to the Saint’s point bucket

SHARON WAMPFLER | THE SUN Senior Declan Greenquist gets a shot from behind the three point line in the Saints’ 75-48 win over the Frederic Vikings.

SCF boys remain in hunt for Lakeland title

BY COACH CHAD HALL

When and Where: Feb. 11 at St. Croix Falls Outcome: St. Croix Falls 74, Luck 68 (overtime) Summary: St. Croix Falls did what they had to do to keep their chances alive for a West Lakeland conference title. The Saints defeated the visiting Luck Cardinals in an overtime thriller. With the game tied at 62 points each heading into the extra session SCF outscored the Cardinals 12-6 in overtime to earn the win. Highlights: Both teams had a quartet of players in double fi gures. Kullan Parks led the Saints with 17 points followed by Declan Greenquist and Payton Christenson with a dozen each. Trevor LaMirande added 10 points for the home team. Comments: “Big overtime win to knock off Luck, one of the leaders of the Lakeland Conference,” St. Croix Falls coach Chad Hall said. “The win gives us an outside chance to tie for the conference lead with a win and some help. Four players in double fi gures certainly helped out off ensively. Our defense was really good at times but was exceptional in the overtime period to close out the game.”

When and Where: Feb. 14 at Frederic Outcome: St. Croix Falls 75, Frederic 48

SEE SCF BBB, PAGE 18

SHARON WAMPFLER | THE SUN Sophomore Sidrah Edwards grabs an off ensive rebound during the Saints versus Luck Cardinals basketball game on Feb. 11.

Saints fi nish undefeated in West Lakeland conference

When and Where: Feb. 10 at Prescott Outcome: St. Croix Falls 66, Prescott 49 (non-conference) Summary: The Saint Croix Falls Saints continued their non-conference tour of Middle Border conference teams with an impressive win over the Prescott Cardinals. Prescott leads the MBC with a 12-0 record and is now 17-3 overall. The Saints have gone 6-0 against MBC teams so far this season. Highlights: Olivia Miron led SCF in scoring netting 24 points. Brianna McCurdy and sister Emily added 13 and 12 points respectively.

When and Where: February 11th at St. Croix Falls Outcome: St. Croix Falls 74, Luck 24 Summary: Once again St. Croix Falls was stellar on off ense and stifl ing on defense in their West Lakeland conference game with Luck.

Highlights: Emily McCurdy led the Saints scoring with 23 points followed by Olivia Miron with 15. Kaylee Miron dropped in 10 points for the Saints. When and Where: February 14th at Frederic Outcome: St. Croix Falls 75, Frederic 31 Summary: The Saints claimed another West Lakeland conference crown with a win over the Vikings in Frederic. This is

SEE SCF BBB, PAGE 18

The big Valentine’s Day freeze was just 24 hours away when I was sitting on a plastic bucket on a favorite local lake, trying to catch enough fi sh for fi sh tacos. I’m wondering if the fi sh will have lock jaw with the cold front coming or will they be on a feeding frenzy with a storm forecasted. Although I was focused on the fi sh fl asher that’s lit up like a Christmas tree, I am super distracted by a distant sound that caught me completely off guard. Listening intently hoping to hear it again, my enthusiasm was rewarded by another and then another sound. The Horned Larks are back! Many consider the Horned Lark to be our fi rst spring migrant to return, although some are often around all winter, often seen with Snow Buntings

Horned Larks are more easily spotted as the snow melts, especially closer to March; their yellow face, black mask, and horned like feathers stick straight up like ears. They are common across North America from Mexico to Alaska and the upper reaches of Canada. If they are hit with a March snowstorm they seek out little tufts of grass and appear after the storm singing all the while, like the one I heard from my bucket on the frozen lake.

They nest early, often in late March, so heavy March snows can cause trouble. About 7” tall, they don’t get the publicity of many early migrants like Robins and Bluebirds, mostly because they inhabit SEE BENNETT, PAGE 19 First spring migrants are back Wild River Trails Jim Bennett

The Outdoorsman’s Journal is brought to you by:

THE SUN

BOWLING FRIENDLY VALLEY WOMEN’S LEAGUE Feb. 12, 2020 Osceola Cleaners 65 Osceola Lanes 65 The Golden Girls 61 Scott’s Tire 59 Sue’s Bar & Grill 55.5 PY’s Lil Devils 53.5 Hauge Dental 53 Truhlsen Chiropractic 51.5 Horse Creek Store 49.5 Friendly Bar 44 Cascade BP 32 200: Kim Foster, 204; Carrie Larson, 202, 201; Jess Cameau, 201. 500: Carrie Larson, 549; Kim Foster, 513; Lori Parks, 502. High game and series: Hauge Dental, 657, 1817.

OHS BOYS BASKETBALL Feb. 20 vs. Baldwin-Woodville. Feb. 27. at Ellsworth. Feb. 28 vs. Unity.

Chieftain Boys Basketball Osceola at Barron (unoffi cial) February 10, 2020 Osceola Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Hall 0 0 0 0 1 0 Jensen 3 3 0 0 4 15 G Slater 1 0 0 0 2 2 Schultz 3 0 1 2 4 7 Mork 0 0 0 0 2 0 Maxon 3 0 2 3 1 8 Krentz 1 0 0 0 0 2 Measner 3 0 0 0 3 6 Totals 14 3 3 5 17 40 Barron Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Baumgard 0 1 1 2 1 4 AnWilliams 1 0 2 4 1 4 AuWilliams 0 0 0 0 1 0 CaiLaLbrty 1 1 2 4 2 7 Mullikin 0 1 0 0 1 3 Jerome 2 0 0 0 0 4 Amundson 0 1 2 2 0 5 CarLaLbrty 4 0 1 5 3 9 Lettner 4 0 0 0 2 8 Totals 12 4 8 17 11 44 Score by Halves 1 2 Final OHS 22 18 40 BHS 24 20 44

Chieftain Boys Basketball St. Croix Central at Osceola (unoffi cial) February 13, 2020 St. Croix Central Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Kopacz 2 0 0 0 0 4 Pettit 2 2 1 3 3 11 Hackbarth 0 2 0 0 4 6 Trainor 2 0 0 0 2 4 Mousel 0 1 0 0 0 3 Siler 5 1 10 15 1 23 Klin 3 0 2 5 4 8 Hinzman 0 0 2 3 5 2 Totals 14 6 15 26 19 61 Osceola Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Hall 4 0 2 2 2 10 Jensen 1 0 0 0 2 2 G Slater 0 2 2 2 3 8 Schultz 1 0 1 4 4 3 Mork 1 0 0 0 0 2 B Slater 0 0 2 2 0 2 Maxon 1 1 0 0 2 5 Krentz 0 0 0 0 4 0 Measner 5 0 3 6 2 13 Totals 13 3 10 16 19 45 Score by Halves 1 2 Final SCCHS 27 34 61 OHS 20 25 45

Middle Border Conference Boys Basketball Standings February 15, 2020 Team Conf. Overall New Richmond 10-1 16-2 Prescott 10-1 15-6 St. Croix Central 7-4 14-5 Somerset 7-4 12-7 Baldwin-Woodville 6-5 11-8 Ellsworth 3-8 7-12 Osceola 1-10 2-15 Amery 0-11 0-19 Scores February 10 Osceola 44, Barron 40 (non-conference) St. Croix Central 66, Durand 60 (non-conference) February 11 Baldwin-Woodville 56, Barron 48 (non-conference) New Richmond 68, River Falls 59 (non-conference) February 13 St. Croix Central 61, Osceola 45 Prescott 88, Somerset 76 New Richmond 89, Amery 34 Baldwin-Woodville 62, Ellsworth 58 February 15 St. Croix Central 87, Stanley-Boyd 67 (non-conference)

SCF BOYS BASKETBALL Feb. 20 vs. Cameron.

Saints Boys Basketball Luck at St. Croix Falls (unoffi cial) February 11, 2020 Luck Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Eley 2 3 1 2 3 14 Johansen 3 4 2 4 2 20 W Jensen 2 0 0 1 4 4 L Jensen 4 1 6 6 4 17 Runnels 0 0 0 0 3 0 Smith 4 0 5 12 2 13 Totals 15 8 14 25 18 68 St. Croix Falls Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Oye 0 2 0 0 1 6 Greenquist 3 2 0 0 3 12 LaMirande 0 2 4 4 0 10 VanBuskirk 2 0 0 0 2 4 Chrstnson 5 0 2 5 4 12 Lessman 0 1 3 4 2 6 Mysicka 3 0 1 2 4 7 Parks 6 0 5 7 4 17 Totals 19 7 15 22 20 74 Score by Halves 1 2 OT Final LHS 28 34 6 68 SCFHS 37 25 12 74

Saints Boys Basketball St. Croix Falls at Frederic (unoffi cial) February 14, 2020 St. Croix Falls Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Oye 6 2 2 2 1 20 Schmidt 0 1 0 0 0 3 Greenquist 4 0 1 1 3 9 LaMirande 0 0 0 1 2 0 Stelton 1 0 1 2 0 3 VanBuskirk 0 0 1 2 1 1 Chrstnson 3 1 5 5 3 14 Lessman 5 0 0 0 2 10 Mysicka 2 0 1 2 2 5 Parks 4 0 0 1 0 8 Becker 1 0 0 1 1 2 Totals 26 4 11 17 15 75 Frederic Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Lahti 2 1 2 3 1 9 Ones 0 0 0 0 1 0 Tinman 0 0 1 2 3 1 Lillehaug 2 0 2 2 1 6 Maatta 1 0 0 0 0 2 Rank 2 0 0 1 2 4 Dreier 7 0 9 13 3 23 Nick 0 1 0 0 3 3 Engen 0 0 0 0 3 0 Ovik 0 0 0 2 2 0 Totals 14 2 14 23 19 48 Score by Halves 1 2 Final SCFHS 35 40 75 FHS 25 23 48

West Lakeland Boys Basketball Standings February 15, 2020 Team Conf. Overall Unity 9-2 15-3 St. Croix Falls 8-3 14-4 Luck 8-3 12-5 Grantsburg 7-4 11-7 Webster 4-8 9-10 Siren 2-10 5-13 Frederic 2-10 4-15 Scores February 10 Luck 74, Glenwood City 27 (non-conference) February 11 St. Croix Falls 74, Luck 68 Webster 57, Frederic 45 Unity 53, Grantsburg 34 February 13 Unity 51, Webster 43 February 14 St. Croix Falls 75, Frederic 48 Luck 69, Siren 55

OHS GIRLS BASKETBALL Feb. 20 at Amery.

Chieftain Girls Basketball Osceola at Ellsworth (unoffi cial) February 11, 2020 Osceola Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Bradway 1 0 2 4 1 4 Gillespie 1 1 1 1 4 6 E Fox 3 4 1 2 0 19 H Fox 4 3 2 4 3 19 Johnson 8 0 1 1 3 17 Totals 17 8 7 12 11 65 Ellsworth Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Carlson 1 0 1 2 1 3 Nugent 2 2 1 2 4 11 Bach 0 1 0 0 1 3 Puhrmann 3 0 0 0 2 6 Giese 0 0 0 0 4 0 Vogel 0 0 2 3 3 2 Earney 13 2 4 6 2 36 Totals 19 5 8 13 17 61 Score by Halves 1 2 OT Final OHS 31 25 9 65 EHS 26 30 5 61

Chieftain Girls Basketball New Richmond at Osceola (unoffi cial) February 14, 2020 New Richmond Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Blaszcyzk 4 2 4 7 1 18 Aune 0 0 0 0 3 0 Kling 2 0 2 4 2 6 Brown 0 0 0 2 0 0 Hagman 3 0 2 4 1 8 Montreal 1 0 1 2 3 3 Ballard 0 0 0 0 2 0 DeYoung 2 0 5 6 2 9 Feuerer 3 0 1 1 2 7 Brlw-Sagr 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 15 2 15 26 18 51 Osceola Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Ulrich 0 0 0 0 2 0 Bradway 0 0 2 4 2 2 Gillespie 1 1 0 2 4 5 E Fox 0 2 0 1 2 6 H Fox 1 0 3 5 1 5 Kremer 0 0 0 0 1 0 Gourley 0 0 0 0 1 0 Johnson 1 0 0 0 2 2 Branum 0 0 0 0 2 0 See 1 0 0 0 0 2

BY COACH JOE RAYGOR

When and where: Feb. 15 at St. Croix Falls. Outcome: St. Croix Falls fi nished in fi rst place with 286.5 team points. Cumberland earned the runner-up spot with a score of 139. Highlights: “We crowned seven champions with Luke Thaemert (106 pounds), Mason Will (120), Zack Clark (138), Kole Marko (145), Bennett Bergmann (152), McKinley Erickson (195), and Tanner Gaff ey (285) all placing fi rst,” St. Croix Falls coach Joe Raygor said. “Overall, we advanced 11 wrestlers to Sectionals and qualifi ed for the team Sectionals semifi nal.” Graidy Guggisberg (160), James Kemp (170), Calan Leahy (182) and Kyle Zehm (220) all placed second in their respective weight division and will be competing at Sectionals along with the seven fi rst place fi nishers. Comments: “We suff ered some minor injuries this week in training which added some adversity for the guys,” Raygor said. “I was deeply impressed by some of the guys’ toughness to grit it out. It’s hard to teach toughness. Mason Will (120) showed a lot of heart to win the way he did. He’s banged up but just continues to go out there and fi ght. We had some signifi cant wins that stuck out to me. Sam Glenna at (132) ended the day beating a tough Cameron opponent who beat him at conference. McKinley Erickson (195) is another one who has lost to the Cumberland three times this year and fi nally beat him in the Regional fi nals. We preach, believe in the process and trust your training and he’s a perfect example of that. Small adjustments made the diff erence. Many of our hammers continued to impress and are looking great for some post-season runs. Kole Marko and Tanner Gaff ey cruised through their competition. Both guys have lofty goals for the end of the season.” Upcoming: Tuesday we’ll be in Cumberland for team sectionals facing Boyceville,” Raygor said. “The winner will face the winner of Phillips and Stratford in the fi nals for the chance to go to team State. Next Saturday is Sectionals in Edgar where only the top three wrestlers (in each weight division) qualify for State. This time of year in wrestling is special. You can feel it in the air. It’s important we stay focused and use that energy to be as prepared as possible.”

MADDY STENSVEN St. Croix Falls wrestler Mason Will won his 120 weight class this weekend, advancing to Sectionals.

Osceola qualifi es 11 athletes for State powerlifting meet

BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER

The Osceola Chieftain powerlifters took their show on the road and came back from Elk Mound with some very impressive performances. Osceola reached a total of 10 lifters qualifying for the State meet after competing in Elk Mound and added an 11 th lifter to the State roster in the ‘Last Chance’ meet held in Osceola last Saturday. State qualifi ers from Osceola include Paige Dvorak, John Klugow, Nevaeh Noonan, Sawyer Federation, Sydney Regan, Jacob Regan, Matthew Slechta, Elvis Cormican, Keegan Saloka, Robert Conde and Connor Hinze. The meet will be held in Appleton on March 7-8.

“Highlight of the day was John Klugow qualifying for State,” Osceola coach Jeff Hahn said about his athletes competing in Elk Mound. “John has worked very hard to accomplish his goal of qualifying. It was great to be able to be able to load a deadlift that would qualify him and then watch him pull it up. John is a great leader by example in the weight room.”

“When I deadlifted 440 pounds to qualify for the State meet, I was super excited since it was a goal of mine since my freshman year,” Klugow said. “There were times when I doubted I would make it to State, but the coaches were always there with encouragement and advice. I know I couldn’t have reached my goal without all of their help.” Hahn and his assistant coaches work hard with the lifters at practice but the meets become even more hectic.

“With our meets having six platforms running at the same time, having a good assistant coaching staff is crucial to success,” Hahn noted. “We are very fortunate to have a great group in Amanda Noonan, Jordan Braund, Ben Peterson, Brian Hayman and Brad Struemke.”

The coaches had their athletes amped up at Elk Mound knowing that time was running short to qualify for State. They know the limitations of the lifters but also know what they are capable of and want to safely push their limits.

Osceola secured three fi rst place fi nishes and three second place fi nishes as well in Elk Mound. Syd Regan, Keegan Saloka and Robert Conde placed fi rst for the Chieftains with Nevaeh Noonan, Elvis Cormican and Jacob Regan earning the runner-up spots in their respective weight division.

Syd Regan, competing in the women’s 242+ pound division, had best lifts of 360 in the squat, 140 in the bench press and 355 in the deadlift Osceola powerlifter John Klugow qualifi ed for the state meet.

for a total of 855 pounds. Saloka won the men’s 123 pound division with best lifts of 250 in the squat, 155 in the bench and 300 in the deadlift for a total of 705 pounds. Conde won the men’s 242 pound division with best lifts of 480 in the squat, 300 in the bench and 455 in the deadlift for a total of 1,235.

“Our lifters took a lot of shots at PRs (personal records) with their second lifts and completed them,” Hahn said. “It takes a lot of courage to stand in front of a gym full of people and give your maximum effort. Mental toughness and focus are key to performing well.”

NPS to burn brush piles, Feb. 25 – March 31

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway plans to burn numerous brush piles in the Riverway corridor in February and March of 2020.

These burns may take place Feb. 25 - March 31 depending on weather conditions. The National Park Service (NPS) is conducting these burns to remove brush piles created from invasive species removal, which is part of a larger effort to improve prairie and savanna habitat along the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers.

The areas where piles are to be burned are:

• Arcola; located in Washington County, four miles north of Stillwater, Minnesota. The site has 20 piles and is in being restored to native prairie and oak savanna.

• Rice Lake Flats; located in St. Croix County, fi ve miles northwest of Somerset, Wisconsin. This site has approximately 40 piles. The area will be restored to oak savanna and native prairie.

• Tewksbury; located in Polk County, one mile southwest of Osceola, Wisconsin. This site has approximately fi ve piles. The area will be restored to oak savanna and native prairie.

• Peaslee; located in Polk County, two miles west of Dresser, Wisconsin. This site is a large island in the St. Croix River and has approximately 10 piles. The area will be restored to oak savanna.

• Osceola Glade; located in Polk County, two miles west of Dresser, Wisconsin. This site has approximately 15 piles. The area will be restored to oak savanna.

• St. Croix Shores; located in Chisago County, four miles north of Taylors Falls, Minnesota. This site has approximately 20 piles. The area will be restored to oak forest.

• Springbrook Savanna; this site, along the Namekagon River, has approximately fi ve piles. It is located about one quarter mile northeast of Springbrook, Wisconsin, in Washburn County. The site is being restored to savanna and will be planted following pile burning.

The NPS has developed detailed plans for pile burning and the fi res are carried out by trained and certifi ed personnel. The plans address temperature, relative humidity, wind, and other conditions under which a burn can take place, protection of adjacent properties, communications, needed manpower and equipment, safety, and other considerations.

The piles will be burned while surrounding vegetation is not fl ammable. If conditions are not favorable on the day when burning is planned or while piles are still hot, the burn will be rescheduled or piles may be extinguished.

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway’s Fire Management Plan is available for viewing on the park’s website: http:// www.nps.gov/sacn/parkmgmt/fi remanagement.htm

For additional information, contact the St. Croix River Visitor Center in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, at 715-483-2274. Updates regarding the planned brush pile burning will be posted to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway website and Facebook page when exact days and specifi c locations are determined.

COLOR COPIES available at The Sun 108 Cascade Osceola

FEBRUARY 19, 2020 THE SUN 17 www.osceolasun.com REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHAMPIONS

ST. CROIX FALLS WRESTLING

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