Posted: Oct. 27, 2009 |(0) Comments

Bay boys cross country

Mike Camilleri is a person who really earned his WIAA state cross country individual berth.

Just ask Blue Dukes coach Mike Miller.

"As a coach I'm just very excited for him," Miller said after Camilleri earned his slot in the Brookfield Central sectional Saturday. "Just the dedication and maturity he showed. The light bulb really went off over his head. He's really made a lot of sacrifices, and they have made a big difference and given him a big reward."

Camilleri will run in the WIAA Division I state test at 2:20 p.m. at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday.

He finished fifth on the 5,000-meter Mitchell Park sectional course Saturday in 16:28 for his spot to lead Bay to a sixth place total of 155 points in the 12-school field. Marquette (43) and Central (66) earned the state team berths.

Other scoring runners for the Blue Dukes included Casey Easterday in 29th (17:31), Stuart Gilreath in 33rd (17:37), Rob Cary in 36th (17:43) and Cole Woodliff in 52nd (18:00). Also running were Nate Gomoll in 54th (18:02) and Devon Lawler in 58th (18:06).

Miller thought it was a great team race overall. The only seniors on the sectional team were Gilreath and Cary.

Homestead boys cross country

The Highlanders turned in their best team race of the season when they took fourth in the WIAA sectional meet at Arrowhead on Saturday, as North Shore champ Nate Routhier fought off illness to earn an individual state meet berth.

"I'm feeling much better than last week (at conference)," said Highlanders coach Dan Claussen. "This was just like last year. The guys look fantastic in training but we can never quite put it together until right at the end. We ran our best race at sectional last year and we did it again this year."

The division I boys race will be at 2:20 p.m. at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday. Claussen is confident that if Routhier is feeling good, he can finish in the top 15.

Routhier was clocked in 16:34 on the 5,000-meter layout in taking fourth and leading Homestead to a 95 point total as Arrowhead (46) and North Shore champ Germantown (59) claimed the state team berths. Menomonee Falls was third (89).

Other scoring runners included J.T. Raduka in 17th (17:29), Alex Boyle in 23rd (17:42), and Eric Railsbeck in 24th (17:45). Also running were Alex Mattson in 27th (17:53) and Andrew Churchill in 53rd (18:33).

Claussen was very pleased with the effort of his seniors Raduka, Boyle and Mattson.

University School girls tennis

For the second straight season, the Wildcats were the bridesmaids and not the brides, as Green Bay Notre Dame foiled them in the WIAA Division 2 state championship dual, 5-2, Saturday at Nielsen Stadium in Madison.

USM got wins from Maddy Ecker at first singles (6-4, 6-1) and Saira Khanna at second singles (6-0, 6-0) but could draw no closer as the Tritons won the remaining matches in straight sets. The closest match was at three singles where Lucy Bartlett dropped a tough 7-5, 7-6 decision.

The Wildcats had advanced to the final with an easy, 7-0, semifinal victory over Altoona Saturday morning. USM did not drop a set in the match as the closest decision was Ecker's 6-1, 7-5 decision at first singles.

USM finished with a final dual meet record of 14-7 and prospects for next season look bright as out of the top 10 players, only Khanna and the second doubles team of Anne Scheid and Hannah Lubar are seniors.

Nicolet girls tennis

The Knights ended their season against the best, falling in the WIAA State Team semifinals, 6-1, to two-time state champion Homestead on Saturday.

Nicolet coach Tim Koppa couldn't have been more proud.

"Oh yeah, we're definitely not disappointed at all," he said. "… They just have a lot of talented players. It would have been nice if we had been able to be seeded (at the tournament) and maybe we could have had a chance at them in the final."

The Knights downed Fort Atkinson, 7-0, in the quarterfinals at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison the night before to earn their shot at the Highlanders.

The only win Nicolet picked up against Homestead came at third doubles as Sari Edelman and Erin Miller came through with a 7-5, 7-5, decision against Allison Berman and Christy Kritner.

Nicolet team leader Jennifer Winston, who said she never got frustrated in falling to Homestead two-time state singles champ Aly Coran over and over again, fell to Coran by a 6-2, 6-3 count in her final high school match.

The meet was the last match for a veteran group of seniors including singles players Winston, Becca Stern and Rachelle Brick and the second doubles team of Erica Lurie and Rebecca Raj. It led to an elegant and sad moment when Koppa pulled the van into the Nicolet parking lot late Saturday afternoon.

"What I always do is drive home with the seniors (from state)," he said, "and as some people know I'm a little intense. When I got into the parking lot with some groups, some almost didn't wait for the van to stop before they jumped out. But here, I parked it, and I waited, and no one wanted to get out of the van.

"So we went around the lot one more time. It was a real bittersweet moment, because this team was as close as one could be."

Whitefish Bay boys soccer

It was a major opportunity that the Blue Dukes could not quite take advantage of, as defending state champion Marquette - despite a number of injuries - held off the determined Blue Dukes in a 2-1 WIAA sectional final decision Saturday.

"This was tough to take," said Bay coach Mike Kops, "because in all the time I've watched and played against Marquette, this was the first time that I saw them really pack it in (after getting the lead) and just play to win, instead of just handling a team like they've always done."

The Hilltoppers (17-4-2) advanced to defend their state title at the tournament to be held at Uihlein Soccer Park while Bay finished up its North Shore Conference championship campaign at 11-8.

Robert Courtney gave Bay the lead against the Hilltoppers just six minutes into the game on a great individual play, but Marquette bounced back to score two in relatively short order to earn its 10th straight WIAA state tournament berth.

"If anything," said Kops, "we scored too quickly. We couldn't try to pack it in and play 75 minutes worth of defense. … But our kids played hard before a big crowd (1,500-plus people), and they gave it their all. If we're going to lose, we want to do it the right way and we did. We created opportunities and had the run of play for a good part of the game.

"We just didn't get the goals we needed."

Seniors for the Blue Dukes include Charlie Hoover, Kevin Brown, Luke Davey, Jack Krugler, Brady King, Courtney, Sean LaFleur, Cooper Hennick, Gabe Drury and Matt Sosey.

University School boys soccer

The state tournament dreams of the Wildcats came to a frustrating end Saturday when they fell, 2-1, in overtime to Racine St. Catherine's in a WIAA Division 2 sectional final match.

USM trailed most of the game but with about two minutes to go in regulation, senior forward Joseph Horowitz took a free kick from the left side. Teammate Charlie James ran toward the arcing ball and headed it in, forcing the overtime.

But the Angels got the game-winner five minutes into overtime. After a corner kick, the ball got loose in front of the net and St. Catherine's Ryan Namowicz knocked it in from point-blank range.

The Angels outshot the Wildcats 19-9 as Andrew Stewart made three saves for USM.

USM won the Midwest Classic Conference title this season not surrendering a goal in league play and finished with a final mark of 17-4-1. St. Catherine's advanced to this week's WIAA state tournament at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.

Homestead girls volleyball

The Highlanders will get a chance at a bit of revenge at 6 p.m. Thursday, when it challenges host Watertown in a WIAA sectional semifinal match.

Last season, Homestead had the state-tournament bound Goslings on the ropes in the very same match, only to fall in a thrilling five-game match. If they advance, they will face the winner of Menomonee Falls and North Shore Conference champ Nicolet in a WIAA sectional final at 7 p.m. Saturday at Waukesha West.

The winner advances to the WIAA State Tournament in Green Bay on Nov. 5-7.

"Watertown is returning a large majority of their team as well," said Highlanders coach Sarah Wasmer. "We have not faced them yet this year so we are really working toward just playing the best possible game that we can."

The Highlanders earned their opportunity with a 25-19, 25-22, 25-16 WIAA regional final win over North Shore rival Germantown on Saturday.

"The regional win for two years was great because it shows that we are building a strong, consistently successful program," Wasmer said. "The return of Claire Raddatz from an ankle injury provided us with a solid offense again. Her return also brought back a sense of team unity, allowing us to move fluidly on the court as one unit."

Nicolet girls volleyball

It wasn't easy, but the Knights advanced to sectional play with a 25-20, 15-25, 32-30, 25-14 WIAA regional final victory over North Shore rival Cedarburg on Saturday.

"We showed our heart, determination and composure in some tight spots," said Knights coach Dann Jacobson. "At practice on Friday we had talked to the kids about trusting themselves and trusting their teammates in tough times. Not letting fear dictate how you play the game.

"… This match was a great high school sports experience. I think a tough match and playing a fourth game for the first time this year will help us."

The Knights advanced to an 8 p.m. sectional semifinal match with state power Menomonee Falls on Thursday at Watertown. The victor will play the winner of top-seeded Watertown and Homestead in a sectional final at Waukesha West at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Jacobson said the Cedarburg match was taxing and difficult.

"Our conditioning really paid off," he said. "Obviously much of the credit goes to the players, but our varsity assistant, Kalin von Trebra (a former Cedarburg player) deserves a tremendous amount of credit. … The conditioning program she has developed really has made a difference and the girls have bought into it."

Melissa Morello had 23 kills, while Katelyn Richards had 26 digs, Rachel Morello 35 assists and four aces, and Nikki Flemming five blocks.

Nicolet cross country

Turning in some of the best efforts of the season couldn't take the sting out of the fact that in both the WIAA sectional boys and girls races Saturday at Mitchell Park in Brookfield, the Knights were just one place away from advancing an individual to the state meet.

"There's no in-between," said a sad Knights coach Mike McKenna. "Both would have qualified in any other sectional."

In the girls race, freshman Lauren Cunningham was 13th on the 4,000-meter course in 15:43, making a late charge that left her about a second short of state. On the boys' side, the story was sadder still, as senior Nathan Frazer was comfortably in a state qualifying position coming into the final stretch, but fatigue overwhelmed him and he was barely able to finish, taking 12th on the 5,000-meter layout in 16:42 after being passed by several runners down the stretch.

"I think he just got gassed," said McKenna, "because up until that point, he had run the perfect race tactically. He looked comfortable almost the entire way."

Cunningham's effort led the vastly improved girls to a sixth-place team finish of 162 points as defending state champion Whitefish Bay (28) and Brookfield Central (84) grabbed the state team slots.

Other scoring runners for the Knights included Christie Crossman in 18th (15:58), Allison Maling in 23rd (16:17), Grace Dykstra in 50th (16:58) and Elle Davis in 58th (17:07). Also running was Kristen Maling in 72nd (17:34). Holly Durant and Megan Grady were the only seniors on the team.

The boys were a competitive fourth with 146 as Marquette (43) and Brookfield Central (66) advanced to state.

Josh Greenberg was 13th (16:46), Brandon Zall 35th (17:42), Ethan Klein 40th (17:46) and Jeffrey McClain 46th (17:55) to round out the scoring, while Greg Wisniewski 50th (17:58) and Sean Mannion 55th (18:03) also competed. All but Greenberg were seniors.

Shorewood girls swim

The Greyhounds claimed the Woodland Conference dual meet championship with an impressive 115-65 win over Whitnall on Oct. 22.

"We had a meet filled with several inspiring swims," said Greyhounds coach Rob McCabe. "… I told the girls that in order to come out ahead tonight they were going to have to swim with enthusiasm and guts. That certainly took place."

Shorewood will host the Woodland Conference championships Saturday with diving at 10 a.m. and swimming at 12:30 p.m.

In the Whitnall dual, the Greyhounds won all 11 swimming events, as Clare Chamberlain claimed the 100 backstroke (1:04.1) and the 100 breaststroke (1:07.11), Ellen Stello the 100 butterfly (1:01.27) and the 500 freestyle (5:24.07), Lauren Lanphere the 200 (2:04.93) and the 100 freestyles (58.37), Hallie Sanders the 50 free (27.05) and Sonya Tomasiewicz the 200 individual medley (2:29.06).

In addition, the Greyhounds also won the 200 medley (1:58.12), 200 free (1:50.9) and 400 free (3:55.25) relay teams. Molly Hayes helped out on both the 200 and 400 free relays.

Nicolet girls swim

In the recently held Nicolet 11-Dive Invitational, Knights freshman Calli Head took second place with a score of 395.4 points as Middleton's Lauren Callin won the 25-athlete event with a 400.15 mark.

Leah Fischer was 12th (294.25), Hannah Sandock 17th (179.3) and Laura Lebrun 18th (174.6) for the Knights.

Homestead boys volleyball

It was a hectic and productive week for the Highlanders, as they beat both Germantown and West Allis Hale in dual meets before settling on a 3-3 record in their own invitational Saturday.

Homestead will now host Germantown in a WIAA regional final at 7 p.m. Friday. If the Highlanders win, they will advance to a sectional semifinal at second-seeded Arrowhead on Nov. 3, also at 7 p.m. The sectional final is at Germantown on Nov. 5.

Coach Todd Lyon repeatedly praised the efforts of seniors Matt Savage, Will Ault, Patrick Jones, Erik Grothman and Brian Hoffman.

Hoffman was highlighted for his high kill percentage and six blocks against Germantown (25-11, 25-5, 25-12) while Grothman served 15 straight points. Reserves Adam Sweet and Josiah Spindler were also praised for their efforts.

In the Oct. 21 senior night win over Lyon's alma mater, Hale (25-21, 25-14, 21-25, 25-16), Hoffman had a season high 18 kills while Savage and Grothman had 10 apiece. Will Ault had 34 assists and Tyler Wiedenhoeft 12 digs.

Homestead was shorthanded for its own tournament as Ault was ill and Hoffmann was taking the ACT. Lyon said that sophomore setter Daniel Hagememier filled in very well and Mitch Hauser did well in the middle for Hoffmann.

The Highlanders did not advance out of pool play, beating Greendale, splitting with Appleton East and falling twice to Tosa East. Marquette won the meet championship.

"We were very competitive throughout the day which will pay dividends down the stretch for the WIAA tournament series," Lyon said.

Homestead football

Kurt Kaufmann's 36-yard fumble recovery for score in the fourth quarter plus a lockdown effort by the defense in the final minutes allowed the defending state champion Highlanders to escape with a regular season-closing 21-17 win over archrival Germantown on Oct. 21.

"All I could think of was, was that I better score a touchdown or I'm in trouble," Kaufmann said. "We didn't panic at the half. We know that the game isn't over until the very last second ticks off."

The win improved the nine-time North Shore Conference champions to 9-0 overall. They took part in the first-round of the state playoffs on Tuesday (see separate story).

Homestead trailed 17-7 before Cody Berger found Mike Collins for a 36-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. Shortly thereafter, a Germantown miscue on a handoff allowed Kaufmann to pluck the ball out of the air and score his first career touchdown for the lead.

The Homestead defense then took over, holding the Warhawks (5-4) to just 60 yards of total offense in the second half, 41 of which came on the first series.

"Thanks Fritz," Highlanders coach Dave Keel said to defensive coordinator Fritz Rauch immediately after the game.

Bryan Bronaugh had given the Highlanders the initial lead with a three-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Whitefish Bay football

The regular season closed with a three-game losing streak for the Blue Dukes, as they fell to Milwaukee Lutheran, 28-21, on Oct. 21.

With the win, the Red Knights tied Bay for third in the North Shore Conference standings at 4-3 (5-4 overall) and qualified for the WIAA state playoffs. Both played in first-round games Tuesday night (see separate Bay story).

"We piled up a lot of yards (445) but we didn't take advantage of every opportunity that we had," Blue Dukes coach Jim Tietjen said. "We dropped a pass on the four-yard line and had a 98-yard, 15-play drive that we got nothing out of. We had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. We had chances to put them away but just didn't."

A 12-yard Colin Smith to Garrett Wenzelburger pass in the fourth quarter did the trick for Lutheran. Deontaye Brown had a five-yard run, Brian Kroll caught a 17-yard pass from Cal Ehrke and Justin Alt had an 18-yard run to provide all of Bay's scoring.

Both Kroll (138 yards) and Brown (111) had more than 100 yards rushing for the Blue Dukes.

Shorewood girls volleyball

The Greyhounds season ended with a 25-12, 25-9, 25-18 WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal loss to Kewaskum on Oct. 20.

Shorewood was led by Sydney Cross with five kills, Paige Macklin with seven assists, Katie Krieger with four digs and Mayya Volodarskaya with four blocks.

Brown Deer girls volleyball

Top-seeded Kettle Moraine Lutheran ended the Falcons season with a 25-11, 25-10, 25-18 WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal loss Friday.

The Falcons, who also lost to the Chargers in tournament play last season, got 12 kills and 10 digs from all-state candidate Monique Morris and eight assists from Liz Seonbuchner.

Brown Deer had advanced to the semifinal with a 25-18, 25-19, 18-25, 25-21 regional quarterfinal victory Oct. 20 as Ariel Feiertag had 19 kills and three blocks and Sophia Andrea-Cato three aces.

The Falcons, who finished with a dual meet record of 18-9, will graduate just Morris and Mali Urpanil.

Brown Deer cross country

The Falcons ended their season with a 12th-place showing in the WIAA Wisconsin Lutheran Division 2 sectional Friday.

Brown Deer finished with 307 points for its spot in the 13-school field, as Shorewood (27) and Wisconsin Lutheran (53) finished one-two to earn state meet team berths.

Finishers for the Falcons included senior Eric Frisch in 47th (19:03), Thomas Simms in 60th (20:01), Curt Hogg in 61st (20:02), Matt Weichart in 66th (20:24) and Chris Burant in 73rd (21:28).

For the girls, Carolyn Hermsen finished a respectable 49th out of 80 (18:10).

Whitefish Bay girls volleyball

The Blue Dukes season came to a competitive close with a 25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-11 loss to Kewaskum in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal Friday night.

Bay got 20 kills, 21 assists and four blocks out of Frankie Carroll and 31 digs and five aces from Meredith Ludwig.

The Blue Dukes had advanced to the semifinal with a 25-13, 25-17, 22-25, 25-14 regional quarterfinal victory over Grafton on Oct. 20 as Carroll had 17 kills and Maggie Rice contributed 18 assists and nine aces and Jessie Taylor had three blocks.

Seniors for the Blue Dukes included Rice, Taylor, Ludwig, Rachel Markwiese, Hilary Stein and Annika Gunderson.

North Shore boys volleyball

WIAA tournament play will begin this Friday, with 7 p.m. regional final matches.

Defending state runner-up Nicolet claimed the top seed in the Germantown sectional and will get a first-round bye. The Knights will host the winner of Neenah and Fond du Lac in a sectional semifinal on Nov. 3. The sectional final is Nov. 5, and Arrowhead is the two seed.

In the Whitefish Bay sectional, Shorewood is the three seed and will host sixth-seeded Brookfield East in a Friday, regional final. If Shorewood advances, they will visit second-seeded Wauwatosa West in a Nov. 3 sectional semifinal.

The host Blue Dukes are the four seed and will host Brookfield Central on Friday. If advancing, Bay/Dominican will visit top seed Wauwatosa East in a sectional semifinal on Nov. 3.

 

- Steven L. Tietz