Pardeeville stops girls a win short of the semifinals

STATE CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Boys competitive as the 15th seed

Sweepers Anya Apfelbeck and Erica Brandner bring a rock thrown by Karlee Westrich into the house, taking out a Portage rock, while skip Lyza Brandner is right on top of the action during Medford’s 8-3 win Friday afternoon.

Medford girls curling team took care of its Friday business to put itself into position to earn a spot in the semifinals, but the Raiders couldn’t clear that last hurdle during their Saturday match at the Wisconsin High School Curling Championships held at the Wausau Curling Center.

The team of seniors Lyza Brandner, Karlee Westrich and Anya Apfelbeck and freshman Erica Brandner entered the 16-team tournament as the seventh overall seed and knew that a Saturday matchup with second-seeded Pardeeville would likely be the one that could be the difference between a good weekend and a great weekend.

Medford started its pool play against 10th-seeded Portage II early Friday afternoon and jumped ahead quickly, getting one rock in the first end and three in the second for a 4-0 lead. The teams traded one in the next two ends, the Raiders added one in the sixth and sealed it with two in the seventh.

In the evening draw, Medford got out to a 5-0 lead through three ends, but then had to hold off a rally by 15th-seeded Wausau West II that took the game to an extra ninth end where Medford finally won it 11-8.

The Warriors got back in it by scoring four rocks in the fourth end and adding one in the fifth to tie it 5-5. Medford got one in the sixth, but West scored three in the seventh to take an 8-6 lead. Behind two perfect shots by Lyza Brandner, Medford got the two rocks it needed in the eighth to extend the game. The Raiders stole three in that ninth end to set up that big game with Pardeeville Saturday for a semifinal spot.

Pardeeville, who won the 2021 state title, got out to a 3-0 lead through two ends, but Medford got two in the third. Things took a big turn in the fourth end when the Bulldogs scored four to go up 7-2. Pardeeville opened up a 10-3 lead with three more in the sixth end and that was too much to overcome.

The Raider girls ended an 11-6-1 season and say goodbye to three seniors who leave the program with a combined 10 letter-winning seasons.

The Medford boys entered with a nothing to lose attitude as the 15th seed in their 16-team competition.

Junior Brett Lundy, senior Dalton Casar and sophomores Alex Wilson and Nathan Willman opened Friday morning with second-seeded Poynette, a school that had won the last two state titles, and scored the first rock of the game. Poynette got four in the second end, but Medford got two big shots from Lundy in the third end as he raised a rock into scoring position and drew in another to pull the Raiders within 4-3.

But Poynette hit it big in the fourth end with a five-spot that was basically the difference in a 10-4 final.

In the afternoon draw, Medford got its second matchup of the season with seventh-seeded Stevens Point. The Raiders won the first one for their first of five straight wins heading into state.

This time, the teams went back and forth with Medford fighting back from a two-point deficit to tie the game at 6-6 through six ends. The Raiders stole one in the seventh to take a 7-6 lead into the last end, which came down to the last shot which Point executed to take a 9-7 victory.

The Raiders finished play Saturday with a 10-6 loss to 10th-seeded Kimberly. The Papermakers erased Medford’s three-spot in the first end with a threespot of their own in the second end. Medford had a 6-5 lead after four, but Kimberly got one in the fifth and three in the sixth to break it open.

Medford finished 5-12, but came on strong after an 0-9 start. Casar is the lone graduate after three letter-winning sea- sons.

The Poynette girls defeated Pardeeville in the semifinals and Wausau West in the championship game Saturday

night. West beat Lodi in the other semifi nal. Wausau West I beat Wausau West II in boys semifinals and knocked off Portage in the title match. Portage ended Poynette’s two-year reign in the other semifinal.