Skiers begin season Wednesday(2009/01/06) There have been years in the recent past when the Aquinas-Onalaska-West Salem high school skiing team was struggling to conduct meets in January due to warm and dry weather. That won’t be a problem for AOWS this winter, with the squad beginning its season with a Western Conference giant slalom meet at Mount La Crosse at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
West Salem - Luther girls set for Tuesday(2009/01/06) A popular cliché’ in recent years is that basketball has become a guard’s game. That theory will be put to the test when the two pre-eminent girls’ basketball teams in the Coulee Conference, West Salem and Luther, meet for the first time at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Association Center.
Power-play deficiencies nab Ona boys’ skaters in return game(2009/01/06) The psyche of the Onalaska High School boys’ hockey team was undoubtedly an aspect that could be questioned Dec. 23 at Eau Claire North. Onalaska was playing its first game since the passing of freshman defenseman Jake Trannel one week earlier. But as the game progressed, the Hilltoppers lack of power-play prowess, an area at which Onalaska experienced extreme success a year ago, became part of the story as well in a 4-2 loss.
Shorthanded Avs forge tie with sectional foe(2009/01/06) Playing without leading goal scorer Felip Krejcik, and without top scoring defenseman Bryan Robinson, the Holmen/Aquinas/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau high school hockey team was able to forge a 2-2 tie with Baraboo/Reedsburg at the Onalaska OmniCenter Dec. 23.
MVC gymnastics season begins Thursday(2009/01/06) The chase for the Mississippi Valley Conference championship in gymnastics has been competitive just once since 2001, in 2005-06, when Holmen and Aquinas-West Salem won two league meets each. But that race could be as competitive as it’s been in quite some time this winter, beginning with Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. opening quadrangular at Tomah.
Close losses mounting for Ona boys cagers(2009/01/06) Beyond on-the-court fixes, one of the bigger charges for this year’s extremely green Onalaska High School boys basketball team is learning how to win. Onalaska is 1-1 in games decided by eight or more points, but dropped to 0-4 in games decided by seven points or less after a 49-45 loss to Prairie du Chien Monday at the Aquinas Christmas tournament.
Up-tempo styles to clash Tuesday(2009/01/06) Holmen High School’s boys’ basketball team has returned to its roots on offense this season, running an up-tempo, slashing offense, at times at the expense of its half-court defense. Holmen will see somewhat of a mirror image at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when the Vikings host Tomah.
Shooting struggles continue for Ona girls(2009/01/06) Onalaska High School’s girls’ basketball team got a combined 15 points from relative offensive role players Anne Christianson and Sidney Sierp in Monday’s game with Kenosha Tremper at Logan’s Christmas tournament. Onalaska also got nine points off the bench from Carolyn Greene and Carmen Lezpona, with backup center Val Cayler providing scoring punch at times this season.
Luther boys still searching for D solutions(2009/01/06) Luther High School’s boys’ basketball team has unapologetically gone to a full-court approach on offense in recent seasons, hoping to increase its number of possessions per game and account for its lack of inside size. The defense usually associated with that type of offense often is a full-court trap, or at the very least, tight, half-court man-to-man. But Luther looked like it was still searching for its defensive identity in Saturday’s 75-59 loss to Winona Cotter at the Winona State University Christmas tournament.
Bigger, but thinner Tomah on deck for Holmen girls(2009/01/06) Holmen High School’s girls’ basketball team could be the shorter team when Holmen resumes its season at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Tomah. But the Vikings could be the deeper team.
Swimmers sixth at Waunakee(2009/01/06) Freshman Joe Anderson finished fourth in the100-yard freestyle, posting the best finish in a sixth-place team finish for the Holmen High School-Onalaska boys swimming team at Saturday’s sprints-only Waunakee Invitational.
Gilkes-Duncan could meet Tuesday(2009/01/06) Onalaska High School’s wrestling team hasn’t competed at the Bi-State Classic since 2003 . With that and the disbanding of the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament, the Hilltoppers better wrestlers, including Bryan Gilkes at 119 pounds, don’t get as many chances as wrestlers at other schools to see top-notch competition. Gilkes could get one of those chances in a dual with Tomah at the Chuck Deeth Fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Luther’s best wrestlers should get tests Thursday(2009/01/06) Luther High School’s wrestling team isn’t filled with depth this season, fielding just seven wrestlers. But two of the Knights better wrestlers, Billy Schomberg at 125 and Sam Hendrickson at 130, should get tests in a dual at Blair-Taylor Thursday.
EYE ON SPORTS: As tight-knit as Onalaska’s ever been?(2008/12/30) One thing I’ve always been struck by in most of my 11-plus years at this job is the different approach Onalaska and Holmen take when it comes to how they follow high school sports. Despite Holmen now being the second-largest school in the Mississippi Valley Conference, I’ve always thought Holmen has retained a lot of its small-town roots, when its population was a lot closer to 1,000 than 10,000.
Top-five finish at Bi-State for Holmen wrestlers?(2008/12/30) Team goals weren’t part of the picture for the Holmen High School wrestling team at last year’s Bi-State Classic, with a team lacking experience. But with eight of this year’s wrestlers Bi-State veterans, and four having placed in past tournaments, the Vikings should have the type of squad that can make a push back toward the top of the Division 1 standings.
Smith breaks out for Holmen boys’ cagers(2008/12/30) Holmen High School boys basketball coach Steve Blank lauded the offense of point guard Nick Smith prior to the season, but said the junior needed to improve defensively. At the same time Smith broke out for 52 points in two games this week, his defense also keyed the best effort of the season for the Vikings on that end of the floor in Monday’s 66-47 win over Rochester Century.
Goalie job opening for Avalanche?(2008/12/30) The Holmen/Aquinas/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Cochrane-Fountain City high school hockey team posted its first shutout since the 2007-08 season opener in a 9-0 win at La Crosse Dec. 18. Though it likely came against one of the weaker opponents the Avalanche has seen in that time span, it also could mark a change in goal.
Girls skaters find Christmas tourney in Cities(2008/12/30) The Onalaska/Holmen/Melrose-Mindoro/Cochrane-Fountain City girls high school hockey team has played in a Christmas tournament often in its history, with the most frequent tournament taking place in Rochester, Minn. Longtime coach Mark Wagner often called the games at that event among the most challenging on the Hilltoppers schedule. But the Hilltoppers could be challenged even more at next week’s Channel 12 Christmas tournament in the Twin Cities.
Onalaska boys at Aquinas Christmas tourney(2008/12/30) Onalaska High School’s boys’ basketball team broke free from a tough start with two wins at last year’s Aquinas Christmas tournament. The Hilltoppers will hope to do the same thing at this year’s event, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Monday against Prairie du Chien.
Onalaska girls at Logan Christmas tourney(2008/12/30) Onalaska High School’s girls’ basketball team has not fared well in recent years in Logan’s annual Christmas tournament. Onalaska could have its hands full again this season, though its games should be more competitive than in those recent seasons, in part due to the improvement of the Hilltoppers, and in part due to a little less stringent competition.
Luther girls at Winona Christmas tourney(2008/12/30) Luther High School’s girls’ basketball team could get a stiff test in the championship game of this week’s Winona State University Christmas tournament.
Luther boys at Winona Christmas tourney(2008/12/30) Luther High School’s boys’ basketball team will see a team that plays a similar style in its opening game at Saturday’s Winona State University Christmas tournament.
EYE ON SPORTS: Tragedy hits Onalaska(2008/12/23) I’m not sure as I write this Tuesday evening if this area has seen more than its fair share of tragic deaths of young students. Maybe it just seems that way.
Holmen wrestlers remain perfect(2008/12/23) Holmen High School’s wrestling team kept its perfect season intact by winning each of its five matches at Saturday’s Waunakee duals.
Girls skaters knock off state-ranked foe(2008/12/23) To say Onalaska/Holmen/Melrose-Mindoro/Cochrane-Fountain City girls high school hockey defensemen Gretchen Waltz, Lindsey Harreld and Kelly Waltz spend a lot of time on the ice would be an understatement. The trio all are not part of double shifts, but something essentially the same, splitting the entire group of ice time on defense. And they played as well as could be expected Friday at Milwaukee University School, helping hold the Wildcats to 21 shots and without a goal in a 1-0 Hilltoppers win over the seventh-ranked team in the state according to Wisconsin Girls Hockey.
Lass, Noel shine at Chippewa(2008/12/23) Onalaska High School freshman Samantha Lass and Holmen senior Cassie Noel shined for their respective gymnastics teams at Saturday’s Chippewa Falls Invitational, leading both to top-half-of-the-field finishes in the eight-school field.
Ona wrestlers place four in top half at Logan(2008/12/23) Onalaska High School wrestling coach Lyle Blum has talked often over the past two seasons after the improvement shown by the bottom three-quarters of his club, wrestlers other than Tom Fortier, Jake Rick and Bryan Gilkes. While Rick and Gilkes finished in the top half of the field at Saturday’s Logan Invitational, Zach McInerney at 285 pounds and Jake Yeager at 145 did, as well, putting half of the Hilltoppers eight competitors in the top half of the 10-team field.
Holmen girls handle press, Sparta(2008/12/23) Maria Mackey, the top player on last year’s Holmen High School girls basketball sectional qualifier, said the full-court press of Sparta was the toughest in the Mississippi Valley Conference, tougher than even that of longtime league stalwart Logan. This year’s version of the Vikings played well enough against the Spartans pressure that they forced them to take the defense off on the way to a 45-37 win Friday.
Hot-shooting Blugolds blast Holmen(2008/12/23) Holmen High School’s boys basketball team played right with, and perhaps better than Aquinas in the final three quarters of Tuesday’s game. But it wasn’t enough to overcome Aquinas hitting 13-of-16 from the floor in the first quarter, including six 3-pointers, on their way to an 80-70 victory.
Turnovers klill Luther girls at Viroqua(2008/12/23) VIROQUA - Luther High School’s girls basketball struggled with its ballhandling in its first four games, turning the ball over 22 or more times in three of the first four games. It hadn’t hurt Luther in the win column, but it did Dec. 11 in a 41-38 loss at Viroqua.
Ona boys cagers can’t hold 2nd-half lead(2008/12/23) Onalaska High School’s boys basketball team made the second half of its Dec. 9 win over Eau Claire Memorial on John Shelton Court in the Chuck Deeth Fieldhouse interesting, with an 18-point lead getting snipped to seven points with just over three minutes remaining. Friday, the Hilltoppers couldn’t on to the lead in a similar spot, as they led by nine points in the second half before falling 55-54 to Tomah.
Offense strong, but not enough for Avs(2008/12/23) The Holmen/Aquinas/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro high school hockey team has shown plenty of offensive punch in four of its five games this season, including in a 5-1 win over Viroqua Friday at the Onalaska OmniCenter and in Tuesday’s West Central Hockey Conference game with La Crescent. But for the first time this season in which they scored five or more goals, the Avalanche couldn’t match the offense on the other end of the ice, with WCHC-leader La Crescent scoring 1 minute, 34 seconds into overtime for a 7-6 victory.
Black River blasts Luther boys from deep(2008/12/23) BLACK RIVER FALLS - The primary defensive goal of the Luther High School boys basketball team entering Friday’s game at Coulee Conference favorite Black River Falls was to hold point guard Jack Taylor to 18 or less points. Luther wasn’t too far from that goal, holding Taylor to 21 points, though Taylor didn’t play the final 6 minutes, 54 seconds. Taylor didn’t need to play in that timespan in part due to his own success at the end of quarters in the Tigers 63-39 win.
Tomah girls win crunch time, defeat Onalaska(2008/12/23) Despite trailing from start to almost the finish, Tomah found a way to gain a 50-46 home overtime victory Friday over the Onalaska High School girls basketball team.
State still the goal, but health huge for Holmen gymnasts(2008/12/18) Holmen High School’s gymnastics team had one of its toughest paths to the Division 2 state meet last winter in their eight-year streak of qualifying for state, needing to hit three tsukaharas on the final event, vault, to come back from a two-point deficit with two events remaining at sectionals. Holmen will return just three members of that team.
Mitzelfeldt, Klos to pace Ona gymnasts(2008/12/18) Reaching the Division 2 state meet was something that was only an issue for Emily Mitzelfeldt on last year’s Onalaska High School gymnastics team, as the junior was one-eighth of a point short of that mark on the balance beam. But Onalaska should have more than Mitzelfeldt thinking about state this winter, including perhaps the entire team if the club’s newest additions are as good as the club’s best two gymnasts.
Larsen sets records in powerlifting opener(2008/12/18) Lisa Larsen is one of three returning national competitors for the Holmen High School powerlifting team. If her performance at Saturday’s season-opening meet at Adams-Friendship is any indication, Larsen is going to be pretty good again this season, as well. Larsen set school records in each of her three lifts Saturday on her way to winning her weight class.
Transition game garners Ona boys cagers 1st win(2008/12/18) Onalaska High School boys basketball coach Craig Kowal talked about the Hilltoppers attacking more offensively after their season-opening loss to Black River Falls Dec. 2 on John Shelton Court in the Chuck Deeth Fieldhouse. They appeared to get the message, and it carried over to the defensive end of the floor as well, in Onalaska 53-42 home win over Eau Claire Memorial Tuesday.
Back to the old for Holmen boys cagers(2008/12/18) Holmen High School boys basketball coach Steve Blank has spent a lot of the last two seasons trying to find offensive and defensive systems that better suited the skills of his players. Included in those switches were more zone on defense and more half-court play on offense, in large part due to less quickness and shooting ability than the Vikings teams of 1999-00 to 2005-06, who posted seven straight top-two Mississippi Valley Conference finishes and advanced to three sectional finals.
Scholze a hero for Holmen wrestlers(2008/12/18) Holmen High School sophomore Trevor Scholze saw plenty of varsity action a year ago, wrestling 27 matches, though his success rate wasn’t terribly high with an 11-16 record. But Scholze was plenty good in a big spot Saturday, as his pin of Dover-Eyota, Minn.’s Adam Hammel with 58 seconds remaining in the 285-pound championship bout allowed Holmen to eclipse D-E by 1 1/2 points to win the 12-team Winona Invitational.
Siolka breaks zone, Blackhawks(2008/12/18) Holmen High School junior guard Kylee Siolka, playing in the middle of the offense inside the 1-2-2 halfcourt zone of Viroqua, scored a game-high 16 points and distributed six assists to help Holmen to a 59-41 win over the Blackhawks Saturday at the La Crosse Center.
Guard play lifts Luther boys to 2-0(2008/12/18) Guards Joey Leibl, Travis Hamilton and Cody Krueger combined for 46 points, helping the Luther High School boys’ basketball team remain perfect in an 83-60 win over Melrose-Mindoro Dec. 4.
Walters has record-setting night for Luther(2008/12/18) Luther High School center Toni Walters tied a program single-game record with 16 rebounds, while also scoring a season-high 13 points, as Luther held Black River Falls to 20 points in the final three quarters of a 48-34 road win Friday.
Boys skaters league streak ends(2008/12/18) The penalty kill of La Crescent High School’s hockey team was effective for three periods Tuesday at the Onalaska OmniCenter. In overtime, it was spectacular, culminating in forward Ben Tornow scoring on a short-handed rush to give the Lancers a 4-3 victory. It was the Hilltoppers first loss in 16 West Central Hockey Conference outings, and first loss in 24 regular-season outings.
More movement, more goals and a win for Avs(2008/12/18) Holmen/Aquinas/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Cochrane-Fountain City high school hockey coach Tim Franzini was rather blunt about his team’s play in the first nine-plus minutes of its Dec. 4 match-up with Stevens Point Pacelli at the Onalaska OmniCenter.
Girls skaters steam past Fury(2008/12/18) The Onalaska/Holmen/Melrose-Mindoro/Cochrane-Fountain City girls high school hockey team held the Rock County Fury without an even-strength shot in the first period, then scored three times in a 91-second span late in the second in a 7-0 win Saturday at the OmniCenter.
Ona girls miss shot at home win(2008/12/18) Onalaska High School’s girls basketball did several of the things necessary to win Dec. 4 on John Shelton Court in the Chuck Deeth Fieldhouse against Winona. Onalaska hit 16-of-21 free throws and outscored the Winhawks 10-9 off the bench, leading 44-40 after scoring the first bucket of the fourth quarter. But things went south from there in Winona’s 56-51 win.
Gilkes, Rick, Yeager place for Ona wrestlers(2008/12/18) Onalaska High School’s wrestling team produced three placewinners, including champion Bryan Gilkes at 119 pounds, at Saturday’s Black Hawk Invitational in South Wayne, Wis.
Larson nearest to W for Luther wrestlers(2008/12/18) Luther High School wrestler Mitch Larson led Whitehall’s Caleb Tamke late in the second period of their match Dec. 4. But Larson was turned to get pinned with 20 seconds remaining in the second period, as Luther lost each of the six contested bouts in a 72-0 loss to Whitehall. The Knights feature just seven wrestlers, down from the 14 wrestlers they had at the beginning of practice Nov. 17.
Holmen wrestlers aiming for return to past glory(2008/12/11) It’s something that may have been taken for granted as recently as earlier this decade; Holmen High School’s wrestling team winning the Mississippi Valley Conference championship. Holmen’s last league championship came in 2005 under Pete Barsness, with the Vikings tying with Tomah for the crown. But with a roster including a returning state qualifier, two other returning sectional qualifiers and two other potential standouts, Holmen coach Ross Needham isn’t shy about his aspirations for this year’s club.
Rick, Gilkes to pace Ona wrestlers again(2008/12/11) Onalaska High School’s wrestling team was a three-man operation a year ago in terms of on-mat success. Jake Rick at 160 pounds won 10 of 11 matches before sustaining a season-ending dislocated elbow, while Bryan Gilkes was a sectional qualifier at 119. While the Hilltoppers will try to add to that duo as the season progresses — and they have some candidates to do so — Rick and Gilkes will be Onalaska’s core again this winter.
Swimmers return depth, freestylers(2008/12/11) The Holmen High School-Onalaska boys swimming team produced a state qualifier a year ago in Zac Hanson, with Hanson now swimming collegiately at St. Cloud State in Minnesota. While H3O will miss Hanson, they’re return nearly everyone else of significance this winter, including six who are part of more than one program recordholder.
Time with Team WI helps Tredinnick(2008/12/11) Onalaska High School’s boys hockey team increased its regular-season winning streak to 22 games over the last two seasons with an 8-2 win over La Crosse at Green Island Friday and a 5-1 win over Chippewa Falls at the OmniCenter Tuesday. But Onalaska coach Tim Ebner and returning wing Jordan Tredinnick said one of the key moments from the season-opening win wasn’t a goal or a big save, but rather a dominating penalty-kill shift midway through the third period of a then relative-blowout.
Depth, defense lift Black River Falls over Ona boys cagers(2008/12/11) Black River Falls boys basketball coach Brian Jensen admits his team’s defense still needs an awful lot of work. They couldn’t have been a whole lot in the second quarter of Tuesday’s season opener with Onalaska on John Shelton Court in the Chuck Deeth Fieldhouse, as the Tigers held the Hilltoppers to two points, taking the lead for good on their way to a 54-47 win in the season opener for both teams.
Kish breaks out as LHS girls remain perfect(2008/12/11) Sophomore Jessie Kish led another balanced offensive attack as the Luther High School girls basketball team remained perfect with a 59-53 win over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Tuesday at the Association Center.
Avs showing improved offensive depth(2008/12/11) The best spot for a wing on the Holmen/Aquinas/Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau high school hockey team the past three seasons has been as the third forward alongside Zak and James Knutson. But the Avalanche may be starting to show improving depth, as the Avs second and third lines produced three goals in Saturday’s season-opening 7-2 win over Altoona at the Onalaska OmniCenter.
Baseline offense gets Ona girls win(2008/12/11) Onalaska High School girls basketball coach Rob Vieaux entered the season hoping to get 15 to 20 points a game from his starting baseline combination of Gretchen Otto and Sidney Sierp. Those two combined for 27 points Monday, a career-high 14 points for Sierp and a career-high 13 points for Otto, in a 44-38 win over Mauston on John Shelton Court at the Chuck Deeth Fieldhouse.
Penalties, special teams nab girls’ skaters(2008/12/11) The Onalaska/Holmen/Melrose-Mindoro girls hockey team committed six penalties, leading to two power-play goals in Saturday’s game with the defending state champion Central Wisconsin Storm Saturday at the OmniCenter. That was more than enough for the Storm in a 3-0 win.
Improved ballhandling nets Luther boys opening win(2008/12/11) Improved second-half ballhandling, seven turnovers in the final 16 minutes, helped the Luther High School boys basketball team pull away from a 29-21 halftime lead for a 64-37 win Nov. 25 in its season opener at Bangor.
Shorthanded Holmen boys fall in opener(2008/12/11) With potential starters Levi Sobkowiak, Brit Bell and Jordan Knutson, along with likely reserve Trey Candahl out, Holmen High School’s boys basketball team fell 65-48 Tuesday in its season opener at Chippewa Falls.
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