If you’re interested in high school athletics and say there isn’t much to follow in Kenosha County this week, well, then you’re just not thinking clearly.
Because this week is packed.
From basketball doubleheaders among rival schools to boys hockey games to postseason competition in wrestling and boys swimming, this week has it all.
On the court, Tuesday night features a pair of basketball twinbills, as Shoreland Lutheran hosts St. Joseph in a Metro Classic Conference doubleheader – the boys game is first – and Bradford hosts Indian Trail in a Southeast Conference girls-boys doubleheader.
Then, in a special Saturday matinee, Tremper hosts Bradford in an SEC girls-boys hoops extravaganza.
Saturday is also a huge day for the county’s wrestlers and boys swimmers, as they’ll be competing in Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association regionals and sectionals, respectively.
In wrestling, all eight county programs will be in WIAA regionals Saturday, with Wilmot hosting a Division 1 regional that includes five county schools – Bradford, Tremper, Indian Trail, Westosha Central and Wilmot. Boys swimmers from Bradford, Tremper, Indian Trail and the Badger/Westosha Central/Wilmot co-op team, meanwhile, will be in a Division 1 sectional at the Racine Unified Aquatic Center on Saturday (the diving competition is Friday night).
And not to be forgotten, the high-flying Kenosha Thunder co-op boys hockey team has three games scheduled this week, including one on Friday night at the Pleasant Prairie IcePlex.
Here are Kenosha.com Associate Editor Mike Johnson’s “Top 5 Events to Watch” in the county this week, along with a weekly calendar of high school varsity sports involving county teams.
TOP 5 EVENTS TO WATCH
INDIAN TRAIL AT BRADFORD (boys and girls basketball)
Tuesday (Feb. 7), 4:30 p.m. (girls) and 6 p.m. (boys), Bradford High School (3700 Washington Rd., Kenosha)
The Bradford Fieldhouse will be a hotbed of action on Tuesday, starting in the late afternoon with a girls game and continuing into the night with a boys matchup. In the girls matchup, the Red Devils are looking to keep pace in the SEC title race, as they enter the week at 16-5 overall and 9-2 in the SEC, tied for second place with Oak Creek, one game back of 10-1 Franklin with three conference games left. The Hawks, meanwhile, are 10-10 overall and 4-7 in the SEC and have won five of their last seven. This game also features a battle between the SEC’s top two scorers, as Indian Trail junior guard Adrianna Gonzalez ranks first with 26.0 points per game and Bradford senior forward Nevaeh Thomas ranks second with 25.3 points per game. Bradford won the first meeting between the schools, 57-34, on Jan. 6 at Indian Trail. In the boys game, Indian Trail is looking to avenge a 60-59 upset home loss to Bradford on Jan. 6, as the Hawks try to keep pace near the top of the SEC. Indian Trail (15-5 overall) is tied for second place in the conference with Oak Creek at 8-2 in SEC play, a game back of 9-2 Franklin with three conference games left. Indian Trail junior forward Manasseh Stackhouse leads the SEC with 22.7 points per game and is third with 8.2 rebounds per game. Bradford, meanwhile, is 2-18 overall and 1-10 in the SEC as it looks to keep growing with a young roster.
ST. JOSEPH AT SHORELAND LUTHERAN (boys and girls basketball)
Tuesday (Feb. 7), 5:30 p.m. (boys) and 7 p.m. (girls), Shoreland Lutheran High School (9026 12th St., Somers)
The boys game is first and the girls game takes the stage in primetime Tuesday at Shoreland in this Metro Classic doubleheader. In the boys game, the Lancers (11-7 overall, 5-6 Metro Classic) will try to complete a season sweep of the Pacers (8-10, 1-10) following a 53-41 victory at St. Joseph’s Madrigrano Gymnasium on Jan. 6. St. Joseph junior guard Eric Kenesie ranks second in the conference with 21.6 points per game, first with 4.9 steals per game and second with 5.9 assists per game. For Shoreland, junior wing Brayden Van de Water is averaging 15.3 points per game and senior forward Kamare Evans is averaging 14.6 points per contest. In the girls game, St. Joseph (9-11, 5-8) is also going for a season sweep of Shoreland (5-16, 2-10) after a 56-29 home victory on Jan. 6. Freshman guards Frankie McLain (13.2 points per game) and Kamryn Lecce (10.8 points per game) are scoring in double figures for the Lancers, while Lecce ranks second in the Metro Classic with 8.8 rebounds per contest. For the Pacers, junior forward Amanda Heusterberg is averaging 17.7 points, tied for first in the Metro Classic, and 7.3 rebounds per game.
STOUGHTON AT KENOSHA (boys hockey)
Friday (Feb. 10), 7 p.m., Pleasant Prairie IcePlex (9900 Terwall Terrace, Pleasant Prairie)
The Kenosha Thunder co-op boys hockey team, composed of students from the Kenosha Unified School District, as well as Westosha Central and Wilmot, is having a fantastic 2022-23 season, with the WIAA playoffs just around the corner. The Thunder have won seven of their last nine games to up their overall record to 14-6-0 with three regular-season games left, all this weekend, including a non-conference home game Friday night against Stoughton. Kenosha has already concluded its Classic Eight Conference schedule and finished in a tie for second place with University School of Milwaukee, just two points behind conference champion Brookfield Combined. Indian Trail senior Liam Von Ellm-McKenna leads the Thunder in scoring with 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists), LakeView Technology Academy senior Lucas Eltoft has 31 points (24 goals, seven assists) and Tremper senior Jake Schulte has 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists). The WIAA boys hockey regionals are scheduled to begin next week Tuesday, Feb. 14.
PHOTO: TWITTER PHOTO
WIAA DIVISION 1 REGIONALS (wrestling)
Saturday (Feb. 11), 10 a.m., Wilmot High School (11112 308th Ave., Wilmot)
The mats will be packed on Saturday at Wilmot, with competitors from eight schools squaring off in a WIAA Division 1 regional. The first matches will begin at 10 a.m. The regional includes five county schools, Bradford, Tremper and Indian Trail of the SEC and Westosha Central and Wilmot of the Southern Lakes Conference. Five county boys wrestlers will go into the regional among the top 10 in Division 1 in the Wisconsin Grappler state rankings. Bradford senior Corbin Ramos (37-1) is ranked No. 4 at 145 pounds, Indian Trail sophomore Sullivan Ramos (35-5) is ranked No. 9 at 138, Wilmot junior Joel Sullivan (11-2) is ranked No. 9 at 152, Indian Trail senior London Kiser (29-11) is ranked No. 9 at 182 and Central senior Mason McNeill (23-2) is ranked No. 9 at 285. Additionally, Wilmot senior Gianni Rebellato (30-4 at 120), Bradford sophomore Thomas Reilly (22-7 at 195) and Tremper senior Tyler Hansen (33-3 at 220) are honorable mention in their respective weight classes. Girls wrestlers will also be competing in Saturday’s regional at Wilmot. Central sophomore McKenna Broadway (5-4) is ranked No. 4 at 235 pounds in Wisconsin Grappler’s girls state rankings, Central junior Margaret Gillmore (14-4) is ranked No. 7 at 114, Indian Trail sophomore Crystal Gutierrez (5-2) is ranked No. 9 at 107, Central junior Natalia Bishop (11-5) received honorable mention at 107 and Central junior Lilly Canvin (5-4) received honorable mention at 120.
BRADFORD AT TREMPER (basketball)
Saturday (Feb. 11), noon (girls) and 1:30 p.m. (boys), Tremper High School (8560 26th Ave., Kenosha)
You don’t get a lot of Saturday matinee rivalry matchups in basketball during the regular season, so local hoops fans have a great chance to take advantage of that rare scheduling this Saturday at Tremper. In the girls game, the Red Devils will be coming off Tuesday’s rivalry matchup against Indian Trail, while the Trojans enter the week at 14-7 overall and 7-4 in the SEC and will host Racine Park on Tuesday night. Tremper sophomore forward Emily Giese leads the conference with 15.1 rebounds per game, which ranks seventh in the entire state, per WisSports.net stats. Bradford won the first meeting between the longtime crosstown rivals in a tight game, 51-48, on Jan. 10 at the Bradford Fieldhouse. In the boys game, Bradford and Tremper have both struggled record-wise this season, but that won’t matter at all for a couple of hours when these rivals square off. The Trojans (4-15, 2-9) won their first meeting, 61-49, on Jan. 10 at Bradford and first play at Racine Park on Tuesday night. Junior guard DeJuan Graise leads Tremper with 15.9 points per game, while sophomore wing Andy Sauer leads Bradford with 13.2 points per contest.
HIGH SCHOOL CALENDAR
MONDAY
Gymnastics–Badger/Burlington, Franklin and Whitnall at Wilmot/Williams Bay/Union Grove Quad, 5:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Boys basketball–St. Joseph at Shoreland Lutheran, 5:30 p.m.; Indian Trail at Bradford, 6 p.m.; Waukesha Christian Academy at Reuther, 6 p.m.; Racine Park at Tremper, 7 p.m.; Westosha Central at Lake Geneva Badger, 7 p.m.; Fort Atkinson at Wilmot, 7 p.m.; Brookfield Academy at Christian Life, 7:15 p.m. Girls basketball–Indian Trail at Bradford, 4:30 p.m.; Tremper at Racine Park, 6 p.m.; St. Joseph at Shoreland Lutheran, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Girls basketball–Christian Life at St. Francis, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY
Boys basketball–Wisconsin School for the Deaf at Reuther, 5:30 p.m.; Bradford at Milwaukee Destiny, 7 p.m.; Milwaukee Academy of Excellence at Indian Trail, 7 p.m. Girls basketball–Greendale Martin Luther at Shoreland Lutheran, 7 p.m. Gymnastics–Kenosha Co-op at Mukwonago Invite, 5:30 p.m. Hockey–Kenosha at Sheboygan South (Sheboygan Blue Line Ice Center), 7:15 p.m.
FRIDAY
Boys basketball–Westosha Central at Waterford, 7 p.m.; Union Grove at Wilmot, 7 p.m.; HRK Eagles at Christian Life, 7:15 p.m. Girls basketball–Westosha Central at Waterford, 5:30 p.m.; Union Grove at Wilmot, 5:30 p.m.; HRK Eagles at Christian Life, 5:45 p.m.; Franklin at Indian Trail, 7 p.m.; St. Joseph at Whitefish Bay Dominican, 7 p.m. Hockey–Stoughton at Kenosha (Pleasant Prairie IcePlex), 7 p.m. Boys swimming–Bradford, Tremper, Indian Trail and Badger/Westosha Central/Wilmot at WIAA Division 1 sectional (Racine Unified Aquatic Center, diving only), 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Boys basketball–Bradford at Tremper, 1:30 p.m.; Shoreland Lutheran at Greendale Martin Luther, 4 p.m.; Whitefish Bay Dominican at St. Joseph, 7 p.m. Girls basketball–Bradford at Tremper, noon; Lake Geneva Badger at Indian Trail, 1:30 p.m. Gymnastics–Kenosha Co-op and Wilmot/Williams Bay/Union Grove at Mukwonago Invite, 10 a.m. Hockey–Kenosha at Viroqua (Viroqua Community Center), 3 p.m. Boys swimming–Bradford, Tremper, Indian Trail and Badger/Westosha Central/Wilmot at WIAA Division 1 sectional (Racine Unified Aquatic Center), 1 p.m. Wrestling–Bradford, Tremper, Indian Trail, Westosha Central and Wilmot at WIAA Division 1 regional (Wilmot), 10 a.m.; Shoreland Lutheran at WIAA Division 2 regional (Jefferson), 10 a.m.; St. Joseph and Christian Life at WIAA Division 3 regional (Horicon), 10 a.m.
