Super seniors set to lead Eagles

Seniors Ava Andres, Ellery and Erelyn Apel and Mikayla Paukner made their varsity soccer debuts back in 2021. Three years later, Sauk Prairie’s ‘Fab Four’ are aiming to finish their prep soccer careers the way they began them — battling for the Eagles’ first state soccer championship. Last season, Sauk Prairie earned its third consecutive state tournament appearance and fourth in school history. What will the Eagles do for an encore? How about a grand slam? “I feel like these girls have been around forever,” Sauk Prairie coach Drew Kornish said. “They are used to going to state every year. It says a ton about the players that they are and the kids that they are and their work ethic and what they’ve brought to Sauk in general.” Add in senior forward Alexis Atkinson, a three-year starter, and you have a senior class built for success. “They’ve elevated our athletic programs across the board in just about every area, this group of seniors,” Kornish said. But while the Eagles have their sights set on making their annual trip to state, it won’t be easy. “We’re in a different sectional this year,” Kornish said. “The road to get there will look a little different. We’ve got Oregon in our sectional this year. To reach that goal, we’ll have to do something we haven’t done before and that’s knock them off. “We’re also in a new conference, too, that was reconfigured with some new teams, McFarland, which is a really strong team, and Stoughton. Edgewood has an outstanding team. We look forward to the challenge.” Sauk Prairie has posted a combined 44-13-5 overall record in the last three seasons. That included a 13-5-3 mark a year ago.  The Eagles were also 8-3-1 and finished second in the now defunct Badger West Conference behind league champion Oregon. However, Sauk Prairie’s bid for the school’s first state championship last spring ended with a 3-1 loss in the WIAA Division 2 state semifinals to Whitefish Bay, a familiar nemesis who ended the Eagles’ season for the third straight year. But with eight returning starters, Sauk Prairie has high expectations again this season. “Our experience is going to be huge,” Kornish said. “But more than that, it will be the cohesiveness of the group itself.  “I picked up on it from the jump the first day. It will be a fun group to work with. They’re going to laugh a lot and enjoy their time together. That’s a strength.” Leading a formidable defense will be stopper Erelyn Apel, who returns in goal for a fourth straight season. An all-state and first-team all-conference performer, Apel allowed just 21 goals with 13 shutouts a year ago. Apel will attend UW-La Crosse next year and compete in soccer and basketball. “You can’t say enough about Erelyn and what she does in goal for us,” Kornish said. “I will enjoy watching her one more season.” Anchoring the defense will be junior Greta Shadewald and sophomore Brooklyn Kaufman at center back. “Ava Andres will be at right back and then it will either be Lauren Uselman, who was on the roster last year, and was in and out with Alexis (Atkinson), and moving forward, it will be Ellery Apel,” Kornish said. “Lauren Uselman has to step up for us this season. She had a nice preseason leading into tryouts. She is one of our fittest athletes. I really like where she’s at coming into the season.” Kornish said Andres, who also plays tennis and basketball for the Eagles, has assumed more of a leadership role this season.  “She quietly has been an absolute rock on that back line,” Kornish said. “That’s what we’re going to look for from her this season. I might push her inside to play next to Greta this year. “Ava’s leadership is what has stood out to me, a little more vocal and coming into her own as far as being a leader is concerned. I’m excited to see what she can do. She really does the little things consistently well. That’s what we look for out of a defender.” The same goes for Shadewald, who also serves as the Eagles’ backup goalkeeper. “She is so solid. She’s such an athlete,” Kornish said of Shadewald, who is also an all-conference volleyball player. “Her wherewithal to read the game and go up and win a ball aggressively, she’s got great size for a center back. She can rise and win the ball.  “It’s hard to play the ball over her. She’s not afraid to go after the ball with her head as well. She’s stepped up and is really looking forward to the season.” On offense, returning first-team all-conference midfielder McKenna Breunig, a junior who led the Eagles in scoring a year ago, is back along with Paukner, a second-team all-conference pick who will play soccer at Winona State next year.  “McKenna is a standout gymnast. She is a phenomenal athlete,” Kornish said. “She is a difference-maker for us.” Kornish said Paukner, who opted not to play basketball this winter to focus on improving her soccer skills, is also poised for a big season. “The big thing is her confidence on the ball,” Kornish said. “You can tell she wants the ball on her feet. The real standout thing so far is her strength and speed. She devoted a lot of time to the weight room. She looks physically stronger.”  Atkinson, a UW-River Falls recruit who scored the Eagles’ only goal in their loss to Whitefish Bay at state, will also be counted on to provide scoring punch. “Her consistency stands out. She is a goal scorer who can give us a full 80 minutes on the field. She’s a workhorse,” Kornish said of Atkinson. “She doesn’t want to come off the field. “Mikayla (Paukner) and McKenna (Breunig) are in the middle. Alexis will be up top. We need to figure out if we’re going to bring somebody else into the middle and McKenna outside or some freshmen on the wing spots outside. Those are up in the air, at the moment.” Kornish said the Eagles will get help from a strong freshman class. “Overall, it’s a very athletic group,” he said. “Early on they are going to have to step up in some different ways. There are a few of them who will contribute. “Audrey Brickl will play a role right from the get-go. Another one, who will play a big role right away is Kenzington Kleist. Those two will get thrown in the deep end right away when we play Whitefish Bay. They will get tested right away.” Freshmen Sophia Hanson and Savannah Liegel will also vie for playing time along with juniors Marin Alisch, Jada Burch, Cora Brickl and Kate Himebach and sophomores Leah Allen and Louisa Schiffer. “Junior Kennedy Breunig is also coming off an ACL injury suffered last fall,” Kornish said. “She missed all the basketball season and is still rehabbing. But she will be a manager for us, and we’ll get her some spot minutes this spring.”  Sauk Prairie, which was scheduled to open its season at Tomah on April 2, should be battle-tested when postseason play kicks off. “Our non-conference schedule will challenge us,” Kornish said. “We’ve got Whitefish Bay who we are welcoming here. We will play at Cedarburg. That’s two of the three teams we’ve seen at state along with Oregon. To have two in the regular season, and Oregon in the postseason, we will challenge ourselves for sure.” Kornish said both Oregon and Whitefish Bay will move to Division 1 for the postseason in 2025, which will drastically change the division. “Those were our state finalists the last two years,” he said. “If we get to state again this year, we will go Division 1 next year. We’ll see what happens.”     Sauk Prairie Girls        Soccer Roster No. Name Year Position 1/17 Erelyn Apel Sr. Goalkeeper 2 Lauren Uselman Jr. Defender 3 Ava Andres Sr. Defender 4 Louisa Schiffer So. Forward 5 Leah Allen So. Defender 6 Cora Brickl Jr. Defender 7 Marin Alisch Jr. Midfielder 8 McKenna Breunig Jr. Midfielder 9 Kate Himebach Jr. Forward 10 Alexis Atkinson Sr. Forward 11 Ellery Apel Sr. Midfielder 12 Audrey Brickl Fr. Midfielder 13 Jada Burch Jr. Midfielder 14 Kenzington Kleist Fr. Forward 15 Sophia Hanson Fr. Defender 16 McKayla Paukner Sr. Midfielder 18 Brooklyn Kaufman So. Defender 19 Greta Shadewald  Jr. Defender 20 Savannah Liegel Fr. Midfielder 21 Kennedy Breunig Jr. Manager Head coach: Drew Kornish Assistant coach: Jacob Breunig Head JV coach: Savannah Curtis