Congratulations Nick Johnson and Prescott girls’ softball team on clinching the Middle Border Conference Championship last week. The Cardinals garnered the #2 seed in the fast-approaching WIAA Division Tournament. Prescott will host the winner of the game between Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau and La Crosse Aquinas on Tuesday, May 23. 

St. Croix Falls pitcher and University of Purdue recruit Brayden Olson struck out 13 and did not surrender a hit as the #1 ranked Saints defeated Prescott by a score of 1-0 in the final game of the Prescott Invitational Tournament. Three Prescott pitchers, junior Cullen Huppert, and sophomores Cole Platson and Drew Pechacek held the potent St. Croix Falls attack with five hits. Incidentally, Elk Mound Head Coach Paul Andrea won his 300th game on Saturday. 

Hats off to Prescott volunteers Todd Hoopingarner and Dennis Gagnier for their work up in the press box this past weekend at Firehall Field. Also, a standing ovation to Brady Randolph, Chuck Block, and Jason Bayer for field work during Saturday’s tournament. 

Speaking of Saturday’s tournament, players, coaches, and fans alike were wowed by the impressive performance by Prescott High School senior Mikalya Andersen. Before games one and two, Anderson played the national anthem on the violin drawing praise from all those in attendance. “Her playing just gave me goosebumps,” said St. Croix Falls Head Coach Matt Vold. 

Prescott Cardinal sophomore golfer Tyler Reiter is putting together a fine season for Head Coach Jay Bartsch and the Prescott High School golf team.  The talented Reiter has been finishing near the top of the leader board all season and hopes to do well in next week’s WIAA Division 2 Regional Tournament at Krooked Creek Golf Course in Osceola next Tuesday. 

The North Dakota State Bison split a double header with the University of Omaha on Sunday and will enter the final week of Summit League play with a conference record of 14-5.  Peter Brookshaw went 2-6 and walked twice against the Mavericks and enters the week with a team leading .314 batting average. The Bison will wrap up the regular season at home with a three-game series against South Dakota State beginning this Thursday. North Dakota State will also be hosting the Summit League Conference Tournament that begins on Wednesday, May 24. At the conclusion of the Bison season, Brookshaw’s name will be pockmarked throughout the NDSU Career and Single Season Record Book. Not only has Brookshaw been a tremendous player for the Bison over the last five years, he has been an outstanding ambassador for the community of Prescott. 

From the WIAA: High school wrestlers will be able to wrestle in six matches in any one day of competition beginning with the 2023-24 season. The six-match limit includes championship and consolation matches and excludes forfeits. This change to Rule 1-4-3 was one of 12 revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee at its April 2-4 meeting in Indianapolis. All changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. The increase from five to six matches for regular-season competition follows the change two years ago which permitted six matches in any one day of tournament competition. With experiments conducted last year by state associations with no reported injuries, the committee thought the increase to six for regular-season competition was a natural progression.

Headshaker of the week. When it comes to high school sports, public address systems have historically been used to announce starting lineups or the playing or singing of the national anthem. But as Bob Dylan sang decades ago, “The Times They Are A Changin.” Today, at professional football, baseball, and basketball games the noise emanating from the loudspeakers sounds more like that of a radio disc jockey. Anyone at the Baldwin-Woodville baseball game last week probably wondered if they were at a high school game or an Old Metrodome Monster Truck Rally. Not only was the PA used during warm-ups or in between innings. The person at the controls was blasting something before each hitter and in between pitches. Apparently the game itself is not entertaining enough that we have to rely on chirping crickets, canned organ music, and blaring songs by Neil Diamond and Queen to keep fans interested. Sorry folks. The PA at Baldwin-Woodville last week? It was a headshaker.