View from the cheap seats

A weekly perspective on sports

Casey Krautkramer Reporter The Record-Review

My alma mater, Marathon High School, is going to recognize the 2010-11 boys basketball state championship team at 6:45 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 4, between the junior varsity and varsity home games against Abbotsford.

I plan on attending the festivities so I can take a picture of the 2010-11 state title squad for next week’s The Record-Review. Marathon High School wanted to honor the state championship team last season on the 10th anniversary of it winning the WIAA Division 4 state championship, but the celebration was delayed due to COVID-19.

The last state championship recognition I attended was a few years ago at Edgar High School, when I sat with my cousin, John Berg, and his boys basketball teammates in the bleachers before they their 1996-97 team was recongized during the 20th anniversary of it winning the WIAA Division 5 state championship at the UW Fieldhouse. I rode with my uncle, Lenny Berg, on the Edgar fan bus to watch the Wildcats capture the state title.

Before I began writing sports for The Record-Review in April of 2015, I worked for 10 total years at local cheese factories’ Marathon Cheese in Marathon and Foremost Farms in Marshfield.

I drove to Ashwaubenon High School, which is near Lambeau Field in Green Bay, to watch Marathon’s 2008-09 boys varsity basketball team fall short of making it to the WIAA Division 3 state tournament, 66-63, to Brillion in the sectional championship. Marathon finished the season with a 21-4 record.

The following season, I drove back to Ashwaubenon High School to watch Marathon’s 2009-2010 varsity boys basketball squad fall to Manitowoc Roncalli, 54-43, in the sectional title game.

I felt bad for Marathon seniors, such as starting player Ryan Wokatsch, who was on Marathon teams during his final two years in high school that barely missed advancing to the state tournament. This team finished the season with a 26-1 record.

Finally, the Marathon boys basketball team broke through and made it to the WIAA Division 4 state tournament during the 2010-11 season.

I remember finishing my 3-11 a.m. work shift at Foremost Farms in Marshfield, and then quickly got ready at home to attend Marathon’s sectional championship victory against Oshkosh Lourdes Academy at Stevens Point Senior High School. I watched Marathon star player Cody Hanke slam dunk the basketball on television in Marathon’s state tournament semifinals win on a Thursday night, because I needed to work early the next morning.

Fortunately, I had the weekend off from work which alllowed me the neat opportunity to watch Cody Hanke slam dunk the ball in person during Marathon’s state championship victory against Grantsburg at the Kohl Center.