The WIAA seasons have begun. Head Football Coach Jordan Hansen and the veteran-laden Prescott Cardinals began practice this week. A week from this Friday Prescott will participate in a six-team scrimmage at Osceola High School against the host school along with New Richmond, River Falls, Saint Croix Central, and St. Croix Falls. The scrimmage is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Prescott will open the season on the road on Friday, Aug. 23 against perennial power Northwestern. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

This fall the Amery football field became the fifth in the Middle Border Conference with an artificial turf surface along with Osceola, Baldwin-Woodville, St. Croix Central and Altoona. Additionally, non-conference opponents Northwestern and Durand also play on a turf field. Artificial turf football fields typically need to be replaced every 8–10 years, but some can last up to 20 years. The lifespan of artificial turf depends on use, weather, and maintenance. The cost associated with repairing or replacing turf ranges from $250,000 to $600,000. 

Speaking of something new…the 2024 Prescott Homecoming football game will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Laney Field. The Cardinals will host Amery with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m. 

Athletic directors around the country are well aware of the extreme shortage of high school officials. Scheduling referees for all contests has become increasingly difficult over the last decade with the pace of people becoming officials continuing its downward trend. Sadly, it has been rumored that weekly Friday night football games will become another victim of the dearth of officials. Thursday and Saturday prep games appear to be on the horizon as athletic directors jostle for the same officiating crews week in and week out. It is somewhat surprising the number of officials is dwindling. On any given evening in the stands at football or basketball games, or in the bleachers during softball or baseball games, you can hear dozens of fans lob acerbic criticism and other forms of “advice” at officials during games. Such knowledge and sport acumen in the stands should surely translate into dozens of sports official candidates. So, the answer is athletic directors are in the bleachers. Let the hiring begin. 

Wisconsin Golf Magazine ranks three Prescott golfers among the top 40 golfers in the class of 2025. Senior Gabbi Matzek ranked #12, Jeanne Rohl is #17, and Lydia Feran is ranked #35. Sophomore Layla Salay is ranked #8 in the class of 2027. Practice begins for the four-time defending champions on Aug. 12. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR announced that state residents can become community scientists by participating in Operation Deer Watch and the Game Bird Brood Survey, which start statewide on Aug. 1. These surveys are designed to measure the reproductive status of deer and game birds by establishing ratios of adults to juveniles (e.g., fawn-to-doe ratios). This data helps indicate the productivity of Wisconsin’s deer and game bird populations. The data from these surveys, along with harvest information, provide DNR scientists with the key elements needed to make knowledgeable management decisions for these species.
The DNR also announced Rice Lake High School junior Evan Strand as the winner of the 2025 Wisconsin State Park and Forest vehicle admission sticker design contest. Strand’s submission captures the essence of a night spent camping under the stars. His winning design will be printed on state park and forest vehicle admission stickers and will be displayed on more than 500,000 vehicles. Now in its 34th year, the annual DNR-sponsored design contest is open to artwork submissions from high school-age students attending Wisconsin's public, private or parochial schools or home-schools. The DNR received about 150 entries this year. The second-place winner is Jehiel Josh De los Santos, also of Rice Lake High School, and the third-place recipient is Joe Bellante of Catholic Central High School.

Headshaker of the week. I suspect some readers will be gritting their teeth and seething with anger after this week’s rendition. Last week I stopped at an area sporting goods store looking for a birthday gift. While perusing dozens and dozens of baseball caps, I observed a middle-aged man donning hat after hat asking his shopping partner “how does this one look” each time he donned a piece of headgear. What caught my attention wasn’t the fact that he was trying on hats like he was trying on dress pants, it was that each time he put on a baseball cap he put it on backwards. Each and every time. Unbelievable. A baseball hat has a brim, visor, or bill if you wish, in front to shade the eyes from the sun, a bright sky or lights. That’s why baseball players wear them and that’s the primary reason most of us wear them. For me, when an adult wears their baseball cap backwards there is an implied quality of immaturity, of infantilism. Sure, the rules are different for a 5- or 10-year-old kid who wears a baseball cap backwards. However, when older people do it, it really looks foolish. Yes, yes, yes, there are situations when turning the hat around is necessary, like riding in the bed of a truck, on a motorcycle or in a convertible. In those situations, if you don’t wear it backwards it would blow off your head. But please, when you get off the truck bed, park the motorcycle or put the top back up on your convertible, turn your hat back around. The adult fashion statement of wearing a baseball cap backwards because they think it makes them look cool or hip? It's a headshaker.