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Holmen, Sparta Move Football to Spring

By Adam Roberts – 10/9/2020

Neither Holmen nor Sparta have been able to play a down of football so far this fall due to the restrictive nature of being in virtual instruction.

So perhaps the announcement that both schools will be moving to the alternative fall season shouldn’t be too surprising.

Holmen would have been been playing Onalaska this week in what is yearly one of the best game of the high school football season, while Sparta would have been taking on West Salem. Coincidentally, the Hilltoppers and Panthers will now play each other tonight (6pm on ESPN La Crosse 105.5), while Holmen and Sparta will be looking ahead to the spring of 2021.

It will certainly be a great loss to the area football scene this fall; both teams have been competitive in the Mississippi Valley Conference the last few years, and the Spartans were a score away from defeating Onalaska and winning the whole thing last year.

For now, both programs will join La Crosse Central and Logan, along with several others across Wisconsin, in figuring out how to carry out football in the Wisconsin springtime.

Onalaska’s Carson Bantle Drafted by Arizona Coyotes

By Adam Roberts – 10/8/2020

You may have missed it amidst the start of the 2020 NFL season and the on-going NBA Finals, but the NHL season wrapped up not too long ago with the Tampa Bay Lightning claiming their second Stanley Cup. What you may also not have known is that the NHL Draft just wrapped up.

Unless of course you are a part of or follow Onalaska hockey.

Carson Bantle, a former Hilltopper and current Madison Capital in the USHL, was selected 142nd overall by the Arizona Coyotes. Fans of the Coyotes were happy with the selection based on Bantle’s size (6’4″, 194 lbs), while locally friends, family, and fans were happy to see someone with Bantle’s work ethic make it to the top of the hockey world.

Bantle scored 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists) for the Capitals last season, and on March 6th set a franchise record for points in a game with five. He was featured on the NHL Network when the pick came in, with analysts praising Bantle’s ability below the circles and his knack for putting pucks on the net.

As of right now, Bantle is supposed to attend Michigan Tech and play hockey there this season should there be a season.

Packers Re-Sign WR Begelton to Practice Squad

By Adam Roberts – 10/8/2020

A day after waiving wide receiver Reggie Begelton, the Packers are bringing him right back to the organization.

Begelton had been waived by the team yesterday along with linebacker Curtis Bolton, who himself had been on the physically unable to perform list. But with wide receiver depth still an issue for Green Bay, Begelton will be back with the team, this time on the practice squad. The move may seem odd to some, but was likely done by the team as a crafty move to elevate more than two players to the active roster. League rules dictate only two skilled position players can be moved to the active roster each week, and Green Bay had already brought up defensive lineman Billy Winn and linebacker De’Jon Harris from the practice squad for the Falcons’ game.

Green Bay is off until October 18th when they visit Tampa Bay.

High School Football Week Three Preview

By Adam Roberts – 10/8/2020

At the time of this writing, it appears that we FINALLY will have a little more full slate of high school football to cover this week. While schools like La Crosse Central, Logan, Sparta, G-E-T, Holmen, Arcadia, Westby, and others remain sidelined, this week we get back West Salem, De Soto, and all the Minnesota schools as well! It all means there’s more action to look forward to, more games to cover, and more responsibility for John on the Pizza Oven Postgame Show.

I love it.

WEST SALEM (0-0) vs ONALASKA (1-1) (ESPN La Crosse 105.5, espnlacrosse.com, TuneIn @ 6:45pm)

Every so often, great teams need a reality check, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Last week, the Hilltoppers got one of these checks, with Jerry Sinz and the Edgar Wildcats putting on a defensive display. Anyone familiar with Wildcat football knows that good games against them usually average under 20 total points, and while Ona’s D did a good job of containing Edgar’s offensive weapons, their own weapons were completely stymied by the speedy Wildcat secondary.

In fairness, wideout Hudson Weber did perform well; his four catches for 85 yards reaffirmed to everyone that he will become a top target over the course of the season for quarterback Ayden Larson. Between him, Landon Peterson, and Albert Romero, the offense will grow from this loss, and they get a chance to respond this week against West Salem, a team taking the field for the first time this week. Coach Justin Jehn knows that the first game of the season can be filled with jitters, but West Salem has been something of an anomaly in the world of COVID-19 with steadily holding in-person instruction for the last few weeks. This, according to Coach Jehn, has helped to build team unity in an era of separation. It will interesting to watch the development of junior quarterback Noah LaFleur; there were definitely growing pains throughout the 0-9 season, with LaFleur completing under 50 percent of his passes for 542 yards, three touchdowns, and seven interceptions. But Coach Jehn has confidence in that position, also referring with excitement to sophomore Brett McConkey; at already 6’2″ and 190 lbs, he certainly has a bigger stature than most 15 year old high schoolers in the area. I still think this one goes decidedly to the Hilltoppers.

Prediction: Onalaska 42 West Salem 7

REEDSBURG (1-1) @ TOMAH (0-1)

The Timberwolves were scheduled to face a formidable opponent in #6 Darlington last week before the COVID bug bit the Redbirds program. This week brings in a Beavers program to EJ McKean that rebounded nicely from a season opening loss to Portage with a completely one-sided win over Sauk Prairie with a 41-6 final score that really should have been 41-0. Tomah’s Justin Gerke has had a couple of weeks to improve and reflect on the loss to Onalaska, and this week he’ll face off against a good defensive challenge; the Beavers through two games have given up just 50 yards through the air. On the ground, Reedsburg was torched by Portage in Game One; the Beavers gave up 230 yards rushing, 215 of which were split between the Portage tandem of Junior Bazaldua and Ethan Bleich. For a chance to win, Tomah needs more production from their own ground game; they amassed just 24 yards on 23 carries against Onalaska.

Prediction: Reedsburg 27 Tomah 20

AUSTIN, MN (0-0) @ WINONA (0-0)

With no games played this fall yet in Minnesota, we have to look back to last year to see how these first games will unfold. And on paper at least, this one appears to be one of the more one-sided games of the week. You have a Winona team that finished the regular season last year 8-0, was ranked fifth in Class 4A, and probably was a Rocori upset in the state semifinals from winning the whole thing. And then you have Austin, a program that hasn’t had a winning season in over a decade. The Winhawks will have to find a replacement for graduated OL/DL unit Aaron Witt, but the next-man up mentality has guided Winona to four straight state tournaments.

Prediction: Winona 42 Austin 14

AQUINAS (1-0) @ MAUSTON (2-0)

This game could provide an opportunity for both schools to get some respect from programs and media members statewide. The schools have a common opponent in Viroqua, and each program properly dispatched toe Blackhawks by multiple scores. The Blugold offense led by the trio of Jackson Flottmeyer, Will Cambio, and Joe Penchi were clicking against Viroqua last week, with the sophomore quarterback Flottmeyer getting a number of receivers involved. This offensive diversity gives Flottmeyer plenty of places to go if things start stagnating. Meanwhile, Mauston running back Kraig Armstrong was a workhorse last week against Wautoma (240 yds on 36 carries, 1 TD). He leads the South Central Conference in yards on the ground by a country mile, and has put up triple digits on the ground in both games this season. Ground and pound versus air raid should provide plenty of entertainment.

Prediction: Mauston 34 Aquinas 28

LUTHER (1-1) @ DE SOTO (0-0)

Talk about a complete about face. Luther, one week removed from a one-sided victory over Boscobel, were stymied right from the beginning against River Ridge. The Knights were outgained 372-44, and the third quarter was particularly rough with two touchdowns against them and a safety in between. River Ridge grinded the clock last week, running 42 times, and the results last week should have the Pirates salivating. Not only are the hungry to finally get a game in this season, but Ev Wick-coached teams loveeee to run; last year they accumulated 2,343 yards and 30 scores on the ground, with Trevor Rebhahn leading the way with 1,615 of those yards and 24 of those scores. The primary rusher this year figures to be senior Jacob Kurszewski (59 rushes, 304 yds, 2 TDs last season). We’ll see how he looks against the Luther D-line, but the odds seem to be in his favor.

Prediction: De Soto 34 Luther 7

VIROQUA (0-2) @ BLAIR-TAYLOR (1-0)

As referenced above, 2020 has not been kind thus far to Viroqua. The defense has given up 48 points in back-to-back weeks, and now they’ll be tasked with managing Blair-Taylor. The Wildcat’s offense didn’t look super flashy against Whitehall last week, but Cain Fremstad was a solid passer with 145 yards and two scores. Alec Reismann had some big catches and averaged 23.5 yards per catch. Look for the Blackhawks to continue trying to get Nick Schneider touches on the ground.

Prediction: Blair-Taylor 24 Viroqua 6

MELROSE-MINDORO (0-1) @ ELEVA-STRUM (0-1)

Neither one of these programs had an all-too inspired offense in their opening games. The Mustangs amassed just 66 total yards in a 21-0 loss to Pepin/Alma, and while no stats are available from the Cardinals’ loss to Indy/Gilmanton, I doubt it was much better for them. Mel-Min didn’t have many big games scoring last season either though; apart from their wins over Hillsboro and C-FC, the Mustangs regularly scored less than 14 points and averaged just 16 PPG even with those two big wins. This one has the potential to be a grind-it-out, one-score affair. I’d say it’s a pick ’em.

Prediction: Mel-Min 14 Eleva-Strum 13

P-E-M (0-0) @ #1 (CLASS 2A) CALEDONIA (0-0) (Saturday, 10/10)

The streak currently sits at 68 wins for Caledonia football. And since they won’t be able to repeat as 2A state champions this year since there won’t be a state tournament, the streak becomes the title defense for the Warriors. The King Dynasty also continues this year; with quarterback Noah King now hoping to play hoops at Kirkwood Community College this season, Eli King assumes the throne. Eli currently has three Division One scholarship offers on his plate, and that number figures to increase this year one season after racking up 952 yards on 53 receptions for 21 scores in 2019. Under center this year for the Warriors will be Isaiah Reinhart, and while filling the shoes of Noah King won’t be easy, Reinhart did get snaps in garbage time last year. Conversely, P-E-M went 2-6 last season and while they didn’t face Caledonia they had a 1-2 record against common opponents.

Prediction: Caledonia 35 P-E-M 6

WINONA COTTER (0-0) @ HAYFIELD (0-0)

To say times have been tough for Winona Cotter football recently would be putting it mildly. In a situation similar to Boscobel, the Ramblers have been held winless since October 13th of 2017, and last season they scored a TOTAL of 19 points and averaged just over 22 yards of offense per game. Not to say that Hayfield was a dynamite program last year with a 3-5 record, but they were able to put together a pretty solid passing attack with Brady Nelson under center. The torch will be passed to sophomore Ethan Pack this season, but I don’t think it matters much here.

Prediction: Hayfield 28 Winona Cotter 0

HOUSTON (0-0) @ SPRING GROVE (0-0)

The Lions were able to advance to the 9-man Section 1 semifinals last year, falling to Grand Meadow 24-14. But unlike other teams on this preview, they’ll be bringing back a few of their big weapons from a year ago; both leading rusher Mitch Reynolds and leading receiver Caden Grinde are seniors this year. The only notable turnover on offense will be at the quarterback position, where Isaac Griffin takes over for Chandler Bergrud. Meanwhile, Houston was also bounced in the Section 1 semis last year to top seed LeRoy-Ostrander, and they will lose their top three offensive producers from last year.

Prediction: Spring Grove 28 Houston 14

2020 City of Palms Classic Cancelled

By Adam Roberts – 10/7/2020

While winter sports officially are scheduled to happen in WIAA schools this year, we’ve become used to news changing on a day-to-day basis this year.

Whatever ultimately happens here in Wisconsin, down in Florida an annual event that has recently featured a few La Crosse Central teams is off.

The 2020 City of Palms Classic will not take place this year due to COVID-19 concerns. It seemed the most likely outcome given travel concerns during a pandemic and all the school from various parts of the country congregating together in one location, but it’s still unfortunate news.

Todd Fergot first took the Red Raiders down to Fort Myers in 2018, where their wins against Brunswick, Georgia and Petal, Mississippi showcased the talents of Johnny and Jordan Davis ahead of the team’s eventual run to the state title game. Central was back in the Sunshine State a year later, and took down South Miami before falling in a close game to Long Island Lutheran and a tough contest against Scotlandville Magnet of Louisiana. The tournament provided the Red Raiders an opportunity to learn from some of the best programs in America and also stamp their name into that book.

The Classic is scheduled to return December 17th through the 22nd in 2021.

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.