Many high school athletes expecting to compete today are destined to get more work indoors after competitions were canceled on Monday.

Oconto Falls canceled classes on Monday, putting a stop to a scheduled indoor track meet that included Algoma, Coleman, Crivitz, and Kewaunee.

That is likely not a good sign for the area softball teams, which were expected to finally open their season on Monday. Brillion/Southern Door and Two Rivers/Kewaunee were two matchups that likely received the axe because of the widespread rain, ice, and snow across the area over the weekend. 

With losses in between, the Green Bay Gamblers started and ended with wins thanks to a 6-2 decision over Team USA on Sunday.

Elliot Gulley registered the lone Gamblers in the first period, but the team was still chasing Team USA 2-1 before they turned their fate with four goals in the second period. Geno Carcone scored two goals in the first ten minutes, while Will Zellers and Zach Wooten added tallies in the back half to make it 5-2. Aidan Park added an insurance goal in the third period to give the Gamblers their first win since March 1st when they beat Youngstown on the road 4-3. Leo Henriquez had a light day at the office with just 20 shots on goal, stopping 18 of them.

The win gave the Gamblers a spot in the playoffs with four games remaining in the regular season. They are back home against Sioux Falls on April 4th and 5th. 

The Green Bay Glory kicked off its roster release with a familiar face for Kewaunee County soccer fans.

Kewaunee native and former Algoma soccer player Haakon Utesch was the first player announced for the Green Bay Glory's 2025 roster after the organization announced its schedule last week. Utesch led the Glory to promotion in its inaugural season. This year, Utesch will take on an additional role with the team as its goalkeeping coach. This builds on his coaching experience at the college ranks as the goalkeeping coach for the men's and women's programs at Concordia University.

The Glory also announced that McKayla Legois will return to the team as she has since 2019. The men play in the Midwest Premier League's First Division beginning on May 3rd against Czarni Jaslo Chicago at the Banta Bowl in Appleton while the women will stay in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. They will open their season on May 17th at the Banta Bowl against Milwaukee City AFC.

It may not look like it, but Monday marks the first day boys golf and tennis teams can begin practicing across the state of Wisconsin.

Kewaunee is the only school in Door and Kewaunee counties to field a tennis team in recent years, but they did not field a girls' team last fall and likely a long shot to field a boys team this spring.

The Storm is scheduled to be the first team out of the chute for golf with an opening meet on April 8th at Par 5 against Mishicot. They will travel to Sturgeon Bay's Cherry Hills Golf Course on April 10th for a conference meet featuring local rivals Sturgeon Bay, Southern Door, Sevastopol, and Gibraltar. Luxemburg-Casco will open its season with a conference meet at Mid-Vallee Golf Course.

The start of these seasons are both subject to weather conditions.

Facing top-flight teams from across the state, the Southern Door track team held their own at the Ripon College Showcase Meet on Saturday.

Five athletes placed in the top 10 for the Eagles in seven events, helping them place in the top half among the competing small schools.

For the boys, Braeden VanRemortel's fourth place in the pole vault led the way for the Eagles. Lauden Berg (7th, long jump; 5th, triple jump) scored in the top eight in two events. 

Frankie Nellis was similar on the girls' side, taking 7th place in the long and triple jump events. Emma Bousley (8th, 1600m) and Elise Jackson (8th, 60m hurdles) also finished in the top 10 for the Eagles.

Mens Results

60 Meter Dash Varsity - Finals

15.12Makii Taylor7.62aSouthern Door

200 Meters Varsity - Finals

27.11Colt Gilbertson25.80aPRSouthern Door

30.11Eli Jadin26.71aPRSouthern Door

400 Meters Varsity - Finals

27.12Ethan Kaser59.42aPRSouthern Door

33.10Elmer Jeanquart1:00.90aPRSouthern Door

800 Meters Varsity - Finals

19.12Ben Grota2:14.61aPRSouthern Door

26.12Lucas Conard2:20.44aPRSouthern Door

1600 Meters Varsity - Finals

16.12Ben Grota4:57.68aSRSouthern Door

33.9Joel Moyer5:45.05aPRSouthern Door

3200 Meters Varsity - Finals

23.10Owen Larios Amezqui...11:57.50aPRSouthern Door

60m Hurdles - 39" Varsity - Finals

11.11Damontrae Meeks9.22aPRSouthern Door

4x400 Relay Varsity - Finals

17.12

Ethan Kaser

10

Isaac Rouer

10

Elmer Jeanquart

11

Damontrae Meeks

4:01.80a

Southern Door - A

4x800 Relay Varsity - Finals

12.10

Owen Larios Amezquita

9

Joel Moyer

12

Brayden Vogel

12

Lucas Conard

9:51.02a

Southern Door - A

Shot Put - 12lb Varsity - Finals

14.12Cruz Calvillo44' 5.75"PRSouthern Door

30.11Landon Vandertie38' 10.75"PRSouthern Door

High Jump Varsity - Finals

4.11Braeden VanRemortel5' 10"SRSouthern Door

Pole Vault Varsity - Finals

7.11Grant Pieschek12' 6"PRSouthern Door

Long Jump Varsity - Finals

7.11Lauden Berg19' 10.75"PRSouthern Door

29.12Brayden Vogel18' 2"PRSouthern Door

Triple Jump Varsity - Finals

5.11Lauden Berg40' 7.5"PRSouthern Door

24.11Landon Vandertie35' 2"PRSouthern 

Womens Results

60 Meter Dash Varsity - Finals

12.10Portia Hah8.62aPRSouthern Door

200 Meters Varsity - Finals

12.10Elise Jackson28.47aPRSouthern Door

28.10Portia Hah30.76aPRSouthern Door

400 Meters Varsity - Finals

13.9Nikaya Trusova1:08.88aPRSouthern Door

22.12Ellie Engerson1:14.13aPRSouthern Door

800 Meters Varsity - Finals

21.12Kelsey Johnson2:59.04aPRSouthern Door

25.11Anna Massart3:07.48aPRSouthern Door

1600 Meters Varsity - Finals

8.11Emma Bousley5:54.00aPRSouthern Door

24.9Addison Miller6:31.37aPRSouthern Door

60m Hurdles - 33" Varsity - Finals

8.10Elise Jackson10.05aSouthern Door

4x200 Relay Varsity - Finals

11.10

Delaney Wilke

10

Tara Maccaux

10

Chelsie Claflin

10

Kyleigh Claflin

2:00.82a

Southern Door - A

4x400 Relay Varsity - Finals

14.12

Ellie Engerson

9

Violet Jackson

11

Anna Massart

9

Nikaya Trusova

4:55.51a

Southern Door - A

Shot Put - 4kg Varsity - Finals

22.10Chelsie Claflin24' 4.25"PRSouthern Door

26.9Madeline Merkle23' 9.75"Southern Door

High Jump Varsity - Finals

26.11Ava Everard4' 4"SRSouthern Door

Pole Vault Varsity - Finals

12Marissa ShefchikNHSouthern Door

Long Jump Varsity - Finals

7.11Frankie Nellis16' 0.25"SRSouthern Door

17.12Kailey Guilette14' 4.75"PRSouthern Door

Triple Jump Varsity - Finals

7.11Frankie Nellis33' 7"PRSouthern Door

18.12Kailey Guilette30' 3"SRSouthern Door

Usually a sign of Christmas, two players named Dove will mark the summer as members of the Green Bay Rockers.

Brothers Kendall and Kamar Dove are the newest members of the Rockers after they finish their spring seasons at two different schools. Kendall is in his first season pitching for The University of Texas at San Antonio, after spending his freshman year at Texas A&M Corpus Christi while Kamar is in his first season at Prairie View A&M University as a pitcher.

You can read more about the brothers by clicking this link.

An old face is coming home to play for the Green and Gold after the Green Bay Packers announced their signing of LB Kristian Welch.

Mostly a contributor on special teams, Welch returns after spending parts of last season with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. This will be Welch's second stint with the Packers after joining the team's practice squad ahead of the 2023 regular season. During the season, he was elevated to the active roster on Sept. 28 and ended up appearing in 12 regular-season games and both postseason contests for Green Bay.

The Green Bay Gamblers came close to securing their first win in nearly a month only to come short again in a 5-4 OT defeat to the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

The two teams traded goals in the first period with the Gamblers' William Samuelsson tying the game up in the final minute. Trailing by one, the Gamblers found the back of the net twice in the second period with Niles Benson and Will Zellers providing the offense. Zellers would find the net again to give the Gamblers a short-lived lead before the Fighting Saints tied the game up to force the extra period. Overtime was not a long affair as Gavin Cornforth scored the game-winner in 44 seconds to send the Gamblers to their seventh straight loss. 

They will try to salvage one game in their month-ending homestand on Sunday when they play Team USA on Sunday at 3:05 p.m.

Area track teams are wrapping up their week with one more indoor meet.

Two Luxemburg-Casco girls track athletes very nearly brought home gold at Friday's Pam Kjono Invite hosted by Manitowoc Lincoln. Claire DuChateau finished the evening with runner-up finishes in the 800m and 1600m runs, while Ella Marach took second place in the pole vault. The Spartans also boasted top-five performances in two relays and the high jump from Madyson VanArk and McKenna Rank with identical heights of 4'8".

Known for her distance prowess, it was in the field where Hannah Miller's star shined the brightest during Friday's Pam Kjono Invite in Manitowoc. Miller won the triple jump with a distance of just over 34 feet. She also had a runner-up performance in the 400m and cleaned up the 4x400m relay. Lilly Hudson was also a part of that relay team while she also took second place in the long jump. The Storm had three other performances that finished in the top five.

The Southern Door track team is back in action indoors on Saturday when they travel to Ripon for a showcase meeting. Wisconsin Lutheran, West Bend West, Stevens Point Area, Kimberly, Fond du Lac, Neenah, Oshkosh West, Janesville Parker, Verona Area, Ashwaubenon, Coleman, Freedom, Homestead, Hortonville, Kiel, Monroe, New Holstein, Pacelli, Port Washington, Rosholt, Wautoma, Winneconne, Marquette University, Baraboo, and Shawano Community are also scheduled to appear. The first events are scheduled to begin at the Willmore Center on the campus of Ripon College at 10 a.m. 

The Green Bay Glory have announced their 2025 schedule featuring a new slate of teams for the program's men's squad to face.

The Glory men is coming off promotion in 2024 in its inaugural season. They will play in the Midwest Premier League's First Division beginning on May 3rd against Czarni Jaslo Chicago at the Banta Bowl in Appleton. They will face them one week later in Chicago. The full schedule can be found here.

The women will stay in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. They will open their season on May 17th at the Banta Bowl against Milwaukee City AFC. You can find their full schedule here.

After playing a mixed slate of games at Ashwaubenon's Capital Credit Union Park and Appleton's Banta Bowl, all games this year will take place in Appleton in 2025.

The Green Bay Gamblers try to snap a nearly month-long losing streak on Saturday when they welcome the Dubuque Fighting Saints on Saturday night and Team USA Sunday afternoon.

The Gamblers were outscored 18-7 in their three game series against Muskegon last weekend and have now lost their last six games. Their last win was on the road against Youngstown on March 1st. The two losses that start the skid came at the hands of Team USA the following weekend at the Resch Center. The Fighting Saints are the leaders of the conference with 77 points, but enter the weekend with three straight losses. Team USA is bringing up the rear with 43 points on the season, 10 points fewer than the Gamblers.

Saturday's game will start at 6:05 p.m., while Sunday's puck drop is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.

The Green Bay Blizzard held onto a halftime lead to beat the Iowa Barnstormers 52-47 at the Resch Center Friday night.

The offensive pace slowed down after the break, but the gap never disappeared after the Blizzard entered the locker room with a 31-26 lead. 

The win allows the Blizzard to kick off a three-game homestand on a positive note. They return to action April 6th when they host the Arizona Rattlers at 3:05 p.m.

Friday afternoon is for the girls after two area boys teams took to the track in Manitowoc on Thursday.

Luxemburg-Casco’s Cameron Dorner (55m), Kyan Lynts (1600m), and Ezra Treml (3200m) posted top three performances at yesterday’s Earl Hebert Invite in Manitowoc. Two relays and five other athletes finished in the top five in their respective events to give the Spartans 53.5 points, while the host Manitowoc Lincoln Ships won the meet with 94.5 points.

Mitchell Boeder earned the highest placement for Kewaunee with a fifth-place finish in the shootout at Thursday's Earl Hebert Invitational in Manitowoc. Seth Chevalier (6th, pole vault), Roemer Thyjsen (9th, pole vault), Robin Kunesh(8th, 3200m), and all four relays also finished their evening with top 10 performances.

The Spartans and Storm girls will take their turn against Kimberly, Chilton, Manitowoc Lutheran, Mishicot, Ozaukee, Plymouth, Roncalli, Sheboygan Falls, Two Rivers, and Winnebago Lutheran Academy on Friday at the JFK Fieldhouse beginning at 4 p.m.

The YMCA State Swimming Championships took place this past weekend at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center, where the Door County YMCA swim team showcased an outstanding performance. With 57 swimmers competing, the team demonstrated remarkable achievements and resilience throughout the event.

The State meet is known for its intense emotional swings, as swimmers experience both incredible breakthroughs and challenges. This year’s competition featured swimmers ranging from ages 6 to 18, allowing young athletes to witness firsthand the possibilities that dedicated training can bring.

Exceptional Team Performance

The Door County YMCA team posted an impressive 83% of personal best times, a testament to their hard work and determination. Among the weekend’s highlights was Caitlyn Hasenjager, who was awarded second place in the YMCA Character Scholarship program, earning a $400 scholarship. This prestigious award recognizes athletes who exhibit personal growth through swimming.

Individual and Relay Successes

The competition featured 144 events across multiple age groups. Swimmers must meet time standards to qualify, making participation itself a significant accomplishment. Many of the Door County YMCA swimmers placed highly in their respective events:

• 13 swimmers placed 6th
• 7 individuals and 4 relays placed 5th
• 10 individuals and 5 relays placed 4th
• 9 individuals and 3 relays earned 3rd place trophies
• 7 individuals and 1 relay secured 2nd place finishes

State Champions and Record-Breaking Performances

The Door County YMCA celebrated nine individual State Champions and one relay team victory:

• Nadia Kurek (10 years old): 100 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke
• Zofia Michalski (12 years old): 50 Freestyle, 100 Individual Medley, 50 Backstroke
• Landon Reinhardt (11 years old): 50 Breaststroke, 100 Breaststroke
• Sue Mann (15 & Older): 50 Freestyle
• Daylia Sund (15 & Older): 100 Breaststroke – New Team Record and National Time
• 11-12 Girls Relay Team: Zofia Michalski, Gwen Preis, Avery Hanson, Ashlyn Sixel

National Qualifiers and Inspirational Moments

• Several swimmers also secured National qualifications, including:
• Thomas Kratcha: Qualified for Nationals in the 100 Breaststroke for the first time
• Julia Michalski: Achieved three National individual event qualifications, including a four-second drop in the 200 Individual Medley
• Daylia Sund: Set a new team record in the 100 Breaststroke, securing a time that positions her for the Finals at Nationals; later achieved the National Cut in the 200 Breaststroke after a second attempt in a time trial
• Girls’ 200 Free and Medley Relays: Achieved National qualification standards

A Unified Effort

The success of the Door County YMCA swim team was made possible through the dedication of coaches, parents, and supporters, who provided guidance and encouragement every step of the way. Their unwavering commitment helped push the team to an unforgettable weekend of achievement.

“So many emotions were felt this weekend. Swimming isn’t just about teaching strokes or perfecting techniques. It’s about inspiring, empowering, and guiding athletes to discover their true potential both in and out of the pool. We are incredibly proud of our team, the way our teammates support each other and lift each other up after a great (or not so great) race is what truly matters. Congratulations to everyone!” –Said Krista Schley, DCY Swim Coach

With these outstanding performances, the Door County YMCA swim team has set the stage for future success at the National level. Congratulations to all the athletes for their hard work, resilience, and sportsmanship!

The area's softball and baseball teams will have to wait out Mother Nature to get their first action of the season.

All three softball games scheduled for yesterday ended up being postponed. Two of the three contests have had make-up dates announced with Southern Door and Chilton now meeting on April 26th and Luxemburg-Casco opting for a closer turnaround with New Holstein on April 4th. No makeup date has been set for Bonduel/Kewaunee. The next games scheduled are Southern Door/Brillion and Kewaunee/Two Rivers on Monday, but rain all weekend long may force more postponements.

Kewaunee and Luxemburg-Casco are supposed to meet on Saturday for a preseason scrimmage on Saturday, though that contest will likely be scrapped due to rain.

The Green Bay Blizzard will play at the Resch Center for the first time since last season's playoff defeat when they welcome the Iowa Barnstormers on Friday night.

The Blizzard started their 2025 slate on a sour note last Friday, falling to the Quad City Steamwheelers 39-37. Things started well for the Blizzard as Zane Lewis caught the first touchdown pass of the season to make it 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Steamwheelers scored two touchdowns thanks to its quarterback, Daquan Neal, before Max Meylor gave the Blizzard the lead back with a quarterback sneak of his own to make it 17-13 at the break. The two teams would trade scores the rest of the night, with the Steamwheelers having the last laugh and a touchdown to end the game. Neal finished the night with five touchdowns to sink the Blizzard to 0-1 on the young season. Friday marks the first game of the season for the Barnstormers after they went 5-11 last year, including 1-7 on the road.

Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m.

The boys track teams of Kewaunee and Luxemburg-Casco hit the road Thursday for an indoor meet hosted at Manitowoc Lincoln High School.

Appleton East, Chilton, Kingdom Prep Lutheran, Manitowoc Lincoln, Manitowoc Lutheran, Mishicot, Ozaukee, Plymouth, Roncalli, Sheboygan Falls, Two Rivers, and Winnebago Lutheran Academy will also compete at the John F. Kennedy Fieldhouse. The first events are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. The girls will take their turn in Manitowoc on Friday.

While this is the first varsity meet of the year for the Spartans, the Storm are coming off a successful opener last week. Mitchell Boeder posted the best individual performance, finishing fifth in the shot put. All three relays finished in the top 10, including a second-place finish in the 4x800m relay. 

While the Milwaukee Brewers will open their MLB season in the Bronx with a 2:05 p.m. date against the New York Yankees, the area's softball teams are likely not as lucky. 

On the schedule for Thursday are Kewaunee traveling to Bonduel, Luxemburg-Casco visiting New Holstein, and Southern Door hosting Chilton. So far, only Southern Door has officially postponed their contest. They will try their game against the Tigers again on April 26th. 

After performing the same role for the boys ' squad, a familiar face will guide the Door County United girls' soccer team this spring.

Chris Roedl was named the new girls' soccer coach for Door County United, a co-op team featuring students from Sevastopol and Gibraltar high schools. He replaces Chad Andreae, who has been 21-58-9 overall since taking over the program in 2018. 

Roedl is coming off a breakthrough season for the boys' team, which saw them win a regional championship and earn a second-place finish behind local power Sturgeon Bay. 

One of the most successful eras of Sevastopol girls' basketball ended earlier this month, when head coach Ben Rikkola and his wife, JV coach Beth Rikkola, resigned from their positions.

Their resignations were approved during the consent agenda of the Sevastopol School Board meeting last week with no additional comment.

Rikkola took the reins of the program in 2019, finishing his first two seasons with a record of 14-29. He would never lose more than eight games in a season again, guiding the Pioneers to a pair of regional championships including an appearance in the sectional championship game against eventual state champion Assumption earlier this month. He ended his coaching stint with an overall record of 102-48 and oversaw two of his daughters, Bailey and Naomi, become the top scorers in program history. 

Southern Door Senior guard Drew Daoust was selected on the 2025 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 4 All-State team on Tuesday.

Daoust led the Southern Door Eagles to back-to-back Packerland Conference and regional championships his junior and senior years.  Scoring 32 points per game his last three seasons, Daoust became the second highest scorer in Wisconsin basketball history with 3,096 career points.

Daoust joins Logan Becker, Jr., Aquinas, Max Breitenbach, Sr., Kohler
Matthew Buckman, Sr., Cambridge Donovan Cowley, Jr., Roncalli Gavin Gores, Sr., CumberlandTrent Grunewald, Sr., Howards Grove Dooney Johnson, Soph., Milwaukee Juneau Eli Lindsey, Sr., Mineral Point and Jaxson Wendhausen, Sr., Mineral Point on the Division 4 All-State Team.

Oconto’s Carter Koch received an Honorable Mention. 

The Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team will stay closer to campus when they play its 2025-26 season starting next fall.

The Phoenix will move most of their home games to the Kress Center on campus starting next season, with only three games slated for the Resch Center in January and February.

UWGB has been contracted with PMI Entertainment, which handles the Resch Center bookings.

The Kress Center holds over 4,000 seats, while the Resch can accommodate over 10,000 fans. 

The Green Bay men’s program has drawn about 2,000 in attendance in the last few years, peaking at just under 2,500 in the 2023-24 season.  This last year, the attendance fell to 2,130 after the Phoenix struggled to a 4-28 record on new head coach Doug Gottlieb. 

Being put on blood-thinning medication, Lillard will now stabilize the DVT and blood clot before returning to play in the future with no time frame for his return.

Last month, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis. 

Lillard had been ruled out the past three games with a listed calf strain injury, including Monday's loss to the Phoenix Suns.  The Bucks are 40-31 and are two games behind the Indiana Pacers (42-29) for the number four seed in the NBA East. 

Lillard was averaging 24.9 points a game this season and is currently the Bucks' second-highest scorer behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.2). 

Athletic Director Chris McIntosh announced on Tuesday that that Wisconsin had named Pingeton as the successor to Marisa Moseley who resigned early this month after four years of leading the program.

Pingeton, 56,  has compiled 584 wins in her 30-year head coaching career at St. Ambrose, Illinois State and Missouri.  

Wisconsin finished 14th in the Big Ten this past season and had a 13-17 overall record.

She has a .610 winning percentage and was named a Naismith Coach of the Year semi-finalist in 2017 and 2018 while with Missouri.

Pingeton is a 1990 graduate of St. Ambrose and received All-American honors as a player before playing three years of professional basketball in the WBA.

Three area track teams will hit the road on Tuesday for indoor meets, two of which are making their season debut.

Luxemburg-Casco and Southern Door will travel to Seymour to open the 2025 track season. This is the second attempt for the Eagles, which was force to cancel its appearance at an indoor meet last week due to school being closed. This was Luxemburg-Casco's first scheduled meet of the season. Bonduel, Seymour, and Crivitz will join in on the fun with the four events beginning at 4 p.m.

The Algoma Wolves will hit the road for its second track meet of the season on Tuesday. The Wolves will take on host Oconto Falls, conference rival Oconto, and Suring in the indoor track meet beginning at 4 p.m. They were one of two local teams to get their first meet under their belt last week in Ripon. For the boys, Brennan Buckman posted the best individual performance with a second-place finish in the pole vault and seventh place in the triple jump, in addition to being a part of a fifth-place 4x400m team. The girls team saw Emily and Ellie Reif post several top 10 finishes between the two, including fifth place in the 400m for Ellie and fifth place in the triple jump for Emily. 

The new-look coaching staff for the Southern Door softball team will have to wait to debut.

Southern Door School District announced last week that it was hiring Sara Jeanquart as its new head coach. Jeanquart will replace Courtney Renard after several years at the program's helm, including an appearance in the state tournament. The district also announced that Carissa Kimber and Katie Nell would join the coaching staff as volunteers.

All three were scheduled to be in the dugout for the Eagles' home opener against Appleton East on Tuesday, but poor field conditions postponed the game. They will try to play again on April 7th.

Postseason tournaments featuring NCAA basketball teams aren't even to their second weekend, but Green Bay's teams are already getting a makeover after the transfer portal officially opened on Monday.

Fresh off their NCAA Tournament appearance, the Phoenix women are bringing home two local stars to help replace the seven seniors they lost to graduation. Before the tournament, the Phoenix announced that former South Dakota and Green Bay Preble star Carley Duffney would transfer to Green Bay to complete her college career. She played four years for the Coyotes, two under Phoenix head coach Kayla Karius. She averaged a career-best in points (10.9) and rebounds (4.1) in her final season as a Coyote. On Monday, the Phoenix announced it was bringing former Wisconsin Badger and Notre Dame Academy star Gracie Grzesk. After scoring more than 1,800 points for the Tritons, Grzesk appeared in just 16 games during her freshman season. She is the daughter of current St. Norbert College coach Gary and former Green Bay assistant Liz.

It has been more subtraction than addition for the men. According to multiple sources, Donovan Santoro, Jeremiah Johnson, Mouhamado Cisse, and Ben Tweedy have all entered the transfer portal with new players incoming. The Phoenix are linked to a couple of players in the portal and will retain Preston Ruedinger, Marcus Hall, Mac Wrecke, and Bennett Basich for next season. 

After adding several pitchers in recent weeks, the Green Bay Rockers took a look at their infield in their next slew of additions.

The Rockers announced last week that they were adding middle infielders David Ballenilla (Central Arizona College), Jake Altman (Northern Kentucky), Cooper Smith (Northern Oklahoma-Enid) to their 2025 roster. While all three players have at least one season of college ball under their belt, they will be making their summer league debut this season when it kicks off Memorial Day weekend.

You can read more about the players by clicking on this link.

Don't let the weather fool you: two spring sports begin practices today.

Baseball and girls soccer can start practices today, though the snow and cold will likely keep them inside for most of the week. Baseball pitchers were allowed to start conditioning last week.

Tuesday marks the first day lacrosse and softball teams can start playing games, though those games in many locations may also be unlikely.

For the third straight game, the Green Bay Gamblers had a forgettable day in Muskegon as they lost 6-1 Sunday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep at the hands of the Lumberjacks.

The game was 2-0 when Will Zellers scored his 41st goal of the season midway through the first period. The Lumberjacks would score four minutes later and tally three more goals in the second period for the final margin of victory. The final 30 minutes of the game were marred in fights and game misconducts, resulting in 67 penalty minutes for the Gamblers and 58 penalty minutes for the Lumberjacks. Leo Henriquez took the loss, stopping 20 of the 26 shots he faced.

The Gamblers were outscored 18-7 in the three game and have now lost their last six games.

A month from today, the eyes of the world will be on Green Bay for three days as the NFL Draft begins.

Pending any trades, the NFL released the final draft order last week, with the Packers holding the following picks:

Round 1, No. 23
Round 2, No. 54
Round 3, No. 87
Round 4, No. 124
Round 5, No. 159
Round 6, No. 198
Round 7, No. 237 (from PIT)
Round 7, No. 250 (compensatory)

Fans have been able to access free passes to the draft since the beginning of the month through the NFL One Pass App. Details from the NFL and tourism partners in the Green Bay area are continuing to trickle out. The most up-to-date information can be found on the Packers website.

Picture courtesy of the NFL

The 2025 State Boys Basketball Tournaments produced five champions at the Kohl Center Saturday.

After winning the Division 2 title last season, top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran (28-2) moved up a division this season to edge third-seeded Marshfield (23-7) 57-55 in the final and claim the Division 1 championship. Both teams showcased efficient shooting, with the Vikings converting on 61 percent of their field goals and Marshfield hit on 58 percent. At points in the paint, Wisconsin Lutheran had a commanding advantage, outscoring the Tigers 34-18. The back-and-forth battle featured six lead changes and two ties. The Vikings' largest lead was 11 points early in the first half, while the Tigers' biggest advantage was six points early in the second half. Wisconsin Lutheran was led by Zavier Zens, who scored 19 points and grabbed three rebounds. Alex Greene added 11 points, four assists, and four steals, while Kager Knueppel contributed 10 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the floor. Marshfield's Landon Lee delivered an impressive performance, scoring a game-high 22 points, including four three-pointers, along with three rebounds and four assists. Chris Pohl added 10 points and two assists, and Brooks Hinson chipped in five points and seven rebounds. Wisconsin Lutheran won its fourth championship in its fifth State Tournament appearance, and Marshfield concluded the season with a runner-up finish in its fifth State experience.

Second-seeded Wauwatosa West (24-6) defeated Racine Park (27-3), the #1 seed in the bracket, 60-57 in an overtime thriller to determine the Division 2 champion. The game featured 13 lead changes and seven ties, with neither team leading by more than seven points the entire game. Racine Park's 16-6 advantage in fast-break points were neutralized by the Trojans' efficient shooting—50 percent from the field—and their 44-34 advantage in the paint. The Trojans outscored the Panthers 6-3 in overtime, and the Trojans’ defense held the Panthers to just one field goal in the extra period. Wauwatosa West's offense was spearheaded by Matthew Kloskey, who poured in a game-high 29 points on 14-of-18 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Jalen Brown added 14 points, five rebounds, and a game-high seven assists before fouling out with two minutes to play in regulation. Jaxon Moss led the Panthers with 19 points and collected a team-high six rebounds. Isaiah Robinson added 13 points and eight steals to set a Division 2 State Tournament steals record with 15 throughout two games. Zare Gwinn also reached double figures, scoring 12 points to go with five rebounds. Wauwatosa West won its first State championship in the program’s first tournament appearance. Racine Park finished runner-up in its sixth State experience.

Second-seeded Milwaukee Academy of Science (25-1) won the Division 3 championship by downing top-seeded Freedom (28-2) 57-54 in the title game. The Irish took an early lead with an 11-0 run, but the Novas responded with an 11-0 run of its own to tie the game at 18-18. Down the stretch, MAS led 50-42 with 7:29 remaining in the game, but Freedom narrowed the margin to one point with 28 seconds to play in the game. The Novas scored on a fast break to take a three-point advantage, but the Irish’s attempt to tie the game with a contested three-point try fell short at the buzzer. Devin Brown led three Novas, scoring in double figures with 17 points. He also hauled in a game-high 19 rebounds. Jamarion Batemon tossed in 16 points, and Amare Jackson added 10 points and dished out a team-high three assists. MAS pulled down 12 offense rebounds and held a 16-2 advantage in second-chance points. They also held a significant advantage in the transition game with a 14-5 lead in points off fast-break opportunities. Drew Kortz led all scorers with 29 points to pace the Irish. Donovan Davis added a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds to go with a team-high three assists. Milwaukee Academy of Science won the program’s first championship in its third State appearance, and Freedom finishes runner-up in its third State experience.

Third-seeded Aquinas (26-3) posted a decisive 74-45 victory over top-seeded Bonduel (28-2) in the Division 4 championship game. The Blugolds established a commanding presence early and led by as many as 29 points, maintaining control throughout. Aquinas dominated in several key statistical categories, outscoring Bonduel 32-16 in the paint, 15-3 in points off turnovers, and 20-6 in fast-break points. The Blugolds showcased a balanced scoring attack, with standout performances from Trey Bahr, who led all scorers with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor. He also handed out a game-high nine assists. Logan Becker contributed 16 points and five rebounds, and Calvin Bahr added 15 points and three assists. The Blugolds shot a torrid 59 percent from the field in the game, including 46 percent from three-point range. The Bears’ offensive efforts were led by Ryan Westrich and Carter Moesch, each tallying 11 points, while Race Anvelink added eight points with a team-high five assists. In its ninth State appearance, Aquinas won its fifth State championship and its first in Division 4. Bonduel finished runner-up in its first-ever State Tournament experience.

Top-seeded Cochrane-Fountain City (28-2) captured the WIAA Division 5 State championship by defeating second-seeded Sheboygan Lutheran (25-5) 60-54 in the final. The Pirates’ efficient shooting played a crucial role in the victory, connecting on 56 percent of their field goal attempts in the first half, building a 34-28 lead at the break. Despite a late push by the Crusaders, the Pirates maintained the lead throughout the second half and down the stretch by converting key free throws. The Pirates showcased a balanced offense to secure the win. Senior guard Cameron Lipinski led the team with 17 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Forward Porter Ehrat contributed 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists, while guard Reed Schmidtknecht added eight points and five rebounds. Sheboygan Lutheran was led by guard Brennen Hackbarth, the team’s only scorer in double figures, recording a double-double with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. Cochrane-Fountain City wins its first State championship in its second appearance in the tournament, and Sheboygan Lutheran finishes runner-up in its fourth experience at State.

While more postseason awards will be passed out later this week, more athletes are getting the recognition they deserve.

The girls had their all-state teams announced last week with Sevastopol's Kayla Ranly and Naomi Rikkola making the team. 

The boys will likely pass out their all-state team recognitions later this week, with the state tournament in the rearview mirror. The WBCA also updated its Academic All-State list to include several Sturgeon Bay student-athletes.

You can click on the links below for the latest updates on the postseason awards from the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)

Algoma

Kewaunee

Luxemburg-Casco

Gibraltar

Sevastopol

Southern Door

Sturgeon Bay

The 2025 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are ready for you!  Fan Fest will be held at Neuroscience Group Field on Wednesday, April 2.

Wisconsin players are scheduled to take the field at 1:30pm for practice.  An intrasquad scrimmage is set to begin at 3:00pm.  The scrimmage will be approximately five innings.  On-field activities are dependent on the weather. There will be other activities will be included throughout the stadium for the free event.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers open the 2025 season at home against the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Friday, April 4.  First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm CDT.

The Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball team saw their season come to a close Saturday afternoon as the Alabama Crimson Tide pulled away in the final minutes to win 81-67.

The two teams traded blows in the first quarter after the Phoenix jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. The Crimson Tide's length and athleticism caused issues for the Phoenix's offense from that point on, forcing five of Green Bay's 10 turnovers in the opening period while taking a 19-17 lead into the second quarter. The Phoenix kept the deficit to just a handful before a late foul helped the Crimson Tide take a nine point lead into the locker room. The Phoenix would eventually get to within five points with 7:17 left, but they would get closer as the Crimson Tide proved to be too much inside for their smaller opponent. The Crimson Tide kept the Phoenix below 40 percent shooting from the field while outrebounding them 43-27 and outscoring them 40-22 in the paint. 

Four of Green Bay's seniors ended their careers in double figures. Maddy Schreiber led the Phoenix with 14 points off the bench while Luxemburg-Casco alumna Cassie Schiltz chipped in 13 points and Natalie McNeal contributed 12 points.

The Phoenix's season ends with a 29-6 record and two more banners for the Kress Events Center, but will now say goodbye to its seven seniors. 

For the second time in as many nights, the Green Bay Gamblers fell to the Muskegon Lumberjacks 6-3 on the road Saturday night.

Just like Friday night, a four-goal period ultimately sank the Gamblers, this time coming in the second period. It was Aidan Park that tied the game up in the opening minutes of the second period before the Lumberjacks scored three unanswered goals. Pavel Bocharov found the net for the Gamblers to narrow the lead, but it was still 5-2 entering the third period. The two teams traded goals in the third period with Will Zellers finding the back of the net on a helper from Park. 

The Gamblers will try to salvage one game of their three-game set against the Lumberjacks when they lace up for a Sunday matinee at 2:05 p.m.

The Green Bay Blizzard started their 2025 slate on a sour note on Friday, falling to the Quad City Steamwheelers 39-37.

Things started well for the Blizzard as Zane Lewis caught the first touchdown pass of the season to make it 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Steamwheelers scored two touchdowns thanks to its quarterback Daquan Neal before Max Meylor gave the Blizzard the lead back with a quarterback sneak of his own to make it 17-13 at the break. The two teams would trade scores the rest of the night with the Steamwheelers having the last laugh with a touchdown to end the game. Neal ended the night with five touchdowns to sink the Blizzard to 0-1 on the young season. The Blizzard will open their home schedule next Friday night when they welcome the Iowa Barnstormers to the Resch Center.

The Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball team will begin their 20th NCAA Tournament on Saturday in College Park, Md., when they take on the fifth-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide. 

The Phoenix have won 22 games in a row, including three wins in the Horizon League Tournament that helped them earn their second straight NCAA Tournament berth. The Crimson Tide finished in sixth place in a tough SEC and entered their conference tournament as the 21st-ranked team in the country. 

Saturday's game will take place at 12:30 p.m. in front of a nationally televised audience. The winner will play either host (4) Maryland or (13) Norfolk State in the second round.

The Algoma and Kewaunee track teams became the first teams to get underway this spring after opening their respective seasons in Ripon on Friday.

The more things change, the more they stay the same as Kewaunee opened their season in Ripon on Friday. On the girls' side, Hannah Miller found herself on top of the podium in the 800m, triple jump, and the 4x400m relay to pace the Storm. Kaylyn Martin posted her own strong performances with a win as a part of the 4x800m relay and two other top three performances. For the boys, Mitchell Boeder posted the best individual performance, finishing fifth in the shot put. All three relays finished in the top 10, including a second-place finish in the 4x800m relay. 

The Algoma track team had a small but mighty squad show up in Ripon Friday for its first meet of the year. For the boys, Brennan Buckman posted the best individual performance with a second-place finish in the pole vault and seventh place in the triple jump, in addition to being a part of a fifth-place 4x400m team. The girls team saw Emily and Ellie Reif post several top 10 finishes between the two, including fifth place in the 400m for Ellie and fifth place in the triple jump for Emily. 

The Green Bay Gamblers' losing streak stretched to four games on Friday night when they saw a 3-2 second-period lead turn into a 6-3 loss to Muskegon.

The Gamblers traded goals with their hosts through the first 40 minutes, with Mykhailo Danylov, Elliot Gulley, and Aidan Park scoring goals for Green Bay. The floodgates opened in the third period as the Lumberjacks scored four times in the final period, including Ivan Ryabkin finishing off a hat trick and collecting an assist.

The Gamblers are back in action at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday.

Two more Packerland Conference track teams will try to make their season debut on Friday when Kewaunee and Algoma make their way to Ripon for an invitational.

They will be joined by Living Word Lutheran, Valley Christian, Cedar Grove-Belgium, Hustisford, Laconia, Markesan, Mayville, Columbus, Tri-County, Weyauwega-Fremont, and Waupun inside the Willmore Center when the first events begin at 4 p.m.

Since school was canceled in Door County on Thursday, Gibraltar, Sturgeon Bay, Sevastopol, and Southern Door did not compete in their scheduled meets.

The Green Bay Gamblers will spend some quality time in Michigan this weekend when they open a three-game series against the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday.

The Gamblers have struggled since opening the month of March with a win. They have dropped three straight games since, including a 5-4 SO loss to Chicago on Saturday. On the other hand, the Lumberjacks have won four of its five matchups this month, including a weekend sweep of Fargo. While the Gamblers are on the outside of the playoff picture, the Lumberjacks are trying to move up in the standings. They are tied for second place in the USHL Eastern Conference with 70 points as they try to leapfrog Madison and hold Youngstown off.

The puck drops for the three games are at 6:10 p.m. on Friday, 5:10 p.m. on Saturday, and 2:05 p.m. on Sunday. 

The Green Bay Blizzard will open their 2025 campaign on Friday when they travel southwest to take on the Quad City Steamwheelers.

The Blizzard are coming off one of their most successful seasons in recent memory. going 14-4 on the season. They came up one game short of the championship game last season, losing to the Massachusetts Pirates 51-28. They beat the Steamwheelers three out of four times last year, splitting their two matchups in Moline, Ill. The Steamwheelers went 8-9 last year, getting bounced by the Blizzard in the opening round of the playoffs 34-23. 

Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m.

Note: School was canceled for Door County schools on Thursday. There have been no updates on whether the teams will still be competing in the meets

The 2025 track season will begin indoors on Thursday with the area's Packerland Conference teams in action.

Sevastopol and Sturgeon Bay will open up against Howards Grove, Iola-Scandinavia, Marshall, North Fond du Lac-Oakfield, Randolph/Cambria-Friesland, Waterloo, Waupaca, Wautoma, and Wisconsin Dells at the Wilmore Center at Ripon College. The first events begin at 4 p.m.

Southern Door and Gibraltar will compete against a larger contingent of teams at UW-Oshkosh for a meet hosted by Lourdes Academy. Lake Country Lutheran, Suring, Catholic Memorial, Little Chute, Horicon, Seymour, Brillion, Campbellsport, Chilton, Clintonville, Dodgeland/Hustisford, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, Fox Valley Lutheran, Gillett, Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran, Kiel, Kohler, Manawa, Lomira, Omro, Pacelli Catholic, Rosholt, St. Mary Catholic, Sheboygan Falls, Shiocton, Two Rivers, New London, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Xavier, Oneida Nation, Pius XI, Westfield, Kewaskum, Marinette, Denmark, Wrightstown, and Shawano Community will also compete at the meet beginning at 4:45 p.m.

Applications for the 2025-26 school year for the WIAA Student-Athlete Leadership Team are currently being accepted through March 31.

The WIAA Student-Athlete Leadership Team is a collection of diverse student-athlete leaders from member schools across the state. This group of student-athletes will serve as ambassadors for their peers and the WIAA while learning more about the sports industry through various committee activities. Within the activities the group will provide a student voice with the WIAA and will be the point people for creating and executing an annual student-athlete leadership conference for member schools.

Qualifications include:

• Involved in one or more WIAA-sponsored sport
• Engaging leader who is a team player willing to be a student-athlete spokesperson for their representative area 
• Interested in learning more about the processes of the WIAA and the overall sports industry
• Innovative and energetic individual who works well in a group setting
• Endorsement by applicant's athletic director or district administration

Expectations include:

• Required attendance at four (4) meetings per year (mixture of in-person and virtual)
• Assist at a minimum of one WIAA State Championship during each season (fall, winter, and spring)
• Required attendance at a Fall Area Meeting in your district
• Assist with promotional and educational materials and leadership training opportunities as desired and/or directed
• Attend virtual meetings as needed/requested by WIAA staff, or Leadership Team Officers, and/or committees

You can click here to apply

The 109th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Boys Basketball Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 20-22, at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.

STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The single-elimination tournament features a five-division format, with four teams qualifying in each division. A WIAA-designed computer formula seeds the State Tournament.

Thursday, March 20

Division 3
#1 Freedom (27-1) vs. #4 Elk Mound (24-4) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Milwaukee Academy of Science (23-1) vs. #3 Lake Mills (24-4)*

Division 4
#1 Bonduel (27-1) vs. #4 The Prairie School (14-15) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Mineral Point (27-1) vs. #3 Aquinas (24-3)*

Friday, March 21

Division 5
#1 Cochrane-Fountain City (26-2) vs. #4 Turtle Lake (27-2) - 9:05 a.m.
#2 Sheboygan Lutheran (24-4) vs. #3 Abundant Life Christian (23-6)*

Division 2
#1 Racine Park (26-2) vs. #4 Cedarburg (20-8) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Wauwatosa West (22-6) vs. #3 Wausau East (20-7)*

Division 1
#1 Wisconsin Lutheran (26-2) vs. #4 Oshkosh North (19-9) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Waunakee (23-5) vs. #3 Marshfield (22-6)*

Saturday, March 22
3-Point Challenge - 9:30 a.m.
Division 5 Championship Game - 11:05 a.m.
Division 4 Championship Game*
Division 3 Championship Game*
Division 2 Championship Game - 6:35 p.m.
Division 1 Championship Game*

*Note: Subsequent games of each session will begin approximately 15 minutes following the previous game.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY:  The first WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament was held in 1916. The Kohl Center has hosted the championships since moving from the UW Field House in 1998. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was canceled in 2020 and held at two separate locations in 2021, the La Crosse Center for Divisions 2, 4, and 5, and at the Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh for Divisions 1 and 3. The tournament featured a one-class format until 1934, when there were two classes for two years (1934-35). From 1936 until 1939, the tournament increased to three classes and then returned to the one-class format in 1940. A one-class tourney prevailed until 1972 when it became a two-class event again. The tourney went to three classes again in 1974 and remained that way until a four-division format was adopted in 1991. The 2011 State Tournament introduced the first five-division format and qualified four teams from each division. Randolph has won 11 State championships, the most titles won by any member school. Beloit Memorial and Dominican have won seven championships. Racine St. Catherine’s and Stevens Point have won six titles, and Milwaukee King, Milwaukee Vincent, and Milwaukee Lincoln have each won five. There have been 136 different schools that have won championships. Neenah has qualified for the most State Tournaments with 30, and Superior is next with 27, Beloit Memorial with 26, and Eau Claire with 25.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Wisconsin Lutheran, the 2024 Division 2 champion, moves up a division to receive the top seed in the bracket. The Vikings are making their fifth appearance at State overall. They have advanced to the championship game in each of their previous experiences. Wisconsin Lutheran also won Division 2 titles in 2009 and in 2014 after finishing runner-up in 2013. The Vikings were the West Division of the Woodland Conference champions this season. They continue their quest for a fourth State title following a 72-53 win over West Allis Central in the Waukesha South Sectional final. Second-seeded Waunakee is making its fourth appearance in the State Tournament and its first since 2017. The Warriors’ previous three experiences came in Division 2. The most notable result was a runner-up finish in 2016. This season, they are the co-champions in the Large Division of the Badger Conference with Fort Atkinson, and they are the representatives from the Oregon Sectional following their 75-70 win over Sun Prairie East in the final. Marshfield is the #3 seed. The Tigers will embark on their fifth State appearance, the first since 1994. Before that, one needs to go way back into the annals to account for their first three experiences. They qualified in 1928, 1931, and 1940, when only one play division existed. The most notable of their previous experiences was the runner-up finish in 1940. This season, Marshfield was the champion of the Wisconsin Valley Conference. The Tigers earned their first appearance in 29 years by downing Kimberly 62-35 in the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Sectional final. Fourth-seeded Oshkosh North is making its eighth overall appearance and the first since 2018, when the Spartans won their only State title. Before winning the title, their most notable advances in the State Tournament were to the semifinals in 1992 and 2009, when eight teams qualified. The Spartans finished fourth in the Fox Valley Association this season, and they advanced to State through the Appleton North Sectional with a 79-75 win over De Pere in the final.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Racine Park has been issued the top seed in the bracket. The Panthers will be making their sixth State Tournament appearance overall and their first in 65 years.  They won the program’s only championship in 1943, when there was only one division of play in the tournament. They also advanced to the final in 1931 and finished runner-up. This season, they were the champions of the Southeast Conference. The Panthers rolled past Waterford 71-41 in the Whitefish Bay Sectional final to earn a berth in the State semifinals. Second-seeded Wauwatosa West will experience the State Tournament for the first time in the program’s history following its 71-59 victory over Mount Horeb in the final of the Oconomowoc Sectional. The Trojans tied Brookfield Central for the Greater Metro Conference championship this season. Third-seeded Wausau East will appear at State for the fourth time and the first time since 2007 when the Lumberjacks advanced to the semifinals in Division 1, representing the furthest advance in their tournament experiences. They placed fifth in the Wisconsin Valley Conference this season and earned a berth in the tourney with a convincing 82-45 win over West Salem in the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Sectional final. Fourth-seeded Cedarburg returns to State for the first time since 2017 and for the fourth time overall. The Bulldogs advanced to the championship game in 2017 and finished runner-up to account for their most notable experience in the tournament. Their advancement to the State semifinals this season came by a 86-69 win over Notre Dame in the Manitowoc Lincoln Sectional final. They placed fourth in the North Shore Conference this season.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD:  Top-seeded Freedom is celebrating its first trip to the State in 25 years and its third overall. The Irish captured the Division 2 crown in 1990 after falling in the semifinals with its other tournament experience in 1979. They are the champions of the North Eastern Conference in 2025, and they defeated Little Chute 49-34 in the final of Seymour Sectional to remain in pursuit of the State championship. Second-seeded Milwaukee Academy of Science will appear at State for the third time and for the first time since back-to-back experiences in 2022 and 2023. The Novas finished runner-up in Division 4 in 2022 and moved up a division to qualify in Division 3 in 2023, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. They played an independent schedule without conference affiliation this season and advanced to the State tourney following a 97-83 victory over Carmen Northwest in the Brown Deer Sectional final. Lake Mills, the #3 seed, returns to the tournament for the first time since 2021 and for the third time overall. The L-Cats are attempting to advance to the State final for the first time, falling in the semifinals in Division 2 in 2017 and in Division 3 in 2021. After their first-place finish in the North Division of the Capitol Conference this season, the L-Cats navigated through the Baraboo Sectional, culminating with a 73-31 thumping of Wisconsin Dells in the final. Fourth-seeded Elk Mound is back in the State Tournament for the first time since 2014 and for the fourth time overall. The Mounders were State runners-up in their first two appearances, including Class C in 1987 and Division 3 in 1994. Their return to the tournament comes from a 54-52 win over Amery in the Somerset Sectional final. The Mounders finished third in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference standings this winter.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD:  Bonduel earned the top seed in its first-ever trip to State. The Bears punched their ticket to the Kohl Center with a 56-44 triumph over Auburndale in the Stevens Point Sectional final. They are the champions in the East Division of the Central Wisconsin Conference this season. Defending champion Mineral Point is the #2 seed. The Pointers return to the State Tournament for the second year in a row and for the sixth time overall. They also advanced to the State championship game and finished runner-up in Class C in 1974 and in Division 4 in 2015. The Pointers cruised past Marshall 80-44 in the Verona Sectional final to earn the opportunity to defend the title. The Pointers are the champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League this season. Third-seeded Aquinas returns to State for the ninth time overall and for the second year in a row. The Blugolds have won four State titles. The most recent was the Division 3 championship in 2013. They also captured Division 3 crowns in 2008 and 2011 and the Division 2 title in 2003. The Blugolds also have two runner-up finishes on their ledger, those came in 2007 and in 2009. They are the co-champions of the Mississippi Valley Conference with Holmen this season. They return to the Kohl Center by defeating Cumberland 69-56 in the Eau Claire North Sectional final. As a former member of WISAA, the Blugolds won titles in 1941, 1946, 1949, and 1950 and finished runner-up on two other occasions. The Prairie School has been issued the fourth seed in the bracket. The Hawks’ only other experience at State resulted in a runner-up finish in 2021. This season, they placed seventh in the Metro Classic Conference during the regular season. Their improbable journey to the State semifinals was paved with a 61-58 win over Cedar Grove-Belgium in the sectional final played at Whitefish Bay. Before joining the WIAA, the Hawks won a WISAA championship in Class B in 1982. They also finished runner-up in Class B in 1980 and in Division 3 in 1992 and 1996.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD: Top-seeded Cochrane-Fountain City is returning to the tournament field for the second time. Their first appearance came in 2014, and that experience resulted in a loss in the semifinals. This year, the Pirates are the Small Division of the Dairyland Conference champions. Their return to the State semifinals follows a 53-41 win over Royall in the La Crosse Logan Sectional final. Sheboygan Lutheran, the #2 seed, advances to the State Tournament for the fourth time overall and for the first time since winning the championship in 2019. The Crusaders also won the championship in 2012. This season’s path to the State Tournament came through the Pulaski Sectional following a resounding 67-37 decision over Almond-Bancroft in the final. They were the tri-champions in the South Division of the Big East Conference this season with Kohler and Oostburg. Abundant Life Christian is the third seed. The Challengers made their first appearance at State last season, which resulted in a runner-up finish. They return for the second year in a row following a 63-55 victory over Oakfield in the Portage Sectional final. They tied Deerfield for the South Division of the Trailways Conference championship this year. Fourth-seeded Turtle Lake qualifies for the first time in the school’s history. In another year, Angela Wagner became the first woman head coach of a boy's basketball team to participate in the State Tournament. They placed third in the West Division standings of the Lakeland Conference this year. They defeated Rib Lake 53-45 in the final of the Altoona Sectional to earn their trip to the Kohl Center.

THREE-POINT CHALLENGE:? The 3-Point Challenge will be held before Saturday’s championship games. The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Kohl Center. For admittance, a ticket for the Divisions 3, 4, and 5 championship games session is required. The top two players per division were selected for the contest based on the best 3-point field goal percentage with a minimum of 75 attempts during the regular season. The contestants representing Division 1 are Cade Felch of D.C. Everest and Karson Osterman of Pewaukee. Representing Division 2 are Elijah Fenner of Ashwaubenon and Tyler Roche of Greendale. The Division 3 participants are Jake Pfister of Catholic Memorial and Mikey Chapman of Menominee Nation. Division 4 will be represented by Will Franzen of Manitowoc Lutheran and Matthew Bonin of Roncalli; and the Division 5 contestants are Logan Nystrom of Assumption and Brayden Smith of Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah. Visit the information on the WIAA?website for more details on the 3-Point Challenge. 

Sevastopol guards Naomi Rikkola and Kayla Ranly picked up more postseason honors this week after collecting All-Packerland Conference honors over the weekend.

Both girls were named to the 2025 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 5 Girls Basketball All-State team as honorable mention selections. Ingrid Beaumont and Alexandria Meerstein joined them as all-state honorees from the Packerland Conference. The pair led the Pioneers in scoring en route to their sectional final appearance, with Ranly scoring 16.7 ppg and Rikkola registering 16.6 ppg. Rikkola also led the team in rebounds (7.3 rpg) and assists (3.9 apg).

Earlier in the week, Rikkola's WBCA Academic All-State recognition is lifted even higher as she was named to the Elite Academic All-State Award list. To be recognized, WBCA member coaches were required to nominate their athletes. Minimum requirements for nomination included seniors with a GPA of at least 3.5 and an ACT score of at least 25. Nominating coaches could also provide additional information, including on-court statistics, awards and accolades, and a personal narrative. Only 16 girls and 15 boys were named to the list.  

Golden State, playing without star Steph Curry, took a 58-44 lead into halftime as the Bucks struggled with field-goal shooting.

The Bucks rallied to take a six-point lead in the third quarter, but the Warriors went on a 16-0 run to reclaim the lead and hand on the win.

Kyle Kuzma led the Bucks with 22 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 20 points and nine rebounds.

Dame Lilard was only 6/18 from the field and scored 16 points.  Brook Lopez also chipped in 16 but it was not enough.

Milwaukee will now continue their West Coast trip on Thursday with a match up against the Los Angeles Laker at 9:30 p.m. 

The Green Bay Packers dipped into the wide receiver pool of free agents on Tuesday, signing former Kansas City Chief and New York Jet speedster Mecole Hardman.

Hardman, a former second-round pick, reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with the Packers and brings experience as a kick returner.

A Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro returner as a rookie with the Chiefs in 2019, Hardman averaged 26.1 yards per return and had a 104-yard touchdown. 

Hardman was traded to the Jets in 2023 but played only five games before being traded back to Kansas City. 

Hartman, 5-10 and 187 pounds, ran a 4.33 40-yard dash prior to the 2019 draft.

He adds depth to the receiving crew, which is expected to have Christian Watson miss at least the first part of the 2025 season. Watson is recuperating from a surgically repaired torn ACL. 

Daoust led the Eagles to a conference and regional championship in his senior year and finished as the second-leading scorer in state history. 

Joining Daoust on the first team and also receiving unanimous selection are Algoma's Parker Lischka, Oconto's Carter Koch and Dominic Baxter of Peshtigo.

Kewaunee's Avery Jerabeka and Sturgeon Bay's Jackson Starr round out the first-team all Packerland Conference.

Second team All-Conference included Lauden Berg and Caden Pierre of Southern Door, Kayin Jackson of Gibraltar, Deisel Bosdeck, Connor Kilgore and Dane Harrell of Kewaunee, Braeden Leist of Algoma, and Cooper Campshire of Oconto.

Local players receiving honorable mentions in the Packerland include Southern Door's Tyler Neinas, Sevastopol's Logan Schuh, and Sturgeon Bay's Hayden Tracy.

Isaac Collins hit a three-run homer in the first inning, which accounted for all of Milwaukee's runs. 

Brewer starting pitcher Elvin Rodriguez allowed four runs on six hits over 3.2 innings to take the loss.  Reliever Tyler Alexander gave up five more runs on seven hits in the final four innings.

Milwaukee (13-11) will play the Chicago White Sox at 3:10 pm. on Wednesday as the exhibition season continues for another week before opening day next Thursday.  

Green Bay women's basketball coach Kayla Karius has been rewarded for her successful first season managing her alma mater with a new contract. 

Over the weekend, Karius agreed to a contract extension that will keep her in Green Bay through the 2030-31 season. Scott Venci from the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports that the contract will pay her a base salary of $265,000 per season. Karius’ annual salary is made up of a $215,000 base salary in addition to $50,000 through the UW-Green Bay Foundation. That will keep her ahead of her men's counterpart, Doug Gottlieb, a distinction not many universities and colleges can boast of when it comes to their men's and women's basketball programs. 

Karius, in her return to her alma mater, engineered the program's 48th consecutive winning season, thanks in part to its current 22-game winning streak. The Phoenix continued to win off the court this weekend, signing Carley Duffney for her final collegiate season. She just wrapped up her senior season at South Dakota, where she played under Karius for two seasons. She previously cut her teeth at Green Bay Preble, where she was the conference player of the year as a junior. 

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have combined two great promotions into one new alternate identity for Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversion.  The Timber Rattlers incredibly popular Udder Tuggers identity provided the inspiration to celebrate baseball’s Hispanic heritage with the creation of Granjeros de Wisconsin!

Granjeros, the Spanish word for “farmers”, will continue the Timber Rattlers celebration of dairy farmers and the dairy industry in America’s Dairyland that started with the Udder Tuggers in 2019.  Los Granjeros will replace Los Cascabeles de Wisconsin as the Rattlers identity in the Copa de la Diversion starting this season.

The Udder Tuggers remain as an alternate identity for the Timber Rattlers.  Fans can celebrate Udder Tuggers Weekend from June 26 through June 29 at Neuroscience Field this season.

The logo of Los Granjeros is the Udder Tuggers logo with a spicy twist.  The new logo is a dairy cow’s skeleton with a sugar skull.  Los Granjeros merchandise with the new logo is available now in the Snake Pit Team Store at the stadium or online.

Los Granjeros will take the field at Neuroscience Group Field on Sunday, May 4; Wednesday, June 25; and Tuesday, August 12.  The jerseys worn by the team during those three games will be available in an online auction with proceed going to Timber Rattlers Give Back, the official 501(c)(3) of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.  Dates and details of the auction will be provided closer to the start of the season.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are one of the leaders in alternate identities for Minor League Baseball.  The Timber Rattlers have taken the field as the Wisconsin Brats, the now retired Los Cascabeles de Wisconsin, Lake Winnebago Shantymen, and Udder Tuggers over the years.  The Rattlers added Frozen Pizzas and Los Granjeros to their lineup of aliases for this season.
 

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers open the 2025 season at home against the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Friday, April 4.  First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm CDT.

They are not from colleges or universities you may have heard from, the Green Bay Rockers added four more players to their roster ahead of their opener Memorial Day weekend.

Drew Aguiar ( California State University, Monterey Bay), Koshiro Ohno (Seward County Community College), Bryson Huwar (Georgetown College), and Cord Copley (Blinn College) will all make their summer league debuts with the Rockers this season. Ohno is the lone position player out of the group with the other three giving the Rockers options out of the bullpen. 

You can read more about the new acquisitions here.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection is warning you about some of the nefarious things that could impact your enjoyment of the 2025 NFL Draft this April.

Over 250,000 people are expected to attend the 2025 NFL Draft on the footprint of Lambeau Field and the neighboring Titletown District. With that many people, scammers are already looking for ways to make a dishonest buck. 

Here are some of DATCP's reminders:

Lodging Scams

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people will visit Green Bay to attend the 2025 Draft activities. Most of these people will need a place to stay. Some of these visitors will stay at short-term housing rentals instead of hotels, using platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, HomeToGo, and others to find lodging. Despite the best efforts of these platforms, scammers are occasionally able to post fake listings. The listings may be real units the scammer does not own or are entirely fictional. A consumer can protect themselves by:

• Cross-referencing a unit they are considering across multiple platforms. Is it listed on more than one? If so, are the photos the same? Do any other details differ?
• Verifying the property address is legitimate using a map app if the platform provides that detail before booking. If the address is unavailable before booking, verify the property address immediately upon receiving that information.
• Seeking out reviews on third-party websites and conducting a web search for the property with words like “scam,” “complaint,” or “fake” to check if anyone has reported on it.
• If asked to move away from the rental listing platform to communicate, confirm details, or pay, be careful. Scammers often do this to cover their tracks.
• Avoid using nontraditional, nontraceable, and nonreversible payment methods, such as cryptocurrency, pre-paid gift cards, wire transfers, cash, or banking apps.

Fake Ticket Scams

General admission to the Draft campus, including the free Draft Experience fan festival, does not require tickets. However, fans should download the NFL OnePass app and register in advance to gain access to event information and participate in interactive games on-site. Limited opportunities for paid tickets to certain hospitality or VIP areas and sections of the Draft theater may be available. Scammers may try to deceive attendees into buying tickets or entering giveaways for fake tickets to either the 2025 Draft Experience or alternative ticketed events.

• Remember to tell others that paid entry tickets are not needed to access the Draft campus or the 2025 Draft Experience. Fans are encouraged to register on the NFL OnePass app in advance, but no paid entry tickets are required.
• Only buy tickets for community and VIP events through verifiable, original sources.
• More information about the Draft is available at nfl.com/draftaccess.

Imposter Websites

Many scams are enabled by fake websites designed to imitate real platforms that consumers are already familiar with. These imposter websites are tools scammers use to steal consumers’ money and private information. They are commonly promoted through texts, emails, and online ads promoting discounts and sales. Imposter websites may sell low-quality, knockoff merchandise and/or record data entered, like passwords and credit card numbers.

• Before entering personal or payment information, check a website’s address for errors in spelling or formatting. For example, the fictional “ShopPackersProMerch.com” looks similar to, but is different than, the legitimate website “PackersProShop.com.” Do a few minutes of research to verify the real address.
• If a user is logged out of a website they use often and are usually logged into automatically, they should double-check that it is real before entering their password.
• When in doubt, close the tab and type the correct address directly into the search bar.

The second state champion in the area this school year came from an unlikely spot after the Green Bay United captured the 2025 18U Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association State Championship over the weekend.

Gibraltar's Jameson Tepe is part of a GBU squad that won its first-ever state championship in Hudson, Wis. Entering the state tournament as the third-seed, the Gryphons knocked off top-seeded Dodgeville 4-1 in its opening game, ensuring that the defending state champions would not repeat. The Gryphons then toppled host Hudson 3-2 in overtime to secure the state's top prize.

You can read our feature with Tepe from earlier this hockey season here.

The Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball will head east to open NCAA Tournament play this weekend after drawing SEC opponent Alabama for the first round.

Saturday's game will take place in College Park, Md., at 12:30 p.m. in front of a nationally televised audience. The winner will play either host (4) Maryland or (13) Norfolk State in the second round. The Phoenix have won 22 games in a row, including three wins in the Horizon League Tournament that helped them earn their second straight NCAA Tournament berth. The Crimson Tide finished in sixth place in a tough SEC and entered their conference tournament as the 21st-ranked team in the country. 

More high school spring sports athletes are getting back to action on Monday.

Pitchers on the area's baseball teams can begin conditioning workouts this weekend. They don't officially start practice until next Monday.

No conditioning week is needed for the area's softball teams as they officially open their season on Monday. They share opening day with lacrosse, though there are no sanctioned teams in Door and Kewaunee counties.

The 49th State Girls Basketball Tournament produced champions in five divisions at the Resch Center on Saturday.

Top-seeded Kimberly (29-1) secured the WIAA Division 1 State championship with a decisive 47-26 victory over third-seeded Muskego (25-5) in the title game. Kimberly maintained control of the game from start to finish and never trailed. The Papermakers built their largest lead of the game at 21 points with a 10-0 run late in the second half and held the Warriors scoreless for the final 4:51 of the game. Ava Van Vonderen led the Papermakers with 15 points and nine rebounds, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Haylie Dulas contributed with 13 points and four rebounds. Kimberly outscored Muskego 20-8 inside the lane, and the Papermakers’ defensive pressure forced 14 turnovers and held the Warriors to 24 percent shooting for the game. Melena Glysch and Autumn Dibb led the Warriors with seven points apiece, and Glysch pulled down a team-high five rebounds and distributed a pair of assists. Kimberly won its fifth State championship in 12 tournament appearances. Muskego made school history by finishing runner-up in the program’s first State experience.

In the first triple-overtime contest in tournament history, second-seeded Wauwatosa East (29-1) outlasted top-seeded Edgewood (28-2) 59-58 in the championship game to capture the WIAA Division 2 title. Mikaia Litza delivered a standout performance for the Red Raiders, leading all scorers with 32 points and adding nine rebounds in playing the game’s entire 48 minutes.  Ellie Deprey also scored in double figures with 12 points. Wauwatosa East held a 34-26 advantage in points scored in the paint. For the Crusaders, Anna Miller scored all her team-high 16 points after a scoreless first half. She also contributed a game-high seven assists. Beanie Thompson recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Erin Schauer tossed in 11 points. The game featured 15 lead changes and nine ties to underscore the evenly matched nature of the contest. The largest lead held by either time in the game was the six-point advantage the Crusaders experienced at the 11:45 mark of the second half. Wauwatosa East won its second State championship in the program’s fourth appearance in the tournament. In its fourth State experience, Edgewood finished runner-up after winning the Division 3 title last season.

Second-seeded Oostburg (28-2) toppled fourth-seeded Xavier (19-11) with a 49-36 win in the Division 3 championship game. Oostburg led for all but two minutes of the game and took control of the contest in the second half with a 13-0 run to open its largest lead of the game at 49-32 with two minutes remaining to play. The Lady Dutch were led by Ady Ketterhagen with a game-high 27 points to go with a game-high nine rebounds. The Oostburg defense held the Zephyrs to 24 percent shooting from the floor in the game. Brynn Krull led Xavier with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Annika Heimann chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds.  Oostburg captured its fourth State title in the Lady Dutch’s 11th trip to the tournament. Xavier finished runner-up for the second consecutive season in the Hawks’ fourth experience at State. 

Fourth-seeded Cuba City (25-5) won the Division 4 crown with a hard-fought 53-50 victory over second-seeded St. Mary Catholic (26-4) in the championship game. In the first half, The Cubans overcame an eight-point deficit to take a 28-27 lead at halftime. An 8-0 run in the second half led to their largest lead of the game at 42-32 with 10:15 to play in the game. The Zephyrs scored 10 unanswered points to tie the game at 42-42, but the Cubans secured a narrow lead down the stretch by going 4-for-4 from the free throw line to ice the game. Ella Vosberg led the Cubans with 14 points, six rebounds and 10 steals, which ranks as the second-most recorded in a Division 4 game in tournament history. Ashley Rowe added 15 points, and Olivia Olson contributed 12. Cuba City forced 23 St. Mary Catholic turnovers, leading to 23 points. The Cubans also had a commanding 36-14 advantage in points in the paint. Brityn Voss paced the Zephyrs with a game-high 18 points, including four three-pointers, while Emily Vogel tallied 13 points and nine rebounds. Lauren Ripley led St. Mary Catholic on the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds, which contributed the Zephyrs 44-29 rebound advantage. After placing runner-up last season, Cuba City won its membership-leading 12th championship in the Cubans’ 18th State Tournament appearance, which is also more than any other school. St. Mary Catholic finished runner-up in its third State experience.

Assumption edged out Barneveld 34-30 to claim the Division 5 Championship. A pivotal moment came in the second half when top-seeded Assumption went on a 10-0 scoring run at the end of the first half through the start of the second half to seize the lead for the final nine minutes of the game. Despite a late push by the Golden Eagles, The Royals made 4-of-4 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the victory. Assumption (29-1) was led by Jordyn Jaglinski, who scored a game-high 13 points, including three key three-pointers. Sarah Shaw contributed six points, while Anna Schooley added five points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Shaw set a Division 5 tournament record with 15 steals after setting the tournament game record with 12 in the semifinals Friday. Third-seeded Barneveld (22-8) was paced by Izabel Durst with 12 points, followed by Bryn Meyer with seven. The Royals’ defense proved to be the difference, forcing 19 turnovers and holding Barneveld to just 1-of-3 from the free-throw line. Their 46 steals set a Division 5 tournament record. Assumption wins its fourth State championship in its eighth appearance, and Barneveld finishes runner-up in its 12th experience in the State tournament.

The Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball team is inviting you to celebrate Selection Sunday with them.

The program is hosting its watch party at The Bar on Holmgren Way on Sunday. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the announcement will be at 7 p.m.

The Phoenix earned their spot with a 76-63 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne in Tuesday's Horizon League Championship Game. It marks the program's second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and their 20th overall.

After clawing back to tie the game in the second period, the Green Bay Gamblers came up empty in the shootout to lose to Chicago Steel 5-4.

The Gamblers posted a 2-1 lead in the first period thanks to goals from Pavel Bocharov and Vasily Zelenov . The two teams would trade leads in the second period with the Gamblers' Will Zellers and David Green leveling the game at four. After a scoreless third period, Ashton Schultz was the lone player to score in the shootout to give the Steel the extra point. 

Local athletes were well represented on the All-Packerland Conference teams announced on Saturday, including all three Players of the Years.

In wrestling, Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol's Spencer Madsen was named the Packerland Conference Wrestler of the Year, an honor he garnered at several tournaments this past season. He was also named to the All-Packerland Conference team at 165 pounds, one of three Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol wrestlers to make the squad. Southern Door's Lance Veeser and Kewaune's Sam Kraynik and Mitchell Boeder were the other local wrestlers on the team. See the full team here

In boys basketball, Drew Daoust claimed another Packerland Conference Player of the Year honor after leading Southern Door to their second straight appearance in sectionals. The conference champion Eagles placed four players on the three All-Conference teams with Daoust on the first team, Caden Pierre and Lauden Berg on the second team, and Tyler Neinas on the honorable mention team. Schools in Door and Kewaunee counties placed 15 players on three squads. See the full list here

In girls basketball, Kewaunee's Jade Kroll took the top honors in the Packerland Conference after leading the Storm to the sectional semifinal. The Storm placed five on the all conference squads with Kroll on the first team, Gabby Stangel on the second team, and Brianna Demmin, Lexie Hanrahan, and Breanna Riha on the honorable mention team. Sectional finalist Sevastopol boasted the lone unanimous selections to the All-Packerland Conference first team: Kayla Ranly and Naomi Rikkola. Fifteen players from local schools were named to All-Packerland Conference teams. See the full list here

With the end of the school year fast approaching, at least three schools have hosted ceremonies celebrating their seniors making their collegiate athletics choices for next year.

Familiarity was a key decision in Gibraltar/Washington Island's Braden Kita's decision to play at St. Norbert College to continue his baseball career.

Kewaunee's Jackson Wisnicky will officially play football at the next level after recently signing his National Letter of Intent to play at UW-Stevens Point.

The only thing better than having one of your athletes sign their National Letter of Intent is having six of them do it together, which is what Sturgeon Bay High School experienced on Tuesday. Cady Carlson (Track and Field, Carroll University), Patrick Haese (Football, UW-Oshkosh), Dasha Yeltysheva (Basketball, Marian University), Bryce Plzak (Football, Carthage College),  Caleb Plzak (Baseball, Viterbo University), Ethan DeNamur (Soccer, UW-River Falls), and Zak Wrobel (Wrestling, UW-Stevens Point) all signed their NLI in a joint ceremony celebrating the athletes.

They won't be seeing the river get dyed green, but the Green Bay Gamblers will see the Chicago Steel when they travel south of the border for a game on Saturday.

The Gamblers had a rough series against Team USA last weekend, dropping the games 3-1 and 6-3. Will Zellers (60) and Aidan Park (57) remain two of the top three scorers in the USHL, just a few points behind the top skater Landen Gunderson of the Sioux City Musketeers. The Steel, meanwhile, have nobody in the top 20 in the league for scoring, which is part of the reason why they are looking up at the rest of the conference in the standing with 37 points (16-30-4-1) while the Gamblers sit in fifth place with 52 points (25-25-1-1). The two teams split their matchups last month, and the road captured all of the points.

Puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m.

Green Bay men's basketball coach Doug Gottlieb will have plenty of familiar faces on his team as he begins his first full offseason as the head of the program.

Kyle Malzahn of WFRV-TV in Green Bay is reporting that Preston Ruedinger, Marcus Hall, Mac Wrecke, and Bennett Basich are all intending to come back to the program despite the team only winning four games last season. Basich redshirted last year after an accomplished career at Arrowhead High School while the other three players were key contributors to the Phoenix. The transfer portal officially opens on March 24th, though some players can jump in sooner if their coach leaves the program, if the participated in a postseason tournament, or if they experience a reduction or elimination of their scholarship money.

After the area's winter sports season officially ended when Southern Door lost to Bonduel in the WIAA Boys Basketball Tournament sectional semifinal, all attention now turns to spring sports.

With track already underway earlier this week, here are some other dates to keep in mind as spring athletes ramp up their participation over the coming days.

March 16th: Baseball pitching conditioning week begins

March 17th: First day of practice for softball

March 18th: First day of competition for track and field

March 24th: First day of baseball and girls soccer practice

March 25th: First day of competition for softball

March 31st: First day of practice of boys golf and tennis

April 1st: First day of competition for baseball and girls soccer

April 3rd: First day of competition for boys golf

April 4th: First day of competition for boys tennis

Complementing their success on the court, several boys and girls basketball players from Door and Kewaunee counties proved they could have success off of it as well.

More than 2,300 girls and 1,800 players were named to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Academic All-State team this week, including dozens from Door and Kewaunee counties. Nominated athletes must be varsity players and hold a GPA of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) to be eligible. Seniors within the group can also be nominated for the Elite Academic All-State honor roll, which will be announced later.

You can find a list of those players below.

BOYS

Cody Kirchman Algoma Senior

Parker Lischka Algoma Junior

Charlie Prokash Algoma Sophomore

Chase Romdenne Algoma Senior

Wyatt Bultman Gibraltar Sophomore

Braden Kita Gibraltar Senior

Liam Lindenberg Gibraltar Senior

Giovanni Mercier Gibraltar Junior

Jeffrey Mize Gibraltar Senior

Luke Rericha Gibraltar Junior

Blake Bortolini Kewaunee Sophomore

Diesel Bosdeck Kewaunee Freshman

Mason Delebreau Kewaunee Freshman

Baylor Elliott Kewaunee Freshman

Dane Harrell Kewaunee Freshman

Avery Jerabek Kewaunee Junior

Connor Kilgore Kewaunee Junior

Mason Kovacs Kewaunee Freshman

Gage Vlies Kewaunee Sophomore

Landon Derenne Luxemburg-Casco Senior

Brayden Duescher Luxemburg-Casco Sophomore

Brady Kinnard Luxemburg-Casco Junior

Tatem Klaubauf Luxemburg-Casco Sophomore

Josh Parins Luxemburg-Casco Senior

Bryce Piesler Luxemburg-Casco Sophomore

Reagan Doell Luxemburg-Casco Senior 

Lucas Delsart Sevastopol Senior

Reid Kacmarynski Sevastopol Junior

Damien Lardnois Sevastopol Junior

Logan Schuh Sevastopol Junior

Bo Tanck Sevastopol Freshman

Andrew Weisner Sevastopol Freshman 

Braylon Berg Southern Door Senior 

Caden Pierre Southern Door Senior

GIRLS

Emma Barta Kewaunee Junior 

Braelynn Chevalier Kewaunee Junior 

Brianna Demmin Kewaunee Senior 

Lexie Hanrahan Kewaunee Senior 

Lily Hudson Kewaunee Senior 

Jade Kroll Kewaunee Junior 

Hannah Miller Kewaunee Junior 

Ali Repitz Kewaunee Sophomore 

Breanna Riha Kewaunee Junior 

Summer Walechka Kewaunee Junior

Sienna Blohowiak Luxemburg-Casco Sophomore

Erin Cherovsky Luxemburg-Casco Senior 

Alayna Deprez Luxemburg-Casco Junior 

Alayna Heurkens Luxemburg-Casco Sophomore

Chloe Host Luxemburg-Casco Junior 

Alana Mrotek Luxemburg-Casco Junior 

Hannah Schley Luxemburg-Casco Senior

Megan Gallant Gibraltar Junior 

Abigail Jarosh Gibraltar Senior 

Anna Jarosh Gibraltar Senior 

Celeste Jauregui Gibraltar Freshman 

Andie Schar Gibraltar Senior 

Bridget Tepe Gibraltar Senior

Lyvia Duessler Sevastopol Sophomore 

Naomi Rikkola Sevastopol Senior 

Sadie Rikkola Sevastopol Freshman 

Addison Schauske Sevastopol Senior

Braelyn Staats Sevastopol Freshman  

Ella Volkmann Sevastopol Senior

Regan Kasten Sturgeon Bay Junior 

Kadence Patza Sturgeon Bay Sophomore 

Dasha Yeltysheva Sturgeon Bay Senior

Alyssa Bouche Southern Door Freshman 

Chelsea Claflin Southern Door Sophomore

Kyleigh Claflin Southern Door Sophomore

Lillian Delwiche Southern Door Junior 

Elise Jackson Southern Door Sophomore 

Chelsie Jacquet Southern Door Freshman 

Alanah Kaye Southern Door Junior 

Paige Penoviche Southern Door Sophomore

Kennedy Pierre Southern Door Freshman 

Alexis Tassoul Southern Door Senior 

Reese Vogel Southern Door Sophomore

The Mayor of Door County is heading east for the 2025 season after signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles this week.

The Packers had not indicated that they would sign their former draft pick after he sat out the 2024 season due to a neck injury and was cleared by team doctors to play earlier this week. The deal was announced shortly after he was officially cleared to play. In his Packers career, Dillon rushed for 2,428 rushing yards on 597 carries and 16 touchdowns. His affinity for Door County led to him creating a special scent with Door County Candle for his foundation, highlighting area businesses during his weekend visits, and receiving a key to the county from Destination Door County. 

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved several Conference Realignment Task Force recommendations for football-only and lacrosse conference realignment and advanced five Constitutional amendments to the Annual Meeting at its March meeting.

After reviewing 13 appeals of the football conference realignment plans recommended by the Conference Realignment Task Force, the Board approved the entire 8-player football plan and all but two of the 11-player football plans that were released on Feb. 6. The plan involving the Northeastern Conference and Eastern Wisconsin Conference, as well as the plan for the Classic Eight Conference, Greater Metro Conference, North Shore Conference, Parkland Conference and the Woodland Conference were remanded back to the Task Force for further evaluation and consideration. 

After reviewing one appeal of the lacrosse realignment plan, the Board approved the alignments of the Bay Valley Lakes Association, Badger Conference, and Hudson and Superior as independents. The portion of the plan involving the Classic Eight Conference, North Shore Conference, Greater Metro Conference, and Midwest Classic Conference was remanded back to the committee for further review.

The remanded plans will be re-evaluated by the Task Force at its April 15 meeting with a final proposal for those conferences impacted to be presented to the Board for final consideration at its April 23 meeting.

The lacrosse plan approved by the Board will be implemented in the spring of the 2025-26 school year, and the football alignments will begin in the fall of the 2026-27 school year. The complete details of conference configurations and information on the conference realignment process are available on the Conference Realignment Requests and Approvals page of the WIAA website. Access the page by clicking on the “Conference Realignment” link within the “Schools” mega menu.

The Board also approved the gymnastics cooperative teams for 2025-26 and the other winter sports cooperative teams for 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Among the four amendments the Board voted to advance for a membership vote at the Annual Meeting on April 25, two impact the Rules of Eligibility. One of those is a second attempt for the membership to consider Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) options. If approved, student-athletes would be permitted to enter into NIL opportunities for activities not associated or identified with their school team, school, conference or the WIAA, and in accordance with other prohibited NIL activities, including language attempting to deter undue influence.

The second amendment to the Rules of Eligibility advanced is a recommendation of the Calendar and Contact Ad-Hoc Committee. The proposal expands the opportunities for summer coaching contact in all WIAA-sponsored sports. Coaches and members of a school’s team may voluntarily assemble without restriction from June 1 to June 30 and from July 7 to July 31, except for football, which requires coaching contact to conclude one week prior to the start of fall practice. No school, sport-specific coach contact will be permitted from July 1 to July 6.

The Board voted to advance one amendment impacting the Bylaws. In addition to the current one-game suspension, a spectator who has been ejected from a contest would be required to complete the free, online NFHS Sportsmanship Course available on the NFHSLearn.com website and submitting the completed course certificate to school officials before attending any future home athletic events.

The Fourth Amendment, advanced by the Board, is Constitutional. It would allow ninth-grade teams to play the same number of contests as allowed in the Season Regulations for junior varsity and varsity teams. 

A membership petition brought forward another constitutional amendment, which advances directly to the Annual Meeting. If approved by the membership, the proposal would exclude cross country as the only sport with a team-qualifying component from the competitive balance performance factor. 

In addition, two editorial changes are intended to clarify the existing rules without changing the interpretation of the rule, moving forward to a membership vote. One addresses the Board of Control election language outlined in the Constitution. The other removes specific sports references in the performance factor language outlined in Appendix N to read “...for all WIAA team sports with multiple divisions.”

Other discussion topics included updates on the Calendar and Contact Committee, competitive balance, the ongoing efforts to recruit and retain licensed officials, and the activities of the Student-Athlete Leadership Team, which included a presentation of promotional videos featuring the group.

The Board received liaison reports from Dan Rossmiller of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Paul Manriquez of the Department of Public Instruction, and Brittany Spencer Grant of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association. 

The WIAA, as defined by its Constitution, is a private, voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 513 senior high schools and 36 junior high/middle-level schools in its membership.

For the second year in a row, the Southern Door Eagles saw their season come to a close in the sectional semifinal, this time as a 71-57 defeat to the Bonduel Bears at Green Bay Southwest Thursday night.

The Eagles stood out in the early going of the game, holding the high-flying Bears offense to no field goals from the field for nearly the first five minutes of the game. Meanwhile, Caden Pierre, Lauden Berg, and Drew Daoust was able to guide the Eagles to a 10 point lead as they approached the 10 minute mark in the first half. Three pointers by Carter Moesch and Race Anvelink helped the Bears slowly whittle the lead down the stretch of the first half. Late turnovers by the Eagles allowed the Bears to take a lead in the closing minutes of the period to take a 34-31 advantage into the break.

In the second half, the Bears were able to outscore the Eagles 15-9 in the opening minutes to build a double-digit lead the would not relinquish for much of the period. Ryan Westrich took advantage of his size to score 17 of his team-high 25 points after the break as the Bears outscored the Eagles 37-26 in the second half. Daoust was more than able to match Westrich's output with 20 of his game-high 28 points in the second half. Pierre and Tyler Neinas were the only other Eagles to score in the frame, combining to score six points. In addition to Daoust's 28 points, Berg added 13 points and Pierre contributed 12 points, all of which came in the first half. Moesch scored 16 points and Anvelink poured in 13 points to complement Westrich in the Bears' win.

The Eagles finish the season 23-4, saying good bye to eight seniors that contributed to three consecutive Packerland Conference championships and two straight regional titles. Daoust's career ends with 3096 points, good for second all-time on the Wisconsin state high school scoring list.

The Southern Door Eagles and the Bonduel Bears look to continue their journey to Madison on Thursday when they two teams meet at Green Bay Southwest.

Both teams got to wait until Friday to start their WIAA Tournament action with the Eagles taking out St. Mary Catholic (74-60) and Algoma (76-62) while the Bears demolished Shiocton (87-50) and Oconto (70-49). Both teams suffered a late season loss to Roncalli, with the Jets soaring past the Eagles 78-66 and cruising through the Bears 70-47. 

Drew Daoust leads the Eagles in scoring, averaging 32.4 points per game and 32 points away from 3,100 points for his career. Caden Pierre (14.5 ppg) and Lauden Berg (13.5 ppg) complement him offensively. Averaging nearly 80 points per game, the Bears have five players that average double figures, paced by Quinn Wesenberg (17.0 ppg).

Tim Kowols and Bryan Mazur will have the call from Green Bay Southwest on U-102.1 beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

Click here for our pregame interview with head coach Josh VandenBush

For the top wrestlers from Door and Kewaunee counties, next year's WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament cannot come soon enough.

Of the area's five medalists from this year's state tournament, four of them will be able to return to defend their spot on the podium in 2026. That includes Luxemburg-Casco's Carson Neubert, who won his first state title as a sophomore, and Kiley George, who became the program's top-finishing female with a second-place finish in the girl's state tournament. Both are proud of where their seasons ended but know the target is on their back for next season. 

Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol wrestler Spencer Madsen took no time off to celebrate a third-place finish in this year's state tournament. He was back in the wrestling room the very next day, working toward a recent championship at a folkstyle tournament in Wisconsin Dells and preparing for the upcoming freestyle and Greco-Roman seasons. He says he can't stop because when he does, everyone else chasing the dream is getting better.

The top-finishing girls wrestler in Door County did not reach the podium, but just getting there was a big enough accomplishment for Sturgeon Bay Sevastopol's Tiani Lemieux. Shoulder surgery during the offseason kept her off the mat until just a couple of weeks before she would have the opportunity to defend her podium spot. While guarding her surgically repaired shoulder, she ended up injuring her other shoulder while working her way through the qualifying tournaments to make it back to state. With some time to rest, LeMieux hopes a state title is still in the cards.

Kewaunee's Mitchell Boeder (fourth place) and Luxemburg-Casco's Joseph Jeanquart (sixth place) are the other wrestlers with an opportunity to improve on their podium finish at next year's WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament.

Barring any trades, the Green Bay Packers will have at least one extra bite of the apple when they host the NFL Draft next month.

The NFL awarded compensatory picks on Wednesday, giving the Packers an extra seventh round pick. They received the extra pick because of the departure of offensive tackle Yosh Nijman in free agency last year. The Packers lost three players to free agency last offseason, but gained two when they signed Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney.

The picks for the Packers are as follows:

Round 1, No. 23
Round 2, No. 54
Round 3, No. 87
Round 4, No. 124
Round 5, No. 159
Round 6, No. 198
Round 7, No. 237 (from PIT)
Round 7, No. 250 (compensatory)

The 49th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Basketball State Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 13-15, at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.

STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:  The single elimination tournament features a five-division format with four teams qualifying in each of the five divisions.

Thursday, March 13
Division 3
#1 Elk Mound (26-1) vs. #4 Xavier (18-10) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Oostburg (26-2) vs. #3 Laconia (24-4)*

Division 4
#1 The Prairie School (26-2) vs. #4 Cuba City (23-5) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 St. Mary Catholic (25-3) vs. #3 Durand-Arkansaw (23-5)*

Friday, March 14
Division 5
#1 Assumption (27-1) vs. #4 Owen-Withee (25-4) - 9:05 a.m.
#2 Lourdes Academy (24-5) vs. #3 Barneveld (21-7)*

Division 2
#1 Edgewood (27-1) vs. #4 Rice Lake (23-5) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Wauwatosa East (27-1)  vs. #3 West De Pere (23-5)*

Division 1
#1 Kimberly (27-1) vs. #4 Appleton East (19-8) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Arrowhead (25-3) vs. #3 Muskego (24-4)*

Saturday, March 15
3-Point Challenge - 9:30 a.m.
Division 5 Championship Game - 11:05 a.m.
Division 4 Championship Game*
Division 3 Championship Game*
Division 2 Championship Game - 6:35 p.m.
Division 1 Championship Game*

*Note: Subsequent games of each session will begin approximately 15 minutes following the previous game.

TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY:  The first WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament was held in 1976. The tournament was held at the UW Field House from 1976-97 in 1999, 2000, and 2002. The championships were held at the Kohl Center in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2010-12, and at the Alliant Energy Center in 2004 and 2006-09. The Resch Center in Green Bay has been the home of the tournament since 2013, except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 when the State Tournament was held at two separate locations, the La Crosse Center and the Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh. The tournament featured a three-class format until 1991 when a four-division format was adopted. In 2011, a fifth division was added. Cuba City has won the most State titles over the years with 11, followed by Barneveld and Notre Dame with six, and then Milwaukee Washington with five. There have been 106 different schools that have won championships. Cuba City has the distinction of appearing in most State Tournaments, with 18, including this season. Newman Catholic is next on the list with 13; Arrowhead, Barneveld, Durand, Fall Creek, Janesville Parker, Kimberly and Middleton have qualified 12 times. Monroe, Notre Dame, and now Oostburg have qualified for 11 State Tournaments.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Top-seeded Kimberly qualifies for the State Tournament for the 12th and the first time since 2019. The Papermakers made five appearances in the 1980s and four in the 1990s. They have won four State titles. Kimberly won the Class A championship in 1987 and the Class B title in 1989. They added Division 2 titles in 1996 and 1998. They also finished runner-up in Class A in 1982 and in Division 2 in 1997. They are the champions of the Fox Valley Association this season, and they are the representatives from the Hartford Sectional with a 48-47 overtime win over Pewaukee, the Division 2 champion last season, in the final. Defending champion Arrowhead is making its second straight appearance at State and the Warhawks’ 12th overall. They have claimed two other championships in their 11 previous appearances, one in 1988 and the other in 1991. They finished tied for first in the Classic 8 Conference standings this season with Muskego, the #3 seed in the bracket. The Warhawks are the representatives out of the Oregon Sectional following their 72-69 win over Waunakee in the final.  Muskego, the #3 seed, is making school history with its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. The Warriors tied Arrowhead for the championship of the Classic Eight Conference this season, and they advanced to the State semifinals following their 45-33 win over Kenosha Bradford in the Kenosha Tremper Sectional final. It’s the fourth overall appearance at State for fourth-seeded Appleton East and the program’s first since 2022, when the Patriots finished runner-up. The Patriots’ first two experiences resulted in losses in the quarterfinals in both 1990 and 1998. They placed fourth in the Fox Valley Association this year's regular season. The?Patriots earned their road back to State by edging Eau Claire Memorial 68-65 in double overtime in the sectional final hosted at Marshfield.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Top-seeded Edgewood moves up to the division this season after winning the Division 3 championship last year. The Crusaders are making their fourth appearance overall. They also had back-to-back experiences in 2016-2017, winning the Division 2 championship in 2017. Their continued quest for another gold trophy follows a convincing 67-42 victory over West Salem in the Baraboo Sectional final. This year, the Crusaders were crowned champions in the Small Division of the Badger Conference. Before joining the WIAA in the fall of 2000, the Crusaders won a Class A title in 1979 as a former member of WISAA. Second-seeded Wauwatosa East is back in the tournament for the fourth time and for the second year in a row. The Red Raiders fell in the semifinals last year. Their most notable experience at State was the Class A championship they won in 1981. This season, they tied with Brookfield East for the championship in the Greater Metro Conference. They earned their way back to the Resch Center through the Whitefish Bay Sectional with a 50-39 win over Union Grove in the final. West De Pere was issued the third seed. The Phantoms are making their second appearance at State. Their only other experience came 47 years ago, in 1978, when they advanced to the Division 1 semifinal before being ousted from title contention. The Phantoms are the champions of the Bay Conference this season and the Fond du Lac Sectional following their 66-55 victory over Waukesha West in the final. Rice Lake began to celebrate qualifying for the first time when the final buzzer sounded in their 54-46 win over Shawano in the Mosinee Sectional final. They placed third in the Big Rivers Conference this winter.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Top-seeded Elk Mound will make its second appearance in the State Tournament and the first since 1988 when the Mounders fell in the Class C semifinals. This year, they defeated Baldwin-Woodville 54-48 to advance out of the Eau Claire North Sectional. The Mounders were the champions of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference this season.  Second-seeded Oostburg returns to State for the 11th time overall and for the first time since 2012. That signaled an end to six consecutive appearances from 2007-12. The Lady Dutch won the Class C championship in 1990 and Division 3 State championships in 1994 and 2008. Oostburg also advanced to the final in 2010 and 2012 and finished runner-up. This season, they are the champions of the South Division of the Big East Conference. The Lady Dutch earned their return to State with a 62-52 victory over Catholic Memorial in the Brown Deer Sectional final. Laconia, the two-time defending champion in Division 4, moves up a division this season. The Spartans are seeded third in the bracket. They are making their fifth appearance at State overall, all coming in the last seven seasons. In each of the three previous trips to the tourney, they have advanced to the championship game in Division 4. The Spartans finished runner-up in 2019 and in 2022. They advanced to the semifinals this season by defeating Edgerton 57-42 in the Evansville Sectional final. Laconia is the champion of the Flyway Conference this year. Xavier, last year’s runner-up, is the fourth seed in the bracket. The Hawks are appearing in their fourth State Tournament overall. The first two experiences came in succession in 2015 and 2016. Their most notable of the two appearances was the runner-up finish in 2015.  The Hawks’ return to the semifinals this year resulted from a 63-45 win over Wittenberg-Birnamwood in the Seymour Sectional final. They finished third in the Bay Conference during the regular season this year. As a former member of WISAA, the Hawks won the title in 1978 when there was only one division of the tournament and were runners-up an additional nine times.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD:  The Prairie School, the #1 seed, will be making its second straight appearance and its fourth overall. The Hawks one championship came the first time they qualified for State in 2004. Their experience last season and in 2013 resulted in losses in the semifinals. The Hawks are back in the semifinals this year after downing Westfield 67-33 in the Waterloo Sectional final. They are the champions of the Metro Classic Conference this season. Second-seeded St. Mary Catholic will make its third State appearance and the Zephyrs’ first since two consecutive experiences in 2008-09. They advanced to the championship game in both those appearances, winning the title in 2009 and finishing runner-up in 2008. As a former member of WISAA, St. Mary Central, as it was previously named, won the Division 2 title in 1998. The Zephyrs tied Manitowoc Lutheran for the championship in the North Division of the Big East Conference this season, and they advanced through the Oconto Falls Sectional with a 65-54 win over Manitowoc Lutheran in the final. Durand-Arkansaw is seeded third. The Panthers make their 12th appearance at State and their first since 2017. Back when the district was identified as Durand, they won two State championships, claiming back-to-back Class B titles in 1986-87.

The Panthers also finished runner-up in 1996 in 2009. This season, they placed runner-up in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference behind Elk Mound, the top seed in the Division 3 bracket. The Panthers beat McDonell Catholic 41-26 in the final of the Altoona Sectional to earn the journey to the Resch Center. Fourth-seeded Cuba City, last year’s runner-up, is back for the second year in a row and for the membership-leading 18th time overall. The Cubans have also won more State titles than any other program, with 11 winning championships in 1977, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2014, and 2015. They also had a runner-up finish in 2009. The Cubans tied Mineral Point for the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League title this season, and their advance to State came through the Wisconsin Dells Sectional with a 47-43 triumph over Aquinas in the final.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD:  Assumption receives the top seed in the bracket. The Royals embark on their eighth appearance at State and the program’s first since 2022. Four consecutive appearances from 2013-16 resulted in State championships in 2013, 2016, and 2021 with runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015. They also won the title in 2021 and added another runner-finish in 2022.  This season, they placed first in the South Division of the Marawood Conference. The Royals defeated Sevastopol 61-42 in the sectional final played at Waupaca to continue to pursue their third championship. Second-seeded Lourdes Academy will experience the State Tournament for the first time in the program’s history after defeating last year’s champion Albany/Monticello 57-43 in the final of the Beaver Dam Sectional. The Knights claimed the championship in the East Division of the Trailways Conference during the regular season. As a former member of WISAA, Lourdes Academy won back-to-back Division 2 titles in 1994 and 1995. Barneveld, the #3 seed, qualifies for the State Tournament for the 12th time overall and the first time since 2016. The Golden Eagles have won six State titles, capturing the Division 4 crowns in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2005 and the Division 5 titles in 2014 and 2015. In addition, they have a Division 4 runner-up finish in 2007 to go with two Division 5 second-place outcomes in 2013 and 2016. They finished second in the East Division of the Six Rivers Conference this season. The Golden Eagles beat Eleva-Strum 60-39 in the final of the La Crosse Logan Sectional for the opportunity to continue pursuing the program’s seventh title. Fourth-seeded Owen-Withee makes its 10th tournament appearance overall and its first since 2014. The Blackhawks’ most notable outcomes at State have been runner-up finishes in 1988, 2003, 2005 and 2012. They finished second in the East Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season behind Neillsville. The Blackhawks defeated Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 37-29 in the Eau Claire North Sectional final to advance to the State semifinals.  

THREE-POINT CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:? The 3-Point Challenge will be held prior to Saturday’s championship games beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Resch Center. A ticket for the Division 3, 4 and 5 championship games session is required for admittance into the event. The top two players per division were selected for the contest based on the best 3-point field goal percentage with a minimum of 75 attempts during the regular season. The contestants representing Division 1 are Lauren Strifling of Homestead and Ellen Dotzler of Waunakee. Representing Division 2 are Armani Tauschek of Greenfield and Kristina Ouimette of Lakeland. The Division 3 participants are Marti Rebman of Edgerton and Liz Neils of Kiel. Division 4 will be represented by Toria Devoe of Belleville and Sydney Subke of Neillsville, and the Division 5 contestants are Abby Hollis of Albany/Monticello and Mandi Wehrle of River Ridge. Visit the information on the WIAA?website for more details about the 3-Point Challenge.

After a disappointing four-year run with the Green Bay Packers, former first-round pick and cornerback Eric Stokes reportedly signed a one-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Stokes gets a $4 million deal with the Raiders under new coach Pete Carroll.

Stokes, 26, was the 2021 29th overall pick for the Packers.  He started 32 games for Green Bay and recorded one interception and 128 tackles while breaking up 14 passes in his four seasons with the Packers.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored five runs in the first inning and hung on to beat the Chicago Cubs in exhibition play in Arizona on Tuesday afternoon.

Rhys Hoskins and Jake Bauers both hit their fifth home runs of the spring and Oliver Dunn and Vinny Capra also homered in the game.

After a five-run top of the first inning, Brewer starter Jake Misiorowski allowed four runs on three hits and two walks to the Cubs, who closed the gap to 5-4.

Both teams scored two runs in the third inning, but the Brewers held off the Cubs to earn the win without ever losing the lead.

Misiorowski, one of Milwaukee’s top prospects, picked up his third win of the preseason going just 1.2 innings and striking out four.

Chicago will now head overseas to Japan for a couple of exhibition games before facing the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the regular season on March 18 at the Toyko Dome.

The Brewers are off Wednesday and will battle the Chicago White Sox Thursday at 3:05 p.m. in Cactus League play.

The Milwaukee Bucks dropped a road game 115-114 to the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night on a rare four-play by Tyrese Haliburton in the final seconds.

The Bucks led 114-111 with three seconds left when Haliburton threw up a desperation three-pointer and was fouled by Giannis Antetokounmpo. After making the free throw, Antetokounmpo's thirty-foot shot fell short, and Indiana came away with the win.

The game had several lead changes, with Indiana leading by as many as 11 points.  The Bucks fought back and took the lead late on a key three-pointer by Gary Trent, Jr.  Dame Lillard hit two free throws to give the Bucks a three-point lead before Haliburton’s heroics.

Brook Lopez led the Bucks in scoring with 23 points, while Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 17 rebounds.  Taurean Prince added 18, and Lillard chipped in 15 more.

Milwaukee and Indiana are now both 36-28 and tied for fourth in the NBA’s Eastern Conference with 18 games remaining in the regular season.

The Bucks will look to break a three-game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. 

The Green Bay Lady Phoenix will return to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year after defeating the Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons Tuesday 76-63 for the Horizon League tournament championship in Indianapolis. 

The Phoenix turned a 40-40 tie at halftime into a convincing victory, thanks to an impressive defensive performance. They outscored the Mastodons 36-23 in the second half and shot 50 percent from the field for the game. 

Natalie McNeal scored 26 points to lead the Phoenix. Jasmine Kondrakiewicz and Callie Genke added ten points each in the win, which was their 22nd in a row.

Sydney Freeman scored 18 points for Purdue-Fort Wayne.

Green Bay will now await the NCAA women’s tournament pairings that will be released on Sunday.  

The Green Bay Phoenix women will have to win its rubber match against Purdue Fort Wayne if it wants to make the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row after outlasting Robert Morris 67-53.

The Colonials proved to the Phoenix right away that it would not be an easy out after losing two blowouts to the regular season champs. The Phoenix found themselves trailing by five points at the end of the first quarter before outscoring the Colonials 21-5 in the second quarter to give them a lead they would not relinquish. After the Colonials chipped away at the lead in the third quarter, the Phoenix again outscored their opponents in the final period to cement their place in Tuesday's championship game. Four Phoenix seniors led the way as Natalie McNeal registered her 13th double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Maddy Schreiber scored 16 points, Jasmine Kondrakiewicz poured in 14 points, and Bailey Butler added 12 points. Isys Grady led the Colonials with 13 points in the loss.

After hitting 15 three-pointers against Cleveland State, the Mastodons will have an opportunity to avenge an overtime loss earlier this month to the Phoenix when the two teams play their championship game in Indianapolis at 11 a.m.

With basketball set to wrap up over the next two weeks, some of the area's athletes are already focusing on their spring season.

Monday marked the first day of practices across the state for track and field teams. They still have a week before they can participate in their first meets (March 18th) and there is likely a month before they will start competing in earnest outside. Below is when each team makes their season debut this spring:

Algoma: Boys 3/21 at Ripon College, Girls 3/25 at Oconto Falls

Kewaunee: Boys 3/21 at Ripon College, Girls 3/28 at Manitowoc Lincoln

Luxemburg-Casco: Boys 3/27, Girls 3/28 at Manitowoc Lincoln

Gibraltar: Boys 3/20 at UW-Oshkosh, Girls 4/1 at UW-Oshkosh

Sevastopol: Boys on 3/20 at Ripon College, Girls 4/3 at UW-Stevens Point

Southern Door: Boys 3/20 at UW-Oshkosh, Girls 4/1 at UW-Oshkosh

Sturgeon Bay: Boys on 3/20 at Ripon College, Girls 4/8 at Sevastopol

None of the moves are official yet, but the Green Bay Packers had a relatively quiet day on the signing front when it came to Day 1 of the legal tampering period for NFL Free Agency.

After getting shut out during the morning, the Packers made their first splash with G Aaron Banks. The former 49ers offensive lineman started 43 games over the last three seasons and was considered to be one of the top guards available. The NFL Network reports that he signed a four-year, $77 million contract. The Packers went on to sign CB Nate Hobbs from the Las Vegas Raiders. Sports Illustrated's Bill Huber suggests he will fill the slot corner position to replace Keisean Nixon, who is slated to replace Jaire Alexander on the outside. 

Sources also reported that DT T.J. Slaton will not return to the Packers, instead signing a new deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Artyom Levshunov became the latest former Green Bay Gamblers player to make his NHL debut on Monday.

The 2024 NHL Draft Pick accumulated 21 minutes on the ice during the Chicago Blackhawks' 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche with three shots on net. He was a part of the team's third defensive pairing and power play unit. 

Levshunov registered 22 points in 50 games for the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate in Rockford, Ill.

The Northeastern Conference announced their All-Conference Teams over the weekend, placing more than a dozen Luxemburg-Casco athletes.

Five of the athletes were named All-NEC First Team, all of which were involved in the wrestling program. You can see the full list below:

BOYS BASKETBALL

Honorable Mention: Josh Parins and Jacob Coisman

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Second Team: Brianna Bray

Honorable Mention: Sienna Blohowiak

BOYS WRESTLING

First Team: Carson Blohowiak, Carson Neubert, Blakelee Bastien, and Logan Ellwanger

Second Team: Joseph Jeanquart, Logan Salm, and Mason Boulanger

Honorable Mention: Calvin Henderson

GIRLS WRESTLING

First Team: Kiley Georgel

The third matchup between the Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball team and Robert Morris University will shift to a neutral site when the two sides face each other in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals in Indianapolis.

The Phoenix women enter the contest not just on a 20-game winning streak but also an eight-game winning streak against the Colonials. In their most recent matchup,  Maddy Schreiber led all players with 18 points as the Phoenix beat the Colonials 71-39. The Phoenix toppled Oakland and the Colonials beat Northern Kentucky to qualify for the league semifinals with a date against either Purdue Fort Wayne or Cleveland State on the line en route to a possible NCAA berth.

Tip-off is set for 11 a.m.

State titles in three different sports were passed out over the weekend.

WRESTLING

Kaukauna, St. Croix Falls, and Mineral Point earned championships at the 2025 State Team Wrestling Tournament Saturday at the UW Field House.

Top-seed Kaukauna (20-0) won its fifth straight team title in Division 1 with a 54-13 victory over second-seeded Arrowhead (14-2) in the championship match. The Galloping Ghosts came out strong in the match, winning the first five bouts and eight of the first nine. They secured multiple wins by fall, including Brady Sprangers at 175, Trenton VanSchyndel at 106, Andy DiPiazza at 126, Breck Ritchie at 144, and Kolin DeGroot. In addition, technical falls by Zach Winnekens at 190, Nick Jenkins at 120, and Peyton Lee at 157 ensured the Galloping Ghosts another title. Kaukauna won its ninth team championship in its membership-leading 23rd Team Tournament appearance. The Galloping Ghosts navigated through the bracket to reach the finals with a 62-17 win over West Allis Hale in the quarterfinals and a 40-22 victory over Holmen in the semifinals. Arrowhead was runner-up in its 13th tourney appearance. The Warhawks topped Waukesha West 43-28 in the quarterfinals and edged Bay Port 35-24 in the semifinals to advance to the final.

In Division 2, second-seeded St. Croix Falls (12-1) emerged victorious over top-seeded Coleman (18-2) by a final score of 38-29. Saints’ wrestlers who delivered pivotal wins by fall included Carter Ridgeway, Dominic Viebrock at 132, Jack Ryan at 138, and Drake Petersen at 165. Coleman received strong efforts from Parker Owens at 106, Cole Berth at 157, and Micah Kuchta at 190. However, the Saints' overall depth proved to be the difference-maker. St. Croix Falls won its first wrestling team championship in the program’s fifth appearance at the State Tournament. In semifinal action earlier in the day, the Saints defeated Kewaskum 43-32. Coleman, which finished runner-up in Division 3 last season, moved up to Division 2 this year to finish runner-up in the Cougars’ 18th-team tournament experience. They tripped up Fennimore 34-30 in the semifinals. 

Second-seeded Mineral Point (19-1) edged out top-seeded Weyauwega-Fremont (26-2) 32-28 in the hard-fought Division 3 title bout. For St. Croix Falls, Memphis Burkhalter and Roen Carey recorded critical pins at 106 and 144, respectively. Kade Rule and Liam Carey also added technical falls to help propel the Pointers toward the victory. Despite Weyauwega-Fremont securing a pin by Carter Birdyshaw at 138 and a late forfeit win, Mineral Point’s tactical victories in tight matches sealed the State championship. Mineral Point captured the school’s 13th team championship, including six since the advent of the dual-team tournament format. The Pointers downed Oostburg 45-33 in the semifinals to advance to the tournament final. Weyauwega-Fremont placed runner-up in its second State appearance. The Warhawks advanced to the final with a 39-23 victory over Stratford in the semifinals.

HOCKEY

The 2025 State Hockey Tournament produced boys champions in two divisions and one girls division at Bob Suter’s LEGACY20 Arena Saturday.

Edgewood (23-6) stormed past third-seeded Notre Dame (19-9) 5-2 in the Division 1 championship game, securing the program’s first-ever state championship in its eighth tournament appearance. The Crusaders is the first #4 seed to win a title since seeding the State Tournament began. The game started with fireworks early as Notre Dame struck first. Just 3:55 into the opening period, Owen Atkinson capitalized on a power-play opportunity, assisted by Drew Heil, to give the Tritons a 1-0 lead. Edgewood responded late in the first period when Owen Koch found the back of the net at 15:27, with an assist from Owen Porter, to even the score at 1-1 heading into intermission.

The second period was all Crusaders, as Davis Halbleib broke the tie with an unassisted goal 2:41 into the frame to put Edgewood on top 2-1. Later in the period, Owen Porter extended the lead with a power-play goal at 14:54, assisted by Matt Richter and Bennett Cagle, giving the Crusaders a 3-1 cushion heading into the final period. Koch struck again early in the third, notching his second goal of the night at 3:24 with another assist from Porter and Owen Barnet. Notre Dame fought back with a late power-play goal at 15:14 by Andrew Ostermann, assisted by Heil and Atkinson. However, it wasn’t enough to spark any comeback because just 22 seconds later, Halbleib sealed the victory with his second goal of the night at 15:36, off an assist from Richter. The Crusaders outshot Notre Dame 29-26, with Koch and Halbleib leading the offensive charge with two goals. Porter was instrumental in the victory, tallying a goal and two assists. On the defensive end, Edgewood goalie Hayden Reuhl was stellar between the pipes, stopping 24 of 26 shots. The Tritons were led offensively by Owen Atkinson, with a goal and an assist, and Drew Heil, who dished out two assists. Anton Widas recorded 24 saves in the game for Notre Dame. After winning the championship the past two seasons, Notre Dame finishes runner-up in their 12th State Tournament appearance.

Top-seeded Tomahawk (22-6-1) made school history by winning its first championship in its third State appearance. The Hatchets captured the Division 2 title with a 5-3 victory over second-seeded Amery Co-op (24-4). The game got off to a lightning-fast start, with Tomahawk’s Jett Reilly scoring just 42 seconds into the contest off a feed from Brayden Lamer. Amery quickly answered when Logan Doten found the back of the net at 4:29 in the first period, assisted by Jasic Manning and Jacob Maxon, leveling the score at 1-1. In the second period, Amery grabbed its first lead as Elliot Greene capitalized on a power play at 3:12, with Doten picking up the assist. However, Tomahawk responded with two consecutive goals to take control. Jonah Dickens tied the game at 8:57, assisted by Reilly, before Lamer netted a power-play goal at 11:05 off assists from Dickens and Reilly, giving Tomahawk a 3-2 advantage heading into the third period. Tomahawk extended its lead in the third period when Sawyer Hanna scored a goal at 7:09, with Lamer adding his third assist and Lamer his second. Just over a minute later, Reilly struck again, assisted by Austin and Bryden Lamer, to put Tomahawk ahead 5-2. Amery Co-op fought to stay in the game, cutting the deficit to 5-3 when Gavin Humpal converted on a power play at 10:05, assisted by Kemper Lundgren, but the Hatchets held on the rest of the way to clinch the title. Tomahawk outshot Amery 34-25, with Reilly leading the way offensively with two goals and two assists. Brayden Lamer added a goal and three assists, while Dickens contributed two goals. In net, the Hatchets’ Trevor Seliskar made 22 saves. Logan Doten led the Warriors on offense with a goal and an assist. Defensively, goalie Carter Meyer made a game-high 29 saves. The Amery Co-op, making its debut on the State Tournament stage, finished runner-up.

De Pere Co-op (27-1) captured its second title in the past three seasons with a commanding 8-0 victory over D.C. Everest Co-op (23-6) in the State Girls Hockey Tournament championship game at LEGACY20 Arena in Middleton. The top-seeded Ice Bears wasted no time seizing control, striking twice in the first period. Faye Brunke opened the scoring just 3:48 into the game, assisted by Mya Sheppard and Emily Bill, before doubling her tally at 11:39 with an assist from Bill and Tiana Sindt to give Ice Bears an early 2-0 lead. The offensive onslaught continued in the second period, as Bill scored 3-0 at 2:37, finishing a pass from Julianne Bradford and Brunke. Bradford then got on the board herself at 10:15, with Brunke and Bill notching assists, extending De Pere’s advantage to 4-0 heading into the final period. De Pere Co-op put any doubt on the game’s outcome to rest in the third period, adding four more goals to seal the title. Brunke completed her hat trick with a shorthanded goal at 8:36, assisted by Ava McDonald. Just over a minute later, Lily Lyons found the back of the goal at 9:38, with Hannah Von Haden providing the helper. Rachael Beeck added to the tally at 13:01, assisted by Addison Gady, before Brunke capped off her stellar performance with her fourth goal at 14:33, set up by Bill and Bradford. The four goals were the most scored by an individual in a State final. De Pere Co-op outshot D.C. Everest Co-op 31-16, with Brunke leading the charge with four goals and two assists. Bill contributed a goal and four assists, while Bradford recorded a goal and two assists. Goaltender Reese Spiering stopped all 16 shots she faced to secure the shutout. Conversely, Cami Flohr made 23 saves for D.C. Everest in goal. Offensively, Sophie Bohlin led 10 Storm players with four shots on goal. In its fifth State appearance, the De Pere Co-op avenged last year’s runner-up finish by reclaiming the championship it won in 2023. In addition, the Ice Bears won the title in 2014. Former defending champion D.C. Everest, making its sixth state tournament appearance, finished as the runner-up.

GYMNASTICS

The 2025 State Gymnastics Championships crowned individual champions in five events in two divisions Saturday following the team championships Friday at Wisconsin Rapids High School.

Senior Kylee Frank of Elkhorn won the Division 1 all-around competition after placing eighth last season in Division 2 and third in 2023, compiling a four-event score of 38.050. Junior Zoe Marckesano of Verona/Edgewood scored a 37.50 to finish second in the all-around.  Frank also won the uneven bars and the vault events. She earned the title on the bars with a score of 9.683 following a third-place standing last season in Division 2 and a runner-up finish in 2023. Frank’s teammate, junior Norah Adams, was second on the uneven bars with a score of 9.417. Frank captured the vault championship with a performance earning her a score of 9.60. Sophomore Annika Lee of Waunakee/Edgewood came in second with a score of 9.517 following her third-place finish in last year. Another Elkhorn gymnast won the championship on the balance beam. Senior Kate Krauklis scored a 9.583 to win the gold medal, jumping up from 19th place in Division 2 last season. Senior Addison Friedl of Hartford was runner-up in the event with a judges’ score of 9.467 after tying for eighth last season. Marckesano claimed the title in the floor exercise with a score of 9.567, and Ava Krista, a senior from Chippewa Falls/McDonell Catholic, was runner-up with a score of 9.417 after tying for seventh a year ago.

In Division 2, senior McKennah Orth of West Bend East won three titles. She won the all-around championship with a four-event score of 37.183, and she captured the crown in the floor exercise with a 9.65 and tied for the title in the vault at 9.40. Senior Madison Rummel, a teammate of Orth’s, finished second in the floor exercise with a score of 9.517, and junior Zofia Raduege of Jefferson/Cambridge tied Orth for the gold medal on vault with a score 9.40. Sophomore Madelyn Klein of the Dodgeville Co-op claimed the title in the uneven bars competition with a 9.383 and finished second to Orth in the all-around, compiling a tally of 37.067. Senior McKenna Breunig of Sauk Prairie was runner-up to Klein in the uneven bars with an effort earning a score of 9.017. Senior Avery Ash of Rice Lake successfully defended the title she won last season on the balance beam by scoring a 9.583. In addition to her two titles in the event, she also placed runner-up in 2023 and 10th in 2022. Orth came one place away from winning a fourth title in this year’s State championships, finishing runner-up on the beam with a score of 9.467. Chippewa Falls/McDonell Catholic earned the Division 1 title with a four-event team score of 143.55. It’s the first championship in the program’s history. The co-op placed fourth last year and third in 2023. Oak Creek/Whitnall finished runner-up with a total of 142.60 points. Rice Lake won the Division 2 championship with a score of 138.234 to earn the program’s first team championship in its history. The Warriors’ highest finish as a stand-alone program in their previous three State appearances was seventh in 1976. They also qualified 11 times in a former co-op with Cumberland. Monona Grove finished in second place with 137.517 points.

Though no one can sign until Wednesday, the roadwork for the NFL Free Agency period begins on Monday.

From 11 a.m. on Monday until 2:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents The two-day negotiating period applies only to prospective unrestricted free agents. The salary cap will be higher this year with the NFL announcing that it will be $279 million per club.

The Packers' strategy became clearer on Sunday, with WR D.K. Metcalf being traded from Seattle to Pittsburgh and WR Davante Adams signing with Los Angeles after being released by the New York Jets.

After a scare at the beginning of the second half, the Southern Door Eagles were able to pull away late from their Packerland Conference rival Algoma Wolves to win their second straight regional title 76-62.

The Eagles jumped out to an early double-figure lead only to see the Wolves trim it down to a 32-28 deficit at halftime. The momentum the Wolves had built in the late stages of the first half carried over into the second half, as they would take a 40-38 lead over the Eagles. Drew Daoust would take over from there, helping get the game tied at 47 before the Eagles went on a 29-15 run to end the game.

Daoust led all scorers with 34 points, helping the Eagles to put the Wolves after halftime with 24 of his points coming in the second half. Caden Pierre added 18 points, and Tyler Neinas chipped in 16 points as the pair combined to knock down seven three-pointers in the game for the Eagles. Parker Lischka paced the Wolves with 26 points, helping his team stay close to the Eagles in the first half with 15 points. Chase Romdenne scored all 13 points in the second half, while Braeden Leist and Charlie Prokash each posted seven points.

According to the current WIAA brackets, the Eagles will play Bonduel on Thursday at Green Bay Southwest. Stay tuned to NEW Radio Sports Network for specific broadcast information.

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls basketball team saw their season end on Thursday in the sectional final, losing to Assumption 61-42.

The Pioneers and the Royals exchanged blows early as both teams used their defense as an overpowering force to disrupt the offensive flow of the game. Jordan Jaglinski showed why she is one of the top three-point shooters in the state with two early three-pointers for the Royals, while Kayla Ranly used her ability to drive to the Pioneers' advantage with four buckets inside the arc. The Royals entered the locker room with a slim 25-23 advantage thanks to 10 first-half points from Jaglinski and six from Sarah Shaw. Ranly and the Rikkolas did their best to keep things close as they combined to score all 23 first-half points.

The first crack in the Pioneers' armor came right away in the second half when an early turnover sparked a 9-0 Royals run to expand their lead in double digits for the first time. Their lead would extend it to a dozen before the Pioneers began to whittle it away. Addison Schauske's three-pointer from well beyond the arc made it a 39-36 lead with 9:40 remaining in the game.

 

 

 

 

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With the momentum in the Pioneers' favor, the Royals' rally restarted when Leire Sainz de Rozas hit her own three-pointer on the very next possession, beginning a run that saw Assumption score 22 of the next 28 points in the game.

Four Royals players finished in double figures, with Shaw scoring 15 points, Jaglinski pouring 14 points, Addi Vollert adding 12 points, and Anna Schooley contributing 11 points. Ranly ended her career as the Pioneers' highest scorer with 19 points. Rikkola added to her program-record scoring mark with 14 more points, while Sadie Rikkola added six points, and Schauske chipped in three points.

Assumption will play in next weekend's WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament at the Resch Center, while Sevastopol's ends as one of the most successful in school history as they ended a 40-year drought without playing in a sectional final. 

Three unanswered goals in the third period proved to be the difference as Team USA swept the weekend set with the Green Bay Gamblers after beating them 6-3 in front of more than 6,500 fans at the Resch Center.

Team USA had already dug the Gamblers one three-goal hole with two tallies in the back half of the first period and one more early in the second. The Gamblers tied the game up over seven minutes as Aidan Park, Will Zellers, and Vasily Zelenov scored goals to tie things at three entering the third period. Two power-play goals and an empty netter later, Team USA handed the Gamblers their second straight loss.

Leo Henriquez stopped 30 of the 35 shots he faced in the loss. 

The Green Bay Packers officially welcomed back two kickers back to the fold for entirely different reasons this week.

On Wednesday, former kicker Mason Crosby informed the Packers of his decision to retire officially with the organization. He wrapped up his 16-season career with the Packers, leaving the team as its all-time leading scorer. According to the Packers, Crosby is the franchise leader in career points (1,918), field goals (395), 50-yard field goals (43), and extra points (733). It makes him one of only two players in NFL history to play in 250-plus regular-season games and score 1,900-plus points with one team.

Later that same day, K Brandon McManus signed a new deal to stay on with the Packers after joining the team after the regular season had started. Multiple sources have him signed on for over $5 million each year for three years. According to the Packers, he ranked No. 2 in the NFL in field-goal percentage (95.2, 20 of 21), the second-best single-season mark in team history (min. one attempt per game), and the top mark among Green Bay kickers with 20-plus attempts in a season. He also delivered two game-winning kicks in his first two games as a member of the team. 

A trip to the Resch Center is the prize up for grabs in Waupaca where the Sevastopol Pioneers will meet the Assumption Royals in the sectional final on Saturday.

The Pioneers overcame slow starts in both halves to beat Oneida Nation 45-28 on Thursday in Manitowoc. Three-pointers from Sadie Rikkola and Addison Schauske broke the dam open for the Pioneers, paving the way for Kayla Ranly to score 10 first-half points to guide the team to the locker room nursing a 28-13 advantage. Ranly led all scorers with 16 points, with Naomi Rikkola adding another 11 and Sadie Rikkola chipping in nine points for the Pioneers. Previously in the tournament, the Pioneers beat Wausaukee  70-13, Wabeno-Laona 50-21, and Florence 50-31. 

The Royals qualified for the sectional semifinal after beating Pacelli 61-43 at Adams-Friendship High School on Thursday. It was vengeance for a game earlier in the season when the Cardinals dealt the Royals their only loss of the season. Jordyn Jaglinski (15.2 ppg), Anna Schooley (14.5 ppg), and Sarah Shaw (12.0 ppg) all average double figures while Addi Volert is close behind at 8.5 ppg. They also beat Royal 55-14 and Almond-Bancroft 62-26 en route to Waupaca with a trip to Green Bay on the line. Sevastopol head coach Ben Rikkola is certainly aware of the challenge awaiting his team.

 

 

 

 

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The NEW Radio Sports Network will be live in Waupaca for the contest, and the game will air on U-102.1. The pregame show will begin at 6:45 p.m., followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m. Tim Kowols and Tom Ash will be on the call.

You can start planning your summer now after the Door County Baseball League announced its 2025 schedule this week.

The league will follow its standard bearer like it has for the last several years, with the season opening on Mother's Day weekend with a rematch of last year's DCL playoff championship game between Kolberg and Sister Bay among the four games. Baileys Harbor and Institute will once again hold night games on select Friday nights, including July 11th when they both play under the lights in separate contests. The DCL All-Stars will once again challenge the Shoreland League at Joannes Park in Green Bay on July 10th. The playoffs will begin on August 17th with the championship game taking place the following week.

You can find the full schedule below:

5/11/2025   Institute @ Baileys Harbor

                        Egg Harbor @ W. Jacksonport

                        Kolberg @ Sister Bay

                        Washington Island @ Maplewood

5/18/2025    Kolberg @ Institute

                        W. Jacksonport @ Maplewood

                        Washington Island @ Egg Harbor

                        Baileys Harbor @ Sister Bay

5/25/2025    Institute @ Maplewood

                        Egg Harbor @ Sister Bay

                        Kolberg @ Washington Island

                        Baileys Harbor @ W. Jacksonport

5/30/2025    Sister Bay @ Institute

6/1/2025      Baileys Harbor @ Kolberg

                        W. Jacksonport @ Washington Island

                        Maplewood @ Egg Harbor

6/8/2025      W. Jacksonport @ Kolberg

                        Institute @ Egg Harbor

                        Maplewood @ Sister Bay

                        Washington Island @ Baileys Harbor

6/13/2025    Egg Harbor @ Baileys Harbor

6/15/2025    Institute @ Washington Island

                        Sister Bay @ W. Jacksonport

                        Kolberg @ Maplewood

6/20/2025    W. Jacksonport @ Institute

6/22/2025    Kolberg @ Egg Harbor

                        Washington Island @ Sister Bay

                        Baileys Harbor @ Maplewood

6/27/2025    Baileys Harbor @ Institute

6/29/2025    W. Jacksonport @ Egg Harbor

                        Sister Bay @ Kolberg

                        Maplewood @ Washington Island

7/6/2025      Institute @ Kolberg

                        Maplewood @ W. Jacksonport

                        Egg Harbor @ Washington Island

                        Sister Bay @ Baileys Harbor

7/10/2025    ALL-STAR GAME-Joanne’s Park

7/11/2025    Maplewood @ Institute

                        W. Jacksonport @ Baileys Harbor

7/13/2025    Sister Bay @ Egg Harbor

                        Washington Island @ Kolberg

7/20/2025    Institute @ Sister Bay

                        Kolberg @ Baileys Harbor

                        Washington Island @ W. Jacksonport

                        Egg Harbor @ Maplewood

7/25/2025    Egg Harbor @ Institute

7/27/2025    Kolberg @ W. Jacksonport

                        Sister Bay @ Maplewood

                        Baileys Harbor @ Washington Island

8/3/2025      Washington Island @ Institute

                        Baileys Harbor @ Egg Harbor

                        W. Jacksonport @ Sister Bay

                        Maplewood @ Kolberg

8/8/2025      Maplewood @ Baileys Harbor

8/10/2025    Institute @ W. Jacksonport

                        Egg Harbor @ Kolberg

                        Sister Bay @ Washington Island

POST-SEASON PLAYOFF GAMES – TBA

First place team plays the fourth-place team and the second-place team plays the third-place team. Highest seeded teams have home-field advantage

The Division 4 Regional Rounds will feature a Packerland Conference matchup for the second night following Friday's semifinal games. 

Southern Door will welcome Algoma for the regional final after the Eagles derailed the St. Mary Catholic Zephyrs 74-60, and the Wolves toppled the Iola-Scandinavia Thunderbirds 71-58. Bryan Mazur will have the call on 104.1 WRLU beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

For the second straight year, the Kewaunee Storm boys basketball team's season ended at the hands of Oconto Blue Devils, this time by a score of 52-46 on Friday night.

Luxemburg-Casco saw their season come to a close on Friday night, losing to top-seeded Notre Dame 93-51

A second-period goal by Aidan Park was all the Green Bay Gamblers could muster in a 3-1 loss to Team USA at the Resch Center Friday night.

Park's tally tied the game at one in the opening minutes of the second period before Chad Lentz scored the eventual game-winner 10 minutes later and Richard Gallant added an insurance goal early in the third period. Leo Henriquez took the loss as he made 22 saves on 25 shots faced.

The Gamblers are back in action against Team USA at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday.

Four area teams are still alive in the WIAA Boys Basketball Tournament with chances to go for a regional title this weekend.

The Kewaunee Storm will hit the road, but keep things within the Packerland Conference when they play at Oconto Friday night in its regional semifinal game. Tim Kowols will have the call on 104.1 WRLU and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

Southern Door's road to Madison begins Friday when it welcomes St. Mary Catholic to Brussels for its regional semifinal game. Bryan Mazur will have the call on U-102.1 beginning hi at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m. The winner of the game will face either #6 Algoma or #3 Iola-Scandinavia on Saturday. Those two teams play at Iola-Scandinavia on Friday at 7 p.m.

In the other regional semifinal of local importance on Friday, Luxemburg-Casco will try their luck against top-seeded Notre Dame on the road.

And then there was one local team still alive in the WIAA Girls Basketball Tournament after Thursday's sectional semifinal round.

The Sevastopol girls basketball team is just one win away from the Resch Center after beating Oneida Nation 45-28 in Manitowoc. The Pioneers return to action on Saturday night when they face Assumption in Waupaca at 7 p.m. They dismantled Pacelli 61-43 in the other sectional semifinal hosted by Adams-Friendship.

The Kewaunee Storm fought back to force overtime but eventually fell to the Manitowoc Lutheran Lancers at Denmark High School 68-63 Thursday night in a WIAA Divison 4 girls' basketball sectional semifinal.

For the third time this year, the Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball team dismantled the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, this time beating them 84-58 in front of over 2,200 fans at the Kress Events Center.

The Phoenix outscored the Golden Grizzlies by at least eight points in three of the four quarters en route to their 20th win in a row. The Phoenix shot nearly 50 percent from the field despite a rough evening from beyond the arc (27 percent). A key to the victory also came on the glass as the Phoenix outrebounded their visitors 42-22.

Maddy Schreiber led all Phoenix players with 21 points, while Natalie McNeal chipped in 14 points and Callie Genke pitched in 11 points. Four other players scored at least eight points in the win.

The Phoenix will now prepare to play Robert Morris in the Horizon League semifinals on Monday in Indianapolis at 11 a.m. The winner takes on either No. 2 Purdue Fort Wayne or No. 3 Cleveland State.

The Green Bay Gamblers return to the Resch Center following a three-game residency in Ohio to play Team USA.

The Gamblers salvaged its final game against Youngstown on March 1st, beating the Phantoms 4-3. Will Zellers had a three-point game with two goals, while Egor Shilov added a goal and an assist in the win. Leo Henriquez earned the victory with 32 saves while the team went three-for-five on the power play.

Team USA is 17 points behind the Gamblers in the Eastern Conference standings with 35 points. The squad is 5-4-0-1 in their last ten games, but they have won three straight matchups.

Puck drops are set for 7:05 p.m. on Friday and 6:05 p.m. on Saturday.

THE TOURNAMENT:  The 29th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Team Wrestling Tournament will take place Friday and Saturday, March 6-7. The tournament is held at the Field House on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. Ticket prices for the tourney are $15 for the Friday session and $10 for the Saturday sessions.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS:  The single elimination tournament features eight teams in Division 1 and four each in Divisions 2 and 3. The Division 1 quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Friday evening with the Divisions 2 and 3 semifinals and the finals for all divisions Saturday.

Friday, March 6

Division 1 Quarterfinals - 5:30 p.m.
Pairings
Match-1:  #1 Mukwonago (23-1)?vs. #8 Brookfield East (9-9)
Match-2:  #4 Arrowhead (6-2) vs. #5 Holmen (17-4)
Match-3:  #3 Stoughton (21-2) vs. #6 Neenah (10-3)
Match-4:  #2 Kaukauna (12-2) vs. #7 Hudson (13-6)

Division 1 Semifinals - 7:30 p.m.
Match-5:  Match-1 Winner vs. Match-2 Winner
Match-6:  Match-3 Winner vs. Match-4 Winner

Saturday, March 7

Division 2 Semifinals - 10 a.m.
Match-1:  #1 Wrightstown (20-0) vs. #4 Port Washington (14-7)
Match-2:  #2 Prairie du Chien (22-2) vs. #3 Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro (16-6)

Division 3 Semifinals - 10 a.m.
Match-1:  #1 Coleman (14-0) vs. #4 Random Lake (13-1)
Match-2:  #2 Fennimore (13-0) vs. #3 Stratford (27-0)

Finals - 3 p.m.
Division 1 Championship Match
Division 2 Championship Match
Division 3 Championship Match

TEAM TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW:  The first WIAA State Wrestling Tournament was held in 1940. Until 1992, team champions were determined by a point system based on individuals’ placing in the individual championships. For the first time in 1992, a team champion was determined by a separate tournament series involving dual matches. UW-Stevens Point hosted the first two championships, and West Allis Central hosted the meet from 1994-2004. Since then, the tournament has been held at the UW Field House. 335 programs entered the series, including 128 in Division 1, 104 in Division 2, and 103 in Division 3.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Last season’s runner-up and top-seeded Mukwonago advances to State for the 10th and fourth time in the last five seasons. Prior to last season, the Indians’ most noteworthy experiences at State were advancing to the semifinals in 2011 and 2016. This season, they return to the State quarterfinals by upending Burlington 33-21 in the Kenosha Bradford Sectional final. Second-seeded Kaukauna is back at State for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons and for the 18th time overall. The Galloping Ghosts had a string of five straight appearances from 1999-2003 and have now surpassed that streak with their current run of eight consecutive appearances. They have won four State championships, all coming from 2014-17.  The Galloping Ghosts have also finished runner-up four times, including in 2000, 2003, 2008, and 2013. They qualified for State this year with a 50-15 victory over Bay Port in the sectional final hosted by Green Bay Southwest/West. Two-time defending champion Stoughton is the third seed. The Vikings are making their seventh straight appearance and their 14th overall. They have won nine State team titles overall. Before the team tournament format, the Vikings won seven State championships (1968, 1972, 1975-77, 1987-88). In addition, they have finished runner-up 10 times. This season, they continue their quest for a third consecutive title after defeating Janesville Craig 55-21 in the sectional final held at Craig. Fourth-seeded Arrowhead is making its 10th State appearance and its third in a row. The Warhawks had an impressive five successive appearances from 2004-2008. They have a pair of runner-up finishes in their history at the tournament. Those came in 2005 and 2011. The Warhawks’ return to the tournament field results from a 56-24 win over Whitnall/Greendale in the Pewaukee final. Fifth-seeded Holmen is making its fourth straight appearance in the tournament field. The Vikings advance to the State Tournament for the 10th time overall. Their most notable achievement was a runner-up finish in 2018.  The only other times they advanced as far as the semifinals were in 2012 and 2017. Holmen downed Waunakee 49-24 in the Middleton Sectional final to earn a return berth in the final eight. Neenah, the sixth seed, advances to the State Tournament for the first time since its only other appearance in 2004. The Rockets fell in their quarterfinal match that season. Their return to the State quarterfinal comes from a 36-25 victory over West Bend East in the Hartford Sectional final. Seventh-seeded Hudson is appearing in the team tournament for the first time since 2017 and for the fifth time overall. The Raiders advanced to the semifinals in 2011 and 2015 before being ousted from title contention, representing their furthest advance in the tournament. They are the River Falls Sectional representatives following their 37-22 victory over D.C. Everest in the final. Eighth-seeded Brookfield East will be experiencing the State Team Tournament for the first time in its program’s history. The Spartans earned their berth in the tourney field with a 38-30 win over Wisconsin Lutheran in the Milwaukee Riverside Sectional final.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Top-seeded Wrightstown is making its 10th overall appearance in the team tournament and the first since 2006. The Tigers qualified seven times during eight years from 1998-2006. They have won three Division 3 championships. Those came in 1999 and back-to-back in 2005 and 2006. They also finished runner-up in 1998. They return to the tournament following a 43-27 victory over Denmark in the Wautoma Sectional final. Second-seeded Prairie du Chien will make it first appearance in the State Team Tournament. The Blackhawks earned their berth with a 40-30 decision over Lodi in the sectional final held at Lodi. Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro, the third seed, makes its third straight State appearance after making its debut team tournament in 2018. The Titans fell in their semifinal match-ups in their previous two State experiences. Their return to the State semifinals follows a 35-28 decision over Medford in the Baldwin-Woodville Sectional final.  Fourth-seeded Port Washington will experience the State Tournament for the third time overall and the first time since 2007. The Pirates advanced to the semi-final round in Division 1 that season and fell in the quarterfinals in the first appearance in 2003. They qualify this season after edging Kiel 33-32 in the North Fond du Lac Sectional final.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD:  Coleman has been issued the #1 seed. The Cougars advanced to State for the 14th time and for the first time since the last year of a string of eight straight appearances, which resulted in a runner-up finish in 2015. They have won a total of 10 team championships. With the current dual format, they won the title in 2000, three in a row from 2010-12, and again in 2014. They also claimed crowns before the dual format in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1966, when only one division existed. In addition, they finished runner-up in 1959, 1961, 1981, 1983, 1996, 2008, 2013 and 2015. The Cougars out-dueled Brillion 39-38 to capture the Amherst Sectional title to earn their State berth.  Defending champion  Fennimore received the #2 seed. The Golden Eagles make their sixth straight appearance, which accounts for their total number of experiences. They also won the team title back in 2016. They defeated Aquinas 50-21 in the Brookwood Sectional final this season. Last year’s runner-up, Stratford, is seeded third. The Tigers have advanced to the Division 3 final the past three seasons, winning the title in 2017 and 2018. They are making their fifth straight appearance at State and their ninth overall. In addition to their runner-up finish last season, the Tigers have four other second-place finishes, including 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2016. They continue their quest to return to the title match following a 43-30 win over St. Croix Falls in the Cumberland Sectional final. Fourth-seeded Random Lake returns to the State Tournament for the ninth straight season and for the 11th time overall. The Rams’ most notable experience in the State Tournament was a runner-up finish in 2009. They posted a 45-24 win over Markesan in the sectional final hosted by the Rams to return to the final field of four.

Two local teams are still in play in the WIAA Girls Basketball Tournament with sectional semifinal games scheduled for Thursday night.

The Sevastopol Pioneers are coming off short rest to travel to Manitowoc Lincoln to play Oneida Nation. Tim Kowols and Bryan Mazur will have the call on U-102.1 beginning at 6:45 p.m. followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m. The winner will battle either Assumption or Pacelli on Saturday.

Speaking of Manitowoc Lutheran, Kewaunee will visit Denmark to play the Lancers in their sectional semifinal. Paul Schmitt and Eric Fischer will have the call on 104.1 WRLU beginning at 6:45 p.m., followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m. The winner will play either St. Mary Catholic or Bonduel.

The top-seeded Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball team will get their first taste of Horizon League Tournament play when they host Oakland on Thursday night.

The Phoenix have won over 20 games in a row since December. Two of those wins came against the Golden Grizzlies, defeating them on the road 75-39 on February 13 after beating them 69-39 at the Kress Center on January 18th. The Golden Grizzlies advanced after upsetting IU-Indianpolis as the 10 seed. 

The other three quarterfinal matchups scheduled for Thursday night are:

No. 4 Robert Morris vs. No. 5 Northern Kentucky (4:30 p.m. CST, ESPN+)

No. 3 Cleveland State vs. No. 6 Detroit Mercy (4:30 p.m. CST, ESPN+)

No. 2 Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Wright State (6:00 p.m. CST, ESPN+)

With less than 50 days until the NFL Draft takes place in Green Bay, the league is asking you to RSVP now.

The NFL announced this week that fans can now register for free and secure their spot by downloading the NFL OneP?ass app or by registering online at NFL.com/DraftAccess. Every adult is required to register, and all registrants may include up to five children per entry.

“We are incredibly excited to bring the NFL Draft to Green Bay - a city that lives and breathes football,” said Peter O’Reilly, executive vice president of league events, club business and international. “Lambeau Field and Titletown are a bucket-list destination for football fans from around the country and around the world.   It’s the perfect stage to unveil the next generation of NFL stars and unite the entire football community for an unforgettable weeklong celebration.”

NFL officials did one last site visit in Green Bay this week as well, visiting local municipal meetings. They teased some of the activities that will take place during the three day event, including a drone show and concert on Saturday and events that will take place inside the stadium bowl. 

The NFL Draft will take place April 24th through the 26th.

With the season opener coming up on March 28th, the Green Bay Blizzard are still adding pieces to their roster.

This week, the team welcomed OL Timothy Robinson and DL Suh Kamara to the roster as they hosted orientation meetings. Kamara is entering his second IFL season after playing for the Bay Area Panthers last season, following a stint in the USFL and a successful college career at Wake Forest. Robinson is a rookie following his time at Murray State. You can read more about both players by following the links below.

The Green Bay Packers announced the re-signing of kicker Brandon McManus for next season .  According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, McManus inked a three-year, 15.3 million contract with a $5 million signing bonus.

McManus solved the Packer kicking situation midseason last year, playing in 11 games and hitting on 20 of 21 field goal attempts in the regular season.

McManus’ 95.2 percent accuracy on field goals last season was ranked second-best in the NFL.   

A 12-year veteran from Temple, McManus signed with the Packers last October and has played for four NFL teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Jacksonville Jaguars.  

The 2024-25 season for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team ended Tuesday night as they lost to the Oakland Grizzlies 96-72 in the Horizon League Tournament.

The loss ended the first season for head coach Doug Gottlieb, whose team finished 4-28 and suffered the second-fewest wins in the 56-year history of the program. 

Oakland controlled the game from the start and took a 47-34 lead into halftime.

The second half saw the Grizzlies pull away and finish off the Phoenix with a convincing 24-point margin.

Green Bay was led by Jeremiah Johnson, who scored 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds.  C.J. O’Hara added 15 more,e and Marcus Hall chipped in 11, but it was not enough.

Green Bay (4-28) will now try to rebuild a young roster and see where the portal takes them in the offseason.  Oakland will now advance in the Horizon League Tournament by playing the Milwaukee  Panthers on Thursday in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Bucks outscored the Atlanta Hawks 35-26 in the fourth quarter and hung on for a 127-121 win on the road on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee took a four-point lead into the second quarter and went into halftime tied with the Hawks at 66-66. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with his seventh triple-double game of the season, scoring 26 points, with 12 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Bucks.  Damien Lillard added 23 more and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 17 more as the Bucks improved to 35-25.

Milwaukee will now host the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum, with the tip at 7 p.m.  

Three local teams advanced in the opening round of the WIAA State Boys Basketball tournament, while two other teams saw their seasons end on Tuesday night.

The #5 Kewaunee Storm cruised to a 78-50 home win over the #12 Sevastopol Pioneers Tuesday night in a WIAA Division 4 Boys Basketball regional first-round game on 104.1 WRLU.

In Peshtigo, the Sturgeon Bay Clippers lost a heartbreaker to the Bulldogs 53-51 on U-102.1.

The Gibraltar Vikings' season ended with a 65-38 loss to Sheboygan Christian in Division 5 on 105.1 The GOAT. 

The Algoma Wolves advanced with a 67-59 win over the Weyauwega-Fremont Warhawks at home.

In Luxemburg, The #8 Luxemburg-Casco Spartans edged the Green Bay Southwest Trojans 57-53 in Division 2 tournament action.

(photo by Ron LeCloux)

The #2 Southern Door Eagles received a first-round bye and will play Friday night at home against the #7 Saint Mary Catholic Zephyrs, who defeated Crivitz 102-64.  That game will be broadcast on U102.1 and streamed on the NEW Radio Sports Network.

Most of the boys basketball teams will begin their road to Madison on Tuesday with four of those teams being featured on the NEW Radio Sports Network.

The Gibraltar boys' basketball team is entering a new season as they travel to Sheboygan Christian on Tuesday to open the WIAA Division 5 Tournament. Tim Kowols will have the call on 105.1 The GOAT Tuesday night, beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the pregame show and followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

Packerland Conference matchups make up the other two games covered by the NEW Radio Sports Network. The Sturgeon Bay Clippers boys begin their playoff run on the road Tuesday night against the Peshtigo Bulldogs. Join Jacob Nate and Bryan Mazur on U102.1 and New Radio Sports Network, beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 pm. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm. Kewaunee and Sevastopol will renew acquaintances inside the Storm Gymnasium on Tuesday. Paul Schmitt and Eric Fischer will have the call on 104.1 WRLU beginning at 6:45 p.m. followed by the opening tip at 7 p.m.

The other games featuring local teams include Algoma hosting Weyauwega-Fremont (7 p.m.) and Luxemburg-Casco hosting Green Bay Southwest (7 p.m.).

It was a tale of two very different halves for the Sevastopol Pioneers, but the Ladies survived the challenge and defended a packed home gymnasium, defeating the Florence Bobcats 50-31 and capturing a Regional title. This is the Pioneers' second Regional Championship in three years.  

The first half got off to a hot start as Naomi Rikkola drained a three on the Pioneers' opening possession. However, the Florence Bobcats used a full-court press that Sevastopol has not seen too often this year to frustrate the Pioneers the entire half. The Pioneers' trap defense kept the game close, though, as it entered halftime with the Bobcats holding a small 20-17 lead.

Coming out of the half, the Bobcats would add to the lead, as the Pioneers were held over 4 minutes without a basket to open the half, but the defense of Sienna Cain and Kayla Ranly also ramped up.  Those two would force nearly a dozen turnovers in the second half alone. Combining the Pioneers' ramped-up defense and a hot hand of Naomi Rikkola, who would hit a trio of threes in a matter of minutes, they soon found themselves up by 6 in just over 2 minutes.  The defense of the Pioneers found its footing in the second half, holding the Bobcats to just 11 second-half points compared to the Pioneers' 33 second-half points. 

The Pioneers' leading scorers in the Regional Championship were Naomi Rikkola, with 29, Kayla Ranly, with 11, and Sienna Cain, with 4.

The Pioneers will now face Oneida Nation on Thursday Night at a neutral site. That game can be heard on U102.1 and New Radio Sports Network. 

Maybe the third time is the charm for Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team as they travel to Michigan on Tuesday to face the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the Horizon League Tournament opener.

The Phoenix lost both of their games to the Golden Grizzlies this season, falling on the road 68-54 and losing last Saturday at the Resch Center 87-84. In the most recent contest, the Phoenix men saw a double-digit lead evaporate before losing to Oakland 87-84 in overtime. The Phoenix were outrebounded by 11, including the one by Allen Mukeba that he corralled and put back to force the extra period. Marcus Hall led the Phoenix with 25 points, while Jeremiah Johnson poured in 18 points and Foster Wonders added 12 points off the bench.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

The Green Bay Packers are not waiting until the start of NFL Free Agency or the draft to begin addressing their needs in the linebacker corps.

On Monday, The Packers announced that LB Isaiah McDuffie was resigning to a new contract. The Boston College product has played in 63 regular-season games for Green Bay with 26 starts, recording 206 tackles (114 solo), eight tackles for a loss, a sack, six QB hits, four passes defensed and a forced fumble. He is also considered one of the stalwarts on the team's special teams' units. 

According to ESPN and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, McDuffie agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with an additional $1 million in play-time incentives. 

The wait is over for the Sevastopol girls basketball team as they will finally get to play their regional final game against Florence on Monday night.

The Pioneers chased off demons of tournaments' past when they beat Wabeno-Laona 50-21 last Friday. The Rebels' had previously eliminated the Pioneers, but six three-pointers in the first half gave Sevastopol a 27-10 lead at the break that they would not relinquish. Kayla Ranly paced the Pioneers with 13 points while Naomi Rikkola added nine and Ella Volkmann chipped in eight.

The Bobcats secured one of the two big upsets in the Division 5 region with a 39-38 win over second-seeded Gillett. The Bobcats posted a 16-8 record during the regular season thanks to Kamdan Johnson, who leads the Bobcats with 13.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

Jacob Nate and Bryan Mazur will have the call on U-102.1 beginning at 5:45 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the opening tip at 6 p.m.

Green Bay Packers season ticket holders now know how much they owe for the upcoming season, but only if they are allowed to buy them in the first place.

The Packers announced their plans for a price increase on stadium bowl tickets for the 2025 season last Friday. Depending on location, regular-season tickets will increase between $7 and $21 per game. Pre-season games, which are half as much as regular season games, will see their ticket prices jump $3 to $11. The 2025 season will see the Packers host eight regular-season games and two preseason contests. 

The organization also announced that it is declining to renew the season tickets of accounts that have sold 100 percent of their tickets for regular-season games for multiple years. According to multiple news sources, it will affect about one percent of the 40,000 season ticket holders. The tickets that are renewed will help whittle down the current waiting list. 

The Green Bay Phoenix men will have a rematch while the women will have to wait to learn who they will play when the Horizon League Tournament opens this week.

The Phoenix men, fresh off a painful 81-77 loss to Oakland on Saturday at the Resch Center, will head to the Golden Grizzlies' O'Rena to open their Horizon League Tournament run. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

The Phoenix women will play next on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Kress Events Center, but the tournament field has to sort itself out before then. As the number one seed following Saturday's win over Purdue Fort Wayne, they will play the lowest remaining seed from Tuesday's games. 

The Green Bay Rockers' roster continues to take shape after the latest additions from Norfolk State late last week.

Norfolk State University players Mac Yarbrough, Jalan Jones, and Justin Journette are the latest to join the Rockers ahead of the season's start on Memorial Day weekend. Jones and Journette are speedy outfielders who both hit above .300 last season for the HBCU squad. Yarbrough is the only one of the three to have previous summer league experience, playing for his new Rockers manager with the Johnstown Mill Rats.

You can read more about the new additions here.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Athletics announced today at a media conference that they agreed to an eight-year contract extension that grants the WIAA the availability of facilities to host high school State championships in boys' basketball, football, boys’ and girls’ golf, individual and team wrestling, and softball through the spring of 2033.

The UW campus and the City of Madison are premier destinations and locations for WIAA?State Tournaments. In 2023-24, the State Tournaments at UW facilities drew a paid attendance of more than 196,000 with thousands of additional participants, coaches, and school administrators.

A recent study, conducted using data shared by Destination Madison, indicated that the economic impact of WIAA State Tournaments held in the Madison area is estimated at $22.2 million.

“It is a thrill for UW Athletics, our campus, and our city to play host to the state’s top high school student-athletes, coaches, and staff members each year,” UW Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh said. “I am very pleased that we will be welcoming teams and their fans to Madison for years to come, and I appreciate the partnership we have with Stephanie Hauser and the WIAA.”

The agreement recognizes the mutual commitment to provide memorable experiences for participating student-athletes and spectators attending WIAA State Tournament events. In addition to identifying the best high school student-athletes and teams in the state, the tournaments showcase several of the state’s finest facilities, the UW campus, and the City of Madison.

“Chris McIntosh and his entire staff have conveyed the importance of showcasing the WIAA Championships on their campus, and we look forward to continuing this partnership in serving the member schools and their student-athletes,” WIAA Executive Director Stephanie Hauser said. 

Many thrilling and unforgettable memories for WIAA State Tournament participants and spectators have been experienced at UW’s iconic venues. The Kohl Center has been the site of the State Boys Basketball Tournament and the State Individual Wrestling Tournament since 1998, when the facility was opened. Except for 1936 and then 2020-2021, during the pandemic, the boy's basketball tournament has been played in Madison since 1920, and the wrestling championships have been conducted there since 1949. The UW Field House has been the State Team Wrestling Championship Tournament site since 2005, with the 2020-2021 exceptions.

In addition, Camp Randall Stadium has been home to the WIAA?State Football Finals since 1982 except 2021, and University Ridge has hosted the girls' and boys' State Golf Championships a combined 54 times since 1994. Goodman Diamond has been the site of the State Softball Championship Tournament since it moved to Madison in 2002, except 2020-2021.

The WIAA State Girls and Boys Team and Individual Tennis Tournaments are also held on the UW campus but are not associated with this agreement. Those event and venue agreements are with UW Recreation Sports.

The membership’s Constitution defines the WIAA as a private, voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The association was formed in 1896 – becoming the nation's first state high school association – after the first State Track & Field Championships were held on the UW campus in 1895.

The WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 513 senior high schools and 36 junior high/middle-level schools in its membership. It sponsors 30 State Tournaments in 2024-25.

After identical 3-1 losses on Thursday and Friday, the Green Bay Gamblers finally won in the Buckeye State, beating the Youngstown Phantoms 4-3 Saturday night.

The Gamblers were three-for-five on the power play, two of which occurred in the fateful second period that tied the game at three heading into the final period. Will Zellers' second goal proved to be the game-winner as the Gamblers held off the Phantoms in the game's final 18-and-a-half minutes. Zellers picked up a third point in the first period when he assisted on the game's first goal off the stick of Egor Shilov, who also had a multi-point game along with Lukas Peterson. 

Fans of Green Bay Phoenix basketball were treated to extra action on Saturday, with one game ending in glee and the other in utter, but familiar disappointment.

In the afternoon, the Phoenix women used a crowd of 3,500-plus strong and timely buckets to beat Purdue Fort Wayne 68-63. The Phoenix saw their one-point halftime lead disappear in the third quarter as the Mastodons outscored them by six points. After tying the game in the fourth quarter, the Phoenix outscored the Mastodons 11-6 to capture their 19th straight win and their 23rd conference title. Natalie McNeal registered career highs in points (27) and rebounds (12) to pace the Phoenix, while Jasmine Kondrakiewicz collected 10 points, while Bailey Butler and Maddy Schreiber added nine points apiece.

At night, the Phoenix men saw a double-digit lead evaporate before losing to Oakland 87-84 in overtime. The Phoenix were outrebounded by 11, including the one by Allen Mukeba that he corralled and put back to force the extra period. Marcus Hall led the Phoenix with 25 points, while Jeremiah Johnson poured in 18 points and Foster Wonders added 12 points off the bench. The Phoenix will get a third bout against the Golden Grizzlies this season when they open the Horizon League Tournament in Oakland on Tuesday.

The Kewaunee Storm held on to win a regional championship Friday night, avenging last season’s playoff loss to the Valders Vikings with a thrilling 49-46 win at home.

After both teams' slow starts, the Storm led most of the first half, taking their largest lead, 24-13, into halftime on a layup by Braelyn Chevalier.

The second half got really interesting when the Storm took a 14-point lead on a three-pointer by Lexie Hanrahan before the Vikings went on a huge run to take the lead midway through the final period behind Megan Hockkammer who got hot in the second half.

The Storm regained the lead with Jade Kroll scoring five straight to take a four-point lead.

Valders would keep it close and cut the lead to 47-46 on a three-pointer by Anna Olson with 6.9 left.

After a foul with 4.1 seconds left, Kewaunee’s Breanna Riha hit two free throws, and a half-court desperation shot by Hockhammer came up short. 

Kroll led the Storm in scoring with 19 points while Lexie Hanrahan added 11 more points.

Hockhammer finished with 19 points for Valders, scoring all her points in the second half, while Zoey Siders added 14 points.

#2 Kewaunee (21-4) will now travel to Kohler to take on the #1 seeded Manitowoc Lutheran Lancers on Thursday night. Pregame on 104.1 WRLU will start at 6:45 p.m., with tip-off at 7:00 p.m. Paul Schmitt and Eric Fischer will have the call, and the game will also be streamed online at NEW Radio Sports Network. 

Several area wrestlers are coming home with hardware from this weekend's WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament, but only one did so from the top of the podium.

Luxemburg-Casco's Carson Neubert finished his season on top of the Division 1 world on Saturday, winning the state championship at 126 pounds. Neubert's title came with some extra drama, beating Maximus Hay (Brown Deer/Messmer/Shorew.) by sudden victory. His season ended with nearly 60 wins with just one blemish to his record. Kiley Georgel wished you could have added a loss to the record of the undefeated Brooke Huffman (Wittenberg-Birnamwood-Girls), but she was pinned in the first period to finish in second place. Blakelee Bastien fell to Tristan North (West Allis Nathan Hale) in a decision to take fourth place. At the same time, Joseph Jeanquart wrestled his way through consolation rounds to take sixth overall after losing to Cael Zelinski (Muskego) in his final match of the day.

Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol's Spencer Madsen ended his season on a high note, finishing in third place overall in the Division 2 State Wrestling Tournament. Madsen rebounded from a close loss in the semifinals to beat Adam Haas (Shoreland Lutheran) 6-1 to capture the bronze medal. Madsen's season finishes with over 50 wins and just a pair of losses to his ledger with another season to go to find his way to the top of the podium.

Kewaunee's Mitchell Boeder ended his high school wrestling season with a podium finish, coming in fourth place at 285 pounds in the Division 3 State Wrestling Tournament. Boeder's weekend ended with getting pinned twice after being the one doing the pinning in his first two matches. In the third place match, Boeder was pinned in the second period by Zach Hellendrung (Boyceville). His season ends with nearly 50 wins after reaching the milestone of 100 wins earlier this season.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association announces the hiring of Jacob Beschta to serve as assistant director on the executive staff today. He will assume his role at the organization’s headquarters on June 5, 2025.

“I am extremely grateful and honored to have the opportunity to serve our membership as Assistant Director,” Beschta said. “I look forward to working alongside our dedicated WIAA team to support our member schools in providing the absolute best in academic and co-curricular opportunities for our student-athletes.”

Beschta’s responsibilities will include the administration and tournament planning for the sports assigned and other administrative duties to be determined.

“Our staff enthusiastically welcomes Jake to our team,” Executive Director Stephanie Hauser said. “His wide range of experiences as athletic director, coach, licensed official and as a high school principal bring a unique perspective to our staff in serving the membership.”

Beschta joins the executive staff after serving as high school principal in the Denmark School District since 2020. Among his many responsibilities, he supervised and evaluated professional and support staff and led the hiring process for all high school staff. He has guided the planning and implementation of course and curriculum development, effectuated school safety planning and professional development for district and building staff, and managed building and activity budgets.

He also collaborated to create several strategies and initiatives to enhance opportunities, engagement, and improvement for students and staff. Beschta developed the Vikings Link Crew, a student-led, ninth-grade mentorship program, and led the implementation of a Building Advisory Committee to improve the school’s master schedule, create opportunities for shared leadership, and implement a building continuous improvement plan. He also worked with the athletic director to hire coaches and revise the district’s coaches handbook.

Before his most current role, Beschta served as principal at Oconto Falls High School from 2018-2020. In addition to similar responsibilities and achievements at Denmark, he collaborated on educator effectiveness planning. He implemented a leadership committee to build teacher course loads and student-led tutor and mentoring programs. He also created a Student Leadership Committee, led the school’s Wall of Fame nomination and inductee process, and worked with the athletic director to implement coach evaluations and professional learning. 

He served three years as the athletic director and associate principal at Sheboygan Falls High School from 2015-18. Beschta was responsible for 17 athletic programs, the district’s recreation programs, and co-curricular clubs. In addition to managing the athletic program budget, he supervised policy updates to the student handbook and athletic code, evaluated coaches, facilitated staff professional development opportunities, and led coach and conference meetings.  

Other educational experiences include teaching middle school mathematics and language arts in the Coleman School District from 2007-15.  Along with his teaching duties, he served as football junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach, girls basketball junior varsity head and varsity assistant coach, and as a high school track & field coach.

Beschta is currently the co-chair of the WIAA Calendar and Contact Ad-Hoc Committee. He is also a WIAA-licensed basketball official at the master level and a member of the Green Bay Officials Association. His other education-related service includes a position as secretary and vice president of the Northeast Wisconsin Conference Principals Committee.

The WIAA, as defined by its Constitution, is a voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 513 senior high schools and 36 junior high/middle-level schools in its membership.

Picture courtesy of WIAA