Verona still the team to beat

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Western Section

Verona won 7-1 at Wiota on Sunday to clinch home field advantage and a first round buy in the playoffs. Essentially, they force Wiota or Monroe, the two teams with a chance to score the big upset, to come to Verona.

Ben Wallace looked fantastic on the road yesterday. He was locating well, and the off-speed pitches kept Wiota off balance. Verona has now defeated the Indians twice by a combined score of 19-2.

Southeast Section

Fort Atkinson and Dan Dean had another great showing with an 11-1 win, and they are the best team in the section at the moment. Utica lost another game, and Stoughton fell to McFarland. Suddenly, the teams in the West Division are struggling to close the season.

With Utica and Stoughton playing Fort Atkinson next weekend, McFarland may have the easiest schedule to claim the division. They are 1½ games back in second place.

Northern Section

Middleton clinched first place in the East Division on the Northern section. The other three spots are still up for grabs. In the West, Reedsburg held on for a big 10-9 win, and Sauk Prairie continued to roll forward.

With Reedsburg and Sauk Prairie facing off in the final season game on Aug. 1, the game is very important. However, they are in the playoffs at the moment. The other two spots are between Plain, Cazenovia and Mazomanie with neither team close to finishing at .500.

Eastern Section

It is still a free-for-all at the top of the section. Sun Prairie won and moved into second place behind DeForest who came closer to showing they deserve the top with a 6-0 win over Waterloo. Cottage Grove was upset, however, and they fell down to a tie for third with Monona.

Cottage Grove still has a great chance to win with three games against the three teams tied or ahead of them in their final four. Sun Prairie will have a big game against Lodi next week to try and continue their climb.

Verona shows off offense in Western Section; East a free-for-all

Home Talent League

Western Section

Verona is dominating with two impressive victories, both by 10 runs, over Dodgeville and Wiota. The Cavaliers are hitting and pitching well, and they have shown they can beat everyone.

The only team that beat them, Monroe, lost to Wiota 3-0 on Sunday. At the moment, Wiota is still in second, but Verona is catching stride at the right time.

Southeast Section

Utica and Fort Atkinson are the teams to beat in this section, and they both had some nice wins on the weekend. Utica defeated McFarland for the second time, and they are 9-1 ahead of Stoughton.

Kyle Bates and Matt Ellingson both had wins, and they are on a tough staff for any team. Fort Atkinson edged Whitewater with good pitching by Dan Dean. It’s too bad the game between Utica and Fort Atkisnon was rained out last week, because it would have been the two best teams to see who gets bragging rights.

Northern Section

The three-way tie for first in the East Division came to an end with a big win by Middleton over Cross Plains. Ashton also won, and the East is anyone’s still.

The West Division saw the two top teams continue their dominance. Sauk Prairie and Reedsburg remain No. 1 and No. 2, and they will face each other on the last game of the season. If they continue on this path, they should be battling for first place.

Eastern Section

The section has many teams in the mix, but the big winners of the weekend were Lodi and Deforest who both had big wins over their rivals. Lodi is in first place, but the other teams can easily finish first.

The section will come down to the final few weeks, but Lodi is the team to beat at the moment. The one run win over Sun Prairie was huge with them on their heels.

WIAA falls short on state golf plans

The WIAA state golf championships were Monday and Tuesday, and the great play from Middleton’s Mike Schilling, who won the Division 1 individual title, wasn’t the only story.

The story had to do with the weather and the lack of a plan in case the storms washed away the golf balls. It was 9 P.M., and the rains had subsided to a drizzle. However, it was also pitch black outside.

In the Professional Golf Association, the first sign of storms or dusk stops a tournament for the day. High school sports are much different, but why should the players have to suffer?

The players and the coaches and the parents do not control the weather, but they should have the call to postpone a tournament until the next day. However, when no back up plan is in place, there isn’t a choice for anyone, even the WIAA.

The results trickled in around 9:30 P.M. The light was gone at 8:30 P.M. Therefore, the last four teams playing had no real chance to make a move. The last few players had no chance to hope for a great finish. No one birdied the final three holes at the end of the tournament. Middleton ended six strokes back, after being 15 strokes back when the light was around.

What does this all mean? It means the WIAA needs to have a back up plan, or they need to tweak their current system. When the rain slowed the players down, it made it impossible to finish before the light hid itself in the night sky.

So, what should they do? For one, the golf course was booked up the next day. They wouldn’t be able to continue if they stopped the play, so they bring out the headlights and hope for the best. But why shouldn’t they reserve the morning the next day for these extreme cases?

It is extremely difficult to postpone a large state tournament, and the rain wasn’t bad enough to call anything. However, the rain slowed the action down, and it hurt the players at the end. The WIAA should automatically postpone at night. They should either break up the tournament to three days – Division 2 & 3 early on day one with Division 1 teeing off at noon, Division 2 & 3 final round on day two and Division 1 final round on day three – or have the morning reserved the next morning in case of these extreme cases.

If the weather is great, then the WIAA officials don’t need to worry. However in cases when the night jeopardizes the tournament’s success level, another plan should be utilized. We just saw what the night could do. What if strong storms ripped through all day? Then what? The day one leaders are winners? The lack of planning should be a concern to coaches, parents and especially players.

I Am Sportacus Episode 1

Adler and Handel showdown

Anthony was in Middleton for a big baseball doubleheader. Michael Handel and Shane Adler help their teams split in the only meetings between Middleton and Sun Prairie this year. Check out the Wisconsin State Journal story here.


http://host.madison.com/sports/high-school/baseball/article_a2a025fa-4a7b-11df-8245-001cc4c03286.html

Sun Prairie Trying Not to Get Caught Looking Ahead

Sun Prairie and Middleton are considered favorites to make the Division 1 WIAA baseball state tournament, but fighting for the tough Big Eight conference title comes first.

Although Sun Prairie and Middleton are ranked the highest, the conference has players who could beat a team on any night.

Sun Prairie head coach Rob Hamilton said the 8-1 win versus Madison Memorial was bigger than the upcoming doubleheader at Middleton on Saturday.

“We could not look past Memorial,” said Hamilton. “We sort of stubbed our toe the night before against Oshkosh North. We made some blunders that could have had a hangover effect, but our team really bounced back well.”

The conference can give any team a tough match up, especially if a team makes mistakes and doesn’t play to its potential.

“We go with the approach that every game is a huge game in the Big Eight,” said Hamilton. “You might be able to beat a Middleton, and the very next day you have to face a kid from Beloit, a tough lefty, that can beat you just as easily. So, we try not to get too wrapped up in who we’re playing, but just kind of worry about our dugout.”

The Cardinals haven’t been 100 percent so far and the hitting has struggled a bit. But the pitching, led by senior Michael Handel, and the defense have kept them in games.

Handel is 2-0, and has given up two earned runs in 12 innings. Sun Prairie also had a good performance from Ryan Tanner who only allowed an earned run versus Waunakee; a team some believe may win the Northern Badger this year.

“I’ve been very happy with our pitching and defense,” said Hamilton. “We have really had to rely on some kids without mound experience. They’ve stepped up and answered the call so far. I have to say I am a little disappointed in our hitting, but our pitching and defense has kept us in most of the games, and they have won most of our games so far.“

Even with the early success and the tough road ahead, the talk of returning to the state tournament remains in the discussion. Some may see the evaluated expectations as a distraction, but Hamilton doesn’t see any added pressure at all.

“I think these kids are just accustomed to expecting to win,” said Hamilton. “I don’t think it is anything new to them. I think they realize it is difficult to make this team… It is a tough thing to battle through.

“The expectations of finishing first or second in the Big Eight… I don’t really think it really adds extra pressure to them,” he continued. “I would think it would alleviate some, because they assume they are always going to be in it.“

The Cardinals did make sure the players were ready for the tournament, however. They scheduled some tough non-conference games. Waunakee, DeForest, Oconomowoc, the projected Little Ten champion, and Oshkosh North are all teams located in the same sectional as Sun Prairie. The match ups give the athletes a chance to feel what it may be like later in the year.

“We try to not get too wrapped up in any talk,” said Hamilton. “Once the game starts, I don’t think anybody is worried about the tournament talk… Come tournament time, I think our non-conference season really helps us. We tried to schedule some pretty competitive games so these kids are tournament ready.“

For now, Sun Prairie will focus its time on the next game. The game just happens to be against Big Eight foe Middleton. Middleton is 4-0 versus Sun Prairie in the past two seasons, and they have averaged 11 runs a game during the stretch.

“Middleton has always been a big rivalry of ours, and we haven’t fared well in the past few years,” said Hamilton on the upcoming doubleheader. “We are hoping to change that this Saturday.”

Local high school baseball looking to compete at high level

South central Wisconsin opens the regular season starting Mar. 31, and it looks like the area will see some good baseball in all four divisions.

The Wisconsin Baseball Coach’s Association poll contains at least one local school for each division, and there are many who may be contending for a state title come June.

Although it is too early to tell, Division 1 schools Middleton, ranked No. 2, and Sun Prairie, ranked No. 4, both have a senior core surrounded by talented new comers. Middleton, the defending Big Eight champions, lost in the WIAA semifinals last year, but the experience gained by the returning starters will be a key strength if they want to compete with Sun Prairie.

Sun Prairie finished third in the Big Eight last year, and they lost in the quarterfinals of the WIAA state playoffs. They have some returning starters with experience in a difficult conference. Last year, three Big Eight schools went to state, and it looks as though these two will have a chance to return.

Madison Edgewood is ranked No. 4 in Division 2, and they have high hopes to defend their state title. It won’t be easy. Prairie du Chien is ranked No. 3 and will be looking to return to state since their 2008 championship appearance. Also joining the competition will be Rock Valley powerhouses No. 5 Beloit Turner and No. 7 Jefferson as well as No. 10 Mauston. With all the competition, the season will be very important. The better seeds in the tournament will have a slight edge.

In Division 3, defending Northern Capitol champion Watertown Luther Prep is ranked No. 1. As it stands, they have key returning starters from last year’s success with the experience of playing some tough teams in last year’s tournament. They are the favorites to win the conference, and they should win enough to receive a nice seed in the tournament.

Finally, Barneveld and Southwestern are ranked No. 6 and No. 8 respectively in Division 4. Barneveld made it to the WIAA semifinals last year, and both teams will contend in their conferences. Barneveld plays in the tough Six Rivers conference, while Southwestern will need to play at a high level in the SWAL, where six teams finished at .500 or better.

Janesville Parker needs to win down the stretch if they want to join Verona and Middleton at the top of Big Eight girl's basketball

Big Eight:

For standings go to:

http://prepstats.madison.com/?view=league&view_id=92&sport_id=2

Key games before WIAA playoffs:

Middleton at Janesville Parker Feb. 20.

Verona at Madison West Feb. 26.

Verona at Madison Memorial Mar. 4.

Verona, at 11-2, stands one-half game behind Middleton and Janesville Parker, but they have a great chance at finishing ahead both of them or finishing in a tie with one of them. If Verona takes care of business down the stretch, facing four Big Eight teams under- .500 to finish the conference season, they will most certainly win out and finish with two losses. Therefore, the Middleton and Janesville Parker game on February 20th becomes very important, and it essentially becomes an elimination game. The loser will have three losses, and they will have to hope both Verona and the winner lose to opponent’s under- .500. The winning team will, in contrast, control its own destiny with a great chance to finish with a share of the title.

The last time Middleton and Janesville Parker met, Middleton won 52-24 and gained a 12-point halftime lead Parker couldn’t come back from. This time, the game is in Janesville. The beginning of the game is crucial with these very evenly matched teams. If either team lets the other jump out to a big lead, it will be hard to regroup. Middleton and Verona are the defending champions, as they shared the title last year with 15-3 records. Janesville Parker finished 14-4, including losses to both Middleton and Verona at the end of the season.

Both games were on the road, however. Janesville Parker gets the edge with the home game this year. They need someone else to step up with Danielle Flood, who has averaged 15.8 points per game in conference games. Flood scored 12 points on January 16 versus Middleton, and Jackie Shepler added 12. They a need another hero, which may be Kaynessa Zinn. Zinn has scored double-digit points in eight conference games this season, and Parker is 7-1 in those games. However, they are 7-0 when she is with a group of three or more.