2023 Sports Roundup
Fall Sports Kickoff Issue
In our last issue we recapped the Spring/Summer events for the Buboltz kids, and this time around we dive into the Fall season. It's no shock to us that the Buboltz genes are on full display across the Midwest!
Starting in Appleton, we kick things off at Fox Valley Lutheran where Blake Vanderhoof is tackling his Junior year of football. After fighting off some tendinitis this summer, Blake started the season pulling double duty on both the offensive and defensive lines for the JV1 squad. As we go to print, his team boasts a 4-0 record and Blake has asserted himself in the trenches. In their first game of the season Blake was in on multiple tackles and also made some very nice blocks as a pulling guard to contribute to a 36-25 win over Winneconne. In his second game, Blake made a huge tackle to help preserve a 14-13 victory over St Mary Springs. In their third game, Blake's team was all over New London, trouncing them 44-6 as Blake played "excellent" according to our scouts and the Foxes continued to run behind his side of the line throughout the game. In a game that was witnessed by Uncle Rick, the Foxes pulled out a dramatic 34-30 comeback. Trailing late in the game, the Foxes defense came up with an interception in their own end zone with just 47 seconds left and managed to find their way to the end zone in the closing seconds to secure the 34-30 victory. For his efforts Blake has been getting some time with the varsity squad as well.
Check out the Foxes schedule here to follow the rest of Blake's season. His next game is tomorrow (September 18th) as the Foxes hit the road to take on Denmark. Kickoff is 5 PM.
Staying in Appleton, the Vanderhoof twins have been busy on the volleyball court this year. Sporting the Mount Olive jersey for the final year, they started off hot sweeping Immanuel Greenville 3-0. In Game 2 of that match, Natalie's serving sparked a comeback that helped propel to team to the win. In their opening tournament, the girls team was undefeated in pool play and only dropped 1 set all day. At one juncture, Natalie served NINE straight points to help her team. Since winning that tourney, the girls are now 2-0 in conference play.
Staying with volleyball and moving east to Brillion, the fall season brought about change for Ella Kuchenbecker as she started her Junior season. Ella had predominantly played Middle Hitter up to this point, but has made the move to outside hitter for the '23 campaign. Ella has adjusted to the new role nicely as the Lady Lions have jumped out to a 9-6 overall record along with a 2-1 conference record good for 4th place in the EWC. Brillion's #5 has 61 kills to go along with 19 service aces and 4 blocks. Ellas also has 50 digs in a total of 46 sets played so far. Video of Ella in action can be found by clicking on the link next to the article.
Sometimes, things happen in life that put everything into perspective. Last weekend, a senior from Reedsville High School was killed in a car accident on the eve of their homecoming week. In their return to the court, the Lady Panthers played at Brillion and in a show of solidarity, Ella and the rest of our teammates wore the Reedsville colors when the took the court.
Driving down Highways 151 and 26 to Watertown, Hannah's 8th grade year has gotten off to a bang on the volleyball court. Their team has gotten off to a strong start which includes a couple of 2nd place finishes in tournament (Ioxonia and Sun Prairie) The athletic #10 for the TSL Tigers has been a key contributor to many of those victories and has enjoyed seeing the support in the stands from family (including cousins, grandparents, and a sister home from college).
What would a football season be without cheerleaders on the sidelines? Noelle helps lead her squad to keep the Lakeside Lutheran faithful fired up for the game, and that got off to a great start recently with a powerful rendition of the national anthem (I believe a Facebook account is rquired to access).
Staying at Lakeside, we need to figure out a way to get Noelle's squad to one of cousin Jack's XC meets. Losing only 1 member of a team that took the 2nd place trophy at state last year means pressure is on this year's squad to make another deep run in the '23 campaign. Evidently the team is up the task as they've run through the competition, defeating 5 ranked opponents so far. Lakeside is currently ranked #2 in Division 2 (trailing a tough West Salem squad who narrowly edged them in their only H2H meet earlier in the season). Jack has whittled his PR down to a solid 17:47 and hopes to lower that further in the run up to the post season.
Coach Ausen has allowed The Post Pattern insider access this season and as a result we've been able to provide some unique angles for our viewers. The link below is an example. If you are able, come check out the fellas this year.
Gwen continues to hit the gym 5 days a week, 4 hours a day in her preparation for the upcoming Level 9 optional season. Her father has called her the "anti-Allen Iverson" at times (while Iverson famously detested practice, Gwen thrives on being in the gym and prefers practice over "game day"). All the training can take it's toll though. Recently, one of Gwen's teammates suffered a significant training accident that will cause her to miss the upcoming season and serves as a reminder of the risk involved. There's also been a spike on "bubble wrap" Google searches in the Simmons house.
Finally, in a first for the Post Pattern, our reporting takes us to the college ranks, as Micah Vanderhoof has started his cross country career for Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. MLC was ranked #2 in their conference preseason poll. In his first meet as a freshman, Micah ran against formidible colleges with names such as Nebraska, Augustana, and SD State. The move to college running includes a increase in race length from 3.1 miles to 5 miles (which potentially came as a bit of a surprise to Micah). Micah's team will be competing several times in Wisconsin over the coming weeks.
