WIAA Realignment: 6 cumulative points, 14 wrestling weights, 5 volleyball divisions, 24 competitive balance appeals

The WIAA made three structural changes that greatly impacted sports. In April, the association announced the addition of a tournament performance factor to its competitive balance proposal. If a team accumulated six or more points in a three-year period, that team would move up a division in the next season’s playoffs. Monroe and Darlington football appealed their promotions in December but were denied — as were 21 other teams.

The lone approval was Wonewoc-Center volleyball, but the decision coincides with the WIAA’s  February decision to expand volleyball from four to five divisions. In effect, Wonewoc-Center was moved up a division.

In June, the WIAA approved 14 new weight classes for the 2023-24 wrestling season. Sugar River head coach Peter Swenson noted in the Winter Sports Preview that the change in weights would create obstacles for his and other teams. 

State Tournament Hardware: 5 trophies

While many more teams and individuals qualified for state, five of them brought home the hardware.

In June, Brodhead softball earned its first state championship since 2004 with a 1-0 extra-inning win over Mayville. Jerrica Schwartz hit the walk-off double, and McKenna Young picked up the win in the circle. During state, the Cardinals made the tournament record book five times — Young 16 strikeouts in a game (T3); Young 27 strikeouts in a tournament (T4); Brodhead 0 runs allowed in a tournament (T1); Sophia Leitzen 2 triples in a game (T1), in a tournament (T1).

The next week, Pecatonica  baseball lost an 8-7 heart-breaker to Ithaca in the bottom of the seventh to finish as Division 4 state runners-up. To get to the championship game, the Vikings defeated McDonell 7-6. It was the program’s first trip to state after 13 sectional appearances.

After surviving a gauntlet of a sectional, Sugar River made its first state trip since 2004 and brought home the program’s first-ever gold ball. The Raiders defeated Plymouth 4-1 in the championship and Pius XI 3-0 in the semifinal. In the process, the team set three state tournament records and tied another — Sugar River 18 saves in a tournament (1); Aiden Hatleberg 5 goals in a tournament (T1); Hatleberg 11 points in a tournament (1); Clayton Streiff 18 saves in a tournament (1).

Two Lafayette County football teams battled their way to the state tournament, bringing home two silver balls.

Black Hawk-Warren fell to Edgar 36-6 in the Division 7 state tournament. The two teams have met at state before, with the Warriors edging the Wildcats in both 2018 and 2019. This time, Edgar’s Karter Butt led his team to victory with a state-tournament record five rushing touchdowns. It was Black Hawk-Warren’s second trip to state as a co-op.

Darlington lost to Stratford 10-7 on an untimed, 32-yard game-winning field goal from German exchange student Laurenz Plattner. The field goal was set up by a Redbird fumble with 17 seconds left in the game. Reagan Jackson scored the lone touchdown, as Darlington took home the program’s 9th silver ball.

Career Milestones: 1,000 points 1,000 rebounds, 100 wins

Five players reached career milestones in 2023 — either 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds or 100 wins.

Pecatonica’s Chloe Schraepfer, who graduated this spring, scored her 1,000th career point on Feb. 2 against Juda. She was the first female Viking basketball player to reach the milestone since Kimee Chandler in 2010.

In the 2023-24 basketball season, Darlington’s Will Murray scored his 1,000th point in a 77-28 win over Fennimore. Two days later, Albany senior Alana Durtschi notched her 1,000th career point in a 65-37 Six Rivers East win over Black Hawk.

Brodhead’s Abbie Dix, who scored her 1,000th career point in 2022, grabbed her 1,000th career rebound in a Rock Valley Conference game against Whitewater on Feb. 10. The last time Brodhead had a 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound player was Carly Mohns.

On the mat, Brodhead’s Marcus McIntyre eclipsed 100 career wins in the Mount Horeb Invite. His individual title in the 138-pound bracket helped Brodhead-Juda to a ninth-place finish. Pecatonica-Argyle’s Aidan Gruenenfelder also reached this feat.

The Monroe Times covers 87 teams across three seasons and 18 of them won their respective conferences. 

In the winter, Sugar River wrestling and Parkview-Albany took home wrestling titles. Albany girls basketball went undefeated in the Six Rivers East, as did New Glarus girls basketball in the Capitol South. Darlington boys basketball captured its fourth SWAL title under head coach Tom Uppena.

In the spring, Brodhead softball went undefeated in the Rock Valley. Pecatonica baseball continued its Six Rivers East dominance with its eighth title, as did Sugar River girls soccer with their sixth straight Capitol championship. Monroe boys track and field picked up its fourth consecutive Badger Conference title, while New Glarus baseball won its first championship since 1997. Juda-Albany softball won the Six Rivers East ahead of Pecatonica. 

This fall, Monroe and Darlington football battled it out on the gridiron for their third Rock Valley and SWAL titles, respectively. Sugar River boys added on to its conference-championship streak, which is now at six. Despite making the change from the Badger to the Rock, both Monroe boys and girls cross country teams earned back-to-back conference titles. New Glarus-Monticello and Darlington girls also ran to first in their respective leagues.

Sydney Hilliard: 71 games as a Badger

On Jan. 8, Sydney Hilliard announced the end of her collegiate basketball career, citing her own well-being. Hilliard, a 2019 Monroe graduate, played in 71 games as a Badger, averaging 12.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, a .302 3-point percentage and .665 free-throw percentage.

Alex Erickson: 2 career NFL touchdowns

Alex Erickson, a 2011 Darlington graduate, caught his second NFL touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 14. Erickson’s last TD catch was in 2017 as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

In the 2023 preseason, Erickson played for the New York Jets but did not make the 53-man roster. He then signed with the Los Angeles Chargers and has played in six games this season.

Natalie Leuzinger: 52 games before a start

Natalie Leuzinger played 52 games as a Badger before earning her first career start in UW-Madison’s exhibition match against UW-Whitewater on Oct. 29. In 11 games this season, Leuzinger averages 7 ppg and 3.1 rpg with a .714 free-throw percentage. 

Leuzinger began her Badger career as a preferred walk-on and earned a full-ride scholarship on Aug. 25, 2022. 

A perfect game in high school softball and baseball — facing the minimum number of batters, whether 12, 15, 18 or 21 — is a rare feat, but 2023 contained three of them from three different pitchers.

Pecatonica’s Coy Ruegsegger and Max Steele combined for a perfect game against Monticello-Albany on April 18. The duo combined for nine strikeouts.

Juda-Albany pitcher Avary Briggs struck out 10 of 12 batters in a 15-0 win over Argyle on April 29. She also performed at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, triple and five RBIs. 

Brodhead senior McKenna Young pitched a perfect game to earn a 10-0 win over Edgerton on May 11. Her 13 strikeouts and mercy-rule enforcing RBI gave Brodhead the outright Rock Valley Conference title. 

Albany Wrestling: 21-year Hiatus and New Glarus Softball: 4-year Hiatus

Albany High School hosted its first wrestling meet since 2002. The Comets have been in co-ops with Juda (1993-2003), Evansville (2003-2019) and Parkview (2020-present) being the host school with only Juda. Parkview-Albany hosted Brodhead-Juda, Marshall and Clinton, winning two of three duals. 

Softball returned to New Glarus for the first time since 2019 thanks to renovations on Glarner Park. In the three years between the completion of the field and the latest home game, COVID-19 disrupted play and New Glarus entered a co-op with Monticello. 

4 New Cooperative Teams

Cooperative teams are common in small towns where enrollment is already small and program numbers are on the decline. This year, five new co-ops were created and two are already in action.

Argyle and Pecatonica girls basketball teams first began discussions of joining forces in January. The schools already combined for five other sports and are a mere 10 minutes apart. Thus, the Argyle-Pecatonica girls basketball co-op was formed, and the team is off to an impressive 8-1 start and ranked No. 5 in Division 5.

Talk of Albany and Monticello schools joining forces for girls basketball began at the end of the winter season and were finalized in the summer. The Comets made their first trip to state in the 2022-23 season, while the Ponies made the regional semifinals. Together, the ‘Space Stallions’ have been an unstoppable force at 10-0 and ranked No. 2 in Division 5.

Black Hawk baseball was 0-17 in the spring, while softball did not field a team due to low numbers. To keep their programs alive, the Warriors combined with Argyle. The Oriole baseball squad went 6-11, and softball posted a 5-16 record. The fresh co-ops will see their first action in the 2024 season.

Lindsey Schadewalt: 813 points

New Glarus’s Lindsey Schadewalt scored 813* points in 2023. Still a junior in February, Schadewalt broke 2021 graduate Jaylynn Benson’s all-time scoring record of 1,374 career points. The accomplishment came just 16 games after Schadewalt scored her 1,000th career point. Five games into her senior season, Schadewalt scored a career-high 36 points against Lakeside Lutheran. Most recently, Schadewalt set the school’s all-time scoring record, surpassing 2019 Jaden Kreklow’s 1,814 career point total. *Point total as of Dec. 18

Jim Strommen: 646 career wins

Pecatonica head baseball coach Jim Strommen coached his team to its 19th conference championship, 13th regional title and first-ever state berth. The Vikings posted a 24-2 mark in 2023, improving Strommen’s career record to 646-225. That put Strommen second in the state for most wins as baseball coach, just one win shy of Royall’s Joe Vitcenda. 

 Jerry Petitgoue: 82 years old

Longtime Cuba City boys basketball head coach Jerry Petitgoue retired at 82-years-old. In his 52-year career with the Cubans, Petitgoue reached 1,000 wins — the only coach in state history to do so. He’s sent eight teams to the state tournament with three of them taking home the gold. Although he has retired from coaching, Petitgoue is still active in his role at the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association.

Clarence Bruess: 30-year career, 3 state titles

Former Monroe Athletic Director, track and field coach and cross country coach passed away on Jan. 4, 2023. He held those positions for 30-plus years, coaching three boys cross country teams to state. In September, the Monroe Hounds hosted the first Bruess Invite without the presence of its namesake.

New Glarus-Monticello Football Co-op: 41 years

New Glarus-Monticello saw its 41-year football co-op come to an end this year. The Knights’ regular-season 38-6 finale loss to Columbus marked the final game on New Glarus Stadium Field, as the primary school broke ground for its new building the following Monday.

In 41 years, New Glarus-Monticello saw six conferences and four head coaches — Duane Schober, Jeff Eichelkraut, Desmond Breadon and DJ Schuett —  and compiled a 195-183 record. 

Next season, New Glarus will continue to play 11-man football in the SWC, while Monticello will field an 8-player team in the Ridge & Valley Conference.

Monroe Golf Club: 100-year Celebration

The Monroe Golf Club changed ownership in spring, as John Baumann, Mike Sanders and Greg Fedders worked to keep the business afloat. To retain current members and attract new ones, the new owners updated the course and added a 12-hole Lil Gem. The Club celebrated its 100th year of operation and unveiling of the revamped course in June with UW-Madison football head coach Luke Fickell, women’s basketball head coach Marisa Moseley and Athletic Director Chris McIntosh in attendance.

Sugar River Boys Soccer: 20-year Streak

Sugar River boys soccer defeated McFarland 5-1 on Sept. 14. The victory snapped the Raiders’ 20-year losing streak to the Spartans. In six of the last seven postseasons, McFarland ousted Sugar River. This year, the Raiders returned the favor with a 4-3 victory over the Spartans in a Division 3 sectional semifinal.

Monroe-New Glarus Swimming: 87 points

In their Sept. 26 home dual, the Monroe-New Glarus swim team defeated Edgewood 87-83. The Crusaders defeated the ‘Cheese Knights’ 126-44 last season and earned their eighth straight Division 2 championship.

Tessa Janecke: 6 points

Tessa Janecke, a 2022 Orangeville graduate, suited up for Team USA in the Women’s World Championship in April. She scored her first international goal in a 6-2 win over Czechia and recorded six points in the tournament. USA took home gold with a 6-3 win over Canada. She is currently a sophomore at Penn State. 

Isaac Bunker: 166 players

Monroe’s Isaac Bunker signed his Letter of Intent to play football for the U.S. Naval Academy on March 29. As a freshman on a team of 166 players, Bunker did not make the depth chart or play this season. Navy tallied a 5-7 record. 

Monroe wrestling: 50th anniversary

Monroe wrestling celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1973 state championship team in January. Members of the team, as well as other state-qualifying alumni, cheered the 2022-23 team on to a 48-36 dual victory over Mount Horeb. That weekend, Monroe also hosted its annual high school and Gavin Breadon Memorial youth tournament.