The year 2021 had its share of memorable area sports moments and achievements. Several players reached career milestones or set school records. Multiple schools send teams to state across multiple sports. An all-time great basketball coach turned in his clipboard, while his mentor was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
A Darlington grad who found his way back to south central Wisconsin was put into his college’s athletic hall of fame, and the most prolific athlete in Black Hawk history capped her career as Wisconsin’s Miss Basketball.
COVID-19 caused a ruckus for the entire 2020-21 school year, shrinking the length of seasons, adding an alternate fall for football, volleyball, cross country and swimming to the spring. Masks were mandatory for players, coaches and spectators — unless they weren’t. Then again, sometimes there were no fans in the stands at all, and area schools jumped directly into the wave of streaming games live online.
All this and more happened in 2021, including Monroe’s deepest run in the football playoffs in 20 years.
Monroe football unbeaten in spring, reach Level 4 in fall
For the first time since 2000, Monroe reached Level 4 of the WIAA football playoffs. Though the Cheesemakers lost to Pewaukee, it set a record for most wins in a calendar year, though that was in part thanks to the fall 2020 season being utilized in the WIAA’s alt-fall spring season in 2021. Monroe went 5-0 in the spring, laying the groundwork for those returning players to build on their season.
Monroe had one of the state’s staunchest defenses, as well as a running attack that saw three backs total nearly 4,000 yards combined. One of those, senior JT Seagreaves, impressed enough in the spring to get some looks at the collegiate level, which led to ...
JT Seagreaves officially a Badger
On Dec. 16, just minutes after finishing up his school day, Monroe senior JT Seagreaves signed his National Letter of Intent to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. The ceremony, held in the high school gymnasium in front of scores of family, friends, coaches and community supporters, came about six months after Seagreaves verbally committed to the program.
An all-state defensive end and longtime wide receiver, Seagreaves moved to running back for the Cheesemakers his senior season, gaining nearly 1,300 yards with 16 touchdowns. He’s the first Monroe player to receive a football scholarship with the Badgers in more than 20 years.
Monroe BBB sectional run
The Cheesemakers played barely half as many games as in normal years after pushing the start of practice back nearly 6 weeks for the 2020-21 season. Led by 6-9 forward Cade Meyer, now a starter at UW-Green Bay, and then-juniors Carson Leuzinger and JT Seagreaves, the Cheesemakers had three legitimate offensive threats.
Monroe hosted Lake Mills in the sectional final with a trip to the state tournament on the line, however, the L-Cats scored with less than 10 seconds left to pull off the upset.
Pat Murphy, Patrick Cleary enter HOFs
Darlington grad Patrick Clearly was enshrined into his college’s athletic hall of fame for his efforts in cross country and track and field. Now a Monroe teacher, Clearly was a prolific high school runner for the Darlington Redbirds before improving his running stock at the University of Dubuque.
New MHS scoreboards donated
Donated funds from the Colony Brands Foundation helped Monroe High School secure new scoreboards for T.R. Holyoke Field and inside the high school gymnasium.
The previous scoreboards had been in place for decades, but were suffering wear and tear and newer technologies at other area schools helped spark interest in upgrading.
Bailey Butler, Wisconsin’s Miss Basketball
The 2021 Black Hawk graduate had a senior season to remember. She set the school record for most points scored in a career, and notched all-time marks in assists, rebounds and steals.
She recorded a rare triple-double during the season, led her team back to the state tournament for the fourth straight year, and was named Miss Basketball by the Wisconsin Coaches Association.
Butler is currently averaging 24 minutes a game (6.6 points) for UW-Green Bay.
Flanagan resigns as Black Hawk girls basketball coach
Butler’s high school coach, Mike Flanagan, decided the time was right to turn in his clipboard in the summer of 2021, shocking many in the program and around the Wisconsin high school basketball scene.
Flanagan began his coaching career under former Monroe boys coach Pat Murphy, and after taking over the reigns in the mid 2000s at Black Hawk quickly turned the program into consistently one of the state’s most competitive.
Flanagan’s Warriors reached the state tournament seven times, winning it all in 2019. Four of those trips came consecutively from 2018-21. The program won 75 straight games from 2019-21, with the lone loss coming in the state semifinals this past February.
He finished his head coaching career with a 309-71 record, and was named the WBCA co-coach of the year for the 2019-20 season, which was cut off shortly before the Warriors could play in their state semifinal because of the rapidly growing COVID-19 pandemic.
New Glarus-Monticello boys and girls cross country reach state twice in six months
Running in the alternate fall spring season, New Glarus-Monticello’s boys and girls cross country teams reached the state tournament despite being the smallest school in the most Division 1 field.
Just months later in the normally scheduled fall, the Glarner Knights repeated the feat, sending both the boys and girls programs to the promised land.
Juda-Albany state SB
The Panthers, playing behind a bevy of underclassmen, stormed the gates on the way to the state championship in Green Bay, only to fall in the final.
Monticello/Brodhead state VB
Brodhead reached the WIAA Division 2 state championship in the alt-fall season, knocking off ranked opponents left and right along the way before finishing second.
In the fall season, it was Monticello’s turn to inspire the hometown. The Ponies dominated teams all season and reached the WIAA Division 4 state tournament for the first time ever.
Monticello boys basketball sectional final run
In boys basketball, the Ponies improved upon years past — not just winning a regional title, but putting themselves in a position to reach the state tournament for the first time.
However, Hustisford, the eventual state champion, walked into Monticello High School in the sectional final and dominated.
Tessa Janecke Team USA Hockey
The area’s best prep hockey player spent much of her time in high school playing in New England against some of the country’s top competition. As a freshman she received a scholarship offer from Penn State, and now, as a senior, earned a spot on the Team USA U-18 Women’s team.
The national team was to travel to Sweden in late December and early January to play in the annual international tournament, though rising COVID-19 numbers led tournament officials to cancel the tournament in its entirety.
