Sports Thoughts

Area boys basketball outlook

John Rech — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:11:00 GMT

First, before getting to the boys, I wanted to add one more name to the "teams to watch" portion of the girls ratings which I sent out last week. I will throw in West Allis Central for going 3-0, including a victory over perennial power Slinger.

Now to the boys, and again, these are simple capsules. Complete season outlooks will be found in the Dec. 11 issues of the NOW newspapers.

GREENFIELD (1-1 as of Dec. 4): The Hustlin' Hawks are led by senior guards David Emanuele and Kyle McDaniel and junior center Alec Molter. When senior guard Will Humbles returns from injury in January, coach Jim Nowak will have a capable backcourt and the Hawks will be a team to watch in the Woodland Conference.

MUSKEGO (0-2): New coach Duane Mlachnik moves over from the girls head coaching spot, and his son, sophomore guard D.J. Mlachnik, is expected to be a key performer, along with senior guard Nick Brzozowski. The Warriors are young but could mature into a solid team as the season progresses.

NEW BERLIN EISENHOWER (2-0): The Lions return just one starter from their WIAA Division 2 championship team in senior forward Kevin Marr, but they have 11 players who made the trip to state last season, and they have some talent off a 20-0 junior varsity team. Seniors Austin Selvick and Patrick Drew have been among those looking solid so far this season.

NEW BERLIN WEST (1-1): The Vikings lost all their starters, including leading scorer Ben Wisniewski. They do have a number of players from a successful junior varsity squad and senior guard/forward Chris Prushiek tallied 27 points in a season-opening victory over Delavan-Darien.

WEST ALLIS CENTRAL (1-0): The Bulldogs lost leading scorer Oren Bloom but just about everyone else from last year's team is back, including seniors Ben Hart, Alex Kingsley and Derwin George.

WEST ALLIS HALE (0-0): The Huskies face a big rebuilding job after losing all five starters, but coach Scott Pritzl has some promising players he will work into the lineup as the season progresses.

A boys' top five guess:

1. Wauwatosa East. 2. Germantown. 3. Brookfield Central. 4.New Berlin Eisenhower. 5. Whitefish Bay

Others to watch: Whitnall, Nicolet, Menomonee Falls

Area girls tip off season

John Rech — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:22:40 GMT

This morning's snowfall, on top of the non-stop Christmas music now playing on several local radio stations, indicates we are heading into winter.

That means the start of the high school basketball season, one of my favorite times of the year.

Some games have already been played, and there are more non-conference contests on tap for the Thanksgiving week. Most conference play will begin on Friday, Dec. 5.

You can find a detailed outlook on the girls teams in our NOW newspapers on Thursday, Dec. 4, but until then, here's a quick look at the prospects of the teams I will be covering this season:

GREENFIELD (0-1 going into this week): The Hustlin' Hawks struggled last season and lost top scorer and rebounder in Alyssa Evans to graduation, and they got off to a rocky start with a 54-28 loss to Waterford last week. Sisters Stacey and Shannon Butts will provide some inside power but the key to the season will lie in developing a consistent backcourt.

MUSKEGO (1-0): The Warriors return most of the key people from last year's WIAA sectional finalist, led by Katie Ellerson, Rachel Neuberger and Sarah Mlachnik. Muskego,which welcomes a new coach in Brian Hirtz, should challenge Oak Creek for the top spot in the Southeast Conference North Division.

NEW BERLIN EISENHOWER (0-1): The Lions must pick up the scoring slack left by the graduated Kelsey Sperka, last year's Community Newspapers Inc. Player of the Year, but coach Gary Schmidt thinks they have a number of players who can do so. Senior Annika Selvick is a key, and sophomore Anna Hahn and freshman Nicole Bauman bear watching.

NEW BERLIN WEST (2-0): The Vikings must replace leading scorer Ashley Averkamp, but versatile Liz Radtke, Jess Liban and Toni Cruciani are all back and have received some help from other players in West's first two games.

WEST ALLIS CENTRAL (1-0): The Bulldogs, who reached a WIAA sectional last season, return dynamic guard Iesha Barkley and strong post player Lauren Hibbard. They also welcome freshman guard/forward Mehryn Kraker, who tallied 16 points in a victory over Madison East last week.

WEST ALLIS HALE (1-0): The Huskies hope to continue rebuilding under coach Darren Pitzner and return sharpshooter Emily Grayson and Ashley Mettelmann-Berry, among others. Pitzner wants his team to play more of an up-tempo style on both ends of the floor.

Finally, here's my educated guess as to this year's top five teams in the CNI area:

1. Oak Creek, 2. Brookfield Central, 3. Muskego, 4. Cudahy, 5. Whitnall.

Others to watch: New Berlin Eisenhower, New Berlin West, Franklin, Nicolet, South Milwaukee.

Next week, I will take a look at the boys teams.

Muskego hauls in conference gold

John Rech — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:40:01 GMT

A few weeks ago in this space, I wrote that this had the makings of a special fall for Muskego High School, and the Warrior teams have certainly made that prediction come true.

Muskego took home four (count 'em, four) Southeast Conference championships last week, in most cases simply continuing successes from past years, and the best may be yet to come for these teams.

The Warriors claimed SEC crowns in both boys and girls cross country at Burlington High School.

The girls won for the third time in four seasons, placing three runners in the top six and seven in the top 25. Once again, sisters Taylor and Niki Drolshagen ran neck-and-neck and led the way, with Taylor fourth in 15 minutes, 28 seconds and Niki fifth with 15:29. They have been that close all season, and they are only sophomores.

The Muskego boys captured the first conference title in school history and did it fairly easily, scoring 33 points to beat runnerup Kenosha Bradford's 90. Matt Borneman, who was second, led five Warrior runners in the top 11.

In addition, the Muskego junior varsity teams both won their races, with the boys scoring 17 points and having six of the top seven runners and the girls tallying 22 points and having the top three runners. "It was cool to walk out of there with four trophies," girls varsity coach Richard Raney said.

The soccer team completed its third straight 9-0 run through the SEC, extending its streak to three straight titles. The Warriors outscored their SEC foes, 30-5, posting a .55 goals-against average. Even so, coach Eric Hess said it wasn't easy. "We knew we would see every team's A-plus game," he said. "Who would be the first team to knock off Muskego? This year went a little tougher than past seasons."

Finally, the girls volleyball team claimed the SEC tournament crown with a victory over Burlington in the final, adding that title to their 9-0 dual-meet championship. This makes seven of eight tournament titles for the Warriors under coach Karen Anderson.

Not to be forgotten in all of this is the Muskego swimming team, which also has not lost a conference dual this season and will try for its SEC championship on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Carthage College.

Now those Warrior teams set their sights on WIAA playoff competition. The girls volleyball team holds the top seed in its sectional and will open play at home on Saturday, Oct. 25, against either Waterford or Brookfield East.

The soccer team also has the top seed in its sectional and will begin action Thursday, Oct. 23, at home against DeForest. The cross country teams will run in a sectional Saturday, Oct. 25, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

All would like to close their special seasons with state tournament appearances, and they all appear to have good chances.

Hawk spikers rebuild quickly

John Rech — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:30:34 GMT

This season's Greenfield girls volleyball team doesn't look much like the one that finished second in the Woodland Conference Tournament and advanced to a WIAA sectional championship match a year ago.

These Hustlin' Hawks, however, seem to be headed in the same direction.

Greenfield began this season with a heavy graduation loss, including hitting star Alyssa Evans, and without 6 foot-2 inch standout Stacey Butts, who is still rehabilitating from surgery for a left hand injury she sustained in the 2007-08 basketball season.

The Hawks, though, find themselves at the top of the Woodland Conference at 5-0 in dual meets heading into their match against St. Francis today, Oct. 2. They already own victories over Brown Deer, which is enjoying its best season in years; defending Woodland Tournament champion New Berlin Eisenhower and a tough Whitnall team earlier this week.

Senior captain Jenny Gyurina, a setter, considered this a rebuilding year and admits to some surprise about how well the Hawks have done. "I knew we would be okay," she said, "but we've played some good teams and beaten them."

Gyurina said there are several reasons for the success. "We have good passers and we have a connection between us; we are all close," she said. "Also, everyone still thinks we're the underdogs, and that gives us an urge to do better."

The Hawks have only three seniors on their roster, including Butts, but coach Britany Pfeifer said the younger players have done well. "We are having a lot of underclassmen step up to the challenge this year of filling in the large holes that were left by the senior class," she said. "Our ballhandling and defensive play are stronger than ever. That is something that every team needs to have consistently, and by doing so, we have been able to stay on top of the conference."

After this week, the Hawks have two more Woodland matches, at Greendale on Tuesday, Oct. 7 and home against Pewaukee on Thursday, Oct. 9. Then comes the Woodland Tournament on Thursday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 18.

The young squad will soon find out if it can continue its unexpected stay at the top of the Woodland.

Lions fly high against West

John Rech — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:51:52 GMT

Quarterback Niko Koshak and wide receiver Austin Selvick of the New Berlin Eisenhower football team put up some pretty startling numbers last week in the Lions' 48-7 romp over New Berlin West.

Koshak completed 11 of 13 passes for 319 yards, breaking the school single-game record for yards passing of 297 set by Joe Behrendt, who went 16-for-28 on Oct. 28, 1995.

Selvick caught eight of those tosses for 212 yards, shattering the school single-game receiving mark of 161 yards set by Ryan Schweiger that same night.

The two also hooked up for four touchdowns.

Now, those would be outstanding numbers for a game, but Koshak and Selvick both reached them in just the first half before sitting out the second half of the lopsided contest.

Those numbers are startling in themselves, but especially so in the light of the fact that Eisenhower has been primarily a running team over the years.

What in the name of Don Coryell was going on?

Well, it was actually all part of the Lions' game plan, which was cleverly built upon their own reputation. "They (the Vikings) wanted to stop the run," Koshak said, "and we wanted to see if we could pass on them."

Also, coach Jeff Setz, much like Miami Dolphins legend Don Shula, adjusted his philosophy to fit his talent. Shula won two Super Bowls with the pounding running style of Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick, but when Dan Marino, Mark Duper and Mark Clayton came along, Shula did an about-face, switching to a wide-open passing game, and went to another Super Bowl.

Similarly, Setz realized he had to utilize the special talent of Selvick. "We felt that we had some pretty good weapons," he said. "We've got some pretty good DB's (defensive backs) on our own team, and they have a hard time stopping Selvick in practice. We saw how good Selvick can really be, and Niko sure put the ball up there nicely and allowed him to make those catches out in space."

Throw in the explosive Ian McKechnie (a catch-and-run for 80 yards against West and several long kick returns this season), and it's easy to see why Eisenhower has outscored its four opponents in the first half by a combined 130-60.

Certainly nothing 'grind-it-out' about those numbers. Woodland opponents may have a hard time grounding the Lions this season.

Fall looks strong for Muskego

John Rech — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:48:12 GMT

As the temperatures get cooler, the varsity sports teams at Muskego High School look to be warming up nicely.

Several Warrior teams are off to hot starts, and it appears like the excitement will continue into October and November.

The boys soccer squad stands at 10-1 heading into this weekend's Wauwatosa West Quadrangular at Whitman Middle School. The Warriors are also 3-0 in Southeast Conference play and have claimed first place in the Brown Deer Cup and second in the Warrior Cup so far this season.

Their 1-0 victory over South Milwaukee on Sept. 16 was their eighth shutout of the season, but they also boast a strong and balanced offense. They have had six players score at least two goals in a particular game this season.

"I didn't know if we would get off to this quick a start," coach Eric Hess said, "but I knew we were capable of doing it."

The boys cross country team won the South Milwaukee Invitational on Sept. 13, while the girls took third, to go with two earlier second places in invitationals.

For the boys, Mike O'Connor ran the fourth-fastest time for a sophomore in school history at Grant Park, while the girls are led by sisters Taylor and Niki Drolshagen, who have been in the top 10 in their races.

The girls swimming team finished second at two major invitationals, its own Fountainwood meet and the Shorewood meet, and was 3-0 in Southeast duals going into this week. What's more, many of the key performers are underclassmen.

The girls volleyball unit, which has a strong tradition, has already won both the Warrior Invitational and Brookfield Invitational while going 3-0 in SEC duals going into Thursday's test against Racine Park.

"We really had to fight through some adversity (at the Brookfield Invite)," coach Karen Anderson said. "We did have slow starts most of the day, but our girls hung in there and never quit. They believed they could come back and win."

The other Muskego teams, while struggling at times, have also had their moments this season.

Overall, it looks like Muskego fans will have more to look forward to this fall than the colorama of leaves and pumpkin shopping.

Observations of two football nights

John Rech — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:24:00 GMT

Following are some thoughts after the first two weeks of high school football action:

I gathered two distinct views of the new spread offense, one from the offensive side and one from the defensive side:

From West Allis Central coach Dax Rodriguez, whose team switched to the spread this season and has scored 74 points in two games: "At times, we play well and at times, you can tell it's a first-year thing. It's so new to all of us; we have to refine it. You can tell it's getting ingrained."

From New Berlin West coach Jeff Grabo, whose Vikings have faced two spread foes and have allowed 82 points in two games: "This spread option stuff is still so new to a lot of us. You'd much rather see something you're used to. Even though we spent a lot of time in the off-season looking at it, there are still some things that we have to get used to. There's a reason why that offense is sweeping the country and everybody's doing it. This offense is not going to go away."

No matter what your perspective, one thing is clear: the spread offense is having an impact.

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Speaking of scoring, New Berlin Eisenhower put up points at a dizzying rate early in last week's 74-28 romp over Wauwatosa West.

The Lions' first touchdown came 18 seconds into the game, and the second followed at the 50-second mark on a punt return. At the one-minute mark of the first quarter, it was 41-0.

Fans might not want to get involved in any traffic jams on the way to Lions' games this season.

Coach Jeff Setz, who believed the 40-point quarter was a first in his career, said, "We're a good football team in all phases, and that showed it. Our defense was outstanding, our special teams made big plays and our offense used a lot of weapons. It came together so fast."

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West Allis Hale appears to be in the envious position of having two good quarterbacks this season.

The main man is senior Tommy Koch, last year's starter, but when Koch went down with a concussion in the opening game against Hartland Arrowhead, junior Josh Riche filled in well, hitting 2-of-3 passes for 39 yards and running for 19 more.

Koch sat out last week's contest agains Wilmot as a precautionary measure, and Riche shook off an early interception and passed for 67 yards and a touchdown while leading the Huskies in rushing with 85 yards.

"He's a good quarterback," coach Scott Otto said. "We're in good hands. Tommy should be back this week (against Wauwatosa East), but if he's not, Josh is ready to go."

That must make Otto feel good as the Huskies open play in the rugged and balanced Greater Metro Conference.

Setz, spread, schedules: thoughts on football 2008

John Rech — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:31:37 GMT

As the end of summer vacation nears, and classes are set to start, the Sports Thoughts blog also resumes for 2008-09. First, a quick look at some topics regarding the beginning of the high school football season:

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Jeff Setz could not have found a much tougher game for his return to the head coaching spot at New Berlin Eisenhower.

Perennial Division 1 power D.C. Everest will come to visit on Friday evening in the season opener. Everest owns 20 WIAA playoff appearances, a 36-15 overall playoff record and five championships, the last in 2003. Last season, Everest was 8-2 and fell in the second round of the playoffs to Stevens Point.

That game was set up before Setz took the head coaching spot, but he is not shying away from the challenge. "I knew that was staring us in the face," Setz said, "but we will prepare as best we can."

Setz and his assistant coaches did their best to get the team ready, invoking Everest's name and reputation on a regular basis during pre-season practices to fire up the players and get their highest efforts.

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After Everest, Eisenhower and all the other Woodland Conference teams will embark on a different type of schedule. With the departure of Shorewood to independent status, the Woodland is left with 11 teams, and instead of two divisions, will have one large conference this season.

Each team will play eight games from a mixture of the former North and South Divisions, and this format could create some problems. It's possible that some teams might play a tougher schedule than others, and it is also possible that two teams who do not play each other this year could both finish unbeaten at 8-0.

Can there be a true conference champion?

Well, the Big Ten has used this system since Penn State made it an 11-team collection, and has had clear-cut champions in some years.

Here's hoping it works out for the Woodland.

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Another development to watch this season is the rapid spread of the new spread offense among area teams. One program which is dropping the traditional wing-T for the high-flying spread is West Allis Central, which has a new coach in Dax Rodriguez and is coming off a 1-9 season.

Some sets in the spread feature up to four wide receivers, no tight ends and one running back. Also, the line is engaged in zone blocking instead of blocking specific foes. As a recent article in Sports Illustrated pointed out, the spread opens the field and can create havoc for defenses.

"We're not big (in the line), and this gives us a chance by leveling the playing field," Rodriguez said. "We can spread things out and utilize our speed."

Particularly that of receiver Mike Westrich, also a track star who could be primed for a huge season if the system clicks for the Bulldogs.

One thing is for sure: Central and the other teams using the spread will be intriguing to watch this fall.

Hawks surviving on the road

John Rech — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:43:16 GMT

A Willie Nelson classic, slightly modified, serves as the theme song for the 2008 Greenfield baseball team:

"On The Road Again....And Again....And Again....And Again...."

Because of ongoing construction at the high school, the Hustlin' Hawks are being forced to play all their games at opponents' home fields this summer. Although Greenfield is designated as the home team and given the last at-bats for some of those contests, the never-ending road trip is an inconvenience in at least two ways.

"When you're home, you have your friends and parents watching," pitcher Jake Hansen said. "(For road games), they (the friends) maybe don't know where the school is or don't have a car, so they can't come."

Teammate Jack Nickeas added, "Apart from parents, we don't get many fans. We have a couple of troopers who have come out to every game."

Also, the bus rides cut into the team's practice time. "At home, we would maybe show up at 2 p.m. for a 5 p.m. game," Hansen said. "We would have one to two hours of warmup, infield (practice), outfield, hitting, stretching. On the road, the home team is on the field already, so you get maybe a half hour tops.

"We meet (earlier in the afternoon) and get some stretching in before we leave, but on the bus ride, you just get tight again."

Still, the Hawks have hung tough, coming into this week at 9-5 in the Woodland Conference South Division, just one game behind leader Cudahy.

'I am surprised we came out and played as well as we did," Hansen said.

Before the season, coach Lee Kleszczynski presented the team with T-shirts that read, "Greenfield Baseball: It's Not Where You Play, It's How You Play," and the Hawks took the message to heart.

"We're out here, and we want to prove to ourselves that we can play well anywhere," Hansen declared.

Nickeas added, "We just went with that, and we said we would just play like we play, wherever we are."

Kleszczynski and assistant coach Dan Marx also offered a few words of motivation for his players. "They told us to come out every day, and if we're the 'home' team, to play as if it's our home field, and if we're 'away,' to play the same way," Hansen said.

To Kleszczynski's satisfaction, they have done just that. "I haven't heard any complaints from the players," the coach said. "They bought into it. The guys are just coming out and playing ball. We've been winning games, so it has not come up as a problem."

In fact, the adversity has made the Hawks a closer team. "We stay focused and we stay together," Nickeas said. "We pick each other up. We went into this with confidence, and we know there's nothing we can do about it."

Rodriguez faces another challenge

John Rech — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:39:10 GMT

Dax Rodriguez helped reverse the fortunes of the West Allis Central softball program this year, and when school resumes in August, he will attempt another turnaround.

Rodriguez is the new head football coach of the Bulldogs and will try to bring them back from a disappointing 1-9 season, just as he took the softball team from a losing mark in 2007 to 15-5 in the season just completed.

"Everything will change a little bit," said Rodriguez about his football plans. "We need to put a new gloss on everything and get the kids excited about football again. I believe last year was an aberration, and the seniors and other returning players need to come back with a chip on their shoulder."

One factor in his favor is that Central was a young team last season, and its two best players, quarterback Ryan Barwick and wide receiver Mike Westrich, will both return. Both put up big offensive numbers and Rodriguez, playing to their strengths, plans to drop the wing-T offense and utilize more of a pro-style system and spread out the offense.

"We will do some different things on defense, too," he promised.

Rodriguez, a 1991 graduate of Central and an assistant coach on the Bulldog staff for the past 11 seasons, is well aware of the strong history of the program. "We want to restore the sense of confidence and pride," he said. "We want to bring the excitement back. The kids have to want to do it not only for themselves, but for Central High School. We want to show that Central will again be someone to be reckoned with."

Hebert aims for gold, record

John Rech — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:45:00 GMT

Although her approach to the triple jump this year is slightly different, Greenfield's Julie Hebert hopes the results are the same as last year.

In fact, maybe even better.

After claiming the WIAA Division 1 state championship in the event last spring with a leap of 38 feet-1/4 inch, Hebert tweaked her strategy a bit this season. "I've been controlling my speed," she said. "Last year, I went at a full-out sprint and this year, I'm using an alternate speed, somewhat slower. I want to use the top speed I can and still keep control."

The results have been good, as the senior currently holds the top mark in the state at 39-4 3/4, achieved at the Hartland Arrowhead Invitational.

Her goal heading into the state meet this weekend at Memorial Stadium in La Crosse is not only to repeat the championship, but break the state record of 39-7 3/4, set back in 1987. "I think my chances are good," she said. "I jumped well at Arrowhead and I've just gotten stronger since then."

Her coach, Rob Graetz, is optimistic too. "Julie is probably one of the hardest-working athletes I've coached in my career," he said. "She's had a great year in jumps. If she jumps the way she wants to jump and everything feels good, she should be successful when it comes to the tournament."

Hebert will compete in both the triple and long jumps with teammate Maureen Podkomorski as well as in the 200-meter dash. Alyssa Evans will take part in the high jump to round out Greenfield's contingent of six entries at state. That's an impressive number, given that the Hustlin' Hawks had just 20 to 25 girls on the varsity roster this season.

Muskego turns tables on Case

John Rech — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:40:10 GMT

One of the attractions of baseball is its unpredictability; no one can say for sure what might happen in any given game.

We've all seen major-league teams get shut out by a journeyman with a 6.50 earned-run average or someone just up from the minor leagues, then come back and knock around a pitcher the caliber of Brandon Webb or Johan Santana the next night. You never know.

As proven again last week, softball can also serve up some real stunners.

One of the biggest of recent years came in a WIAA Division 1 regional final game last week when Muskego downed top-seeded and state-ranked Racine Case and its all-state pitcher, Alissa Koch.

Just five days earlier, Koch was absolutely dominant against that same Warrior team, hurling a one-hitter and striking out 20, meaning only one out required any fielding.

There was little reason to suspect a different outcome when the Warriors again went up against Koch, who was the state player of the year last season and who will play for the University of Minnesota next year.

What a difference there was, though, in the rematch as Muskego collected six hits, scored in four different innings and ended Koch's brilliant career with a shattering 5-1 defeat.

The Warriors showed right away there would be no carryover from the earlier game when they tallied twice in the first inning on an RBI single from Cassie Holt and run-scoring groundout by Allison Mayer.

"After striking out 20 times, to score right away (against Koch) made all the difference," veteran Muskego coach John Rosenberg said.

He added that his hitters made a few key adjustments, saying, "We told the girls to lay off the high pitch, and our selection of swings was better."

Rosenberg also knew that because Koch had struck out so many batters this season, her fielders had not had the chance to make as many plays as normal. "I knew we just needed to put the ball in play and make them make plays, and they did make a few errors," he said.

There was one more big reason behind the upset. "I told the girls that no matter how good a player is, a team always beats one," he said. "We played as a team and we bested one player."

The victory caught the attention of one interested observer, Greenfield coach Jack Miller, who said, "That was a huge step for Muskego's program."

Miller's team is joining Muskego in the Waterford Sectional on Thursday, May 29. The Hustlin' Hawks will take on Pius XI, while Muskego will meet Southeast Conference rival Oak Creek, with both games at 1:30 p.m. If Greenfield and Muskego both win, they would meet at 4 p.m. that day for a trip to the state tournament next week in Madison.

One thing for sure: Muskego (12-8) is coming into the sectional on an all-time high.

Lions boast 1-2 pitching punch

John Rech — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:50:11 GMT

Most elite high school softball teams boast a shutdown pitcher, someone who can just completely throttle the opposing offense.

Alissa Koch of Racine Case, who has pitched several no-hitters and one-hitters this season while racking up double-digit strikeouts each game, or Alyssa Roberts of Kenosha Tremper are two examples.

New Berlin Eisenhower coach Jeff Setz is in the enviable position of having not one, but two, of those types of aces this season.

Junior Kayla Schlegel came into this week at 8-0, allowing 24 hits and three earned runs in 49 innings for an earned-run average of 0.43, with 96 strikeouts and 14 walks.

Those are impressive stats, but fellow junior Lauren Beres had given up 21 hits and one lone earned run in 46 innings for a microscopic ERA of 0.15, with 82 strikeouts and just one walk.

How do you choose between them? Setz does not have that problem; he has simply alternated their starts this season.

"Having two pitchers like that is a blessing," Setz said. "You can't overuse either one. If one has trouble, you always have the other you can bring in there. They push each other to work harder, too."

To make Setz's job even easier, both girls have bought completely into the situation. "Surprisingly, I like it," Schlegel said. "We have a fresh arm for every game. Lauren and I have talked about it. Having two pitchers just makes us that much stronger."

Beres said both girls knew after last season, and the graduation of ace Kim Perla, that they would share the load this year. "It's been helpful, especially with as many games as we've been playing, like five or six a week," she said.

Clearly, there are no outsized egos here.

"They're good kids, and they realize we have a unique situation," said Setz, who added that he has never before had two pitchers of that caliber in the same class.

Perhaps the best news for Setz, and the bad news for the rest of the Woodland Conference, is that both will be back for another season.

Big weekend for NB soccer fans

John Rech — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:14:43 GMT

The rest of this week promises to be a special time for fans of high school soccer in New Berlin.

First, the annual city battle between New Berlin West and New Berlin Eisenhower is set for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at Eisenhower. This meeting carries plenty of significance in the Woodland Conference, as both teams come in at 5-1 in the conference, trailing Wauwatosa West (6-0) for the lead.

West is 9-1-1 overall and is rated fourth in Division 2 by state coaches, while Eisenhower is 8-2 and receives honorable mention in the poll.

The two local squads will also enjoy big weekends. Eisenhower plays host to an invitational on Friday and Saturday, May 9-10, meeting East Troy at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, West Allis Hale at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Waukesha South at 11:15 a.m. Saturday. All Eisenhower games will be played on field one.

A special feature of the tournament will be Operation Soccer Ball, organized by Danielle Quigley, a former Lion soccer player who is now serving her country in Iraq. Soccer balls will be collected at the tournament for distribution to children in Iraq. "We would like to encourage as many people as possible to stop by the fields during the tournament to drop off a donated soccer ball and enjoy some great soccer while they are there," coach Jim Keller said.

Also this weekend, the Vikings will take on two-time defending WIAA Division 2 champion and top-rated Catholic Memorial (15-1-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Waukesha South High School.

This should be a challenging period for both teams, which are enjoying fine seasons and starting to gear up for upcoming state tournament action.

Burgermeister leads surprising Central

John Rech — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:20:05 GMT

The biggest concern heading into the 2008 season for West Allis Central softball coach Dax Rodriguez was finding someone to replace the graduated Bernadette "Bird" Dostalek in the cleanup spot.

After all, Dostalek had hit .545 last season and had accounted for 41 percent of the Bulldogs' offense on her way to earning Community Newspapers Inc. All-Suburban honors.

He need not have worried.

Into that considerable void stepped junior Corinne Burgermeister, who has been the primary force behind the Bulldogs' 10-1 start., After a two-game sweep of rival West Allis Hale earlier this week, Burgermeister was hitting .542 with five doubles, four triples, one home run, 13 runs scored and 18 runs batted in, topping Dostalek's 2007 total.

In a key 8-5 victory over then-unbeaten Menomonee Falls that propelled Central into the lead in the Greater Metro Conference, Burgermeister went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and five RBIs.

"She's getting big hits," said Rodriguez, whose team was only 6-15 last season. "Her slugging percentage has to be in the .700's. "She's just been an outstanding girl in the four spot to fill in for Bird."

Oh yes, Burgermeister is also the team's pitching ace. She has started every game and has allowed over three runs on only four occasions with an earned-run average under 1.50 and a strikeout-walk ratio of five to one. "She's not an overpowering pitcher, but she hits spots," Rodriguez said.

Hale coach Corri Morgan said, "She's a very nice pitcher. She gives you very few good pitches to hit. She works the plate, inside, outside, high, low."

In Central's April 29 game against the Huskies, she got off to a rough start, allowing three runs on four hits in the first inning and falling behind 4-0, but she hung tough, shut down the Huskies while her team rallied and was rewarded with a 9-7 victory.

"I just stayed confident in our team," Burgermeister said, "because we've been doing well the whole time. As a team, we're really coming together. Last year, we couldn't put it all together, but this year, it's working really well."

Central has also received plenty of help from numerous other players, such as leadoff hitter Nicki Bloomer, Taylor Zube, Jo Jo Borchardt and Lindsey Becker, among others, but Burgermeister is the leader of its resurgence.

She has helped bring GMC championship dreams to Central. Heading into Thursday's game against Brookfield Central, the Bulldogs are 8-1 in the GMC, leading Falls and Divine Savior Holy Angels by one game. The Bulldogs will welcome DSHA to Dorow Field on Thursday, May 8, and travel to Menomonee Falls' Willowood Park on Tuesday, May 13.

Regardless of those outcomes, simply being able to play big games like that is quite a jump from last year for the Bulldogs.