Sports - Pierce County Journal

River Falls Wildcats celebrate after a touchdown in the eventual 51-26 loss to D.C. Everest on Aug. 30.

River Falls no match for D.C. Everest offense in home opener

RIVER FALLS — D.C. Everest was too much for the River Falls defense to handle, as the Evergreens coasted to a 51-26 win Friday afternoon. “It’s a good team, and it’s not … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

Ellsworth volleyball celebrates a point during their opening match at the Menomonie Sprawl.

Three county squads attend Menomonie Sprawl, River Falls takes second

MENOMONIE — River Falls, Ellsworth and Elmwood/Plum City’s volleyball teams each took part in the Menomonie Sprawl at UW-Stout this past weekend, with River Falls leading the way with a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

Wyatt McGrath placed third in the 450B class at Loretta Lynn's AMA National Motocross Championship in Tennessee.

McGrath takes 3rd at Loretta Lynn's AMA National Motocross Championship

BELDENVILLE — Wyatt McGrath, a 17-year-old from Beldenville, is no stranger to the big stage. Meet after meet, McGrath faces some of the toughest motocross competitors in the world, and Loretta … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

EPC players line up for the national anthem in a game that would quickly be postponed due to a storm.

Blair-Taylor returns from weather delay to tackle EPC

PLUM CITY — The Elmwood/Plum City Wolves got off to an interesting home opener. When many teams opted to delay or cancel their games due to Thursday’s wild weather forecasts, EPC tried to … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

Kyra Dix led Prescott to a solid opening race at home, landing in fourth place.

Cross country seasons kick off across Pierce County

PRESCOTT — Prescott and Ellsworth kicked off their cross country seasons at a high-difficulty race in Prescott. Prescott finished fourth of six teams in the girls’ race and fourth of … more

By Andrew Harrington | 9/4/24

Ian Hakes makes a contested catch for a two-point conversion in Spring Valley’s season opening win Aug. 23 against Durand.

Cardinals control momentum to topple Durand-Arkansaw

DURAND — Spring Valley headed to enemy territory and prevailed to open its football season, as the Cardinals claimed a 28-20 win. Each of Durand-Arkansaw’s three touchdowns were … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/28/24

River Falls boys’ soccer squad listens to Head Coach Adam Koger after preseason practice.

RF looks to ride high energy identity to winning season

RIVER FALLS — River Falls boys’ soccer has taken the field again, and their first handful of practices have shown the team what it will take to have a strong season. “We have a … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/28/24

Ellsworth’s defensive line face-to-face with the offensive line of La Crosse Logan during the team’s season opener Aug. 22.

Ellsworth drops heartbreaker to open season

ELLSWORTH — High school football season is officially underway in Ellsworth, as the Panthers took on La Crosse Logan in what proved to be a heartbreaking 22-21 loss for Ellsworth on Thursday … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/28/24

Cal Smith set to deal a pitch during a nine-inning, one-run performance against the Bay City Bombers on June 29.

Spring Valley’s season comes to an end after illegal player disqualification

SPRING VALLEY — Things changed in a hurry for the Spring Valley Hawks who had defeated the Tilden Tigers 12-10 in 15 innings Aug. 11. Days later, it was announced on the Hawks’ Facebook … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/22/24

Ellsworth players warm up before practice Aug. 15.

County coaches discuss high school football’s return

With high school football starting back up, each of the county’s coaches feel their teams have made positive steps in the offseason. While each team feels they can compete, that only means the … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/22/24

The Fighting Fish players mob pitcher Charley Griffin after delivering the final pitch of a complete game to take the state title.

Fighting Fish ride starting pitching to reclaim state title

RIVER FALLS — A long season that included a lot of winning, 32 times to be exact, all resulted in the River Falls Fighting Fish reaching their ultimate goal, winning the Wisconsin Baseball … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/22/24

Spring Valley players talk near first base during a first inning pitching change in the 12-10 win over the Tilden Tigers on Aug. 11.

Spring Valley advances after 15-inning playoff thriller against defending champs

RIVER FALLS — After a 12-6 win over the No. 18 seed Rhinelander River Monsters, the No. 12 Spring Valley Hawks had their work cut out for them, needing to beat the No. 4 seed, defending … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/14/24

The River Falls Fighting Fish squad standing in the dugout during a 14-3 win over the Prescott Pirates on July 13.

Fish allow one run over two games to advance to WBA Finals

RIVER FALLS — Season-long dominance has translated to postseason success, as the River Falls Fighting Fish coasted to a pair of wins in the Wisconsin Baseball Association (WBA) playoffs to … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/14/24

The River Falls Fighting Fish players take a selfie with celebratory beers in hand after claiming the St. Croix Valley Baseball League title.

Still on top: Fish win SCVBL tournament

NEW RICHMOND — The River Falls Fighting Fish have been the favorites in the St. Croix Valley Baseball League (SCVBL) in recent memory, and they showed why, allowing a single run over three … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/9/24

Dylan Gausman holds Kasey Bass close to first before the pitch in Prescott’s 5-3 win over Ellsworth on July 24.

Prescott takes back-and-forth rivalry matchup

ELLSWORTH — There were some missed opportunities on both sides, but when it came down to it, the Prescott Pirates won the battle 5-3 over the Ellsworth Hubbers on July 24. After … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/8/24

Matt Smith has been named the athletic director at Prescott School District.

Smith returns to Prescott as Activities Director

PRESCOTT — After a handful of years away, working in the School District of River Falls, Matt Smith is coming back to Prescott in the role of activities director. Smith grew up in … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/8/24

Treysen Witt deals a pitch during a 12-2 win for the Spring Valley Hawks over the Ellsworth Hubbers on July 26.

Hawks soar to late season win over Hubbers

SPRING VALLEY — Some early miscues allowed the Ellsworth Hubbers to take to the scoreboard early, but the Spring Valley Hawks answered back with 12 unanswered runs for a 12-2 win in seven … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/8/24

Crazy About Baseball gave thanks to mowers Mark Hawkins, Jim Schommer and Dan Erickson for volunteering many hours of their time.

Crazy About Baseball’s volunteer-led system brings improvements to Firehall Field

PRESCOTT — Crazy About Baseball (CAB) has taken a different approach to field maintenance and upgrades, as they rely on volunteer work to keep Firehall Field in Prescott looking pristine. … more

By Andrew Harrington | 8/2/24

Eli Ponath deals a pitch in Elmwood’s win over the Bay City Bombers on July 14.

Elmwood continues push for one of league’s top spots

ELMWOOD — With the pitchers for both squads absolutely dealing, Pierce County rivals the Elmwood Expos and Spring Valley Hawks played nine hotly-contested innings, with the Expos prevailing 2-1 … more

By Andrew Harrington | 7/26/24

Dave Meyer sits on his porch watching his sons and friends play Wiffle Ball on their newly constructed Waffles Field.

The best wiffle ball field in Wisconsin

Dave Meyer has been playing at First National Bank of River Falls Field for the River Falls Groupers over-35-year-old team for the last eight years in the Federal League. The guy loves baseball. It's … more

By Greg Peters | 7/26/24