Congratulations to Nick Johnson and the Prescott Cardinal softball team on winning their 13th regional championship in school history. Prescott enters the sectional semi-finals against Baldwin-Woodville with an overall record of 20-5. And also congratulations to Head Coach Emily Calabrese and the Prescott girls track team on winning their consecutive regional championship.  

Speaking of Prescott thinclads, the high school track team will be sending a school record total of 24 athletes to compete in the WIAA State Track Meet at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on June 2 and 3. Due to the number of qualifying athletes, Prescott Athletic Director Andrew Caudill believes it will be the first time the school district will use a bus to bring athletes to the state meet for track and field. Bravo and Brava to all those who will be representing Prescott High School this week. Good Luck.  

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team will advance to the NCAA Division III World Series this week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Eagles advanced after taking two of three games against UW-Stevens Point in the Super Regionals.   

Stevens Point had evened the series at 1-1 after beating La Crosse by a score of 24-20 on Friday. The Eagles rebounded to outscore the Pointers 16-10 on Saturday to advance to the Division III World Series for the third time in school history.

Hats off to Jim Schommer for volunteering to mow Firehall Field this spring and summer. A shout out to Todd Hooopingarner, Scott Halverson, and Brad Schommer for offering their PA skills during the spring 2023. Let’s not forget the continued work of volunteer extraordinaire Dennis Gagnier and the crucial field and concession stand prep work of Brady Randolph and Chuck Block. 

The Prescott Hall of Fame Committee will be meeting within the next two weeks to evaluate nominations for 2023 Prescott Hall of Fame induction. The induction banquet and ceremony will be held on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Prescott High School. Created in 2016, the Hall of Fame honors Prescott graduates and community members in the categories of extra curriculars, achievement, and service. The most recent inductees were Roy Finley, Nick Schommer, and Char Magee. Stay turned for further details regarding 2023 inductees and banquet information. 

Peter Brookshaw played his final collegiate baseball game on Thursday as the Bison were eliminated by South Dakota State in the Summit League Tournament. Oral Roberts University went on to win the tournament and claim the automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament. A 2018 Prescott graduate, Brookshaw was among the team leaders in hits, runs, doubles, homeruns, RBI, walks, total bases, on base percentage, slugging percentage, batting average and stolen bases. A First Team All Summit League selection, Brookshaw’s name will be peppered throughout the Bison Baseball Record Book as he wraps up an impressive NCAA Division I career. Brookshaw finished this season with a career best batting average of .308 and a team leading 13 home runs. Stay tuned to see what’s next for the talented Prescott alumnus. 

As we head into June, we are nearing the end of another prep sports season. As always, players, parents and fans will remember the highlights of the past year and graduating seniors will wax poetic about their final high school athletic season with both joy and melancholy for the rest of their lives. It is an abrupt ending to an experience that brings many high school athletes to tears. 

For those who look at the high school sports experience with derision those feelings are difficult to explain. For many of us, long gone are the days of playing baseball in the backyard or shooting hoops in the haymow above the barn. However, most of us can still remember October and September Saturday afternoons getting together with our childhood friends and playing tackle football on an empty neighborhood lot or old elementary school playground. We had the same teammates seemingly forever and boy did we know each other. We knew who was fast. We knew who was left-handed. We knew who threw hard. We knew who could shoot. We knew who could jump. We knew who was strong. We knew who could catch. We knew who would kick. We knew who could punt. 

For today’s prep athletes, the high school sports experience is much different than those of a decade or two ago. In a world of cell phones, social media, and video games, today’s teenager entertainment options are boundless. Nowadays a high school kid can race in the Daytona 500, play in the Super Bowl, or drain a three-pointer in the NBA Finals...virtually. No matter. the emotions associated with the sudden end of a prep athlete’s career spans generations. The feelings for many (not all) over the years are the same. When you have played your last game many teens will pause and reflect on the finality of it all. There are no more practices and no more games. It is over, done, finished. There is a certain amount of sadness associated with the end of our high school playing days and if that moment is coupled with a few tears, remember that Mom, Dad, Uncle, Aunt, Brother, and Sister most likely felt the same. Wonderful.