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GAME OF THE WEEK: WBCA All-Star Classic
Area hardwood stars set to shine in Wisconsin Dells
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GAME OF THE WEEK (June 16–22)

PREP BASKETBALL: Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Classic, Friday–Saturday, June 17–18, at JustAGame Fieldhouse (Wisconsin Dells)  

     JustAGame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells will be the nexus of the prep basketball universe in Wisconsin this weekend when it hosts the 2016 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches All Star Classic this Friday and Saturday.

     The girls all-stars will take the court Friday with five games based on divisions, beginning at 9 a.m. The boys will take their turn to shine with five games Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. The southwest part of the state will be well represented in the smaller divisions. 

     Proceeds from the WBCA All-Star games will go directly to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer fund, known as the MACC Fund to help fight childhood cancer. All athletes and coaches involved in the event had to raise money in order to participate. 

     Here is a breakdown of each game featuring local talent. 

 

Division 5 Girls, Friday, June 17, 9 a.m.

     Potosi’s Maddie Hawes, River Ridge’s Bridgett Myers, Riverdale’s Amanda Meister and Black Hawk’s Aleisha Sigafus will play for the Division 5 South team that will be coached by Weston’s Lauretta Pickel. Hawes, a three-time first-team All-Six Rivers selection led Potosi (18–8) to a Division 4 regional title this year. Myers, the 2015 Six Rivers West Player of the Year, led the Timberwolves (17–5, 9–3 SRW) to a second-place finish in the SRW this past winter. Meister averaged 16.1 points per game for the Chieftains (18–7), who finished third in the SWAL behind 2016 D4 state champion Mineral Point (26–2) and Cuba City (22–3). Sigafus finished second in the Six Rivers East in scoring at 17.5 points per game for the second-place Warriors (14–10, 8–2 SRE).

 

Division 4 Girls, Friday, June 17, 10:45 p.m.

   The Southwest Wisconsin Activities League will be well represented in the Division 4 girls all-star game Friday morning. Mineral Point’s Jessica Schultz and Clara Chambers, along with Cuba City’s Jessi Marti and Kaitlyn Kaiser and Fennimore’s Cheyanne Udlhoven will all play for the D4 South team coached by Wisconsin Height’s Suzanne Eskola. Schultz and Chambers led the Pointers (26–2) to the D4 state title and an undefeated SWAL championship. Schultz will play Division 2 college basketball next year at Northern Michigan. Marti and Kaiser helped the Cubans win back-to-back D4 state titles in 2014 and 2015. Cuba City finished 22–3 this season with all three losing coming to Mineral Point. Marti, the two-time SWAL Player of the Year and Cuba City’s all-time leading scorer, will play D2 college ball at Northern State. Kaiser recently won a pair of gold medals and competed in four events at the WIAA State Track and Field Meet, leading the Cuba City girls to the Division 3 state title. Udelhoven averaged 16.4 points per game for Fennimore (8–15).

 

Division 3 Girls, Friday, June 17, 12:30 p.m.

     Platteville’s Sierra Brecke and Prairie du Chien’s Brooke Trautsch earned spots on the D2 all-star team, that will be coaches by East Troy’s Jeff Brown. Brecke was the Southwest Wisconsin Conference Player of the Year after leading the Hillmen (17–8, 8–2 SWC) conference and regional titles, while leading the SWC in scoring at 20.7 points per game. Brecke will college ball at Clarke University in Dubuque. Trautsch led the Blackhawks (15–10) in scoring (17.2 ppg), assists and steals and finished second in the SWC Player of the Year vote to Brecke. Trautsch and her Blackhawks got the last laugh, however ending Platteville’s season in the D2 sectional semifinals with a 70–52 victory.

 

Division 5 Boys, Saturday, June 18, 9 a.m.

     Belmont’s Raine Voigts will play alongside Seneca’s Kilian Boland, Hillsboro’s Max Stockwell and Joey Helgerson, and Albany’s Tyler Dahl on the Division 5 boys all-star team, coached by Hillsboro’s Curt Hildreth, an Iowa–Grant High School graduate. Voigts, a three-time All-Six Rivers West selection and 1,000-point career scorer, finished second in the SRW in scoring at 17.4 points per game for the second-place Braves (16–8, 9–3 SRW). Boland (12.4 ppg) led the Indians to a 22–3 overall record, a perfect 14–0 mark in the Ridge & Valley and regional title. Stockwell, the 2016 Scenic Bluffs Player of the Year and Hillsboro’s all-time leading scorer, and Helgrson (a career 1,000-point scorer) led the Tigers to an unbeaten SBC title and a 24–2 overall mark. As juniors, Stockwell and Helgerson led Hillsboro to the WIAA Division 5 state championship game. Hildreth has led the Tigers to 47–8 record in his two seasons as head coach. 

 

Division 4 Boys, Saturday, June 18, 10:45 a.m.

     Iowa–Grant’s Isaac Anderson and Brayden Johnson will team with SWAL rivals Ben Burkholder of Cuba City and Ryan Lathan of Boscobel on the Division 4 South team, coached by Oshkosh Lourdes’ Brad Clark. Anderson (20.2 ppg), the 2016 SWAL Player of the Year and four-time All-SWAL choice, Johnson led the Panthers to a 22–2 overall record and a perfect 14–0 mark in league play. Burkholder finished second in the conference in scoring for the 20–6 Cubans, who upset the top-seeded Panther in the D4 regional finals. Latham was a four-year varsity player and 1,000-point career scorer for the Bulldogs (11–12).

 

Division 3 Boys, Saturday, June 18, 12:30 p.m.

     Dodgeville’s Trent Jones was named to the Division 3 boys South team, that will be coached by Waunakee’s Dana MacKenzie. Jones was named the SWC Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring at 23.9 points per game for the second-place Dodgers (18–6, 7–3).

MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U GAME OF THE WEEK (College Football): Wisconsin Badgers open fall camp at UW–Platteville
Wisconsin returns to Platteville to prepare for nation’s #1-ranked toughest schedule
Dillon Jones
Redshirt freshman running back Dilin Jones works on ball security during positional drills at Monday’s practice at UW–Platteville. Jones appears to be the favorite to start at tailback this year. He rushed for 88 yards on 16 carries a year ago before being redshirted. - photo by A.J. Gates

MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (July 30–Aug. 6)
College Football: Badgers open fall camp at UW–Platteville

By A.J. Gates, Herald Independent / Tri-County Press / The Platteville Journal

Wisconsin returns to  Platteville to prepare for nation’s #1-ranked toughest schedule
PLATTEVILLE — Third-year head coach Luke Fickell and his Wisconsin Badger football team arrived in Platteville last Monday evening, and took to the field for their first of 10 practices at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium Tuesday morning.

Fickell and the Badgers, who will be in Platteville until Sunday, will hold one practice open to the public on Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets will be $5 with free admission to those 12 and under.

After going 5–7 last season and missing out on being bowl eligible for the first time since 2001, coach Fickell enters the 2025 season with a two-year record of 13–13 at Wisconsin.

His original seven-year contract worth $54.6 million was extended this past February by one year, good until March of 2032.

Being the 18th highest paid coach in the FBS, and the fifth highest paid coach in the Big Ten, Fickell will be put to the test this season, as Wisconsin faces the No. 1 toughest college football schedule in the country for the 2025 season.

Among Wisconsin’s 12-game regular-season schedule are home games against Ohio State, Iowa, Washington, Maryland and Illinois. Their road schedule is even more daunting with games at Alabama, Michigan, Oregon, Indiana and Minnesota.

According to the latest preseason poll by the Associated Press, Ohio State enters the season ranked No. 1 in the country, Oregon is No. 3, Indiana No. 10, Illinois No. 16 and Alabama No. 17.

In a recent poll of Big Ten reporters, the Badgers were picked to again finish 12th in the Big Ten field of 18 teams. 

The Badgers need to win at least six games to be bowl eligible this year, and only one win against an FCS opponent counts toward that total.

The foundation for the upcoming 2025 season is now being laid down in Platteville, where the nine other practices open only to the media, offer a glimpse at some of the veterans returning to the Wisconsin program, and also many of the new faces that will be looked upon to play significant roles this coming season.

Gone to the NFL are Jack Nelson (OT) and Hunter Wohler (S), while Braeden Locke (QB), Tawee Walker (RB) and Will Pauling (WR) are among those who transferred out of Wisconsin to other college programs.

Also gone is offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who was fired last November after his “Air-Raid” offense ranked 107th nationally in scoring last season.

Hired in his place is new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, who spent last year as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Kansas. Grimes also held coaching positions at Baylor, BYU, LSU, Virgina Tech, Auburn, Colorado, Arizona State and Boise State.

With the hiring of Grimes, the Badgers appear committed to getting back to their offensive roots of physical line play up front and a steady dose of the run game. Hopefully the misdirection plays and spread formations inside the red zone will be replaced with a hard-nosed power rushing attack between the tackles.

It’s been said that offensive linemen like playing for Grimes, who allows the big men up front to be the aggressors at the line of scrimmage.

Under center for the Badgers this season will be transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who last year at Maryland completed 273-of-420 pass attempts for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

His back-ups look to be senior Hunter Simmons and sophomore Danny O’Neil. Simmons is a transfer from Southern Illinois and O’Neil a transfer from San Diego State.

Among the top receiving targets for Edwards will be returner Vinny Anthony, who caught 39 passes last season for a team-high 672 yards and four TDs.

Joining him out wide looks to be a combination of Chris Brooks Jr. and Ohio State transfer Jayden Ballard, while Trech Kekahuna will be playing in the slot left vacant by Pauling who transferred to Notre Dame.

If there is one player on the Badger’s offense to keep an eye on this season, it has to be Trech Kekahuna (#2). As a redshirt freshman, Kekahuna caught 25 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns, but entered his name into the transfer portal at the end of lasat season. 

A phone call and meeting with Grimes convinced him to stay in Wisconsin, and the redshirt sophomore has been turning a lot of heads at fall camp ever since. Badger fans will be glad Kekahuna is wearing red and white and not the yellow and green of the Oregon Ducks, who also offered the speedster a scholarship out of high school.

Lining up at tight end are Tucker Ashcraft and Lance Mason, while Jake Renfro (C), Joe Brunner (LG) and Riley Mahlman (RT) look to anchor the offensive line.

With last year’s leading rusher in Tawee Walker transferring to Cincinnati, the starting running back position appears to belong to Dilin Jones, with Darrion Dupree, Gideon Ituka and Cade Yacamelli getting some reps.

Jones, who according to 247sports, is the second-highest rated running back recruit in program history next to John Clay, appeared in three games during his redshirt season last year, rushing for 88 yards on 16 carries. 

There appear to be a few more questions than answers on the defensive side of the ball early in the season, where the three anchors of the defensive secondary look to be Christian Alliegro (LB), Preston Zachman (S) and Ricardo Hallman (CB).

Most of the defensive question marks appear to be on the defensive line, where of the 21 transfers signed by the Badgers during the offseason, seven were defensive linemen. There were also two transfers added at linebacker, two at cornerback and two at safety.

After giving up an average of 165 rushing yards per game, defensive coordinator Mike Tressel looked for more size up front coming into the 2025 season, and it appears he found it.

Of the 11 defensive linemen listed on this year’s roster, seven are 300 pounds or heavier, with another at 299 and one more at 295. The average weight in the defensive line room is 305 pounds, with the shortest standing at 6’2” and the tallest at 6’5”.

At the head of the line during defensive drills were Ben Barten (6’5”-323), Charles Perkins (6’2”-316), Jay’Viar Suggs (6’3”-299) and Parker Petersen (6’4”-315).

Anchoring the linebacker crew looks to be Christian Alliegro and Tackett Curtis, while the secondary will be lead by safeties Preston Zachman and Austin Brown along with cornerback Ricardo Hallman.

While it’s true the Badgers have the No. 1 toughest schedule in college football this season, I’m convinced after spending a few days at fall camp that they have some pieces in place that could surprise some people.