BLANCHARDVILLE — For the last four years, Colton Schraepfer has poured his heart, sweat and tears for the Pecatonica Vikings. Baseball, football and basketball were his sports of choice, and with each passing season his impression on opposing teams ran deeper — not just from his athletic skill, but his ability to create opportunities for his teammates and act as a coach on the field during gameplay.

In his senior season this past year in football, he finished with 30 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards of offense from under center. He was getting interest at the collegiate level as an option-style quarterback.

During the winter, Schraepfer passed the 1,000-point milestone in basketball and was the conference player of the year, and in the spring during baseball pushed his career run total further into the triple digits and was an all-state selection.

In all, he holds 11 all-conference honors across all three sports and his teams won seven conference titles in 12 tries. To top it all off, Schraepfer was invited to, and played in, the state all-star games for all three sports this summer.

“I’ve got to give it all to my coaches I’ve had here at Pecatonica, and my teammates — they’ve had my back here for the last four years and the only reason I got into these games was because of them,” Schraepfer said. “The coaches that I’ve been able to be coached by — coach (Jim) Strommen, coach (Larry) Schliem, coach (Blake) Bukowski, coach (Matt) Fink — they’re great. Their programs are in great hands.”

Making an all-star game brings a sense of pride in and of itself, but players who are invited are also expected to raise money for various causes, like the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the MAC Fund.

“For myself, I was able to raise over $4,000,” towards the various charity funds, Schraepfer said. “That was more important than even the game.”

The final game, the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association North/South game was held July 20, and Schraepfer played defense, making two solo tackles and four total.

“It was a lot of fun. I was able to create relationships with many different players and coaches. A lot of the players were big conference rivals, and that was a lot of fun to play with them,” Schraepfer said. “I would have to say football was the most fun (all-star game) I got to play with. 

There were 45-50 guys on our team and you get to know all of them in a whole week.”

He said the best part of the all-star game, in which players practiced for a week together and specialized at certain positions, was the off-the-field aspects of the game. In the days prior to the game, the state’s top players meet and talk with patients from the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

“We got to hear some incredible stories from some of the kids,” Schraepfer said. “When you hear those stories, it hits your heart really hard; it really does, and it makes you realize how good you really have it.”

In his career for Pecatonica-Argyle, he completed 59.1% of his passes for 1,702 yards and 25 touchdowns with just four INTs. As an option QB, he ran for another 1,417 yards in his career — 983 of which came during his senior season, when he was third in the Six Rivers in rushing.

Injuries offset Schraepfer early in his career and he was held to just 27 games on the gridiron. That didn’t stop him from gaining steam on the recruiting trail.

“Injuries are just part of sports. You just have to accept your role,” he said. “You can still be a leader without being on the court or in the field. You have to be able to sit back and help your teammates get ready for the game.”

In basketball, Schraepfer was the player of the year this past season in the Six Rivers East and has two other second-team all-conference marks to his name. At the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association all-star game June 15, he scored four points on 2 of 4 shooting and had a rebound and an assist in 19 minutes.

But of all of the sports he plays, baseball is his truest passion. In the fall, Schraepfer will attend UW-La Crosse and will spend the spring taking his reps on the diamond.

“I mostly received (college) interest in football. There was Division 2 programs that wanted me to play quarterback — a lot of them were option programs,” Schraepfer said. “But my first love has always been baseball, and that’s what I wanted to do.”

This past spring, Schaepfer was first-team all-conference for the third time and was an honorable mention all-state player. He hit .494 on the season with nine doubles, 21 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He played in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association all-star classic June 28, scoring a run and driving in two in three games, and has continued playing through the summer with the Blanchardville Bullets Home Talent League team and with the Pecatonica Babe Ruth team as needed. 

Next spring, Schraepfer will likely play second base, despite being a shortstop his entire career. The outfield is also a possible destination.

“Baseball is baseball — I’ll be able to play whatever position they need me to. I’ll be fine,” he said.

UW-Whitewater has been the premier DIII program in the state for the past two decades, winning two NCAA DIII World Series titles since 2005. The Warhawks are 252-73 (.775) since 2013. La Crosse has risen in prominence over the last few years and has a .642 winning percentage since 2013, including a 28-15 mark this past spring.

“I remember going to camp in La Crosse, and that’s when they kind of recognized me. Coach (Scott) Gillitzer, he’s an assistant and the one that’s been recruiting me; La Crosse made me feel at home, and that’s why I wanted to go there,” he said. “They just got a new weight room, and it’s really nice.”

Once at UWL, Schraepfer plans to study exercise and sports science and hopes to one day run his own gym and training facility. He hasn’t ruled out returning to the action as a coach later in life, either.

“Something I’ve always wanted to do was to come back and give back to my community, and coaching might just be it,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of fun here (in Blanchardville). The memories I’ve made with my teammates and my friends for the last four years, I’ll never forget that.”