The 2019 calendar year had many memorable moments in the local sports scene. Three teams won state titles, with two others falling in the championship game. Several individuals left their marks in their school history books, and communities had opportunities to celebrate success not otherwise seen in their hometown.

Here’s a look at some of the bigger moments in the local sports scene from 2019:

Milestones aplenty for Black Hawk girls basketball

The Warriors saw everything come together in 2019, which culminated in the program’s first state title by finishing unbeaten. Black Hawk cruised through much of the season — let alone the postseason — and captured the WIAA Division 5 state championship in March by defeating previously unbeaten Clayton at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

Coach Mike Flanagan had led the program to four other trips to state in the previous decade, taking second twice, including in 2018. The Warriors set several marks at the 2019 state tournament, including most first half points (51 vs. Fall River in the semifinal), largest margin of victory (32 vs. Fall River), 3-pointers made (14) and individual field goal percentage (Natalie Leuzinger, 76.1% on 16 of 21 shooting).

Leading the way was a trio of hard-working and athletically-gifted girls: Natalie Leuzinger and sisters Hannah and Bailey Butler. Leuzinger had just reached the 1,000-point career threshold at the outset of 2018, while Hannah Butler joined the club in February 2019. Not far behind was Bailey Butler, who reached the mark in the final weeks of Dec. 2019. Bailey is verbally committed to play at UW-Green Bay beginning in 2021, while Leuzinger is a preferred walk-on at Wisconsin for the 2020-21 season. All three players earned first-team all-state honors in 2019.

New Glarus boys basketball captures first state title

For the first time in history, America’s Little Switzerland could call themselves state champions. 

While New Glarus High School had won two titles as members of co-ops, the 2019 WIAA Division 4 championship was all Glarner Knights.

Led by seniors and cousins Jaden Kreklow and Zach Feller, the Knights made a somewhat surprising run not just to the Kohl Center, but walking away with the gold ball. Feller finished his career as a 1,000-point scorer, but in the title run impressed the masses with his tenacious defensive prowess. Kreklow became the school’s all-time scoring and assist leader and made several key plays down the stretch at the Kohl Center.

New Glarus had to make it out of the state’s toughest sub-sectional in order to gain entry to the Kohl Center, which included defeating rival Belleville in the sectional final. That win came after major wins over Mineral Point and Fennimore in the regional final and sectional semifinal. The Knights then toppled top-ranked and defending champion Roncalli in the state semifinal and second-ranked Oshkosh Lourdes in the championship. 

In all, New Glarus had to defeat four teams ranked that had been ranked much of the season in order to bring home the trophy. To be the best, you have to beat the best — and New Glarus did.

Black Hawk-Warren wins state title in first year of co-op, Milz steps down while on top

While Black Hawk was coming off its second state football championship in school history, Warren had never enjoyed such success. The two schools had a legendary first season in a new co-operative, going unbeaten and winning the WIAA Division 7 state championship over Edgar at Camp Randall Stadium in November.

Despite the unblemished record, it took the team several games to find its groove. Joining dozens of players from different schools, running different offensive and defensive schemes and having more intense positional battles than normal added to the complexity of the season.

Through it all, both the Warriors’ offense and defense finished as one of the state’s statistical best at the end of the season. 

At the conclusion of the success — hoisting the gold ball at the 50-yard line on the home turf of the Wisconsin Badgers — longtime coach Cory Milz stepped down as head coach. Milz was just the second coach in Black Hawk history and won three titles in nearly two decades at the helm.

Hilliard leaves her mark, Monroe girls basketball reaches state finals

The most dynamic player in Cheesemaker history led her squad to the state meet for the third straight season, bringing home the silver ball in the WIAA Division 2 tournament. 

Sydney Hilliard finished her career just nine-points shy of 2,000. Her total points were the most in school history for boys or girls, and she finished top-10 in several other statistical categories. Hilliard, a 3-time all-state player, now plays for the Wisconsin Badgers. Teammate Emily Benzschawel, a 1,000-point scorer who also garnered all-state honors, plays for DII Lindenwood. 

In the run to the state finals, Monroe turned to its stars. Hilliard missed just two shots combined in the two sectional games, and the Cheesemakers defeated Whitefish Bay in the state semifinals. Hilliard scored 48 points in the state tournament, while Benzschawel had 30. The Cheesemakers lost to Beaver Dam, which captured its third-straight championship.

Monroe softball’s magic run ends in state championship game

Following the lead of all-state pitcher Libby Bobak, the Cheesemakers played solid defense and hit the cover off the softball all season long.

In the postseason, Monroe was controversially given a lower seed than deserved. Instead of complaining, the Cheesemakers took care of business on the field, knocking off every team in their path on the way to state.

In the state finals against Seymour, Monroe uncharacteristically displayed poor defense and couldn’t find the timely hits it had seen all season long. In the end, however, the Cheesemakers brought home a silver ball for the trophy case.

Meyer wins state high jump title, brother breaks BH scoring mark

Cade Meyer was already beginning to make a name for himself on the basketball court, but he showed off a new set of skills in the spring track and field season. As a 6-foot-8 sophomore, Meyer began to work on the high jump for the first time. Within weeks he broke the Monroe program record, and by the end of the season he was the state champion — outjumping all other competitors in every division.

Conner Meyer, Cade’s older brother, passed his father as Black Hawk’s all-time boys basketball scoring leader, and later surpassed Jen Wellnitz’s school mark for both boys and girls basketball. Conner Meyer finished his career with 1,662 points, averaging 17.9 points per game during his career. He was first-team all-conference in the Six Rivers East three times, and second team once.

Pecatonica’s Colton Schraepfer, an all-around all-star

Pecatonica’s Colton Schraepfer was not just a first-team all-conference pick in football, basketball and baseball, he took it one step further. Schraepfer represented his school in the state all-star games in all three sports, a rare feat.

Bredeson rises at state wrestling

Darlington-Black Hawk junior Leif Bredeson made a strong run to the state tournament in the heavyweight class. In the championship round, Bredeson lost 2-1 to Stratford’s Dylan Schoenherr, who finished the year with a 52-3 record. Bredeson ended the season 39-7.

Darlington girls, NGM boys reach CC state

The Darlington boys cross country team was kept out of the state meet for the first time in over a decade, the but Lady Redbirds made the school proud, returning to The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids and finishing ninth.

New Glarus-Monticello’s boys cross country team reached the Division 2 state meet two seasons after a Division 3 appearance. The Glarner Knights scored 15th as a team.

Monroe football makes surprising run to Level 3

The Cheesemakers came into the football season with a lot of questions throughout the lineup. Banking on many of its top players to start both on offense and defense, the team was able to avoid many major injuries. 

Inconsistent play early in the season kept the win total down, but major upsets of D2 powers Watertown and Milton set the Cheesemakers up for a playoff berth. Once postseason play began, Monroe mounted road upsets of Onalaska and Stoughton before falling to eventual unbeaten D3 champion DeForest in Level 3.

Sugar River girls soccer reaches sectional final

The Raiders had a solid spring, but one of their best players, Sydney Gentilli, suffered a late-season injury that looked like it would doom the programs’ chances to return to the state tournament for the second straight year.

Instead, in a sectional semifinal win over McFarland, senior Sydney Gentilli played through a torn ACL in her knee, which helped inspire a shootout win. Senior goalkeeper Rachael Heittola made one acrobatic save after another and scored the first goal in the shootout victory.

A state berth was not in the cards for the Raiders, however, as Madison Edgewood won 1-0 in the sectional championship.

Argyle softball captures first conference title

For the first time in program history, the Orioles captured a conference championship. Following the pitching dominance of freshman Grace Ganshert, the Orioles knocked off Juda-Albany in the final game of the regular season to claim the Six Rivers East title May 14.