Friday night’s lightning strike touchdown from Teddy Bernick to Kobe Russell on the first play from scrimmage proved to be a precursor for what followed for the next 40 minutes. The Cardinals’ high octane offense proved to be way too much for visiting Osceola in Prescott’s impressive shutout win. Along with another stellar performance by Bernick, the dynamic backfield combination of senior Barrett Temmers and Ethan West ran roughshod over Osceola. There is no doubt, the state’s football fans outside the 54021 area code are taking notice. Prescott has now outscored their opponents 190-30. 

Let’s not forget the play of both the offensive and defensive lines. From David Regnier to the Rohl brothers, to Lewis Kinneman and Wyatt Wrisky, the play “in the trenches” on both sides of the ball has been solid. Bravo. 

When it comes to offense, fans got their fill in Middle Border action last week. Baldwin-Woodville defeated Somerset last Friday by a score of 70-42 behind senior running back Taden Holldorf who ran for an unbelievable 331 yards and scored six touchdowns. Head Coach Rob Heller’s Ellsworth Panthers remained undefeated with a 35-16 win over Amery. And senior Hayden Buckel ran for 253 and three touchdowns to lead St. Croix Central over Altoona 43-28. 

It was another top 10 finish for Prescott cross country runner Kyra Dix. The talented sophomore finished sixth and helped the Cardinals to a fourth-place finish at last Thursday’s Somerset Invitational. Sophomore Quinn Justen was the top finisher for the boys who finished third in the team standings. The Prescott harriers will compete in the 16-team Osceola Invitational this Saturday. Area boys teams listed in the most recent Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association rankings include #1 ranked West Salem, #8 Hayward, and #15 ranked Osceola. For the girls Bloomer is ranked #1 and West Salem is ranked #15. 

The Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association released their week two rankings last week. Prescott will be competing in Division 3 this season and the #3 ranked Barron Bears are the top ranked team in the Cardinals’ part of the bracket. Stratford is ranked #7 and perennial power Grantsburg enters the week at #8. Private school McDonnell Catholic Central and Unity are both listed as Honorable Mention. 

The Prescott girls’ golf team cruised to a 16-shot Middle Border Conference meet win last Thursday at Bristol Ridge in Somerset. Sophomore Macy Reiter finished atop the podium with a round of 39 and senior Caroline Foy shot a 40 to pace the Cardinals. Senior Lydia Feran and sophomore Layla Salay also finished in the top 10 as Prescott won going away. The Cardinals will enter this week as the #4 ranked team in Division I according to the Wisconsin Golf Coaches Association. The #1 ranked team in the large school division is Divine Savior Holy Angels, a private school with an enrollment of 700 located in the city of Milwaukee. In Division 2, St. Croix Central is ranked #8, the highest of any team, other than Prescott, from the Middle Border.

Peter Brookshaw hit his 10th home run of the season and finished 2-for-3, scored twice and drove in two runs as Fargo-Moorhead defeated Winnipeg 5-3 on the road in a best of three playoff series. Brookshaw also walked and stole a base in the win over the Goldeneyes. Unfortunately, the Redhawks fell in game three by a score of 3-1, ending the season for Fargo-Moorhead. Brookshaw is a 2018 graduate of PHS.

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Zone A Ruffed Grouse season opened over the weekend. Hot and humid weather made for poor harvest conditions throughout the state for those pursuing one of the most popular game birds in Wisconsin. Nonetheless, Wisconsin grouse hunters enter the 2024 season with renewed optimism after the Department released its annual Roadside Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey this past June. The survey measured ruffed grouse drumming activity heard along roadsides throughout Wisconsin this spring and showed a 57% increase in drumming compared to 2023. Ruffed grouse typically follow a 10-year population cycle, with peaks occurring in years that end in 0, 1 or 9. The surveys indicate ruffed grouse in Wisconsin are starting to enter the more populous phase of the abundance cycle. The next peak is anticipated to occur in 2029, 2030 or 2031.

Speaking of hunting, several Prescott students have reported early success this migratory bird season. Seniors Liam Flannigan, Owen Bayer, Finn Stanton, Will Packard, and Lewis Kinneman have reportedly had good luck thus far this season. It has also been reported that no one makes a better duck than Cardinal senior linebacker Liam Flannigan. 

Headshaker of the week: Out of all the headshakers penned here for the past several years, this week’s is written with some real trepidation knowing it will anger a particularly zealous and crazy fan base. Last Sunday, Packer fans in the area were furious as the Vikings game against the 49ers was broadcast instead of the Green Bay game against Indianapolis. Sorry folks, communities like Prescott, Hudson, and River Falls are considered part of the Minnesota Viking viewing area and fall under the NFL rules regarding television markets. We are a stone’s throw away from downtown Minneapolis, and Lambeau Field is over four hours away. Come on, it’s just a simple matter of geography. A state line isn't some kind of broadcasting wall. So, for those angry, neck vein popping Brett Favre jersey wearing fans, turn on the radio, watch the game at a nearby watering hole, or purchase the game package of the NFL network. Throwing bombastic, feet stomping temper tantrums because the Packers are not on television? It’s a headshaker.