The warm sun cut through the cool breeze from Lake Superior. My legs were sore and numb at the same time. I was near the point of tears for the sheer sense of joy and accomplishment. Around 12:30 in the afternoon on June 18, 2011, I crossed the finish line of the 35th Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth.

It’s a moment that will live with me forever because of both the personal euphoria and that from the thousands of people at the finish line. Perhaps you’ve witnessed this on your own as either a runner or spectator. Those of you who have know exactly what I mean when I say it’s unlike any other feeling I’ve ever had. It remains to this day one of my happiest memories.

That’s why, sitting here more than a thousand miles away, I feel particularly touched by what’s unfolding in Boston this Monday afternoon. Thankfully, I do not know of any friends or family members directly affected by this tragedy, but my thoughts and prayers are with anyone who does. It saddens me so greatly that someone used mass-violence to turn what’s supposed to be such a triumphant show of human achievement into one of the most terrible scenes imaginable.

I could not fathom coping with death and devastation after being that emotionally and physically strained. Those witnesses who weren’t physically hurt are almost certain to suffer incredible mental trauma. My hopes are that the casualties are limited, and runners will not be deterred from participating in these tremendous tests of skill and stamina. After all, a marathon is, at its core, among the greatest exercises in human perseverance.

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Award season is here, and local sports are no exception. As you may have seen on our nightly sportscasts the last couple of weeks, the La Crosse Area Sports Commission is giving you the chance to decide their annual Sports Connection awards. You can still vote by clicking the link (just above the link to my blog here) on our main sports page.

All of this got me thinking about my favorite performances from 2012. Naturally, given my ties to the school, the Onalaska boys basketball championship run stands out as something special. Then there’s the great story of the Loggers baseball team. In their 10th year, their last under the expert guidence of Andy McKay, they brought home the NWL Championship. Let’s not forget Viterbo’s fall sports, either. Not only did the volleyball team make it to the elite eight of the NAIA tournament, but the women’s soccer team also gave V-Hawk fans reasons to celebrate with both an MCC regular season and tournament title.

These are just a few of the many reasons to enjoy sports in the Coulee Region. The one that really stands out to me, however, was that of the UW-L baseball team. This was a team that brought such an easy energy to both games and practice. They had the talent, drive and swagger that made them such a joy to watch. Even if they were trailing late, they never seemed to get down. Instead, they cranked up “Love is Gone” by David Guetta, went nuts in the dugout and then more often than not, on the field. Their fighting spirit led them to the NCAA Regionals for the first time in more than a decade.

That’s just the one that stuck out to me, baseball being close to my heart and all. I’m sure there are some others I missed, and that’s where you come in. Feel free to comment on which team, athlete or performance you think stole the show in 2012. And don’t forget to vote for the Sports Connection Awards. You can see the winners at the banquet on Sunday, March 24th at Onalaska’s Stoney Creek Inn.

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First and foremost, I apologize for my lack of activity since football season. With tournaments, holidays and everything that goes with them, it’s been difficult to find time above and beyond our daily coverage. That said, I’m a firm believer in making plays, not excuses.

That actually leads well into the topic for this post: Balancing sports, school and life, specifically with regard to high school athletes.

The story that prompted this features Sam Leinfelder, an extraordinary athlete from La Crosse Logan. Leinfelder is, like many high school athletes, active in multiple sports. What sets him apart from others, however, is the fact he’s participating (and excelling) in multiple sports in the same season–powerlifting and skiing.

Speaking from experience as someone involved in many high school activities (both athletic and otherwise), I found it to be a challenge sometimes managing such a schedule. I often wonder, for example, if I might have been able to play baseball at a higher level if I focused solely on that. On the flip side, would I have become burned out by devoting my full attention to a single sport?

So, my question to you is this: Do you think it’s better for kids to diversify their athletic and co-curricular experience? Or would you rather see kids focus on a single sport with the hope of learning all aspects and honing their skill?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, just different schools of thought. Either way, it’s something interesting to think about…

Be sure to catch my story about Sam on Wednesday, January 30th, on News 19 Sports at six and ten. And as always, if you have any story ideas or feedback, let me know via email: dluecke@wxow.com

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It’s getting much busier in the sports department with the WIAA and MSHSL playoffs starting for most fall sports. For that reason, my final picks are in the books. So let’s see how I did:

Overall record: 11-9-1 (I went 1-2 last week.)
Winning pct: .524

When picking MVC teams: 2-4-1
When picking Coulee teams: 3-4
When picking Scenic Bluffs teams: 3-0
When picking Dairyland teams: 1-0
When picking MSHSL teams: 2-0
When picking WIAC teams: 0-1

When picking football: 10-8
When picking sports other than football: 1-1-1

So there you have it. I never claimed to be a sage. I just try to take what I see on the field or court each week and provide an entertaining way to discuss it.

While I’m putting a wrap on picking games for awhile, it’s not the end of Inbounds. Keep checking back throughout the year for regular updates and thoughts on Coulee Region sports. Thanks for reading!

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It wasn’t my intention to jinx anyone, but after going 1-2 for the second straight week, it appears I might have. Let’s take a look:

1. My pick: Central Football def. Logan 35-13. Actual result: Logan def. Central 16-0

2. My pick: Westby Football def. Arcadia 27-21. Actual result: Arcadia def. Westby 24-7

3. My pick: Caledonia Football def. Chatfield 17-14 (OT). Actual result: Caledonia def. Chatfield 6-0

At least the Warriors came through for me. So, after seven weeks of football I can safely say a few things. I don’t think anyone but Logan saw that coming. There’s a lot of parity in the middle of the Coulee Conference. And, my overall record is now 10-7-1. Here goes nothing on the 8th and final week of regular season football in Wisconsin.

1.  Football – Aquinas def. Central 17-13

No, I don’t think last week’s loss was a fluke. Don’t get me wrong, Central’s still a good team. The problem is the loss vs. Logan is a momentum killer, while for Aquinas to knock off a tough West Salem team (one that kept still undefeated BRF in check) builds confidence. Aquinas needs the win to claim a share of the MVC title (with Central and Holmen). That motivation plus having conference passing leader Michael Conway equals a Blugold win, albeit a close one.

2. Football –  Bangor def. Hillsboro 28-21

Another big game shows up on the Scenic Bluffs schedule. Bangor puts its perfect season on the line against 6-1 Hillsboro. Like Aquinas, the Tigers will be highly motivated by a chance to share the SBC title with Bangor. Plus, they’ve got homefield advantage on their side. However, I can’t pick against the Cardinals and their “video game” rushing numbers. 500, 600-plus yard games from the trio of Meyers, Peters and Hundt show there’s not a defense so far that can stop Bangor.

3. College Football – UW-La Crosse def. UW-Eau Claire 24-14

A bit of a departure from the high school picks, but it’s my blog. As much as it pains me to pick against my Alma Mater, I don’t think they come away with the win. Yes, the Eagles lost to UW-Platteville by 30, but so did the Blugolds. UWL’s already shown it can win big games on the road, having gone to (then 6th ranked) North Central College and coming away with the win. If anything, last week’s loss was a wake-up call for the defense. Coach Dettwiler said basically that in his press conference, and I’m sure he’s put that into action on the practice field this week. Losing Ben Hertrampf does hurt the Eagles’ stock, but not enough to leave Carson Park with a loss.

That reminds me, be sure to check out coverage of the UWL-UWEC game this Saturday (October 13th) only on WXOW TV-19! I’ll kick things off with the Pregame Show starting at 11:00 a.m. before throwing it to Scott Emerich and Bob Bradovich who have the call of the game at 11:30.

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It was an interesting result last week. Since Onalaska and Aquinas soccer played to a 0-0 tie after two overtimes, I’m claiming a tie on my record. So, instead of going 1-2 for the second straight week, I went 1-1-1 to put my overall record at 5-3-1. Here’s how it happened:

1. My pick: Onalaska soccer def. Aquinas 2-1. Actual result: Onalaska and Aquinas finish in 0-0 tie.

2. My pick: BRF football def. Arcadia 35-27. Acutal result: BRF def. Arcadia 27-18

3. My pick: G-E-T football def. West Salem 27-14. Actual result: West Salem def. G-E-T 21-14

After seeing many of these teams now for at least a month, I’m confident I can do better this week. Just watch, I’m hitting my stride with these upcoming picks.

1. Girls Golf – Tomah wins MVC Championship at Trempealeau Mountain

I often say golf is the hardest sport to pick an individual winner, since being such a mental game, even the best player can have an off day. Likewise, with a lot of luck involved as well, players with less skill can shoot lights out. But, with a couple of stalwart players, including MVC leader Dana Wagner and Danielle Ducklow (who shot an impressive 36 at Hiawatha on Monday despite cold and breezy conditions), it’s hard to think Tomah won’t be heading into Regionals (also at Hiawatha) as the Conference Champions.

2. Football – BRF def. G-E-T 18-15

I vowed not to pick against the Tigers in an earlier post, and I won’t this week. Keep in mind they are playing a G-E-T squad who are likely to be playing angry after suffering their first loss to West Salem last week. I see this one being a brawl until the end out in Galesville, but after all is said and done, Jordan Millis will find the endzone a couple more times and BRF will be going home happy.

3. Football – Necedah def. Hillsboro 35-28

Both teams have shown they have a nose for the endzone this year. Hillsboro has scored no fewer than 36 points this season, while Necedah’s scored at least 27. Hillsboro may still be undefeated, but their strength of schedule thus far has left something to be desired. Necedah’s only loss came at Bangor in a week two high-scoring thriller. Given the fact the Cardinals top two rushers (Kris Manning, Eugene Crabtree) have combined for more than 1100 yards in four weeks, my prediction is Bangor will be the only team still perfect in the Scenic Bluffs.

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Week two didn’t go too well for me. I stepped away from picking just football and I went 1-2. Let’s review, shall we?

1. My pick: Aquinas volleyball def. Onalaska 3-2. Actual result: Onalaska def. Aquinas 3-2.

2. My pick: Westby football def. Black River Falls 28-21. Actual result: BRF def. Westby 21-14

3. My pick: Bangor football def. New Lisbon 45-15. Actual result: Bangor def. New Lisbon 32-28

My overall record now sits at 4-2. In the effort of trying to do better this week, here are my picks.

1. Soccer – Onalaska def. Aquinas 2-1

Yes, Aquinas leads the MVC, and yes, they’re an honorable mention in the state’s Division 3 rankings. They’ve also got some prolific scorers–Chris Paulino and Shane Hanna to name a pair. That said, Ryan Aschenbrenner does a nice job in net for the Hilltoppers. I see them going into the Fields For Kids this Thursday night and upsetting the Blugolds.

2. Football – Black River Falls def. Arcadia 35-27

I picked against BRF in favor of a good Westby squad last week and they proved me wrong. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. This will be a ground-and-pound sort of game carried by Jordan Millis for the Tigers and the Raiders’ Paul Mines. Arcadia can air it out. Sam and Abe Ferguson prove that on a weekly basis. However, I think this is the week BRF solidifies the belief that they are back in form.

3. Football – G-E-T def. West Salem 27-14

I’ll keep it in the Coulee Conference because they continue to have intriguing match-ups in the first half of the season. (By the way, it’s hard to believe this is the halfway point already.) West Salem hasn’t impressed me much this year. Jacob Ungerer is a solid rusher and they did prove they can win a close one late (Week 1 vs. Onalaska), but they got manhandled by Arcadia last week. Trying to bounce back against a G-E-T squad with a great shot at winning the conference is not going to be easy. That’s why I think the RedHawks take this one by a couple of scores.

Be sure to tune into our coverage throughout the week to see how my picks fare, or you can always let me know what you think by posting a comment below.

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That’s what I am after my inaugural week of high school sports predictions, 3-0 to start the season. Let’s review:

- My pick: Holmen def. Logan 27-14. Actual result: Holmen def. Logan 29-13.

- My pick: G-E-T def. Arcadia 35-34. Actual result: G-E-T def. Arcadia 23-20.

- My pick: Caledonia def. P-E-M 42-14. Actual result: Caledonia def. P-E-M 19-0.

So, let’s keep this train rolling. In week two of my picks, I’m branching out from football. With that said, here they are:

1. Volleyball – Aquinas def. Onalaska 3-2

It’s a Thursday night showdown of early MVC favorites. Onalaska definitely impressed me last week against Holmen. They battled back from a lackluster first game loss to win the match 3-2. Courtney Meyer is a presence at the net. But, if Aquinas sticks to the gameplan they used on Saturday (get the ball to Lauren Schmidt), they’re hard to stop. Couple her power with all-around athlete Theresa Knutson, and I see Aquinas emerging from this week as the frontrunner.

2. Football – Westby def. Black River Falls 28-21

If last week’s G-E-T-Arcadia tilt was a possible conference championship-worthy match-up, this might be a sequel. There are two things I can say for certainty. The Coulee is a strong conference, and this game will be the first real test for both teams. You could argue that BRF already upset last year’s MVC champ in game one, but it appears Tomah is a shell of what they were last year. That said, the Tigers are a powerful offensive team, and Jordan Millis can be explosive. I just see Westby’s defense putting up a wall to stop BRF’s ground game with  Tyler Ihrcke rumbling into the endzone for his third score of the game. That’s the difference-maker in this one.

3. Football – Bangor def. New Lisbon 45-15

Since pick two was a tough decision, I’m going to make one that’s slightly easier. Plus, I want to show some respect for Bangor. These guys ground-out a 44-37 win last week over Necedah, giving early validation to their three-tiered rushing game (Alex Peters, Adam Meyers and J.J. Hundt). These guys will run the ball (they have only 12 passing yards on the season), and they will run it well. New Lisbon has proven they can score. They did a few times last week against a solid Hillsboro squad, and I definitely see them getting in for a few more against Bangor’s D. That said, they cannot stop the Cardinal’s triple-threat of runners.

Alright, so I only made one departure from football, but it’s a start. Now, make your picks, tell me why I’m wrong and get  set for another great week of high school sports.

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