Kenosha.com High School Sports Calendar: Win or go home

Postseason, anyone?

Yes, indeed, we’re nearing the conclusion of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association winter sports season, so Kenosha County high school student-athletes will be competing in postseason events throughout the area and the state this week.

Girls basketball players begin their playoff roads this week with regionals, gymnasts and boys hockey players are in sectionals and both boys and girls wrestlers wrap up their seasons at the WIAA State Individual Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison from Thursday through Saturday.

Boys basketball is the only winter sport still in the regular season, which will conclude this week before regionals kick off postseason play in that sport next week.

So, if you’re a Kenosha County high school sports fan, you’ll have to travel both inside and outside of county lines to catch the best teams and athletes for the remainder of the winter sports schedule.

Here are Kenosha.com Associate Editor Mike Johnson’s “Top 5 Events to Watch” this week, along with a weekly calendar of high school varsity sports involving county teams and athletes.

TOP 5 EVENTS TO WATCH

KENOSHA CO-OP AT BROOKFIELD CO-OP (boys hockey, WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal)

Tuesday (Feb. 21), 8 p.m., The Ponds of Brookfield (2810 N. Calhoun Rd., Brookfield)

The Kenosha Thunder hockey team – which includes players from the Kenosha Unified School District, as well as Westosha Central and Wilmot — is having a historic season, and now the Thunder are just two wins away from their first-ever trip to the WIAA Division 1 State Tournament. Kenosha needs to win two sectional games this week, both at The Ponds of Brookfield, to get there, starting with Tuesday night’s sectional semifinal against top-seeded Brookfield Co-op. Seeded No. 4, the Thunder (17-6-0) won a pair of regional games to reach sectionals, including a thrilling 5-4 defeat of No. 5 seed Hartland Arrowhead in a regional final last week Friday night at the Pleasant Prairie IcePlex. While Brookfield (19-5-0) presents a formidable challenge Tuesday night, the Thunder are plenty familiar with the Stars, as they both compete in the Classic Eight Conference. The teams played to an even score through regulation in their lone-regular season meeting, on Dec. 9 at The Ponds of Brookfield, before the Stars scored in overtime for a 3-2 victory. The winner of Tuesday’s sectional semifinal advances to Friday’s sectional final, also scheduled for 8 p.m. in Brookfield, against either No. 3 Janesville Co-op or No. 2 seed University School of Milwaukee. After that is the State Tournament, scheduled for March 2-4 at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton. Indian Trail senior Liam Von-Ellm McKenna and LakeView Tech Academy senior Lucas Eltoft each had a goal and an assist for the Thunder in their regional final win over Arrowhead, while Indian Trail senior Zach Mitchell made 27 saves in net.

WIAA DIVISION 1 SECTIONAL (gymnastics)

Thursday (Feb. 23), 5:30 p.m., Mukwonago High School (605 W. Veterans Way, Mukwonago)

Gymnasts from three county co-op teams, Bradford/Westosha Central, Tremper/Indian Trail and Wilmot/Williams Bay/Union Grove, will compete in one of five Division 1 sectionals this week. This is the only one scheduled for Thursday, with the other five scheduled for Saturday. The top two teams, along with the top five individuals in each event and the top five individuals in the all-around, will advance to compete in the State Meet from March 3-4 at the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School Fieldhouse. Wilmot/Union Grove/Williams Bay captured the Division 1 state team title in 2021 and was the runner-up in 2020, while Kenosha Co-op won the Division 1 state team title in 2005 and was the runner-up in 2006, 2016 and 2017.

WESTOSHA CENTRAL AT UNION GROVE (boys basketball)

Thursday (Feb. 23), 7 p.m., Union Grove High School (3433 S. Colony Ave., Union Grove)

With one regular-season game left, the Falcons have already clinched at least a share of their seventh Southern Lakes Conference title in eight seasons under head coach James Hyllberg. But they can clinch it outright with a victory at Union Grove to conclude the regular season on Thursday night. Central enters the SLC finale at 12-1 in conference play, a full game ahead of second-place Burlington, so the Falcons clinched at least a share of the conference title with last week Friday’s 82-35 win at Delavan-Darien. Central’s first regular-season meeting with Union Grove was a close one, however, as the Falcons emerged with a 57-54 victory on Jan. 20 at Central. In the bigger picture, Central is absolutely rolling toward the postseason, as the Falcons have won 15 consecutive games to reach 20-2 overall and moved all the way up to No. 4 in Division 2 in this week’s WisSports.net state coaches rankings. Their last defeat was a five-point loss to Indian Trail in the Doctors of Physical Therapy Holiday Classic, way back on Dec. 27 at Carthage College’s Tarble Arena. The WIAA released its boys basketball playoff seedings this past Saturday, and Central received a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the Division 2 field. The Falcons will begin postseason play at home on Friday, March 3, as they seek their second straight State Tournament berth and third overall under Hyllberg.

WIAA STATE INDIVIDUAL TOURNAMENT (boys and girls wrestling)

Thursday-Saturday (Feb. 23-25), times vary, Kohl Center (601 W. Dayton St., Madison)

The road for high school wrestlers this season ends this weekend on the mats in Madison, as 13 county wrestlers — 11 boys and two girls — will compete for State Tournament glory in the various divisions and weight classes. In the Division 1 boys field, Wilmot junior Logan Defilippo (35-9) and Indian Trail sophomore Sullivan Ramos (47-5) qualified for the State Tournament at 138 pounds, Bradford senior Corbin Ramos (45-2) qualified at 145, Wilmot junior Joel Sullivan (19-2) qualified at 152, Indian Trail senior London Kiser (38-13) qualified at 182, Bradford sophomore Thomas Reilly (30-8) qualified at 195 and Tremper senior Tyler Hansen (42-5) qualified at 285. In the Division 2 boys field, Shoreland Lutheran senior Mason Gill (20-2) qualified for state at 132 pounds. In the Division 3 boys field, St. Joseph sophomore Co’ji Campbell (42-0) qualified for state at 120 pounds, while Christian Life junior Drew Dolphin (51-0) qualified at 106 and Christian Life senior Sam Wilson (32-8) qualified at 182. Campbell and Dolphin will each be trying to complete undefeated seasons with state championships in the Division 3 field, and each enter the State Tournament ranked No. 1 in Division 3 in their weight class by Wisconsin Grappler. Last season, Dolphin placed fourth at 106 in the State Tournament, while Campbell won an undefeated state title at 113 as a freshman. So by the end of Saturday, Campbell is looking to complete two high school seasons without a defeat and with state titles in two different weight classes. Meanwhile, the second WIAA Girls State Individual Tournament will run concurrently with the boys tournament at the Kohl Center this weekend. Indian Trail sophomore Crystal Gutierrez (7-2) is in the field at 100 pounds, while Shoreland sophomore Lexi Mentink (1-1) is in the field at 152. For a schedule of the boys and girls brackets from Thursday through Saturday, visit the WIAA website. 

RACINE CASE AT BRADFORD (girls basketball, WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal)

Friday (Feb. 24), 7 p.m., Bradford Fieldhouse (3700 Washington Rd., Kenosha)

You could pick any number of girls basketball games to attend this week, as WIAA regionals in all divisions begin Tuesday night with the quarterfinals and conclude Saturday with the finals. But let’s start with Friday night’s Division 1 regional semifinal at the Bradford Fieldhouse, as the No. 4 seed Red Devils host No. 13 seed Racine Case. Both teams have a bye through Tuesday’s regional quarterfinals. The Southeast Conference rivals met twice during the regular season, with Bradford winning both games by more than 50 points. The winner of Friday’s game advances to a regional final on Saturday against either No. 5 seed Janesville Craig or No. 12 seed Mukwonago. Assuming Bradford handles Case on Friday, the Red Devils would then host Saturday’s regional final as the higher seed. Bradford enters the postseason with an 18-6 overall record and finished alone in third place in a tough SEC at 11-3 in conference play. Bradford senior forward Nevaeh Thomas finished third in the SEC in scoring during the regular season at 25.1 points per game and second in rebounding at 13.5 per game.

HIGH SCHOOL CALENDAR    

TUESDAY

Hockey–Kenosha Co-op at Brookfield Co-op in WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal (The Ponds of Brookfield), 8 p.m. Girls basketball–Waukesha North at Westosha Central in WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal, 7 p.m.; Fort Atkinson at Wilmot in WIAA Division 2 regional quarterfinal, 7 p.m.; Shoreland Lutheran at East Troy in WIAA Division 3 regional quarterfinal, 7 p.m.; Ozaukee at St. Joseph in WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Nothing scheduled.

THURSDAY

Boys basketball–Franklin at Bradford, 6 p.m.; Tremper at Oak Creek, 7 p.m.; Racine Case at Indian Trail, 7 p.m.; Westosha Central at Union Grove, 7 p.m.; Lake Geneva Badger at Wilmot, 7 p.m.; Burlington Catholic Central at Shoreland Lutheran, 7 p.m.; Racine St. Catherine’s at St. Joseph, 7 p.m.; Heritage Christian at Christian Life, 7:15 p.m. Gymnastics–Bradford/Westosha Central, Tremper/Indian Trail and Wilmot/Union Grove/Williams Bay in WIAA Division 1 sectional (Mukwonago), 5:30 p.m. Boys wrestling–Bradford’s Corbin Ramos and Thomas Reilly, Tremper’s Tyler Hansen, Indian Trail’s Sullivan Ramos and London Kiser and Wilmot’s Logan Defilippo and Joel Sullivan in WIAA Division 1 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org); Shoreland Lutheran’s Mason Gill in WIAA Division 2 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org); St. Joseph’s Co’ji Campbell and Christian Life’s Drew Dolphin and Sam Wilson in WIAA Division 3 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org). Girls wrestling–Indian Trail’s Crystal Gutierrez and Shoreland Lutheran’s Lexi Mentink in WIAA State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org).

FRIDAY

Boys basketball–Reuther at Faith Christian, 6 p.m. Girls basketball–Racine Case at Bradford in WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal, 7 p.m.; Tremper at Muskego in WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal, 7 p.m.; Indian Trail at Milwaukee Pulaski Co-op in WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal, 7 p.m.; Waukesha North-Westosha Central winner at Elkhorn in WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal, 7 p.m.; Fort Atkinson-Wilmot winner at Union Grove in WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal, 7 p.m; Shoreland Lutheran-East Troy winner at St. Augustine Prep in WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal, 7 p.m.; Ozaukee-St. Joseph winner at Living Word Lutheran in WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal, 7 p.m.; Christian Life at Cedar Grove-Belgium in WIAA Division 4 regional semifinal, 7 p.m. Hockey–Kenosha Co-op-Brookfield Co-op winner vs. Janesville Co-op-University School of Milwaukee winner in WIAA Division 1 sectional final (The Ponds of Brookfield), 8 p.m. Boys wrestling–Bradford’s Corbin Ramos and Thomas Reilly, Tremper’s Tyler Hansen, Indian Trail’s Sullivan Ramos and London Kiser and Wilmot’s Logan Defilippo and Joel Sullivan in WIAA Division 1 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org); Shoreland Lutheran’s Mason Gill in WIAA Division 2 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org); St. Joseph’s Co’ji Campbell and Christian Life’s Drew Dolphin and Sam Wilson in WIAA Division 3 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org). Girls wrestling–Indian Trail’s Crystal Gutierrez and Shoreland Lutheran’s Lexi Mentink in WIAA State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org).

SATURDAY

Girls basketball–Racine Case-Bradford winner vs. Mukwonago-Janesville Craig winner in WIAA Division 1 regional final, TBD; Tremper-Muskego winner vs. Racine Horlick-Milwaukee Hamilton/Audubon–Kettle Moraine winner in WIAA Division 1 regional final, TBD; Indian Trail-Milwaukee Pulaski Co-op winner vs. Milwaukee Reagan-Lake Geneva Badger winner in WIAA Division 1 regional final, TBD; Waukesha North-Westosha Central–Elkhorn winner vs. Racine Park-Waterford–Waukesha West winner in WIAA Division 2 regional final, TBD; Fort Atkinson-Wilmot–Union Grove winner vs. Burlington-Delavan-Darien winner in WIAA Division 2 regional final, TBD; Shoreland Lutheran-East Troy–St. Augustine Prep winner vs. Saint Anthony-Jefferson–Saint Francis winner in WIAA Division 3 regional final, TBD; Ozaukee-St. Joseph–Living Word Lutheran winner vs. Dodgeland-Random Lake winner in WIAA Division 4 regional final, TBD; Cedar Grove-Belgium-Christian Life winner vs. Williams Bay-Horicon–The Prairie School winner in WIAA Division 4 regional final, TBD. Boys wrestling–Bradford’s Corbin Ramos and Thomas Reilly, Tremper’s Tyler Hansen, Indian Trail’s Sullivan Ramos and London Kiser and Wilmot’s Logan Defilippo and Joel Sullivan in WIAA Division 1 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org); Shoreland Lutheran’s Mason Gill in WIAA Division 2 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org); St. Joseph’s Co’ji Campbell and Christian Life’s Drew Dolphin and Sam Wilson in WIAA Division 3 State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org). Girls wrestling–Indian Trail’s Crystal Gutierrez and Shoreland Lutheran’s Lexi Mentink in WIAA State Individual Tournament (Kohl Center, Madison, times vary, check wiaawi.org).