Sauk Prairie’s ‘Best of the best’

It was another fun-filled year for Sauk Prairie’s girls’ sports teams during a stellar 2023-24 school year. Ava Andres (tennis, basketball, soccer) and Kaya Howard (swimming, wrestling, track and field) finished their prep careers as 12-season athletes. For her overall contributions to Sauk Prairie, senior Ellery Apel was selected as the Eagles’ female nominee for the prestigious WIAA Scholar-Athlete award. Overall, it was another impresive year — which included trips to state tournament competition for participants in cross country, swimming and tennis in the fall, gymnastics and wrestling in the winter, and track and field in the spring. Once again, the Star News has selected the best of the best. This week, we’ll honor the girls, and next week we’ll honor the boys.   Team of the Year: Soccer There is always a great debate, which conference is the strongest in each high school sport. When it comes to girls’ soccer, though, there is no disputing that the Badger Small Conference is in the discussion as the state’s premier league. Entering the season, Sauk Prairie had been to three straight WIAA Division 2 state tournaments. McFarland — which eventually advanced to the state tournament — along with Edgewood and Mount Horeb were all ranked in Division 3 in the final Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association poll. So, when the Eagles defeated Mount Horeb, 4-0, on May 23 to capture the league title, there was tremendous reason for celebration, merriment and revelry. “To come out on top of this conference speaks volumes to these girls and the work they have put in all season,” Eagles coach Drew Kornish said. “It is great recognition for a team that worked hard to deserve it.” Sauk Prairie finished the conference season with a 6-0-1 mark, edging runner-up McFarland (6-1-0). Edgewood (4-2-1) and Mount Horeb (3-2-2) rounded out the top half of this loaded league. Sauk Prairie struck for a goal in the 16th minute when junior midfielder Marin Alisch scored off an assist from freshman forward Kenzi Kliest. The Eagles had opportunities the rest of the half, but couldn’t finish and led, 1-0, at the break. “The remainder of the half saw us with a few more chances, but nothing on the scoreboard to show for it,” Kornish said. “We knew we would need a few more goals to see it out as Mount Horeb has a really good attack with the ability to pull one back at any point.” Sauk Prairie pushed its lead to 2-0 in the 54th minute with a finish by junior midfielder McKenna Breunig on an assist from senior midfielder McKayla Paukner. Senior forward Alexis Atkinson made it 3-0 in the 57th minute when she poked home a free kick that was played in by Paukner.  Freshman midfielder Audrey Brickl then had an unassisted goal in the 64th minute.  Unfortunately, the Eagles’ streak of consecutive state tournament berths ended with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Oregon in a WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal. Oregon, which moves up to Division 1 next season, claimed its fourth state championship with a 1-0 victory over Whitefish Bay in the Division 2 state championship game. The Eagles have also become a state power in recent years. And Sauk Prairie displayed just that during regional play. The Eagles begin their postseason journey with an 11-0 dismantling of 13th-seeded Portage/Poynette in a regional semifinal on May 28. Host Sauk Prairie got goals from 10 different players and posted its largest win of the year in terms of margin of victory. The Eagles got goals from senior midfielder Ellery Apel, McKenna Breunig, Paukner, Kliest, junior defender Cora Brickl, Alisch, freshman midfielder Audrey Brickl, senior Erelyn Apel, sophomore forward Leah Allen and freshman defender Savannah Liegel. Sauk Prairie also scored on an “own goal.” Paukner added two assists, while Ellery Apel, Erelyn Apel and Alisch all had assists, as well. “This game was a great chance to continue our run of positive play,” Kornish said. The host Eagles then edged fifth-seeded DeForest in a 1-0 thriller to claim the regional championship. Paukner had the game’s lone goal when she picked up a ball in the middle and finished from the top of the 18 in the 60th minute. The Eagles depth during the season was displayed when Sauk Prairie placed seven players on the All-Badger Small Conference team led by senior goalie and League Player of the Year Erelyn Apel.  Joining Erelyn on the first team was Paukner, a unanimous selection, and junior defender Greta Shadewald. The Eagles placed two players on the second team in senior midfielder Ellery Apel and senior defender Ava Andres. Atkinson and Breunig received honorable mention honors. Kornish was also honored as the Badger Small Conference Coach of the Year. Honorable mention: Cross country, gymnastics, volleyball.   Coach of the Year: Justine Anderson, gymnastics Sauk Prairie had one of the finest seasons in school history. And the Eagles were justly rewarded, receiving several postseason awards. Topping the list was Sauk Prairie’s Justine Anderson being named the Badger Conference’s Coach of the Year.  The Eagles had a tremendous day at the conference meet, finishing second to five-time defending league champion Mount Horeb with 136.225 points. That was Sauk Prairie’s highest finish in school history and set a new school record for points. The Eagles also set a new school record on the bars (34.550). “It was a confidence boost that they needed and deserved heading into an incredibly tough sectional,” Anderson said.  Sauk Prairie junior McKenna Breunig was one of three gymnasts named the Badger Conference Athlete of the Year. Breunig shared that honor with Mount Horeb’s Athena Ouradnik and Mya Tweedy of Monona Grove. Breunig was named second-team all-conference on the balance beam and the uneven bars, and honorable-mention all-league in the all-around competition. Senior Sara Nehring was named honorable-mention all-conference in the all-around competition and on the uneven bars. The average of the five-highest scores from the season were used to determine all-conference honors. “What a cool way to wrap up the season,” Anderson said. Breunig was third at the conference meet in the all-around competition with a sensational score of 35.30.  She was second on the bars (9.150) and seventh on the beam (9.0). Nehring was sixth at the conference meet in the all-around (34.4250) and sixth on the uneven bars (8.70). Nehring later qualified for the state tournament on the vault, making her the first Sauk Prairie gymnast to reach state in multiple seasons. She also became the Eagles’ all-time leader in varsity points.  In addition, Nehring set the school record on vault this year at sectionals (8.95) and tied the floor record of 9.20 set in 2022. Junior Claire Hartman was ninth in the all-around (33.8750) and tied for sixth on the bars with Nehring (8.70). “Bars was where they really took off,” Anderson said of her team. “Every varsity girl hit their routine and every single girl received a PR or just under it.”  Nehring was fourth on the vault (8.60), while Hartman was 10th (8.3250). Hartman was second on the floor with a 9.150, while Breunig was sixth (9.10), Nehring was ninth (8.9250). “We closed out the meet with big scores from all five (floor) competitors, earning both McKenna and Claire spots on the podium,” Anderson said. Nehring earned a trip to the WIAA Division 2 state meet after shining at the Mount Horeb Sectional where she recorded an 8.950 on the vault (fourth place) and an 8.575 on the uneven bars (fifth). Although Nehring had a tough day at state with an 8.133 on the bars (24th place) and a 7.933 on the vault (25th), she finished her career with some big shoes to fill for next year. “She had an extremely consistent and confident season and has grown so much as a person this year,” Anderson said of Nehring. “She let me push her, trusted my judgement — even when she didn’t agree — and allowed me to help her grow.” Coming off a school-record score while taking second at conference the week before, Sauk Prairie couldn’t quite match that, but did turn in a more-than-respectable 134.950 — good for fourth place at the Mount Horeb Sectional meet. Elkhorn won the sectional with a 140.600 team score, while Mount Horeb was second (137.900) and Monona Grove took third (135.350). “It’s crazy to think that almost a 135 isn’t sending us to state, because at a lot of other sectionals it does,” Anderson said. “Last place today got a 118, and I used to dream of getting a 118. We couldn’t even break a 110 for a few years, or we’d be in the 1-teens for a lot of years. So it is cool to look at it from the perspective that, ‘OK, we didn’t go to state and we got a 135, what the heck? But also, we’ve grown 20 points in 10 years.’ “So that is pretty cool.” Honorable mention: Drew Kornish (soccer), Andy Sherman (cross country), Allison Steinmetz (volleyball), Todd Wuerger (swimming).   Co-Senior Athletes of the Year Ellery Apel (volleyball, soccer) and Erelyn Apel (basketball and soccer) The Apel twins certainly left their mark on Sauk Prairie athletics. Ellery began the year leading the Eagles’ volleyball team to a WIAA Division 2 sectional runner-up finish. A libero, Ellery earned Badger Small Conference first team honors. She was also named first-team all-state by the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association. Apel eclipsed 1,000-career digs and was named the co-Player of the Year in the conference. She was also a captain and led the Eagles in digs and serving percentage. “The list of this young lady’s accomplishments is outstanding,” Sauk Prairie coach Allison Steinmetz said of Ellery Apel. “A leader both on and off the court, she’s determined to surpass any goal she sets for herself, and willing to work through any injury.” Then it was Erelyn’s turn to pace the Sauk Prairie girls’ basketball team. Erelyn Apel was named first-team all-conference as the Eagles’ starting point guard.  She led Sauk Prairie with 11.9 points per game and was second with 5.0 rebounds. She was also first on the team in steals (4.0), fourth in assists (1.7) and made 34.3% of her three-pointers. “Erelyn was our captain this year and truly led by example,” Sauk Prairie coach Jacob Breunig said. “She led us in scoring and was near the top in rebounding. Defensively, Erelyn flew around the court and got 81 deflections and 85 steals on the season.   “I could not be prouder of Erelyn and her growth as a basketball player over the past four seasons. She has truly turned herself into a basketball player with her hard work and time dedicated to improving.  She was always staying late to shoot, and it showed.” The sisters closed out the year on a high note as teammates on the Eagles’ soccer team. They helped Sauk Prairie earn the Badger Small Conference soccer championship and a berth in the Division 2 sectional semifinals. Erelyn was named the Badger Small Conference player of the year after earning repeat first-team honors as a goalkeeper.  She finished with 87 saves, 10 shutouts and an .890 save percentage. She also played in the field occasionally and ended the year with two goals and three assists. “Erelyn will go down as one of the most instrumental players in this program’s rise over the past four seasons,” Eagles coach Drew Kornish said. “Erelyn is a four-year starter in goal.  “Her leadership and skill drove us to the success our team was able to have this season. For her to be named as the Player of the Year in the Badger Small Conference as a goalkeeper speaks volumes about what she means to our team and the kind of player she is across our conference.” Ellery was a second-team selection in soccer as a midfielder. A jack-of-all-trades, she finished with three goals, five assists and the versatility to affect the game from anywhere on the field. “Ellery was our do-it-all player this season,” Kornish said. “She played nearly every position on the field — and even a brief stint in goal. Her work ethic, on the field, was unmatched. She really was the engine that drove us and the one we would call on to do the work that others were not willing to do.” However, the sisters will be headed off to new adventures at different destinations. Erelyn will attend UW-La Crosse, where she plans to compete in both basketball and soccer. Meanwhile, Ellery will be off to Winona State (Minn.) to pursue her love of volleyball. Honorable mention: Ava Andres (tennis, basketball, soccer), Kaya Howard (swimming, wrestling, track and field), Sara Nehring (gymnastics), MariElla Viola (track and field).   Game/Event of the Year Acker stars at state swimming meet Streaks, like records, are made to be broken. Just ask Sauk Prairie senior swimmer Savannah Acker, who ended the Eagles’ 13-year individual state championship drought with a first-place finish in her signature event, the 100-yard backstroke, at the WIAA Division 2 state swimming and diving meet at the Waukesha South Natatorium. Acker said her first reactions when she touched the wall in 55.80 seconds were ‘relief, happiness, joy,’ after becoming Sauk Prairie’s first individual state champion since Alison Meng – who is now a Sauk Prairie assistant coach – won the 100 backstroke in 2010. After finishing 10th as a sophomore and runner-up as a junior in the 100 backstroke, Acker entered her final state meet with the top seed, determined to earn a different outcome this time. “It’s something I worked so hard for that makes it so special,” said Acker, who also broke Meng’s school record of 55.91 in the 100 backstroke. “It was fun to win a state title after all the work I’ve put in.” Sauk Prairie coach Todd Wuerger said he couldn’t be happier for Acker, who was able to reach the podium in three of her four events. That included a runner-up finish in the 100-yard butterfly, where she finished in a season-best time of 56.45. Wuerger said Acker — who was a co-captain this season along with senior Carly Schroeder — had put a lot of pressure on herself to succeed at a high level the past two seasons. But Wuerger said Acker was finally able to relax and enjoy reaching the top of the podium as an individual for the first time. “It was something she had to work through,” Wuerger said. “She has so much more confidence now and just relaxes and lets go. She was here to swim and have fun.” Wuerger said he knew after Acker finished second in the 100 butterfly, where she was seeded first, the best was yet to come. Acker, Rhinelander’s Celia Francis and Jefferson/Cambridge’s Jordyn Davis were neck-and-neck entering the final 25 yards of the 100 backstroke race.  But Wuerger said when Acker came off the final wall, he knew she was destined to “get the monkey off her back.” Acker came out of the turn and made her move to edge Francis (55.87) and Davis (56.79) and end the Eagles’ 13-year title drought. “The moment of truth was not winning the fly, not letting it bother her, and then coming back and winning the 100 backstroke,” Wuerger said of Acker. “She was losing the entire race until the halfway point of the last length, then she kicked it into sixth gear and won by 7/100ths of a second. “She came back and swam on the last relay. But winning the 100 backstroke was a great way to end her swimming career.”  While Acker was able to reach the podium in her individual events, she said she was most proud of her final high school race, when she led off the Eagles’ fifth-place 400-yard freestyle relay. “We had a great day,” Acker said after the relay team — which included Schroeder, and juniors Ava Flanagan and Kaylee Oleson — finished in a season-best time of 3:43.85. “It was real cool to have them along with me on the podium with me. We just trained hard and tried our hardest every single day, even when we did not want to.”  Acker also swam the lead leg on the Eagles’ 200-yard medley relay that included Oleson, Schroeder, and Flanagan and placed ninth (1:53.73). Wuerger said he was proud of the Eagles’ eighth-place team finish which was sparked by improving on their sectional times in five of the six events they were entered in. “That was hard to do because we pulled out all the stops at sectionals and were fully tapered,” Wuerger said. “To have to redo that and go faster is hard but our girls stepped up and swam hard and swam inspired.”   Performance of the Year Charlotte Gregg, cross country  It was one for the record books when the Sauk Prairie’s girls cross country team landed six runners on the all-Badger Small Conference team. Sophomore Charlotte Gregg and freshman Aaliyah Bermudo were both named first-team all-conference. Freshmen Savannah Liegel and Evelyn Bahe, along with junior Lainey Dillon and sophomore Clarissa Brickl were named second-team all-conference. Gregg was sixth individually at the conference meet held in Reedsburg, finishing the 5,000-meter course in 20 minutes, 6.0 seconds. Bermudo was seventh overall in 20:33.80, while Liegel was 12th (20:50.40), Bahe was 13th (20:50.80) and Dillon was 14th (21:12.90). Brickl finished 15th overall and narrowly missed having her score qualify for the Eagles. Mount Horeb won the conference meet with 49 points and edged runner-up Sauk Prairie (52) for the title. Madison Edgewood (90), McFarland (101) and Stoughton (102) rounded out the top five at the eight-team meet. “The girls second place finish was the highest in my tenure as coach and I could not be prouder of the effort and improvements made to be there at the end,” Eagles’ coach Andy Sherman said that day. That performance led to one more highlight for the Eagles last fall. While one streak was broken, an even longer one is poised to fall for the Sauk Prairie girls’ cross-country team, possibly as soon as next season. The Eagles placed fourth out of 12 teams with 87 points at the WIAA Division 1 DeForest Sectional meet held at the Don Batty Cross Country Course. The top two teams and top five individuals not on a qualifying team advanced to the state meet at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Holmen won the meet with 50 points, while DeForest was second with 55 points.  While their performance as a team wasn’t quite good enough to snap a 29-year drought at the annual state meet, the Eagles qualified an individual runner for the first time in a decade. Charlotte Gregg placed 11th overall, covering the 5,000-meter course in 20:29.03 to qualify as an individual. “It’s awesome,” Sherman said. “To have Charlotte make it, we thought she had a shot last year. We knew this year coming in she was really fast and talented. So, we’re just really happy for her.” The last Sauk Prairie girl to qualify for the WIAA state meet was Lianna Mack, who qualified in 2011, 2012 and 2013. She placed a career-best eighth as a senior in 2013. But the last time the girls’ team qualified was in 1994. That streak is poised to end. “The impressive thing this season, just what made me the happiest, was the improvement they all made,” Sherman said. “I’m so proud of this whole group, the coaching staff, what they bring to the team this year has been fantastic.” Honorable mention: Sara Nehring (gymnastics), MariElla Viola (track and field).   Breakout Performer of the Year Senior Luz Rodriguez makes history It was a testament to her persistence and willingness to try something new. So, it was a unique journey for senior Luz Rodriguez from team manager to becoming Sauk Prairie’s first female wrestler to compete at the WIAA Individual state tournament. Rodriguez represented Sauk Prairie at the WIAA Division 1 state girls wrestling tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison. She earned the right to compete at state by winning the West Salem Sectional. Seeded 12th, Rodriguez (7-7) was pinned by fifth-seeded senior Faith Pritzlaff of Whitnall/Greendale in their opening round match at the Kohl Center. Monona Grove/McFarland freshman Emily Karls, who was seeded 13th, then got a takedown and held on to defeat Rodriguez 2-0 in their consolation round match.  However, making it to state is an incredible feat for any wrestler. But it was more impressive considering it was only Rodriguez’s first season on the mat.  Representing Sauk Prairie as the first female wrestler to compete for the Eagles at State was truly a celebration for Rodriguez. As a junior, she served as the wrestling manager for the high school program of which her younger brother Kevin was a member. Rodriguez said Kevin and her friend Kaya Howard, also a wrestler, were the main reasons she decided to give the sport a try her senior year. “My brother started wrestling in eighth grade,” she said. “I was interested in the sport, but not enough to join the team. It wasn’t until my senior year that Kevin pushed me more to join him on the team. “As for Kaya, I had inspired her to join the swim team with me, so I guess it was only fair that I joined her on the wrestling team. If it wasn’t for them, I think I would have been afraid to wrestle.” Rodriguez, who was active in Sauk Prairie’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, was a member of the Eagles’ swimming team and played softball this spring. But Rodriguez said she also found a competitive yet family-like place in the wrestling program. “What I enjoy most about being on the team is definitely the feeling of family,” she said. “Coach (Matt) Gaffney believes that our team isn’t just a team, or an individual sport, but a family.” Rodriguez added that the support she received from her teammates and coaches helped her prevail in a physically and mentally tough sport.  “I think one of the harder things for me was having to stay mentally tough,” she said. “As a wrestler, it became harder to not get down on myself. You really feel the support of the team and them trying to pick you up and it helps.” Coach Gaffney said he was excited to see Rodriguez have an opportunity to compete at state. “Luz has been an extremely hard worker,” he said. “With it being her first year, she had a lot to learn and had to learn it fast. “She battled through some injuries this season, so I’m happy she was healthy at the right time and able to qualify for the state tournament. Coaching her at state was a great experience for both of us.” Honorable mention: Mallory Hartwig (basketball, volleyball), Ayla Sorg (tennis, track and field).