Team accomplishments abound in year of pandemic

Editor’s note: The following is a list of the top sports stories for 2020.

Coronavirus shuts down spring sports season

The coronavirus pandemic has had a big impact on everyone’s life at some point over the past several months. The pandemic took away the entire high school spring sports season.

After weeks of waiting, the decision to not play in the spring was finally made during a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control meeting on April 21, ending any hope that sports teams would play any games.

For spring athletes in the Class of 2020, it meant that their last spring competitions already happened in their junior year. Freshmen athletes weren’t able to get their first taste of spring sports, while sophomores and juniors couldn’t build on their previous seasons.

“Hearing that I won’t be able to finish out my senior year is really devastating. I wanted the opportunity to compete a couple more times,” said Oconto Falls athlete Kari Albrecht, who made it to state track as a junior. “When everyone says, ‘Enjoy it while it lasts, because you never know when your last opportunity will be’ really hits hard right now, because I truly did not think basketball would be my last opportunity to compete.”

While WIAA sports returned in the fall and continue to be played this winter, athletes have had to mask up, crowds have been limited or completely eliminated and many schools have had to pause their seasons or shut them down entirely.

Oconto Falls wrestling team sends 4 to state

Before the coronavirus pandemic hit Wisconsin, the Oconto Falls High School wrestling team enjoyed a strong 2019-20 season while competing in the highly competitive North Eastern Conference.

Oconto Falls hosted regionals and ended up taking first as a team, qualifying 12 individual wrestlers for sectionals along the way. Graeson Pankratz, Clayton Whiting, Jacob Kaminski, Matt Loberger and Elijah Zielinski all placed first at regionals for the Panthers, while Brendan Konitzer, Jaden Ganter, Luke Trepanier, Tyler Budz, Weston Borkovec, Aidan Stary and Alec Halvorsen claimed second.

Winning the regional also qualified Oconto Falls for team sectionals, where the team dropped a hard fought 42-29 dual to Denmark.

Pankratz, Whiting, Konitzer and Stary went on to qualify for state after top-three finishes at sectionals.

Whiting won the Division 2 170-pound weight class for his second straight state title. Konitzer placed fifth in the 113 weight class, while Stary and Pankratz earned valuable lessons in their lone state matches.

Suring’s Stelzer breaks school record for career points

Suring senior Kylee Stelzer broke the school’s all-time record for career points during a Marinette & Oconto Conference victory over Lena on Dec. 21 in Lena.

Stelzer scored her 968th point on a free throw early in the first half to break the record held by Kathy Runge (Regal).

“It’s unbelievable. I’m so incredibly grateful for it,” said Stelzer of breaking the record. “My teammates have been so supportive, and it’s just awesome.”

“My blood was rushing. I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I have to make this (free throw).’ I knew right when it left my hands that it was going in. Then I was like, ‘thank you.’”

Stelzer finished the game with 22 points and helped Suring pick up an 81-36 win.

“It’s crazy to think about,” said Stelzer when asked what it meant to be atop the list of Suring girls basketball players for most points. “I’ve been close with the previous record holder, and she’s been really supportive, too. It’s just really cool.”

Gillett cross-country teams enjoy another big year

The Gillett girls and boys cross-country teams built on a strong 2019 season with another successful season this fall.

After turning in strong team and individual finishes throughout the regular season, the Tigers kept things rolling in the postseason.

The Gillett girls team won an M&O title behind Sylvia Hansen, Carleigh Kaczmarek and Ryann Wagner, who claimed first, second and third place, respectively. The boys didn’t qualify for a team score but had Derek Hanson, Evan Peterson and Riley Engebretsen place first, third and sixth, respectively.

Hanson and Peterson would later qualify for state as individuals while Angela Mosconi, Megan Wagner, Alaina Herzog and Laney DeBauch joined Hansen, Kaczmarek and Ryann Wagner on the girls team that qualified for state.

Hanson placed fourth, while Peterson finished 41st.

“Getting a top-five finish at state this year means an unexplainable amount to me. I’ve been working for this moment for a very long time. To see my work finally pay off at such a high level really means a lot to me,” said Hanson.

The Gillett girls placed fourth as a team, led by a 20th-place finish from Hansen.

“I lined up on the start with a mindset of, ‘Give it your all, because this is all you are going to get,’” said Hansen. “Every time I saw someone in front of me, I was bound and determined to chase them down. I knew I was running for something bigger than myself; I was running for a team. That was another thought that carried me along. I just felt so strong, and it’s something I haven’t felt in a long time.”

Ryann Wagner took 37th, while Kaczmarek was 47th. Mosconi (74th) and Megan Wagner (79th) rounded out the team score while Herzog (98th) and DeBauch (104th) also posted strong runs.

Oconto Falls girls golf team reaches sectional

After a solid regular season, the Oconto Falls girls golf team played its best during the postseason to earn more memories together.

The Panthers finished third at the Division 2 Waupaca Regional to qualify for sectionals. Kaylee Sadowski led the team with a round of 97. Morgan Blazek and Kate Pytleski each fired rounds of 110, while Kearra Champeau posted a 115 and Carli Fischer a 135.

Oconto Falls was unable to qualify for state as a team, but enjoyed its final meet together. The Panthers took seventh at the sectional. Sadowski again led Oconto Falls, carding a round of 97.

“With this being my last year, it couldn’t have ended any better,” said Sadowski. “Making it as a team to sectionals was a time we will never forget. The experience was more than we could have ever asked for. This season was hard knowing that we may not even get a season. Being able to go to practices, matches and sectionals was more than I could have ever bargained for. I am grateful that we could finish out the year as outstanding as we did. Wouldn’t have wanted to wrap up my senior year any other way.”

Blazek posted a round of 107, while Champeau (119), Pytleski (124) and Fischer (125) filled out the five-golfer team.

Individual accomplishments

Gillett’s Aubrey DeBauch and Karissa Schaal and Lena’s Luke Misco all accomplished big individual goals while trying to help their team to successful seasons.

DeBauch broke the girls basketball school record for most career rebounds early in her junior season before topping the 1,000-point mark for her career in a game against Niagara on Feb. 29.

Schaal passed the 1,000-point plateau early this winter, accomplishing the feat in a win over St. Thomas Aquinas Academy on Dec. 1.

After a strong freshman season on the wrestling mats, Misco qualified for state. He dropped his only matchup, but it gave him something to build on for his final three years in high school.

“I was disappointed when I lost my match. I’m not going to lie; I was really nervous,” said Misco after state. “But now that it’s over with, I am more motivated than ever to do it again. I know it won’t come easy, and I’m going to have to work harder to get there again next year.”

Panther football team qualifies for postseason

It was a wild and unforgettable high school football season for teams across the state. It was an especially memorable season for Oconto Falls, which qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

The Panthers posted a 3-3 record during the regular season to earn a No. 3 seed for the postseason. Oconto Falls dropped its playoff matchup 28-6 against Wrightstown.

After the season concluded, the Panthers had several players named to an all-conference team. Owen Huber was the offensive and defensive player of the year in the Northwoods Conference.

Adam Haines, Daylen Hischke, Josh Saari, Tucker Moynihan, Owen Seidl, Dylan Thomson, Noah Hirst, Tucker Bouche and Hunter Mallien also were honored.

‘Be the Light’ movement

After the spring season was called off, Oconto Falls and Lena were among the schools that participated in the “Be the Light” event, a movement that called for schools to turn on lights at their athletic fields as a way to honor athletes and the Class of 2020 after their springs were greatly changed by the pandemic.

Most schools turned on the lights surrounding their football fields for 20 minutes. Community members were then encouraged to drive past and honk their car horns to support the high school students and athletes.

For those who couldn’t drive past, other signs of honors were made.

“A few families posted pictures online in front of their porch lights,” said Jerry Moynihan, the athletic director at Oconto Falls. “If the event helped at least one family make sense of this difficult time, then it was worth the time.”

3 football players make All-Star Game

Chad McVeigh and Logan Stuart of Suring and Gillett’s Logan Block were all named to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association 2020 All-Star Game. The game, however, was never played because of the pandemic.

The three players were to play in the 8-player game, which was scheduled for July 18 at UW-Oshkosh’s Titan Stadium.

“It’s an honor to be recognized and to be able to play with so many top athletes around the state,” said Stuart when he was named to the All-Star Game.

Panther football trio wins challenge

Oconto Falls’ Joey Walters, Jarod Parsons and Mitchell Manns teamed up to win the High School Quarterback Challenge Championship, a halftime game put on by the Green Bay Packers.

The Panther trio won the challenge championship during halftime of the Packers playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 12.

Teams competing had a quarterback try to throw the farthest successful pass in two attempts. For Oconto Falls, Walters threw passes to Manns and Parsons.

The Oconto Falls team worked their way through a bracket of eight Wisconsin high school teams, throwing the deepest pass in all three of their matchups to win the championship.

The Panther trio qualified for the championship when they won a challenge during the Packers game against the Carolina Panthers earlier in the season.