View from the cheap seats
A weekly perspective on sports
Casey Krautkramer Reporter The Record-Review
Shawn Steinke of Athens stood up in front of the Bluejays adult boys basketball fan section, located behind the team’s bench, to persuade them to get fired up to cheer for their team despite it losing to Hurley in the WIAA Division 5 sectional championship on Saturday afternoon in Park Falls.
Steinke was right in wanting the Athens fans to get passionate about their team and show the boys basketball players they are proud of their tremendous effort in nearly winning the sectional title to qualify for state.
No Athens boys varsity basketball squad had ever made it this far in the playoffs, thus there was plenty of reason for the fans to celebrate the team’s success this season.
Several years ago, I worked third shift with Steinke at Marathon Cheese’s production plant in Marathon City. It just so happens I’m now the reporter at The Record-Review newspaper and Steinke is in his second year as the Athens middle/ high school technology education teacher.
I always wonder when high school varsity boys and girls basketball teams lose in sectionals, whether or not they are still interested in attending future games in the same season? For example, is the Athens boys basketball team wanting to watch Hurley’s state tournament semifinal against Bangor this Thursday night, March 17, at the Kohl Center in Madison?
My 1995-96 Marathon varsity boys basketball squad lost to Auburndale in regionals, yet my teammates and I still traveled to Madison that season to watch the boys basketball state tournament at the UW Fieldhouse.
Will the Athens boys basketball team not want to watch Hurley play, due to suffering a heartbreaking close loss to the Northstars in the sectional championship? Maybe the Bluejays will want to show their support for Hurley and hope the Northstars win the state championship, because then they can claim they lost to the best team in the state?
The Athens varsity girls basketball team lost a one-point nailbiter to Wisconsin Rapids Assumption in the regional championship this season. I saw Athens head coach Kyncaide Keefe and one of her assistant coaches, Briana Handschke, at the Assumption against Edgar sectional semifinal in the Marshfield High School gym.
A few of the younger Athens varsity girls basketball players including Addison Lavicka, Jazelle Hartwig, Danica Diethelm and Brianna Sheahan also attended the Assumption against Edgar sectional semifinal in Marshfield.
I have no idea if the Athens coaches and players were cheering for a particular team to win, but possibly the younger players watched this game to give them extra motivation to make it this far in the playoffs next season?
