EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal / Boscobel Dial / Fennimore Times
Justin Blazek, Sr., LB, UW–Platteville football
PLATTEVILLE — Senior Justin Blazek of the UW–Platteville football team was named to the 2022 Associated Press (AP) Division III All-America second team Thursday afternoon. Blazek was also named to the 2022 D3football All-American third team Friday. The award is Blazek’s fourth this postseason following his impressive campaign.
The Naperville, Ill. native earned WIAC Defensive Player of the Year honors from the before being named D3Football All-Region 6 Defensive Player of the Year and AFCA First Team All-Region in the past two weeks.
Blazek started all 10 games along the defensive front for the Pioneers and finished second in the WIAC with nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The senior finished third on the team with 58 total tackles, including a season-high 10 stops in a win over UW–River Falls on Oct. 15.
Blazek recorded a pair of multi-sack games, with a season-high three coming Oct. 29 at UW–Stout. He lived in the backfield of the Pioneers opponents, tallying at least one tackle for loss in seven games and forcing a team-high 63 yards lost. Blazek also created a pair of turnovers on the season, grabbing an interception against Hardin–Simmons (Texas) on Sept. 17 before recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown the following week at UW–Oshkosh. He also finished with a pair of pass breakups September 10 in a home win over Bethel (Minn.).
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Dealya Collins, 126 pounds and Kylie Rule, 132 pounds, Mineral Point wrestling
Collins and Rule each won individual titles at last Saturday's 30-team Badger State Invitational for the Pointers. Collins finished 4–0 and secured her 126-pound title with a 4–1 win over Lomira's Makenna Hanke. Rule went 5–0 and pinned Waunakee's Katelyn Ottosen in the 132-pound title match.
Braden Crubel, Sr., G, River Ridge boys basketball
Crubel, who was 11-of-20 from the field, including 6-of-12 from downtown, finished with a game-high 32 points, 11 points better than his average, to lead the first-placeTimberwolves (5–1, 3–0 SRW) to a commanding 66–44 win over visiting Potosi/Cassville last Friday night. Crubel also had four rebounds and a team-high three steals and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Emma Hady, Jr., 107 pounds, Richland Center wrestling
Hady went 3–0 to win the 106-pound girls title at the 30-team Badger State Invitational last Saturday. Hady pined Aliana Rauter of Milwaukee Ronald Reagan with 15 seconds left in the title bout to become the first Richland Center girl to ever win an tournament title.
Chloe La Rue, 145 pounds, Cuba City/Benton/Southwestern wrestling
La Rue won the 145-pound girls title at the 30-team Badger State Invitational last Saturday. She went 4–0 with four pins, three in the first period. He pinned Shelly Bullman midway through the second period in the title match.
Caden Lindner, Sr., 138 pounds, and Hunter Stevens, Fr., 126, Iowa–Grant/Highland wrestling
Lindner (12–3) scored a team-high 39 points on the day with a bye and three pins. He second-period fall at the 2:40 over Jackson Blaken of G–E–T/Melrose–Mindoro) in the 138-pound championship match, was a key win that helped the Panthers clinch the team title at last Saturday's Richland Center Invitational. Stevens (12–0) remained unbeaten in his debut season going 4–0 Saturday with a bye, two pins and a 3–0 championship match victory over fellow freshman Dylan Weigel of Belmont/Platteville. Lindner and Stevens also went 3–0 last Tuesday night to led the Panthers to dual meet victories over Waterloo, 59–18, Ithaca/Weston, 66–18, and Boscobel/Wauzeka–Steuben, 78–6.
Camryn Nies, Sr., G, Platteville girls basketball
Nies scored a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in a 63–38 SWC victory over Lancaster last Friday night. Nies then posted 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 63–38 non-conference victory at Fennimore Monday night to lead the Hillmen (7–2, 2–1 SWC) to their third-straight win.
Rachel Schauer, Jr., 165 pounds, Fennimore girls wrestling
Schauer won the 165-pound girls title at the 30-team Badger State Invitational last Saturday. She went 4–0 with a first-round bye and three pins, including a 55-second fall over Gracyn Heine in the championship match.
Cyle Steffl, Jr., G, Iowa–Grant boys basketball
Steffl scored a career-high 32 points to lead Iowa–Grant to a 78–76 non-conference victory over previously undefeated Ithaca (6–1) in the night-cap of a girls–boys doubleheader at Just A Game Field House in Wisconsin Dells last Saturday. Steffl scored 17 of the Panthers 35 first-half points to help IG close the half on a 21–4 run to take a 35–25 lead. He also made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to help close out the win.
