Semrau: The top 10 stories in prep sports this season

Dennis Semrau  —  6/25/2008 3:41 pm

Another school year has come and gone and it is finally time for summer vacation.

For the Class of 2008, it was a memorable period that won't be forgotten. For the underclassmen, the best is yet to come.

Each year is unique and has its highs and lows.

This year was no exception.

So what better way to wrap up the 2007-08 school year than with another edition of the CT Top 10?

10 It began the school year by claiming its seventh straight WIAA girls golf title -- and fifth in a row in Division 2 -- and ended it as the winner of the sixth annual Capital Times All-Sports Award.

For the second time in the history of the award, Madison Edgewood emerged as the area's top prep sports program. The Crusaders, who also reigned in 2003-04, finished with 18 points to snap Middleton's two-year reign as champs. The Cardinals, who were tied with Edgewood after the winter sports season, finished second with 14 points.

For complete final standings and an explanation of the scoring system, click here.

9 From the deluge of rain that opened the fall sports season, to the 100-plus inches of snow in the Madison area during the winter, to the monsoons and multiple postponements and rescheduled events all spring, the Weather Channel was on everyone's must-see list.

The unsung hero award goes to the athletic directors at the 43 schools in the TCT coverage area who went above and beyond to make sure their student-athletes had a memorable experience, even if they had to play eight games in six days and three doubleheaders in five days like the Middleton girls softball team did.

8 DeForest staked its claim as "Titletown" when it opened and closed the school year with a pair of individual state champions. Norskies senior and University of Wisconsin recruit Kelly Winckler finished with 10 state titles after defending her crowns in the 200-yard freestyle and 500 freestyle. Winckler also led DeForest to its second straight Division 2 girls swimming team title.

Drew Simmons ended the year by becoming the Norskies' first individual state champion in track and field when he won the WIAA Division 1 title in the 400-meter dash.

7 Led by a trio of sophomore starters -- Jamie Armstrong, Ashley Hermanson and Gwen Sutter -- the Monroe girls basketball team won its second WIAA Division 2 state title in three years. The Cheesemakers had to replace a pair of graduated senior guards and had just one player back from their 2006 title team.

Kylie Kaiser and Kayla Rackow, who were reserves on the basketball team, nearly got another title when they led the Cheesemakers to the Division 2 state title softball game and took second place.

6 The state wrestling tournaments weren't without their own emotional highs and lows. Lodi won the WIAA Division 2 team state tournament. That followed up the individual state wrestling tournament, where Dodgeville's Bobby Wunnicke and Luxemburg-Casco's Zac Cibula became the eighth and ninth four-time state champions, respectively, in the history of the meet.

There is also the painful snapshot of heartbroken Verona senior Andres Caceres, who suffered a dislocated elbow during his championship match and lost due to an injury disqualification.

5 The La Follette boys cross country team emerged as the state's best for the second year in a row, duplicating its unbeaten season of 2006. The Lancers proved to be the ultimate team as they recorded the lowest team score and largest winning margin in the 95-year history of the meet. La Follette also excelled in the classroom, with seniors Andy Buchanan and John Prusynski being named All-State Scholars.

4 Ashley Beutler heads off to the University of Wisconsin this fall as one of the most decorated student-athletes in New Glarus school history. The stellar distance runner won her third WIAA individual state cross country title last fall.

Beutler then won her second straight 3,200 title -- in a state record time -- and third straight 1,600 title at the WIAA Division 2 state track and field meet. Showing that she is a complete student-athlete, Beutler also became the school's first WIAA Scholar-Athlete award recipient.

3 One of the more emotional stories of the fall involved Traci Wileman and the Edgerton girls' volleyball program. The Crimson Tide competed hard all season while mourning the loss of teammate Taylor Falligant, who would have been a senior this year but was killed in a car accident in January 2007.

Wileman, who lost not only a best friend but also a cousin in Falligant, suffered more trauma when an ACL injury wiped out most of her senior basketball season. But the classy and sensitive way that coach Jason Knott and his volleyball team dealt with their emotional loss all season epitomized, especially on Senior Night, what high school sports are about.

2 When Mount Horeb senior Brian Moschkau launched a 3-pointer and found nothing but net on the Vikings' Senior Night, he created a "spine tingling moment" for the hometown fans and visitors from Portage, too. It was also a special moment for Moschkau, a special needs student and team manager for the Mount Horeb boys basketball team, who was making his varsity debut.

Moments earlier, Portage junior Stuart Rahn, also a special needs student and team manager for the Warriors, created his own special memory when he banked in a 3-pointer. But it was an outstanding display of sportsmanship by Portage junior Michael Bain in the game's final moments -- setting up Moschkau for a breakaway steal and layup -- that made it truly a special evening.

1 The final snapshot of the 2007-08 school year is very personal. My daughter, Kelli, recently graduated from Middleton High School with honors; she is headed to Arizona State on an academic scholarship. She also capped her athletic career at Goodman Diamond when the Cardinals qualified for the WIAA Division 1 state softball tournament for the first time since 1993.

After two decades of documenting memories for student-athletes across the state, I was able to enjoy the experience as a parent. I will always remember proudly that she rushed out to home plate to console teammate Alyssa Trautman after Middleton lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in the state quarterfinals to future Big Eight Conference rival Verona.

Kelli's quote in this week's Prep Profile, my graduation present to her, summed up what high school sports are all about.

"Competing in sports has taught me how to fail, to be a competitor and about sportsmanship."

Enjoy your summer and see you next year.

dsemrau@madison.com

Dennis Semrau  —  6/25/2008 3:41 pm