Central Wisconsin-East Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bonduel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bears of Bonduel have been knocking on the door of the state tournament for the last few seasons. Two years ago, they lost a heartbreaker to Westfield at the buzzer, and last season they lost by two to eventual sectional champions Mishicot. The Bears have five of their six leading scorers from last season, including first-team all-conference performers Hailey Zernicke and [player_tooltip player_id='209613' first='Ella' last='Hischke']. Although the Bears will likely battle with Laconia in the Sectional Semifinal, they're a group with the continuity and experience to give the reigning D4 champions problems.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wittenberg-Birnamwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Losing a kid like Reese Rogowski, the Player of the Year in the conference last season, would hurt any team. The one positive for the Chargers is that they were a young squad last season. Although they lost Rogowski, they have sophomores like [player_tooltip player_id='842241' first='Rory' last='Salveson'] and Melanie Granquist with experience playing minutes in competitive games in the conference. That said, not having a player like Rogowkski means everyone will have to do more to fill that void, and in all honesty, it may not be possible, but I'm eager to see what they look like against other teams in the conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Iola-Scandinavia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lose your two leading scorers, but it's the nature of high school and college game sports. Judging by the kids on the roster and seeing what production went out the door with the departures of Lillian Fuhs and Jaelyn Siverston, I believe it's possible. The main question is if some returners can handle the volume those two shot over the season. I see a world where the Thunderbirds end up in the top three again if kids like Madeline Mulch and McKenzie Bonikowske can handle the uptick in usage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Menominee Indian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the last four seasons, the Eagles have finished exactly .500 at 12-12 on three occasions. Their consistency has been excellent to view as I look back on past seasons for them, but most of that may be down to the 2023 class that rolled through. It's hard for me to judge where this iteration of the Eagles will be with kids they have to replace, but I'd love to see a school mostly comprised of natives succeed at the highest level in this state, so I'm pulling for them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shiocton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shiocton is another group to lose talented athletes who excelled at multiple sports. Kendall Stingle will run track at North Dakota State this upcoming season, which leaves a significant gap to fill with kids who haven't had that kind of test on the floor yet, but they will by the time the 23-24 ends. Keep an eye on Alexis Garcia and [player_tooltip player_id='329587' first='Autumn' last='Taylor'] this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Amherst</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Falcons nearly won a Regional Title a few seasons ago, but they had a talented 2022 class that was integral in that run. Nowadays, Amherst has Scout Spadoni, a second-team all-conference performer, who is a physical presence with some touch on the perimeter. Spadoni will be one of the most productive players in the conference this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Manawa</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wolves will have some continuity this season. Manawa gets some length back with Cassie Arndt and a talented guard who led the Wolves in scoring last year in Marilyn Klatt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Weyauwega-Fremont</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='448253' first='Olivia' last='Witkowski'] is the most talented kid in this conference, in my opinion. She expanded her game from her first to her second season, and I believe she's got a chance to be a Player of the Year in the conference, even though she's not playing for a traditional power in the Central Wisconsin-East.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>My Predictions</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Bonduel</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Wittenberg-Birnamwood</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Iola-Scandinavia</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Amherst</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Shiocton</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Manawa</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Menomonee Indian</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Weyauwega-Fremont</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list -->