Sports

While no local football teams made deep postseason runs, that didn’t mean there was a shortage of local standout players on the gridiron. Several players from the Gillett, Oconto Falls, Suring and Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas Academy co-op football teams were recently honored for their strong play this fall with spots on all-conference teams.

Players were voted to all-conference teams by opposing conference coaches following the season.

MONLPC-8

The eight-man division of the MONLPC had plenty of strong teams in it, with Gillett battling to fourth place with a 5-3 record.

A big reason behind the Tigers’ success was the play of Bo Krueger. The junior was an all-conference first team selection as a running back and was one of four offensive players of the year in the conference. Krueger also landed on the honorable mention defense team as a linebacker.

After months of hard work on the court, volleyball players from Oconto Falls, Gillett, Suring and Lena were recently honored with spots on all-conference teams.

The players were voted to the teams by coaches within their respective conferences following the completion of the season.

North Eastern Conference

Battling in a rugged North Eastern Conference, Oconto Falls played its way to a 4-5 record to take sixth place.

The Panthers relied more upon a finesse attack game than leaning on a powerful attacker or two. Junior Natalie Brauer led the team with 96 attack kills during the conference portion of the season and was selected to the all-conference first team for her efforts.

If you asked high school athletes to tell you the perfect way to end their season, most — if not all — would respond by saying competing at state.

The Gillett duo of Sylvia Hansen and Derek Hanson and Suring’s Ryann Wagner got to end their respective seasons at state Saturday, competing in the WIAA State Cross-Country Championships at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.

Hansen placed 27th in the Division 3 girls race after posting a time of 20 minutes, 20.9 seconds. Wagner was not far behind, posting a time of 20:45.1 to take 41st.

In the Division 3 boys race, Hanson completed the state course in 17:28.1 to take 43rd.

“Exhausted, kind of satisfied. It wasn’t the best race of my life, but I certainly thought I did good for my first time here,” Hanson said.

Athlete: Sylvia Hansen

Sport: Cross-Country

School: Gillett High School

Year: Sophomore

Gillett’s Sylvia Hansen has been a predominant figure since her first high school varsity cross-country race. She has racked up numerous top finishes and just capped her sophomore season by running at state.

Hansen claimed the first-ever Marinette & Oconto Conference girls championship Oct. 11. She followed that up by taking third in the Division 3 Westfield Sectional on Oct. 20. This Saturday, Hansen placed 27th at the state cross-country championships.

Q: When did your interest in cross-country begin?

A: My interest in cross-country began in about fourth grade when I was a part of a kids for running program that our school provided.

Q: What’s your favorite part about a cross-country meet?

Gillett sophomores Sylvia Hansen and Derek Hanson will join Suring freshman Ryann Wagner at the WIAA State Cross-Country Championships after qualifying at this past Saturday’s Division 3 Westfield Sectional.

Hansen earned her second straight trip to state after earning a third-place finish at the sectional with a time of 20 minutes, 39.57 seconds. She will try to improve upon her third-place finish at state as a freshman.

“After last year’s strong finish, my expectations are definitely higher,” Hansen said. “Last year, I just wanted to make the podium, and now that I’ve done that, I’m really going to work as hard as I can to try and take the top spot.”

“To have my best race possible, I’m going to make sure I prepare properly throughout the week up to the big day,” she added. “I’m going to show up to the race on Saturday, confident in myself knowing that I deserve to be there — also knowing that I need to give it everything I’ve got to achieve my goals.”

Athlete: Ryann Wagner

Sport: Cross-Country

School: Suring High School

Year: Freshman

Making the WIAA State Cross-Country Championships is no easy feat for any runner. Making it to state as a freshman is also a pretty rare occurrence.

Suring freshman Ryann Wagner secured herself a spot at state by finishing sixth at the Division 3 Westfield Sectional on Saturday, completing the course in 21 minutes, 56.76 seconds. On Oct. 11, Wagner placed second at the first-ever Marinette & Oconto Conference Meet. Her time of 21:02.5 was only behind good friend Sylvia Hansen of Gillett.

Q: When did your interest in cross-country begin?

A: I started becoming interested in cross-country in the beginning of eighth grade after volleyball season.

Q: What’s your favorite part about a cross-country meet?

After a shaky regular season, the Gillett High School volleyball team was hoping the postseason would be like a fresh start.

Gillett got the postseason off on an upswing by upsetting Bowler 25-15, 25-16, 25-7 on the road Oct. 16 but saw its season come to a close in a stiff test against top-seeded Tigerton on Thursday. Tigerton won by scores of 25-19, 25-17, 28-26.

“The Gillett volleyball team went into the season optimistic and working hard,” Gillett coach Keri Hicks said. “Unfortunately, we fell short of our goals and struggled to finish off matches. The team worked very hard at practices and learned more than just volleyball skills. We enjoyed our team meals and the bonding time it allowed us.”

Karissa Schaal led Gillett against Tigerton with eight attack kills, while Emelie Horsens and Grace Wickman each added five. Sophie Horsens recorded a team-high nine assists, while Emily Umentum had five.

Marinette & Oconto Conference runners made history Thursday, competing in the first-ever conference meet on the grounds of Lake Lundgren Bible Camp.

The Gillett sophomore duo of Derek Hanson and Sylvia Hansen became the first conference champions in dominating fashion. Hanson won the boys race in 16 minutes, 53.2 seconds, more than 40 seconds faster than the next finisher. Hansen posted a time of 19:11.4, almost two full minutes ahead of the second-place runner.

With sectionals looming, Hanson and Hansen were each pleased with their tune-up runs.

“Getting the gold at conference certainly put me in a good spot mentally,” said Hanson. “I think the mentality I had at conference is one I should keep for sectionals. I was focused and hungry for the gold medal, and that day I dug deep to get it.”

Athlete: Kaitlyn St. Louis

Sport: Volleyball

School: Oconto Falls High School

Year: Senior

Down the stretch run of the season, each volleyball match seems to get more important. With the added pressure, some teams can succumb to the moment if they do not have enough experience on the roster. The Oconto Falls volleyball team had plenty of seniors to lean on over the past few weeks of the season, and Kaitlyn St. Louis is one of the seniors who is leading the way.

St. Louis has served as one of the Panthers’ top hitters this season, totaling 141 attack kills heading into postseason play. She also is third on the team with 36 serving aces while also contributing 119 digs.

Q: When did your interest in volleyball begin?

Athlete: Crystal Zempel

Sport: Volleyball

School: Gillett High School

Year: Senior

In today’s sports world, a torn ACL seems to be about as frequent an injury as any. Gillett senior Crystal Zempel has endured the unfortunate luck of going through the injury twice but has persevered and now sees the court plenty for the Tigers.

As the postseason nears, Zempel can help provide a veteran voice for a team that will be looking to make a surprise playoff run. In the team’s last Marinette & Oconto Conference match, she helped the Tigers rally from a set down to top Lena on the road.

Q: When did your interest in volleyball begin?

A: My interest began when I was little. My aunt, Tricia, played, and she got me started passing.

Q: What’s your favorite part about a volleyball match or the volleyball season?