose of the survey was to understand what coaches and athletic directors see as their greatest needs concerning coach-parent and coach-athlete communication and relationships. The first part of the survey addressed issues surrounding parents of athletes. The first question asked coaches about their greatest concerns dealing with parents. More than 50% indicated over-involved parents as their No. 1 concern. The second question asked coaches what they think parents were most concerned about. Overwhelmingly, nearly 80% reported the child’s amount of playing time as the biggest issue. The next question asked coaches who are the most difficult parents. Athlete “wanna bes” were identified by 55% of the respondents. 

The second section of the same survey asked coaches about their greatest concerns regarding relationships with their athletes. The first question asked coaches about the challenges they face communicating with student-athletes. Nearly 58% indicated an athlete receiving contradictory advice from parents and other coaches/advisers. This was followed closely with 55% stating an athlete’s inflated belief about their ability. Athletic director responses were similar but with somewhat different percentages. The greatest response, 70%, was the athlete receiving contradictory advice. The second question indicated by 58% of coaches was an athlete over-burdened with competing school demands (clubs, academics). For this particular question, the response from the athletic directors closely matched the coaches. Athletic directors were asked about their greatest concerns dealing with parents and athletes. The most frequent answer by 76% of athletic directors was parents bypassing coaches to complain directly to them.

Headshaker of the week: From this casual observer it appears more and more basketball coaches are becoming frustrated when a request for a timeout is missed during the action. These requests invariably take place during moments of frenzied game action. Loose balls, teams on the verge of getting a 10-second backcourt violation, or a player on the brink of getting a five-second closely guarded call, are common instances where coaches with great enthusiasm holler for a time out. From time to time, officials in the heat of the action fail to see the coach making the request. And if the not granted timeout request leads to a turnover or a steal by the other team, the coach (and assistant coaches in the stands) will say forcefully, “I/He was trying to call a timeout!” There was a time years ago where basketball coaches were not allowed to stand, let alone roam back and forth in front of the bench like a pet on a clothesline leash. The only time coaches were allowed to stand was to call a timeout or to react to a play on the floor. Perhaps it’s time to bring back the days when coaches had to sit on the bench during the game. With three officials in today’s game, it might make it easier for referees to see a coach requesting a timeout since it would be the only time they would be allowed to stand. You know, like it was “in the the good old day.s” However, reinstating that rule will never happen in today’s game. So, those moments will continue in gymnasiums all over the country. Sad. And that’s a headshaker.