Heart O’North Conference Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a little detour with the Freshman Showcase, we're back to looking at some conferences this upcoming season. Today, we're heading to Northern Wisconsin and highlighting the Heart O'North and Northern Lights Conferences.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Croix Falls</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Saints were one of the best D3 teams in the state over the past few seasons, winning the Heart O'North twice, playing in the State Tournament in 2022, and was possibly a [player_tooltip player_id='342357' first='Kelsey' last='Cooper'] injury away from heading back to Green Bay in 2023. Although Brianna McCurdy is at UW-Whitewater these days, there's still plenty of talent to help the Saints make a run in the 23-24 season. Youngstown State volleyball commit [player_tooltip player_id='342357' first='Kelsey' last='Cooper'] is back and will provide plenty of size to control the paint on both ends of the floor. Lucy Belisle is another volleyball kid with athleticism who'll give them advantages against anyone in the conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Northwestern</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The losses of the Wildcats' class of 2023 will be massive. Tieryn Plasch was the best guard in the conference last season and one of the best shooters in the state. Gabby Risley provided size to play against teams like St. Croix Falls, but they'll be moving on with some other kids who are back this season. Shayna Wick and Abby Johnson were two members of the All-Conference 2nd team and possess valuable experience playing against teams like the Saints, who figure to be at the top of the standings again this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Barron</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Golden Bears finished third in the conference last season behind an excellent year from Hailee Halverson. Halverson made the All-Conference 1st team in her junior season and is poised to continue her success over the previous year. However, Barron will likely restructure their offense slightly after the departure of one of their leading scorers and best passers, Taylor Johnson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ladysmith</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lumberjills will have an uphill battle this season coping with the losses of Raemalee Smith and Allison Clark. Those two were the lynchpins of the Ladysmith program and were at or near the top of every statistical category last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hayward</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hurricanes have excellent participation within the program and kids dedicated to improving. That program got good numbers at the end of July to play a summer high school event in Waukesha, almost five hours away from Hayward. With Avery Poppe and Greta Schmitt back, they could continue to rise in the standings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ashland</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After losing an All-Conference 1st team performer in Brynn Erickson, growing pains are expected for everyone this season. However, I suspect Hannah Bochler could have a solid season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cameron</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although Alyssa Kuffel is no longer at Cameron, there are some intriguing young pieces the Comets bring back. Lauren Pearson, Olivia Leschisin, and Lexi Kuffel, younger sister of Alyssa, are all back this season after a successful 22-23 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chetek-Weyerhaeuser</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season's group is mostly all back. Although Olivia Schofield is no longer there, they have their three leading scores, Zoe Nelson, [player_tooltip player_id='421309' first='Hannah' last='Solie'], and Taya Whittenberger back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cumberland</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Beavers look to build from within and continue to keep kids invested.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Spooner</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rails will look to earn the first conference win in a long time this season, and continue to keep kids invested in the program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>My Predictions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>St. Croix Falls</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Barron</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Hayward</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Northwestern</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ashland</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ladysmith</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Chetek-Weyerhaeuser&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Cameron</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Cumberland</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Spooner</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list -->