Shawano’s Lowney named top boys athlete

Shawano Community High School athlete Elliott Lowney endured an up-and-down finish to his high school athletic career.

Lowney battled through some adversity and was a big contributor in all three sports he competed in, helping him earn the NEW Media Inc. Boys Athlete of the Year honor.

“What helped me be successful in all my sports was the dedication during the summer and not let anything distract me from what I wanted to accomplish,” said Lowney.

Lowney, a Bemidji State University football commit, had big expectations for himself and the Shawano football team coming into the season.

Things got off to a strong start for the Hawks when Lowney scored a touchdown in the first quarter of a game against Denmark, but the star receiver was tackled in the end zone and he suffered a broken collarbone.

A couple days after sustaining the injury, Lowney tweeted, “I have decided to have surgery and am out for 6-8 weeks cutting it close with the end of the season.”

“After I broke my collarbone, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have a senior football season, but after a quick surgery and some convincing to my doctor, I got to get back and got to help the team make the playoffs for the third year in a row,” said Lowney.

Lowney returned to the field against Winneconne — only missing five games — and immediately got back to producing for the Hawks, but not without some fear in the back of his mind.

“When my doctor gave me the OK to play I was a little hesitant because it still was not fully healed and I was not even fully cleared to lift weights so going in to the first game I knew I just had to get past that first hit and then I knew I was going to be OK,” said Lowney.

Lowney had three catches for 34 yards against Winneconne, but dominated the rest of the regular season.

Against Seymour the following week, he caught nine passes for 181 yards and two scores. He caught seven passes for 172 yards and two more scores against Fox Valley Lutheran and then hauled in 11 passes for 130 yards and a score against Menasha.

So in his four games and opening quarter, Lowney still managed 32 receptions for 627 yards and six touchdowns, still putting him among the top receivers in the state. His 125 yard per game average was second in the state.

As Lowney mentioned, he helped the Hawks make the playoffs for a third straight season. Shawano had just three playoff appearances ever when Lowney began his high school career.

Lowney then turned his attention to the basketball season and helped the team to a strong 16-9 overall finish and third place tie in the tough Bay Conference.

Lowney served as the primarily point guard for Shawano. He attacked the basket often, averaging 6.6 points per contest to go along with 3.4 assists.

He was a pest on defense, often picking up opponents full court and disrupting their offensive flow. He averaged 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals a game.

Lowney capped his athletic career at Shawano competing on the track and field team in the spring.

He primarily competed in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. During the regular season, Lowney was consistently earning top finishes, despite taking on some of the area’s and state’s best sprinters.

After making state in Division 2 as a junior, the competition stiffened for the Shawano athlete this spring when the team was back in Division 1 action. It didn’t bother Lowney much, as he still qualified for state in both sprinting events.

At state, Lowney made the finals in each event and then placed sixth in the 200 and eighth in the 100 in the finals.

It was a strong finish to Lowney’s athletic career, especially considering the injury concerns he had in the fall.

“With the uncertainty I really wasn’t sure what I was going to do but I accomplished everything I wanted to and I had no regrets for my high school sports career walking off the track in La Crosse,” said Lowney.

Honorable mentions

There was no shortage of impressive boys athletes in the area that also enjoyed strong athletic years.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s Ben Wesolowski was one of those athletes, starring in football, basketball and baseball for the Chargers as a senior. Wesolowski was the Offensive Player of the Year in the Central Wisconsin Conference-Large Division in football, a first teamer in the CWC-East for baseball and a second-team selection in the CWC-East for basketball.

Lena senior Logan Shallow also played football, basketball and baseball. For football, he landed on the MONLPC first team on offense and second team on defense. Shallow made the second team in the Marinette & Oconto Conference for basketball and M&O first team for baseball.

Pulaski’s T.J. Shaw was an individual state qualifier in cross-country and boys swim. He capped his strong year competing in track and field, with a third-place finish in the 3,200 at the Fox River Classic Conference as a highlight.

Bowler’s Emmitt Kietlinski was the quarterback for the Bowler/Gresham football team, making the Central Wisconsin Conference 8-player honorable mention team. He landed on the CWC-North first team for basketball and then placed second in the high jump and third in the triple jump at the state track and field meet.

Gillett’s Alex Peterson was a state qualifier in cross-country and track and field, placing 10th in cross-country and sixth in the 3,200 at the state track meet. He also played on the basketball team.

Bonduel’s Noah Weier made the Packerland Conference list for football at two positions, He then made the CWC-East second team for basketball before landing on the first team during the baseball season.

Oconto Falls’ Clayton Whiting isn’t the multi-sport athlete like some of the others listed, but his dominant wrestling season and career more than warrants him a spot here. Whiting went 50-1 this winter season and won a state title. For his career, Whiting earned a 163-5 record and won four state titles.

sports@newmedia-wi.com