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Packers TE Josiah Deguara Out For Season (ACL)

By Adam Roberts – 10/7/2020

Green Bay’s tight end depth took a hit this week, with the revelation that Josiah Deguara is out for the season after suffering a knee injury in Monday’s win over the Falcons. Deguara tore his ACL while blocking on a punt, and the rookie played 24 snaps in week one against the Vikings, catching one pass for 12 yards.

That’s not to say the position is completely ruined; Robert Tonyan played the best game of his career Monday night and Jace Sternberger is a viable option at TE2. But the loss of Deguara will no doubt challenge the team’s depth at the position.

Begelton & Bolton Cut

In other team news, the Packers released both wide receiver Reggie Begelton and linebacker Curtis Bolton yesterday. Begelton had only been on the practice squad for about 24 hours, signed to the active roster from the practice squad likely as extra wideout help in case the group was further limited due to player injuries.

No Fans At Lambeau Until Further Notice

Also, yesterday the team announced they would not allow fans at Lambeau Field for the foreseeable future. The decision comes on the heels of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ mandate limiting public gatherings to 25% of a building’s capacity, and also correlates to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Northeast Wisconsin, one of the worst regions for the virus in the country.

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Green Bay is off this week and will take on Tampa Bay October 18th at Raymond James Stadium.

Arcadia’s Hallie Tulip Advances to D2 State Golf Tournament

By Adam Roberts – 10/7/2020

I consider myself a lucky guy. When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to compete at the state golf tournament in Madison as a part of a great St. Mary’s Springs team, despite the fact that as an individual I likely had no business at the time being on the course that day. So whenever I see an individual qualify for the pinnacle of high school golf in the state, I tip my visor in recognition of their accomplishment.

Arcadia’s Hallie Tulip will represent the Coulee Region at the D2 State Tournament next week Monday after shooting an 18-hole score of 89 at Drugan’s Castle Mound in Holmen this week. Tulip had shot a 47 on the front nine, which would have dropped her below the cut had she shot the same score on the back; she qualified for state as an individual by just a stroke. But on the back nine, Tulip dug in and shot a 42.

Tulip will be the only area representative at state for Division 2, joining the Tomah team and Amber Nguyen of Onalaska from Division 1. Arcadia as a team shot 386, well below the top two from Madison Edgewood (341) and Lakeside Lutheran (363). G-E-T placed seventh with a 393 while Black River Falls placed eighth with 1 421.

The D1 and D2 state tournament is October 12th and 13th at Blackwolf Run in Kohler.

Bucks’ George Hill Receives Cares Community Assist Award

By Adam Roberts – 10/6/2020

Giannis Antetokoumnpo was named the NBA’s MVP for the second straight season this year despite an earlier than expected playoff exit for the Bucks in the bubble. And now, another Buck is receiving an honor for their work off the court.

The Bucks’ George Hill was one of five players honored by the NBA by receiving the Cares Community Assist Award, an honor given to players who have excelled in community engagement, philanthropic activity, and charity work.. Hill has been outspoken about social injustice and led the Bucks in sitting out their playoff game against the Magic. “You can win a championship, but the amount of fulfillment that I get knowing I impacted a whole community is bigger than a championship for me,” Hill said.

The Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha was perhaps the watershed moment for social justice in the NBA while play was occurring (the death of George Floyd could certainly take that spot, but that happened while the league was suspended), and Hill was the primary voice when it came to planning the eventual boycott of Bucks-Magic Game Four back in August. Hill was vocal from the onset; when asked what players could do in response, Hill noted that entering the bubble neutered the players’ abilities to do much about the incident. But Hill’s efforts led to a conversation between the Bucks and state officials on criminal justice reform.

Hill also operates a youth mentorship program in Milwaukee “George’s Gentlemen”, geared at helping students in city public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

TE Robert Tonyan Scores 3 TDs; Packers Beat Falcons 30-16

By Adam Roberts – 10/6/2020

Earlier last week, ESPN La Crosse ran a poll on Twitter, asking which Green Bay Packer player would receive the highest number of Aaron Rodgers targets against Atlanta with receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard both injured.

23.3% of voters said it would be tight end Robert Tonyan. And Big Bob came to play last night. He had three of Aaron’s four touchdown passes in the Packers’ 30-16 win last night, tallying six receptions for 98 yards and the three scores.

Tonyan said after the game he didn’t feel any pressure to produce with Davante and Allen both out.

Many were wondering if the Packers would be able to maintain their offensive production with both Adams and Lazard sidelined. But the key to the Packers having the second best offense in terms of production in the NFL has been sharing the ball. Running back Aaron Jones certainly got his fair share of opportunites for 111 all-purpose yards and a score, but Rodgers targeted seven different receivers as a part of his 327 airborne yards. Jamaal Williams in particular played great as a backfield receiver (8 catches for 95 yards).

Defensively, linebacker Za’Darius Smith had his breakout game of the season, attacking Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan from all angles for 8 tackles, 4 for loss, and 3 sacks. He’s now tied for the league lead in the sack category with Myles Garrett of Cleveland, and Green Bay overall creeped into the top five in the NFL with 12 sacks on the season.

COVID Concerns

The game time itself was pushed back multiple times yesterday with a second Monday Night game being played in Kansas City. It all revolves around what has been a dynamic week for the league as it pertains to COVID-19; the outbreak in Tennessee was the NFL’s first big test this year in mitigating the spread of the virus. While other scattered positives have come out in the last seven days, including to Patriots’ QB Cam Newton which necessitated a delay in the Pats-Chiefs game, overall the news has been mostly good; the Titans have had no positive tests for two days straight now, and there have been no further positive tests in New England, either. Despite this, the NFL is implementing new COVID-19 protocols following the Titans’ outbreak. In a memo sent to teams, Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will place limitations on the number of tryouts teams can have per week, a ban on gatherings outside team facilities and implement a video monitoring system to ensure compliance with protocols. Breaking protocol could potentially result in loss of draft choices among other punishments.

Green Bay now enters their early-season bye week; they next face Tom Brady and Tampa Bay on October 18th at Raymond James Stadium.

Brewers’ P Devin Williams Wins Relief Pitcher of the Year Award

Adam Roberts – 10/5/2020

Despite missing out on the postseason due to injury, there was enough resume material from Brewers’ reliever Devin Williams this season to grant him the honor of best reliever in the league.

MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweeted today that Williams had been bestowed the honor by a panel of writers, broadcasters, former players, managers and executives. Williams appears to have been a runaway choice for the award, garnering 12 of the 17 total votes.

The 26 year old Florissant, Missouri product’s stats speak for themselves: 27 innings pitched, ONE earned run on a Colin Moran home run July 27th against the Pirates, 53 K’s to 9 walks, a 0.33 ERA and 0.63 WHIP. He had one of the highest strikeout rates in baseball this season, and threw one of the nastiest pitches in the game at batters this year.

Williams’s unique changeup gave hitters the biggest challenge all season; at one point they were 0-31 with 21 K’s in plate appearances where the changeup decided things, according to MLB.com.

Between Hader and Williams, whenever run support could be granted, the Crew had a dynamic duo for late innings this year. Here’s to hoping it translates into more wins in 2021.

Packers WR Davante Adams Out Tonight vs Falcons

By Adam Roberts – 10/2/2020

Davante Adams officially won’t take the field tonight for the Packers as they welcome Atlanta to a fan-less Lambeau Field.

Adams confirmed on Twitter this morning that while he felt ready to go, the team would be holding out of tonight’s game. There appeared to be some minor frustration from Adams in the since-deleted tweet, as he reaffirmed his followers that he wanted to go. Wideout Allen Lazard joins Adams on the sidelines tonight after he suffered a core muscle injury against the Saints.

Green Bay does have a bye next week, so that could have played into the team’s decision. After the bye, the Packers have back-to-back road games in Tampa and Houston before their home game against the Vikings on November 1st.

Badger QB Jack Coan Out Indefinitely (Foot)

By Adam Roberts – 10/5/2020

A lot of people were clamoring for the day that Graham Mertz would be able to start under center for Wisconsin football. After the four-star recruit and number 1 prospect in the state of Kansas committed to the Badgers almost three years ago to the day, fans wondered how long it would be until Mertz would be throwing passes on Camp Randall.

It looks like it will be just over three years after his commitment date.

Over the weekend, anticipated starter Jack Coan suffered a foot injury during Badger practice. He is out indefinitely and will miss the 2020 season opener October 24th against Illinois. Mertz will be next in line at quarterback; he has the most experience from last season where he went 9-10 for 73 yards in the two games he played in 2019. Behind him, Chase Wolf only threw one time and Danny Vanden Boom didn’t play a down in 2019.

There were no coaches available to make a statement on the injury this weekend, but today head coach Paul Chryst confirmed to the media that with Coan down, Mertz is next in line to lead the offense.

Wisconsin-Illinois, and every Badger football game this season, can be heard here on ESPN La Crosse 105.5 and espnlacrosse.com!

Darlington vs Tomah Football Cancelled

By Adam Roberts – 10/2/2020

Another area high school football game has fallen victim to COVID.

A day after Tomah High School announced they would play Darlington in lieu of a match up between the Timberwolves and West Salem that had to be cancelled, now tonight’s game also will not happen. Per Michael Zweifel on Twitter, Darlington has had to cancel their trip due to a COVID-19 concern at the school. The Redbirds had originally been scheduled to face Dodgeville this week.

As of right now, tonight’s Edgar-Onalaska game on ESPN La Crosse 105.5 is still on as scheduled. Coverage begins with the High School Football Preview Show at 6pm. And don’t forget, you can stream the action here on espnlacrosse.com or on TuneIn!

Onalaska and Tomah Girls’ Golf Advance to Sectionals; 3 Schools Advance in D2

By Adam Roberts – 10/2/2020

After an abridged season, we already find ourselves in the WIAA girls’ golf playoffs this week, and the Coulee Region was well represented in Portage yesterday.

There will be two area teams at the Division 1 Tomah sectional next Monday, after Tomah (339) and Onalaska (347) finished second and third respectively in the Portage regional. The top four teams advance, and so Ona and Tomah will be joined by Waunakee, the regional champs with a 328, and Reedsburg who shot a 356.

Individually, five of the top ten golfers yesterday were from the Coulee Region. Hilltopper junior Kiya Bronston and Tomah junior Sophie Pokela had a friendly competition for second place, with Bronston shooting a plus-9 79, one of just two sub-80 scores on the day. Pokela’s 80 was good for a two-way tie for third, followed by Tomah’s VAR1 sophomore Brin Neumann and Ona’s Allison Balduzzi tied for sixth with an 83. Timberwolf sophomore Amelia Zingler tied for ninth with Reedsburg’s Ashleigh Johnson at 84.

Sparta was the other area school competing as a team; they finished 8th with a 446.

Other area individual scores included:

13. Amber Nguyen (ONA) – 89

T17. Jayda Zhu (TOM) – 92

23. Malia McGarry (ONA) – 96

T27. Hannah Zhu (TOM) – 101

30. Payton Jones (SPA) – 104

31. Lily Tobert (ONA) – 106

T34. Paige Winterton (SPA) – 112

T36. Olivia Veth (SPA) – 114

38. Ellie Kowitz (SPA) – 116

40. Becca Gann (SPA) – 157

The Tomah sectional is next Monday at Hiawatha Golf Club.

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In Division 2, 3 area schools will advance to the Arcadia sectional; Arcadia/Independence, Black River Falls, and G-E-T placed 2nd through 4th respectively at Skyline Golf Course in Black River Falls and will advance along with Osseo-Fairchild/Fall Creek. Arcadia/Indy junior Hallie Tulip placed tied for first with an 18-hole 95. Gabby Antonelli of Black River Falls followed with a 98, as did Emily Nelson from G-E-T, while Aquinas’s Alexis Smith qualified as an individual and shot a 99, good for a tie for 5th.

Packers WR Allen Lazard Out Indefinitely

By Adam Roberts – 10/2/2020

Every year, it seems the NFL becomes more and more riddled with players suffering indefinite or season-ending injuries. Much remains uncertain for Green Bay when it comes to wideout Davante Adams, who remains uncertain for Monday night against the Falcons. Adams was a limited participant yesterday, and told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel yesterday he would only return to play when he was “100% ready”.

Now, coaches and fans alike are probably crossing their fingers extra hard that that comes in the next few days.

After a breakout game against the Saints in the WR1 role, Allen Lazard is now out indefinitely after undergoing core muscle surgery. Lazard played incredibly well in the team’s win over New Orleans; the third-year wideout recorded six catches for 146 yards and a score last Sunday.

Now, the WR1 role will likely fall to Marquez Valdez-Scantling, one of just three receivers on the active roster that aren’t currently injured. MVS so far has eight grabs for 165 yards and a score this season, while neither Malik Taylor or Darrius Shepherd have recorded a pass; Equanimeous St. Brown has been on injured reserve since September 19th and can come off the list after the team’s bye next week.

Look for Packer running backs and tight ends to be targeted more than usual against Atlanta. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has 39 total targets so far to Aaron Jones, Robert Tonyan, Jace Sternberger, and Jamaal Williams combined this season.