Buckshot the Magazine February 2018 by Leader Telegram

What’s Inside 4

12 Posterized

20 Back in the Day 21 Coach Speak

ON THE COVER

Junior Logan Mulhern is the latest member of his famous family to play a major role in the Osseo-Fairchild basketball program

BRIGHT FUTURE

Stanley-Boyd graduate Jamie Reit (right) is in the midst of a breakout season for Division I UW-Milwaukee

Memorial’s Liam Huset

16 Wrestling

Cadott sophomore Brady Spaeth is carrying on the family tradition started by his dad and coach

Durand girls basketball coach Lionel Jones

Cover design: Joe Ziemer. Cover photo: Elena Dawson. Editorial contact: joe.ziemer@ecpc.com. Advertising contact: matt.west@ecpc.com. Circulation contact: mike.carlson@ecpc.com.

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Buckshot The Magazine / February 2018

BIG PICTURE

Jim Negrini heads to center court to accept the sectional championship plaque after leading Regis past Cameron 69-53 on March 15, 2014, in Chippewa Falls. Negrini, a WBCA Hall of Famer, passed away Feb. 10 at the age of 78.

Buckshot The Magazine / February 2018

“There is pressure. But we usually live up to the pressure.”

he heir to the most famous basketball name in Osseo or Fairchild is a stubborn, strong-willed kid with a nose for

In other words, he’s a Mulhern. And young Logan is carrying on the family tradi-

— Logan Mulhern

Fairchild hoops, have scored a lot of points and picked up a lot of wins over the past 50-some years. But despite all the history, all the echoes of the past that accompany every basket and every rebound, Logan Mulhern has managed to carve out a legacy all his own. He just might be the most productive player in the area, a 1,000-point scorer with more than 500 career rebounds to his name and the catalyst for the Thunder’s run to the Western Cloverbelt Conference title. The last name carries weight. But it’s not too heavy for the 6-foot-2 junior. “There is pressure,” Mulhern said. “But we usually live up to the pressure.” ■■■

In middle school, Kelly taught Logan the nuances of rebounding, learning to read the ball and predict where it would come inhaled over the years. Some of them he consciously absorbed. Others probably just seeped into his brain by osmosis. Basketball was everywhere at the Mulhern household. And from that environment emerged one of the most versatile performers in not just the Western Cloverbelt Conference but the area. He’s the Thunder’s leading scorer at 24.9 points per game. He leads them in rebounds. And assists. And steals. Logan has the same court sense and vision that his sister had. And his dad before that. “He passes as much as he shoots,” Kelly said. “What I like is when he’s getting double-teamed, he looks for the open guy. He doesn’t force things.” ■■■ The most impressive part of Logan Mulhern’s game isn’t his scoring. That said, his scoring is pretty impressive. He’s only a junior but already has more than 1,000 career points to his credit. He has a whole year left to add to his tally. He gets those points in a variety of ways. He can knock down a 3 if needed. He can get to the basket. He can post up. He feasts

about every discussion of Osseo-Fairchild basketball. That starts with Harold Mulhern, Logan’s grandfather. The term “legend” is thrown around pretty loosely these days. But when it comes to high school sports in western Wisconsin, Harold Mulhern is a legit legend. He’s a member of the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame by virtue of the three state championships he helped Osseo-Fairchild to in the 1970s and 1980s. More pertinent to this discussion, though, is his membership in the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Mulhern spent more than 40 years coaching high school basketball in Wisconsin. Between stops at Osseo-Fairchild, Chippewa Falls McDonell and Durand, he won 675 games against just 349 losses. He took three teams to the state tournament — including Osseo-Fairchild in 1985 — and led McDonell to the 1994 WISAA state championship. basketball is vast. His former players include current Thunder coach Tim Popple. They also include Mulhern’s four sons. Among them was Kelly Mulhern, 1,000-point scorer, current Osseo-Fairchild assistant coach and father of one Logan Mulhern. It’s from that bloodline and against that historical backdrop that Logan Mulhern arrived on the scene. “It’s in the Mulhern name, basketball is,” Logan said with a big grin. ■■■

ketball in his hands, he was still in a crib. He wasn’t more than 2 or 3 when he started dribbling. “Both hands,” Kelly said. “We pushed him left all the time early.” against his older sisters, who rarely took it easy on him. He was on the receiving end of plenty of lessons from his sister Letaya, an Osseo-Fairchild standout in her own Cloverbelt pick in 2010 when she led the then-Chieftains to the state tournament.

She also was the top scorer on Osseomight have taken O-F to Madison a third time. Letaya was one of Logan’s basketball heences on her little brother’s career. “She still gives me pointers to this day,” Logan said. Logan’s dad was his coach from fourth grade on, starting with the Great Northwest Basketball League.

“You read the defense,” Logan said. “What they give you, you take. That’s all it is.” Point No. 1,000 came Jan. 25 at Eau Claire Regis, part of a 68-62 Osseo-Fairchild victory. In front of a large cheering section, all decked out in 1,000-point T-shirts, Mulhern turned in a typical Mulhern stat line of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Once again, he was following in his father’s footsteps. The 26 points gave him 1,010 — one shy of the 1,011 Kelly scored. They both got a laugh in the locker room after the game when Kelly pointed out that Logan was one missed free throw away from him. “It’s a big achievement for him, a big achievement for me,” Logan said afterwards, still soaking in one of the more memorable nights of his career. “It’s part of the family.”

Buckshot The Magazine / February 2018

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Buckshot The Magazine / February 2018 Logan Mulhern poses with his dad, Kelly, for photos after recording his 1,000th career point. Photo by Joe Ziemer.

It didn’t take long for Logan to pass Kelly. He scored 26 the next time out in a 71-58 win over Cadott on Jan. 30. ■■■ Harold Mulhern was in the top row of the bleachers for the milestone game at Regis. He got to coach Logan last summer with the Wisconsin Playmakers on the NY2LA AAU circuit. But other than that, he’s merely been a spectator for his grandson’s career. And that’s what stresses him out. Not coaching. None of the thousands of games he coached were anywhere near as nervewracking as the ones he watches from the stands. Up there, he has no control. There are no adjustments to make, no plays to diagram. All he can do is worry and then

laugh at himself afterward. The Hall of Fame coach is basically like every other grandparent in the stands. And he’s a proud grandparent at that. “It isn’t just that he shoots,” Harold Mulhern said. “A lot of people shoot 3s. A lot of people can drive to the basket. But how many of them shoot 3s, drive to the basket, rebound, make a great pass time after time after time?” ■■■ What’s more impressive than Logan Mulhern’s scoring is his rebounding. Osseostyle of basketball. But the true entertainment at a Thunder game isn’t in watching them splash 3-pointers. It’s seeing the way Mulhern attacks the glass.

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His instincts and positioning are always spot on — the result of all those lessons from Dad. And the rebounds that are out of his zone, he hunts down as if they owe him money. “I’ve never even played or been around a kid with a nose for the basketball like he does on shots,” Popple said. “He can judge it’s going to be short, and he just goes and gets it like a wild man.” Mulhern stands 6-foot-2. That makes him a decent-sized wing player but hardly a giant. Yet he averages nearly 13 rebounds per scorer is the number of high-percentage Many of his boards lead directly to putbacks or trips to the free-throw line. One thousand points is a milestone. Fivehundred rebounds might be even more noteworthy. Popple believes Mulhern’s a lock to end up as Osseo-Fairchild’s career rebounding leader. “With a kid like Logan, there ain’t too many bad shots,” Popple said. “If you miss it, it’s almost a 50-50 chance Logan’s get■■■ Outside of the Mulhern family, few people know Logan Mulhern better than Popple. Popple grew up across the street from the Mulherns. A sizable chunk of his childhood was spent in their driveway, playing basketball until someone yelled at him to go home at night. Popple is younger than Kelly Mulhern, but they became close friends. They played in various leagues together for more than 30 years after high school. Like many of his high school teammates, Popple credits the Mulherns with teaching him most of what he knows about basketball. He’s known Logan Mulhern since he was when he was in kindergarten or so. He’s He’s gone hunting with him. “This is like another one of my kids,” Popple said. So Popple can’t help but feel like a

Harold Mulhern, Logan’s grandfather, leads a practice during his time as Durand coach. Logan Mulhern goes to the last season against Mondovi. Photos by Dan Reiland.

proud uncle while watching that kid he knew as a toddler grow into a Western Cloverbelt Conference player of the year candidate. The only one who knows Logan better is the man sitting next to him on the bench, Popple’s good friend Kelly. And it’s not hard for Popple to see the similarities between his assistant coach and star player. “Two of the most competitive people I know,” Popple said. “Logan doesn’t like to

lose, and his dad is about as bull-headed as they get.” That combination works, though, both for the Mulherns and for Osseo-Fairchild. Because what is Osseo-Fairchild basketball without the Mulherns? And what are the Mulherns without a competitive drive? It’s how they’re wired, the product of all those heated games in the driveway, all those lessons passed down from one generation to the next.

Joe Ziemer, the Leader-Telegram sports editor, has covered basketball in the Chippewa Valley for a decade. Ziemer’s Inside Hoops column can be found Thursdays throughout the season in the Leader-Telegram. They score points. They grab rebounds. in their bellies. “We don’t like to lose at all,” Logan said. Consider the family tradition in good hands.

For more prep sports, pick up a copy of the Leader-Telegram. To subscribe, call 715-833-9268.

Buckshot The Magazine / February 2018

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Buckshot The Magazine / February 2018

ith the ball in her hands on the perimeter, Jamie Reit has a lot of options.

her quickness to take it all the way to the amongst the bigs. She can unleash her 3-point shot, which is deadly when she gets hot. Then there’s the unstoppable pull-up jumper, the one that UW-Milwaukee coach Kyle Rechlicz calls the best in the Horizon League. Rechlicz only has one real complaint about her sophomore

man. That may not seem like much, but just getting that opportunity went a long way in

nal win for the Panthers, and that breakout performance set the stage for what was to come. Reit is now a starter and doing many of the same things she did while at Stanley-Boyd. The athletic superiority she used to her advantage in high school has transferred to the college level. Rechlicz called her one of the best athletes on the team with the best vertical jump. As a result, she plays bigger than her 5-foot-9 size. “Her size doesn’t limit her,” Rechlicz said. “She elevates over the top of people, so she’s able to get rebounds, she’s able to hit shots. Plus, she has a physical side to her. She’s one of the stronger guards we have on our team. She’s really put in the time in the weight room to excel in that area.” Like she was in high school, Reit has been solid shooting from the perimeter, connecting on 38 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. But also like in high school, a pullup jump shot has been her bread and butter. “She can stop on a dime, in transition a lot of times,” Rechlicz said. “So we’re always telling her to look for the pull-up jump shot. That’s probably her favorite shot is actually

— UW-Milwaukee coach Kyle Rechlicz

a dominant player at the Division I level. “She has really led us in a lot of our victories,” Rechlicz said. “A lot of our comeback wins have come when Jamie has kind of taken over the game.” ■■■ Reit did a lot of things well during her standout career at Stanley-Boyd. She averaged nearly 10 rebounds and more than three assists per game as a senior. But the main reason she was a two-time Western Cloverbelt Conference player of the year was her ability to score. Reit graduated with 1,757 career points, good for 10th all-time for girls in the area. And most of that damage was done with constant attention from defenses. Rechlicz remembers seeing her getting doubleand triple-teamed and facing box-andones. “Every time I got to watch her play, it was score,” Rechlicz said. “I think any player that can put big numbers up in high school while they’re being double-teamed really has a knack for that and a vision for the game. That’s why we recruited her.” Reit scored 2.2 points while averaging seven minutes per game last year as a fresh-

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“We use her a lot defensively,” Rechlicz said. “She’s usually guarding one of the best two guards on the other end for the majority of the game. This year we have Bailey Farley who is a senior and is our primary defender for us. Next year I would expect that to be Jamie, for sure.” Reit’s speed, strength and athleticism go a long way on defense. But her work ethic helps too. Reit has found that the mental part of the game and the preparation needed to succeed at the Division I level are more important than they were in high school. out a little more,” Rechlicz said. “She’s invested more time than she did her freshman year. She’s really been able to just play the game rather than think so much.” ■■■ With big contributions from Reit, UW-MilAt 17-8 overall, the Panthers are on pace to set the program record for most wins in a single season. The number to beat is 22, a mark they tied last year in a 22-12 campaign.

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For the Panthers, the success is part of an upward trend for a program that had been struggling. Rechlicz, now in her sixth season with UW-Milwaukee, only recorded a comthree seasons in the league. But in the 2015-16 campaign, the Panthers — despite

Jason Cox covered girls basketball in the Chippewa Valley for the Leader-Telegram for five years after joining the staff in 2012.

Last year, propelled by a strong junior class, the Panthers won two postseason That led to big expectations for this year’s team, which was headlined by seniors. There was talk amongst the team that a conference title was possible, but nationally ranked UW-Green Bay has spoiled that opportunity. The Phoenix took a four-game lead over UW-Milwaukee with a win over the Panthers on Saturday. The Panthers,

thers will be dangerous come postseason play. “We just truly have weapons on every end of the court, every position on the court,” Reit said. “Every player on this team has a role, and I think we honestly just work so well together as a team.” One of those weapons is senior Jenny Lindner. The Neillsville native is averaging 13 points per game and has been a staple for the Panthers over the course of her career, scoring more than 1,500 career points already. Linder’s presence on the team is one of the reasons Reit joined the Panthers ers are a giant part of UW-Milwaukee’s rise to prominence. “That was super special when I committed because we were friends before coming here,” Reit said. “Even since then, we’ve gotten closer, and we share a special bond for sure.” ■■■ Once Lindner and her classmates graduate, the Panthers will begin next season looking to replace a lot of production. The top three scorers will be gone. No one who will return next year, other than Reit, is currently averaging more than 4.2 points per game. The Panthers will be looking for more of-

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fensive production from somewhere. And Rechlicz expects a lot of that burden to fall on Reit. “I expect (Reit), when the seniors graduate, to fully take over next year,” Rechlicz said. Next year Reit will be joined on the Panthers roster by another Stanley-Boyd product in Tahlia Walton. In order for Reit to take on the role of the primary scorer, she needs to become a more consistent playmaker. She’s shown other times there isn’t much next to her name in the box score. “Consistency is the big thing I can work on a lot,” Reit said. “I have games where I hit a lot of shots, then I have another game where I’m not doing the same thing.”

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Buckshot The Magazine / February 2018

There’s more than one way for a Spaeth to get to state Cadott sophomore Brady Spaeth follows in his dad’s footsteps with a style all his own

STORY BY NICK ERICKSON / PHOTO BY DAN REILAND

ADOTT — Perhaps no setting illustrates how to tell a father and son apart more than a body of water on a warm summer day ei-

path near their cabin in Minong. Current Cadott wrestling coach Josh Spaeth, the 1997 WIAA Division 3 state champion at 130 pounds for the Hornets, was more of an agish the job as soon as possible. His sophomore son Brady, who enters the postseason ranked second in the state at 152 pounds, is more of a technician. He prefers being little move to ensure victory. the rare times wrestling takes a back seat. “He can do it all day long,” Josh Spaeth said, “and I can probably do it about an hour.” Regardless of style, by the time it’s all said and done, Brady Spaeth will join the ranks of his father and other family members in Cadott wrestling lore. ■■■ Brady Spaeth began wrestling almost as soon as he could walk. His dad, who got a teaching job in the school district he grew up in, was always his coach. The younger Spaeth began carving out his own identity early, winning youth state championships and earning opportunities at national meets. It was evident how advanced he was as a grappler when he took third at the WIAA Division 3 state meet at 138 pounds last season, giving three-time state champion Jeremy Schoenherr of Stratford all he alizing just what his father accomplished as a high schooler at Cadott. gyms for dual meets. “I remember seeing his name on the wall,” Brady Spaeth said.

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SHOT ON GOAL EC AREA STARS PAIGE RUPPERT (FR. FALL CREEK) TAKES A SHOT ON GOAL DURING A GAME EARLIER THIS SEASON (2017-18)

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Now, Brady’s got his own picture up on a crowded awards wall in the wrestling room at the very south end of the school. It commemorates his placement at state last year. And to the left of it is a name plate and similar photo of Josh Spaeth’s golden run 21 years ago. Obviously, the storyline is out there of winning a state title and becoming a fatherson gold-medal duo. That’s brought some pressure others don’t have, but it hasn’t stopped young Brady from thinking big. “He’s already achieved more than we did as a freshman,” said his uncle, former Cadott place-winner Sean Spaeth. “But I think the mindsets are about the same. If you’re going to wrestle, what are you wrestling for beside a state title?” Brady wants to get better. His dad thinks he might even know the sport better than he does. And having dad as a coach means there isn’t a break that others might have. “Wrestling is a tough sport, so you have

PHOTOS BY DEREK MONTGOMERY Above: Stratford’s Jeremy Schoenherr (right) works for a takedown against Cadott’s Brady Madison. Below: Spaeth takes Random Lake’s Cesar Luis to the mat during their Division 3

Nick Erickson has been the Leader-Telegram’s primary wrestling writer since 2015.

ter Schoenherr. This year, he also could have opted out of 152 — the same weight class undefeated two-time state champ Brock Schlough of Boyceville resides in. But Brady embraces that challenge and with it the pressure of his family name. and dieting,” Josh Spaeth said. “He’s getting “He handles it far better than I could have coached from me 24 hours a day, and that’s handled it,” Sean Spaeth said. “He has no probably been hard for him too. It’s very care in the world who he wrestles. He picks good but can be challenging at the same a weight and stays at it.” time.” Both quiet in nature, Josh and Brady The sophomore has a last name synonySpaeth have shared countless memories on mous with winning, and he knows there’s a target on him every time he steps on the hunting grounds or farmland. mat. Brady would love to give his father a bear But he’s got the family mindset that hug after getting his hand raised on Chamwhenever he straps on the green or red an- pionship Saturday sometime in the next three years. ish his opponents. But no matter what happens, he’s upheld “Usually when I step out on the mat, I his family’s name and then some. don’t like him,” Brady Spaeth said. “I just “It’s very special,” Josh Spaeth said, “but I want to beat him up as much as possible.” hope he realizes I’m proud of him no matter And he wants to earn his title. what and that wrestling is just a small facet of his life that can help him become suclast year but instead wanted to go right afcessful in the future.”

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Buckshot The Magazine / February 2018

BACK IN THE DAY From left, Jake McCabe, 14; Matt Knapp, 13; Michael Kapla, 13; Mike Guite, 13, and Jake Sparger, not shown, play street hockey along Pine Meadow Drive on Nov. 1, 2007. McCabe now plays for the Sabres. Knapp went on to a standout football career at Memorial and UW-Eau Claire. Kapla made his NHL debut last season for the New Jersey Devils. Sparger pitched for the University of Louisville.

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AAU can help players improve Lionel Jones is in his sixth year coaching the Durand girls basketball team and led the Panthers to the WIAA state tournament last year. Jones was previously the head coordinator of the top 17U girls team of the Wisconsin Playmakers AAU program. Leader-Telegram assistant sports editor Mike Klees sat down with Jones after a recent game to talk about AAU basketball and how it can help players improve. What are some of the biggest misconceptions out there about AAU basketball? I think that one of the biggest things out there is that there’s no coaching, and you you put them on the court and you play. And I guess that kind of depends on what with (Wisconsin) Playmakers for the last four years. Kris Becker is our director and he does a really good job of skill training the girls three times a week during the summer He looks into the high school ranks and

Coach Speak

there, they have practice time. I just think

Coach Speak

ketball where the game in my opinion is a little slower compared to some of the sumally have a hard time with some of the orga- mer tournaments that you enter. They have nizations that sell the dream that if you play been fantastic. Where they were as freshSara into Denure andDurand Matt Prissel for our AAU organization that you’re going men coming the girls basketFall Creek volleyball to get a DI, DII scholarship. That’s not neces- ball program and where co-coaches they are now is just sarily the case all the time and then when those promises aren’t kept, it gives AAU a Is there anything you would change about AAU? your game and work on your game. It’s reI think the competitiveness between the ally helped my program. The girls that play programs, I wish would change. I think as really improve their game and so I’m a big coaches, mentors, everybody has the same advocate of it. mission, same agenda — to make basketWho are some players you can point to ball in Wisconsin as great as it can be. So I wish there was a better environment of (Durand seniors) Meg and Shae (Baier). working together, even though we’re competing in tournaments. I think our goal two years ago, and their game dramatically should be to develop the best basketball changed. They’re more aggressive going to the basket. They’ve become better ballthink that gets lost between the competiDurand girls basketball coach handlers. You saw Shae tonight hit a couple tiveness and the recruiting of players and of 3s. I think that shot is a direct correlation have practices. I think one of the big misfrom her spending time over the summer to the detriment of the players that you’re conceptions is that you never have practice, during AAU skill training and playing some trying to develop. I guess that would be the and I guess that’s true with some organiza- of the best competition in the country and biggest change that I would want to see tions, but a lot of the organizations out then bringing that back to high school bas- made.

Lionel Jones

Coach Speak

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Anibas leads Ramblers to title Nick Erickson is the Leader-Telegram’s primary writer for cross country and track and field. Erickson was a two-time state qualifier in cross country at Platteville High School and competed three years in a combined six events at the track and field state meet.

In high school basketball, Regis wins its own Holiday Tournament by defeating Little Chute St. John’s 66-62 in the championship game. Jim Anibas scores 22 points and grabs 22 rebounds in the game and is named MVP. Later, the Ramblers top McDonell 77-56 to go 9-5. Anibas has 20 and Rick Zukaitis 17 for Regis, while Mike Brown has 21 for the Macks. Also 50 years ago, Memorial blows out Superior 63-33 and follows by handing Sowerwine has 17 points and 12 rebounds, while the Lumberjacks’ Frank Schade is held to 20. But the unbeaten Abes see their 12-game win streak end in a 74-73 loss at Winona on a tip-in at the buzzer. It is Winona’s only lead of the game.

Buckshot’s Flashback

Abes fourth in the AP poll that also shows Whitehall seventh and Alma eighth in the Little Ten. Schade scores 36 points to lead Wausau to a 93-64 win over North, which gets 21 points from Dave Miller but is killed by 33 turnovers. Lance Thiel outscores John Ford

36-34, but the Huskies lose to La Crosse Central 104-80. Thiel scores 27 points and Jim Thompson has 18 points and 20 rebounds to lead North to a 73-65 win over Menomonie, which gets 33 from Gary Welch. Jim Sullivan’s two free throws with 6 sec-

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onds left give Chippewa Falls a 62-61 win over the Huskies. Duane Hugdahl tallies 19 to lead Altoona to a 63-59 win over Fall Creek. Later in the rematch, Rog Zimmerman’s jump shot at the buzzer wins it for the Crickets 59-58 in overtime. Zimmerman and Steve Wilhelm score 24 each for the winners, while Steve Struck has 18 for the Rails. The Fairchild Purple Dragons go over the century mark in a West-Central Conference 106-65 win over Taylor with Don Olson scoring 38 and Ricky Frueh 27 in a 10th win. Jim Rice retires as football coach at UWEau Claire to take on the AD duties, while assistant coach Link Walker is named to head the football team. Rice will name a basketball coach to replace retiring Bill Zorn soon. Badgers LB Sam Wheeler, who prepped at Elmwood, is taken in the 12th round of the NFL draft by the Steelers. Bernie Reidinger’s goal late in the third period gives the Eau Claire Rockets a 5-4 win over Chippewa Falls.

ing Sam Spanel’s pin at 180 which gains the lead and HW Greg Kipp’s pin that clinches the wrestling win over North 27-19. Bill Heideman scores 25 points and Mel minutes to down the Blugolds 85-78. Eau Claire snaps back for an 83-81 upset win over Whitewater led by Pat Hammond’s 30 points. High scorers on YMCA Senior League Night are Bob Hall with 30, Larry Johnson 25 and Mike Loehnis 22. In the Monday Night League, the Fleas get 24 points from Lucky Schroeder in a 9354 win over the Scramblers. Dave Tomten sets a hill record at 119 feet Invitational at Mt. Washington. The 15-yearold then goes to Lake Placid for the Olympic Billy Bakke, who grew up in Menomonie, wins both events and leads the trials. Snowball Severud, an Eau Claire Ski Club member from Chetek, is named head coach of the Canadian team for the upcoming Olympics in France.

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