The Pirate girls won their opening playoff game against the Cumberland Beavers 5-4. The score was 5-1 heading into the top of the seventh, and final, inning.

A couple errors and good hitting by Cumberland led to some major excitement, but in the end, with a runner stranded at third base, Michelle Lund struck out the final batter of the night to preserve a regional championship opportunity.

The Pirates play again on Thursday evening and will take on either St. Croix Central or Glenwood City (surprisingly, their score wasn’t available at the time of this writing 9:45 p.m.). You can hear the game on 105.7 WXCX. Softball playoff bracket.

Congratulations to the Frederic Vikings, they knocked of #2 seeded Shell Lake tonight 4-1 which advances the Vikings to the regional championship game versus Birchwood, who ended Luck’s season. The final score there was 11-1.

The Grantsburg baseball team beat the conference champions tonight on a walk-off two run homerun by Trent Bonneville. Grantsburg won the game 6-4. It was Bonneville’s second dinger of the game. A lot of people were still around the softball field when the crowd erupted over at the baseball field and we could see a couple Pirates rounding the bases and a lot of St. Croix Falls Saints dejectedly walking back to their dugout. Kind of a neat perspective. Baseball playoff bracket.

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Comfortable then close, Grantsburg squeaks out win

All five Grantsburg starters make All-conference… what an accomplishment! I don’t know if that has ever happened before (probably) but Grantsburg finished second in the conference. It shows that it was truly a team effort for those guys.

I feel like Siren sort of got snubbed with selections as they had a very good season and I thought that Charlie Brown definitely had a good enough season to warrant an All-conference selection.

I like the fact that Gab Witzany got an honorable mention. She had a good season and really played well at the end of the season.

I think the conference is going to be highly competitive for the next couple years as a lot of the players on this list are sophomores (Morrin, Carley Emery, Ashley Guevara, Michelle Gibbs) and Witzany is a freshman. I might have missed a couple younger players, but that would only strengthen my arguement.

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Boys and Girls All-conference announced

Was it an omen?

It wasn’t as if Grantsburg played poorly, it was just that St. Croix Central couldn’t miss… and it continued like that throughout the game. They were overwhelming the music that Grantsburg was trying to make.

There was one kid for SCC who never took a good looking shot, but he made all of them. It was incredible. St. Croix Central had no players averaging double digit scoring for the season, in fact their two best players average just over eight points per game. Tonight was different. The Panthers came out shooting and scoring… it was like an NBA All-Star game out there, especially to begin the game.

The end of the game was one for the ages as Grantsburg made a three point basket with 15 seconds left in the game giving them a two point lead, then with about seven seconds left SCC made a three pointer from waaaay downtown to give the Panthers a one point lead. Out of timeouts, Grantsburg had to race down the court, Connar Goetz drove then kicked the ball out to Thane Larson who was open but had to lean to his right to receive the pass. He gathered himself and took the shot, a three-pointer at the buzzer. It was just a little too much to the right when it contacted the rim. Game over. Season over.

The Pirates did do some things that they’ll look back on and wish they could change. They got into foul trouble in the second half and Ben Larson fouled out in the fourth quarter then Tyler Myers did the same in overtime. SCC didn’t have anyone in foul trouble.

Trent Bonneville should be commended for the way he played tonight. He drew a ton of fouls, especially in the first half and ended with over twenty points. He took control of the game at times.

I want to congratulate the team on a nice year. Yeah, everyone was counting on them making a deep playoff run, and if the circumstances were just a little different, maybe we’d all be in better moods, but this is life. Sometimes the underdog wins. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a year we’ll all remember. The last second win in Luck, the last second losses to Webster and Luck and now SCC. Those games didn’t turn out the way we hoped, but that doesn’t mean we look at this team as a failure. They had a good season and those seniors who were so dedicated to the sport they love so much should all be commended for the way they busted their tails for the past four years.

In other news, the Luck Cardinals were also upset by #5 seed Eleva-Strum 48-46 in overtime. Two of the best teams this area both underachieved in the playoffs. I haven’t heard any anecdotes from that game, so I have no idea what happened.

Siren also lost to #1 seed Prescott 49-42. So all West Lakeland teams have been eliminated from boys tournament action.

That leaves just the Siren girls, ranked 3rd in D4, left in the playoffs. They play tomorrow night against Flambeau. I’ll be there broadcasting on WXCX if you are interested. Game time is 7:00.

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A stunner in Grantsburg

Listen online at wearegrantsburg.com

The wait is almost over… after having to postpone tonight’s tilt from a couple weeks ago, both teams remain undefeated in the conference.

This will be the biggest game of the night in all of division 3 basketball and I’m excited to be announcing it exclusively online on YouCastr (you’ll find a link on the right hand side of this page – you may have to scroll down).

Of course a lot of the focus in this game will be dedicated to Brennan Olson who is averaging 25 ppg this season and is getting some looks from Division 1 schools. Rumor has it that he is also being courted by UMD and Winona State University.

Grantsburg is coming off a night like I’ve never seen before. They defeated Shell Lake 77-39 (they were leading 49-17 at half). The Pirates were shooting out of their minds in the first half of that game. They were down 9-3 in the opening minutes of the game… so that means they went on a 46-8 run to end the half! If Grantsburg can shoot like that tonight against Luck, they will win.

The key matchup here is the post play. Brennan Olson can jump out of the gym, Grantsburg needs to limit his points inside, even though Olson can shoot the mid-range jumper as well as anyone. If the Pirates can limit Olson on offense and rebound effectively they should win. All eyes will be on Trent Bonneville and Jason Jensen.

Luck has many other weapons that cannot be forgotten about. Carson Giller, Harry Severson-Dickenson and the Mortel brothers are all outstanding ball players and coach Rick Giller is outstanding.

Luck made it to state last year and are primed to make a run this year as well.

Grantsburg believes they are the team to beat. They have a nucleus of seniors that have been playing significant varsity minutes since they were sophomores.

I am excited about tonight’s game, more than I think I’ve ever been for a regular season game in any sport. I’m hoping for a good game decided by the players. It should be intense and Luck’s gym should be crazy tonight as we watch the best game of the night in Luck.

Make sure you listen to the broadcast at We are Grantsburg!

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#12 Grantsburg Pirates @ #4 Luck Cardinals boys basketball

Bonneville, who had scored at least twenty in the past two games was pretty much shut out offensively the entire game, he maybe had four points which was mainly due to the defensive scheme of the Pine City Dragons. The Dragons played a good portion of the night in a 2-3 defense which is meant to shut down the opponent’s inside game.

Grantsburg was relegated to jump shots, and they didn’t make a lot of them, especially in the first half. They were 11-32 from the floor in the first half mainly due to having to shoot from the outside and they came out cold. That changed a bit in the second half when they started canning some of those jumpers they missed in the first.

This was the first time I had seen the Pirates this year and they looked like they really knew what they were doing and they played very well together. Coach Danny Judd rotated eight players in the entire night and all played well, including Thane Larson who was, at least for me, a pleasant surprise coming off the bench canning a couple threes early in the second half and giving Grantsburg a nice lead.

Grantsburg has some good shooters, a good inside presence, and an aggressive defense. I also believe they can play a little better than they did tonight. The game tonight could’ve been a 20+ point win had they come out hot in the first half.

NOTES:

Did anyone notice the night and day difference between the roads in Minnesota compared to Wisconsin? It was like driving on a skating rink and then once you crossed the bridge it was like Lightning McQueen had just finished paving the new road! I could not believe the difference.

I interviewed Byron Higgin during halftime of the game and he seemed very upbeat about his situation of being let go at the Sentinel last week. It must have been an adjustment sitting in the stands just enjoying a game without thinking about story lines or deadlines.

Tonight was my last broadcast of the year. There will be more programming on WXCX, but I won’t be back behind the mic until Grantsburg plays Webster on January 6th.

We’re heading to Iowa tomorrow to celebrate Christmas with Renae’s family. I’m so excited to drive through a blizzard.

I would appreciate prayers for my family, especially my dad, who lost his brother today. I found out about my uncle’s death about half an hour before the broadcast. I was not close to my uncle mainly because of proximity, but it is still a bit stunning and of course losing a brother would be very difficult. Thanks.

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Recap: Grantsburg @ Pine City

Girls:

If you like darkhorses, then you would like Webster. I don’t think they have enough to win the conference, but I do believe they will upset some schools and will finish in the top four in the West Lakeland. Unity will be last or second to last and might not win a conference game.

I think Siren will win the conference with Frederic and St. Croix Falls battling it out for second. I think Webster will finish fourth just beating out the Pirates.

Boys:

Both teams are very similar and neither really have a shot at doing anything inside the conference. They both played pretty good defense, but Webster has nothing underneath (their tallest player, Adam Baum, is much more of a threat from about 10-12 feet away from the basket) and they are very short. They do have a lot of stamina and go deep into the bench. I’m not sure if that’s a function of the talent level on the team, or if coach Randy Hedrick still doesn’t know what he has this year. Losing guys like Brian Thill, Brian Gibbs, A.J. Holmquist, Dylan Geske, and Peter Walsh will hurt a team. Bad.

I believe the conference will come down to Grantsburg and Luck. I am leaning Luck’s way right now because of their height and high tempo play. Grantsburg could definitely win the thing too if they can hit their jump shots and keep Trent Bonneville out of foul trouble.

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Webster vs. Unity

Here are their picks:

MVP: Travis Moser (Webster)

Most Improved: Adrianna Otte (Frederic)

Coach of the Year: Jeromie Voeltz (Webster)

Webster: 6 (plus MVP and Coach of the Year)

Frederic: 5 (plus Most Improved player)

Grantsburg: 5

Luck: 5

Siren: 3

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Sentinel announces all-area football team

Grantsburg only had two players named to the all-conference teams and both were on second team. Grantsburg finished winless and obviously record corrolates into all-conference selections.

Senior Trent Bonneville (LB) and junior Allen Lindus (G) were the two named to the teams.

1st team Defense:

Ryan Larson, DL, St. Croix Falls, junior
Grant Hulter, DL, Webster, senior
Woody Reindahl, DL, Clear Lake, senior
Travis Moser, LB, Webster, senior
Joe Raygor, LB, St. Croix Falls, junior
Brayden Wienke, LB, Clear Lake, junior
Mitch Warner, LB, Clear Lake, senior
Joe Spanel, LB, Cameron, junior
Zach Quigley, DB, Webster, senior
Zach Foeller, DB, St. Croix Falls, senior
Jordan Olson, DB, Clear Lake, senior
Nick Morgan, DB, Luck, senior

1st Team Offense:

Matt O’Connell, QB, Clear Lake, sophomore
Dan Pope, RB, Webster, junior
Chase Bushweiler, RB, St. Croix Falls, senior
Dustin McKinney, RB, Unity, junior
Jake Espeseth, WR, Clear Lake, senior
Jason Vlansnick, WR, Unity, sophomore
Derrick Bender, OL, Cameron, senior
Jordan Werdier, OL, Webster, senior
Darrin Lee, OL, Clear Lake, junior
Jake Leintz, OL, Clear Lake, sophomore
Andy Laurison, OL, St. Croix Falls, senior
Sam Schmidt, K, St. Croix Falls, senior

2nd Team Defense:

Derrick Bender, DL, Cameron, senior
Josh Yunker, DL, St. Croix Falls, senior
Chad French, DL, Webster, junior
Trent Bonneville, LB, Grantsburg, senior
Eric Goulet, LB, Unity, senior
Tom Columbo, LB, St. Croix Falls, senior
Ryan Crotteau, LB, Cameron, junior
Matt O’Connell, LB, Clear Lake, sophomore
Kyle Godfrey, DB, Webster, senior
Dan Pope, DB, Webster, junior
Dustin McKinney, DB, Unity, junior
Jake Espeseth, DB, Clear Lake, senior

2nd Team Offense

Tanner Linsmeyer, QB, Cameron, junior
Zach Quigley, RB, Webster, senior
Nick Johnson, RB, St. Croix Falls, sophomore
Cody Lien, RB, Clear Lake, junior
Ben Harm, WR, Cameron, junior
Jordan Olson, WR, Clear Lake, senior
Allen Lindus, OL, Grantsburg, junior
Seth McKenzie, OL, Unity, senior
Mitch Sullwold, OL, Clear Lake, sophomore
Matt Jacobs, OL, St. Croix Falls, senior
Travis Moser, OL, Webster, senior
Ryan Larson, TE, St. Croix Falls, junior

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Football all-conference

The Pirates are not running the ball nearly as well as years past and have started to rely on the arm of Trent Bonneville. He has done a very good job after taking over as quarterback the second game of the season. But, in the past two games Grantsburg has pased way too much because of the deficits they find themselves in.

This past game was particularly frustrating as Grantsburg faced winless Unity. The Pirates twice had the ball inside the five yard line, once only 6 inches from the goal line, but were unable to score, getting stopped on fourth down both times.

Grantsburg seemed to be the better team on Saturday, but big plays and penalties against the Pirates were enough to keep the Pirates out of the win column.

On what turned out to be the game winning scoring drive for Unity, Grantsburg had stopped the Eagles twice on fourth down only to have pass interference called against them. Both were very, very suspect. I don’t like to blame officials for things, but those two calls were unacceptable.

Grantsburg lost 28-26. Both teams scored four touchdowns. Unity made every extra pont, Grantsburg was 1 for 4 in that department as they scored on a two point conversion with their last touchdown.

It is a frustrating season for the Pirates, but they are looking to get a victory this Friday night for Homecoming. You can hear the game on WXCX – 105.7 starting a little before 7pm.

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Ugh, 0-5 for the football team

It looked like it was going to be a long night for the Pirates as the Cardinals easily scored on their first drive and almost as easily on their second. But then Grantsburg stiffened and allowed only one more score the rest of the half.

The score at halftime was 21-0.

Then something happened at halftime. I’m not sure what was said during that short intermission, but it worked. Grantsburg came out and had a great half.

The third quarter was scoreless so it was still 21-0 heading into the fourth. Grantsburg was driving at the end of the third and were able to punch it in quickly in the last frame. They missed the extra point and the score was then 21-6, still Luck in control.

Then Luck began hurting themselves. On the second play of the ensuing drive the Cardinals fumbled and the Pirates fell on the ball inside Luck’s 20 yard line. They quickly scored and cut the lead to 21-12 as the two point conversion failed. It was still a two score game.

Grantsburg needed a stop and it looked like they had one. Luck was able to drive into Grantsburg territory but then a huge loss on first down made it 2nd and 22 at the Luck 45 yard line. It looked like the Pirates were going to get the ball back. Instead Carson Giller kept the ball on the left side where David Larsen seemed to have him wrapped up. Calling the game on the radio, I had already said the QB was down and third down was coming up when all of a sudden the kid runs out of the pack past everyone into the end zone. I still don’t know how that happened. It looked like he was stopped, but he kept his legs churning and was able to score a touchdown.

I felt at the time that the game was over. The Cardinals had a 16 point lead with less than 7 minutes left in the game.

I was wrong.

Grantsburg came back through the air and was able to score again. This cut the score to 28-20 when the two point conversion was good.

Grantsburg then stopped Luck forcing them to punt. They punted to the 20 yard line forcing Grantsburg to travel 80 yards with no time outs and about two minutes left to play. Grantsburg made it 60 yards, but then threw an interception with about 36 seconds remaining.

Luck eventually was able to kneel on the ball and claim a road victory.

Grantsburg has come out flat in the first half of every game they have played, with the possible exception of Clear Lake. I wonder what they could do if they started their games the way they end them?

Trent Bonneville is the player of the game tonight. He was something like 19-35 for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had three interceptions. He also had, by my count, about 9 dropped passes (of varying difficulty) from his receivers. I hope Grantsburg continues to air it out because it looks like they’ve found a guy who can do it.

Grantsburg takes on Unity who is winless as of this writing. They took on Webster tonight, so they could easily be winless next week. You can hear that game on 105.7 WXCX at 1:00 pm Saturday afternoon. I will also be broadcasting the Webster/Luck tilt on Friday night.

We are hoping to get volleyball on the air as well next week… so stay tuned and watch for updates here on We are Grantsburg.

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A tale of two halves