Sauk Prairie’s year in sports

Thrilling victories. Magnificent individual performances. Memories to last a lifetime. These are the norm inside the sports programs at Sauk Prairie High School. But there was nothing normal about 2020. The sports world came to a screeching halt on March 12 due to COVID-19. And it wasn’t until August that sports started again at Sauk Prairie. In that time, there were plenty of memorable moments. There was also a lot of waiting, watching and wondering. I’m looking back at the top-10 stories of 2020. Stories 6-10 ran last week. Here are the top-five.   1. Let them play Sauk Prairie athletic director Josh Boyer did yeoman’s work to help the Eagles return to action this fall. After winter sports were halted on March 12 due to COVID-19 — and spring sports were cancelled altogether — much of the state was uncertain how to handle the fall. Sauk Prairie elected to stay the course, though. The Eagles faced teams inside the Badger Conference that also chose to play, as well as other schools throughout the area.  Sauk Prairie offered football, boys and girls cross country, girls golf, girls tennis, girls volleyball, girls swimming and boys soccer in the fall. “We are extremely grateful to get the opportunity to move forward with our season,” girls tennis coach Heather Slosarek said when the season began. “As a teacher and coach, I am thrilled to be back around student/player energy again.   “Many of our players are multi-sport athletes who have had to put participation in their normal routines on pause throughout the spring and summer months. I believe all of them are eager to hit the courts again, even if it will be a little different this season.” The WIAA Board of Control said that schools which were unable to start fall sports in 2020 may have an opportunity to conduct their fall seasons in the spring. The Board of Control directed its executive staff to develop details and calendars for an alternative three-sport season in the second semester of the 2020-21 school year. Sauk Prairie elected to give fall sports a try, though. And while there some hiccups along the way, things went swimmingly for the most part. “These are unique times and what we have been accustomed to or expected out of schedules of athletic contests for each season will most likely not be the case for this upcoming school year as we will experience differences in how things are scheduled,” Boyer said. While things were certainly different, the Eagles were all thrilled to have the chance to compete. “We are all thrilled to get started and have at least some type of season,” girls swimming coach Melani Guentherman said. “We will still push the girls and provide a framework for them to push themselves, but safety is a paramount concern this year. The part that will be the same is our enthusiasm for the sport and joy of seeing the girls compete and have fun!”   Cross country coach Andy Sherman felt the same way. “Overall, I am excited to get back to work in person with our teams,” Sherman said. “They are such great people.  “I know that any time we get together will be treated with gratitude and understanding how lucky we are. But they will also understand the responsibility needed to make sure we do everything within our power to follow the guidelines and procedures so we don’t lose out.” That all happened — and the Eagles enjoyed a terrific fall.   2. Boys soccer  team captures silver This could be just the beginning. That’s how Sauk Prairie boys soccer coach Drew Kornish and his Eagles felt as they left Marshfield on Nov. 7. Sauk Prairie reached the WIAA Division 2 state championship game for just the second time in school history thanks to a 2-1 win over Delavan-Darien in the semifinals. And even though the Eagles dropped a 2-0 decision to Manitowoc Roncalli/Two Rivers in the title game, the glow of their remarkable season still burned brightly on the long bus ride home. “An overall amazing experience for all the boys,” Kornish said. “I have never had a team fight and work as hard as this team did on Saturday. In the end we came up just short, but I hope that taste of success can drive our program for the foreseeable future.” The 2020 Eagles enjoyed the type of success all teams dream about. Sauk Prairie entered the state tournament with a 10-2-3 record. The Eagles hadn’t lost since Oct. 8 and outscored its four postseason opponents by a combined score of 17-1. The Eagles then experienced a wild and wacky day — which seems par for the course in 2020 — on their way to the state title. Sauk Prairie received a memorable send-off as it left town and headed for Marshfield High School. Shortly thereafter, though, Marshfield athletic director Nathan DeLany informed Kornish that Delavan-Darien was having busing issues, and the game slated for a 2 p.m. start would begin later. “As the day played out and we continued to wait around at a local park for word on when our game would be played, it became very evident that the winner of this semifinal game would have little to no break between the semifinal and the final,” Kornish said. The Eagles’ sole focus, though, was on reaching the finals. And when the game finally began at 4:15 p.m., Sauk Prairie — making its first state appearance since 1996 — gave an outstanding performance. Delavan-Darien, which has won two state titles since 2014, was the No. 1 seed and a heavy favorite over the fourth-seeded Eagles. But Sauk Prairie made the most of its chances and surprised the Comets. “It just seems like with this team, anything bad that can happen, does,” Delavan-Darien coach Mike Marse told the Janesville Gazette. “Things that can mess us up, it just seems like it always finds us.” On this day, that thing was Sauk Prairie. In the 28th minute, junior midfielder Sam Drescher was taken down and drew a free kick. Junior forward Quinn Baier was then able to get his head to the ball, play it over Comets’ keeper Hector Flores and give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The Comets responded just before halftime, though, and notched the equalizer in the 43rd minute. Delavan-Darien turned up the pressure in the second half, but Eagles’ keeper Luke Baumgardt was brilliant, finishing the game with eight saves. Then in the 51st minute, Drescher picked up a loose ball in the Eagles’ defensive third and raced past four Delavan-Darien defenders inside the Comets’ 18-yard box. Drescher fought off a defender, slotted the ball to Baier, who beat Flores for the eventual game-winning goal. Delavan-Darien applied heavy pressure the rest of the way. But Baumgardt and the Eagles’ defense didn’t budge, and Sauk Prairie prevailed. “We were on our back foot defending from the start … and Luke Baumgardt played an incredible game and was able to keep them out,” Kornish said. “We had done our homework and knew they were fast and direct. We were prepared.” Thanks to their late start against the Comets, Sauk Prairie then faced Roncalli with a short recovery window. The Eagles got the better of play in the first half, but couldn’t finish. Eventually, that loomed large in the Jets’ win. “We played an outstanding first 45 minutes creating a few really good chances in which we were unable to finish,” Kornish said. “This ended up being our downfall.” Indeed it was. Jets’ standout Tyler Bonin — who led the state in goals (33) and points (74) this year — scored in the 71st minute to give Roncalli a 1-0 lead. The Eagles turned up the pressure and nearly got the equalizer in the 85th minute when Drescher just missed the left post from 18 yards out. The Jets then raced back and Bonin struck again in the 87th minute to give Roncalli an insurmountable lead. Sauk Prairie will say goodbye to eight seniors, but has a tremendous junior class and terrific depth in the program. That’s why Kornish and the Eagles believe the best could still be coming. “Those seniors did an outstanding job preparing the underclassman for what is to come,” Kornish said. “I really believe this program will be back at the state tournament in the near future.”    3. Girls volleyball team reaches state This isn’t the way they wanted it to end. When Sauk Prairie’s girls volleyball team stepped back, though, and looked at the big picture, the Eagles took tremendous pride in what had been accomplished. Sussex Hamilton defeated the Eagles, 25-13, 25-11, 25-23, in the WIAA Division 1 state semifinals on Nov. 7 in Wisconsin Rapids. The Chargers went on defeat Burlington in the state championship, while Sauk Prairie’s first trip to state since 2009 provided a glimpse of where this up-and-coming program could be headed. “I could not be more proud of this team,” said Eagles second-year coach Amy Schlimgen. “This was truly a dream come true for me!   “I would not have believed it if you told me this would be the outcome of the 2020 season when I accepted the position in 2019. This group of girls is very special and I could not have asked for more from them! They were so determined to make the most of this season — and they certainly did!” Throughout the summer, the Eagles had no idea if they’d have a season. Many schools in the Badger North Conference elected not to play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Sauk Prairie believed it could take the necessary precautions to have a safe season. For the most part, that’s exactly what happened — and the Eagles proceeded to make it a year to remember. Sauk Prairie went 18-5 during the regular season. The Eagles — who typically are a Division 2 school — were then bumped up a division because there weren’t as many teams competing this fall. That didn’t stop Sauk Prairie from making a memorable run to state, though. In the regional finals, the Eagles defeated defending Division 1 state champion Hartland Arrowhead. And in the regional semifinals, Sauk Prairie downed defending Division 1 state runner-up Oconomowoc. Sauk Prairie then toppled Slinger and Fox Valley Lutheran in sectionals to advance to state for the first time in 11 years. The clock struck midnight for the Eagles, though, against a Sussex Hamilton team that was long, athletic and extremely skilled. “We did not play our best,” Schlimgen said. “And we ran into a very talented, strong team in Hamilton. They had great chemistry and controlled us from the start.” Sauk Prairie trailed, 13-10, in the first set. The Eagles then got back-to-back kills from Olivia Paukner and Aida Shadewald that pulled them within 13-12. But the Chargers went on an 8-0 run and won the first set, 25-13. Hamilton held a 6-5 lead in the second set when it embarked on a 13-2 run to take a 19-7 lead. The Eagles ran off three straight points late in the set — two on kills by Shadewald — but Hamilton remained in control and cruised to a 25-11 win. The Eagles were far more competitive in the third set. Hamilton led, 15-14, when the Eagles ran off four straight points and took an 18-15 lead. Shadewald started the rally with a kill on a feed from Jenna Pistono, then the Chargers had three straight attack errors and Sauk Prairie surged to an 18-15 lead. After a timeout, the Chargers answered with a 5-1 run and grabbed a 20-19 lead. Hamilton led, 24-22, when Olivia Breunig set up Shadewald for a kill to pull the Eagles within 24-23. But the Chargers snagged the next point, ending both the match and the Eagles’ dream season. “We started to come alive and play better ball and gave them one good set,” Schlimgen said. “I hope the girls will always remember it very fondly and the awesome, memorable moments we had and the obstacles they overcame and their determination, focus, and camaraderie.  “I think we went further than what was expected and to make it to state is always the goal and we did that. There still were tears after the match because the ultimate goal was a ball, but there is certainly no hanging of heads about this season!” Shadewald led the Eagles with 12 kills, while both Paukner and Breunig had five. Breunig led Sauk Prairie with 14 assists and Pistono had eight. Alia Schlimgen had 15 digs to lead the Eagles, while Kaitlyn Brickl added 12. Paukner also added two aces. Sauk Prairie fielded an extremely young team in 2020 and could be poised for even bigger and better next fall.  “I hope it will light a fire within the whole program and the future Sauk Prairie volleyball teams to strive for this goal always,” Schlimgen said. “I think another run in 2021 is very possible — whichever division we end up getting put in. The community and school support was incredible and something to be very proud of!”   4. Spring sports  canceled For more than a month, they held out hope. They crossed their fingers and kept preparing for a season they knew might never arrive. In late April, though, the end officially came for high school coaches and athletes across the state. The WIAA’s Board of Control voted, 10-1, to cancel spring sports competitions and the spring sports tournament series. Spring sports coaches will still be allowed to coach virtually through the end of the state tournament for their specific sport.  Spring coaches were also given 30 out-of-season contact days — up from the typical five days — to work with athletes in July and August.  The WIAA’s decision came after Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers extended the coronavirus stay-at-home order through May 26. Evers’ mandate also closed schools and banned any extracurricular activities until at least June 30. While many have been expecting such a decision, the finality of it all certainly stung. “Like everyone else, our kids are devastated,” Sauk Prairie baseball coach Darin Pape said. “For many of them, baseball is what they do. For a few, it’s the only sport that they compete in. It’s who they are as an athlete.   “However, I know that as tough as we would have been on the diamond, we are just as tough and resilient in dealing with this adversity. I know that our kids are going to bounce back from this setback. They will overcome the grief that missing this season has them dealing with. They are tough, gritty kids. We will end the season undefeated at 1-0, when we beat Covid-19.” Eagles girls softball coach Shane Been agreed. “The athletes have been practicing weekly from the first week of the school year and were raring to go,” Been said. “The athletes are strong, but struggling. “For all of our returning athletes, we will never get to play on our field again due to the referendum. We were looking forward to honoring our past before it was torn down. In the end, we are glad to all be safe, but wish like everything that we could be together playing on the field.” The WIAA initially postponed all athletic participation following an executive order issued by Evers on March 13 that closed all public and private schools on March 18. That order put a premature end to the basketball seasons, which were still in their tournament series. Spring sports teams kept the faith they might be able to salvage some type of season. That didn’t happen, though. While teams haven’t been able to hold organized practices, athletes continued doing individual workouts and held virtual meetings with coaches and teammates. When Evers extended his stay-at-home mandate, many took the news extremely hard. “Governor Evers’ job first and foremost is to keep the people that he works for — the citizens of Wisconsin — safe and out of harm’s way to the best of his abilities,” Sauk Prairie girls soccer coach Drew Kornish said. “Surely moving the ‘Stay at Home’ order back this far will only keep people safer than if we were to come out earlier. For that reason, I appreciate his decision, as tough as I am sure it was for him to make.  “From a coach and educator standpoint, I’m crushed. To have the rest of the school year and likely the athletic season taken for us at no fault of our own fees like a huge injustice. These kids deserve better. Again, this is no one’s fault, but we still have the right to feel like we had something taken from us.” Been agreed with Kornish. “When Gov. Evers released the order, it was a mix of sadness, disappointment and finality,” Been said. “While intellectually one understands and supports the decision, emotionally it is hard. “For our seniors, it meant never stepping on the field as an Eagle again. For our underclassmen, they lost a fourth of their high school softball experience.   “As coaches, we love our athletes and being around them. The realization that we will not be able to compete together on the field began to sink in, and it hurts. I’m thankful for the time we spend in virtual practices and how amazing they are holding up, but it still hurts.” The WIAA was holding out hope that it could provide some type of season for its spring sports teams. But several road blocks crept up. First, the University of Wisconsin extended the cancellation of campus events through June 30. That meant state tournaments in boys golf, boys tennis and girls softball — which are all held on the UW campus — would need new venues. Then Evers delivered a death knell, leaving the WIAA without any viable options to have a season. “My first reaction to the Governor extending the ‘Safer at Home’ order was disappointment,” first year boys golf coach Shane Frey said. “The past few weeks have been difficult. The original order to close schools was set to go through April 3. Golf had the latest starting date (April 6) of all the spring sports, so I was holding out hope we would be able to get back to school and have our full season.   “When the order was extended, I was still hopeful that we would have a partial season. Now that it is officially not going to happen I feel really bad for our athletes. As to be expected, the kids are disappointed.” Andy Sherman, who coaches both track teams, was just as distraught that he won’t see many kids in his classroom the rest of the year. “Hearing of this was crushing from a teaching standpoint,” Sherman said. “I miss seeing all of the kids and athletes I work with. Closing of school does not allow me to get the chance to have a chance for a proper good bye with my students.” While the loss of spring sports has been tough to digest, most Sauk Prairie coaches said their teams are handling it as well as could be expected. “I know that personally, I was crushed,” Pape said. “I thought it might happen, but tried to remain optimistic that we might be able to start at the end of April. “This ‘Safer at Home’ extension is much bigger than baseball. We all realize the nature of the situation. The focus is on getting people through this crisis. However, our hope was that baseball was going to help to begin our return to ‘normal.’ ” Added Kornish: “It’s hard, but they are there to support one another. This is a very close group that support each other. I have been really proud of the way they hold each other accountable to continue to work while still supporting their teammates through this tough time.”    5. Boys swimmers ninth at state Two trips to the podium highlighted another successful season for the Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights boys swimming team. The Eagles’ 200-yard freestyle relay and freshman Sam King recorded top-six finishes to help power the Eagles to a ninth-place finish at the WIAA Division 2 Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium on Feb. 21. Top-ranked Madison Edgewood defended its title, finishing with 293 points. Cedarburg was second with 265 points. Rounding out the top five were Elkhorn (169), Whitefish Bay (164) and Baraboo (135).  Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights, which had competed in Division 1 for the past four years, finished with 100 points. That was a finish two places higher than the Eagles were seeded entering the meet. “Overall, I’m impressed with how the team did,” Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights coach Todd Wuerger said. “I think 15 of the 19 swims, including all of the relay legs, were season-best times even though they were completely tapered down for sectionals just to get into the state meet. “A lot of years you just plateau, and you don’t see a lot of downward movement in your times. But yet these guys still had room to come down. That really speaks to that they wanted to make a big statement and earn some respect, not just winning a conference title but doing it at a state level.” King recorded the best individual performance for Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights when he placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:00.17. He also led off the Eagles’ fourth-place 200 freestyle relay that included juniors Jordan Chao and Adam Stecker and sophomore Matthew Loy and finished in 1:29.61.  “I know he’s a talented kid, but if you would have told me before the season that he would be down to a double 00 in that race (1:00.17), I wouldn’t have imagined that,” Wuerger said. “On the second day (of practice), he was thinking of quitting because it was hard. But he stuck with it.  “His parents told him to stick with it and there he was on the podium. Three of those other kids were seniors, so he’ll come back next year in Division 2 as the second-ranked 100 breaststroker. That’s pretty amazing for a freshman.” Wuerger was also pleased with the performance of the Eagles’ 200 freestyle relay.  The relay entered the meet seeded 10th, but a switch in the lineup gave Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights the spark it needed to earn a place on the podium. “We put Jordan Chao on it after Sam Beattie helped us qualify at sectionals in it,” Wuerger said. “Jordan’s time was about a half second faster, and we felt we had a shot at the podium by making that change.” Wuerger also switched the order, moving King to lead-off and Loy to the anchor position. “Their time came down about 2 seconds from sectionals, which explains why we made the switch,” he said. The Eagles’ other finish of note was Loy tying for eighth in the 200 freestyle, finishing in 1:48.23 after entering as the ninth seed.  Loy, who led Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights with four swims at state, was also 11th in the 100 freestyle and anchored the 400 freestyle relay that also included Chao, Beattie and sophomore Ryan Godwin and placed 12th after being seeded 14th. Junior Zach Guentherman, who qualified for state in three swims, swam on the Eagles’ 200 medley that included King, Stecker and Chao and finished 10th. Guentherman also placed 13th in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke events. Other finishes for Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights included Beattie placing 14th in the 500 freestyle and 16th in the 200 freestyle. “Just coming down two spots in the team standings was great and cracking the top 10,” Wuerger said. “All of these guys are going to be back (next season) except for Jordan (Chao) who will be spending his senior year in Germany, studying abroad.” Also returning will be two swimmers who didn’t compete at state, but will be in the running next season in sophomore Evan Leece and junior Jackson Shavlik. “I feel confident that going into next season, we could have eight guys that we could be starting the season with who would be state caliber guys,” Wuerger said. “That’s a great nucleus to start.”