By Adam Roberts – 3/25/2021

It isn’t too often that a team advancing to state is the side story of a high school sporting event.

But that was the case with the Caldeonia boy’s basketball team yesterday evening, which recorded coach Brad King’s 100th victory in a 78-61 Section 1AA Championship win at Rochester Century. Statistically, the Warriors were paced by a 22 point night from junior guard Jackson Koepke (who also had five threes) while senior Austin Klug followed 19 and senior forward Casey Schultz had 12.

King made the evening as little about himself as anyone possibly could, instead praising his players for battling to this point through a highly trying season. Another gesture indicative of Coach King’s character: after the win, he could be seen embracing members of Stewartville, who were no slouches themselves this year. They finished the season 18-4 as Michigan-bound Will Tschetter scored 29.

The opponent Caledonia will face in the AA quarterfinal is still to be determined.

By Adam Roberts – 3/24/2021

The Caledonia boy’s basketball team had to tough things out against PEM on Monday, but their 59-55 victory over the Bulldogs has the Warriors poised to claim a sectional championship this evening.

To do so, they’ll have to get past the two-seed in the sectional from Stewartville. The two met once earlier this year, with the Warriors coming out on top 72-60 on February 5th. At the time, it was Caledonia’s fourth win in a row since their loss to Onalaska on January 22nd, and since that loss to the Hilltoppers the Warriors have remained unbeaten.

Key to tonight’s game will be the Warriors’ plan to contain senior Will Tschetter. The Michigan-bound 6’8″ Tschetter has not been held to single digits all season, and the last time these two met he managed more than half of Stewartville’s scoring with 31 points. Notable outings this year for Will include a 48 point night against Kasson-Mantorville on February 9th, and 40 more in a 102-69 win over Dover-Eyota in the first round last week Tuesday.

This shapes up as a great litmus test for both teams, and either one will be a formidable foe for opponents the rest of the way. Keep an eye on Sam Privet; the Warrior senior is the same height as Tschetter and has averaged 13.6 per game since February 11th.

By Adam Roberts – 3/24/2021

In the last 15 years, the issue of concussions in sports, particularly in football among young athletes, has resulted in continuing advancements in studies on the injury. However, as someone who has been put through high school concussion protocol at least a couple times in 2009, I know that the system isn’t perfect.

A new study out of England may be the biggest advancement in the field to date.

In what could be a major game changer, scientists now say they can diagnose a concussion through a saliva test. A team of British researchers studied over 150 rugby players at England’s highest level, and compared saliva samples collected before the season with samples collected from players being checked for concussions and other injuries. They found the genetic markers in saliva determined with 94-percent accuracy which players had concussions.

A co-author of the study at the University of Birmingham said it’s now possible to accurately identify concussions in players simply by analyzing their saliva. This would help bypass uncertainties or athletes who might, for any given reason, try to mask the severity of a concussion to return to play.

By Adam Roberts – 3/23/2021

Contract signings and restructurings continue this week, and a starting defensive back is signed on for another year in Green Bay despite a less-than-stellar performance in the NFC Championship Game this year.

Green Bay is re-signing cornerback Kevin King on a one-year, six-million dollar deal, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. His pass interference in the championship game notwithstanding, he had an average 2020 and was likely seen as the best option at the position for the team as opposed to finding another option on the open market.

As for a possible restructuring of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ contract, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky the team DID pay Rodgers’ scheduled 6.8 million dollar roster bonus and did NOT alter his deal. The team has also this week restructured safety Adrian Amos and guard Billy Turner’s contracts.

By Adam Roberts – 3/22/2021

I believe that many people would agree that given the chaos of this time a year ago, the fact that an NFL Draft happened in any format last April was nothing short of amazing. That said, a return to an in-person format for 2021, even limited in scope, would be welcomed by many. Today’s news from the shield should hopefully build confidence that some of the magic of past will return this spring.

A limited number of players, fans, and media workers will be in Cleveland, Ohio next month for the draft, with some masked fans getting front-row access. There will be some elements kept from the virtual draft last year, with many top prospects electing to hold their own draft parties away from the main event.

One big thing that will be returning this year are draft rooms for each of the 32 teams. Last year, one of the more hodge-podgy things was teams trying to communicate and input draft picks over the phone and Zoom, so having personnel in the same room will be a huge boost this year.

As for us, ESPN La Crosse 105.5 will be bringing back our annual NFL Draft Show. For 2021, we’ll be returning to Buffalo Wild Wings in Onalaska with Round One, Two, and Three coverage complete with analysis and your opinions. Stay tuned for more details!