Yesterday, (Feb. 6th), was national signing day for area high school athletes who are offered scholarships at NCAA colleges that are not Division 3. (division 3 colleges don't offer scholarships) Here is the run down of area high school athletes who have signed to play their respective sports at the next level.

 

Chris Garner from Augusta to play football for the Wisconsin Badgers.

Jon Heimler from Menomonie to play football for North Dakota.

Eric Phillips from Menomonie to play football for NCAA Div II Michigan Tech.

Lance Rongstad from Eleva-Strum to play football for Bemidji State.

Dustin Kroeplin from Owen-Withee to play football for Bemidji State.

Ben Pederson from Eleva-Strum to play football for Southwest Minnesota State.

Wesley Anderson from Fall Creek to play football for Southwest Minnesota State.

Kyle Thorpe from Stanley-Boyd to play football for Minnesota State-Moorehead

Brad Meade from Chippewa Falls to play football for St. Cloud State.

Chad Strrilzuk from Unity to play football for University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Derek Borgen from Barron to play football for University of Minnesota-Duluth

Kiel Shock from Rice Lake to play football for University of Minnesota-Duluth

 

In addition to those athletes we had mentioned previously about Eau Claire North's Hannah Quilling going to UW-Green Bay to play basketball. If we have missed anyone please use to contact us button on our homepage so we can recognize those athletes in future articles.

 

Another week and another area athlete going over the 1,000 point plateau in their basketball career. UW-Eau Claire senior Dan Beyer went over 1,000 points in his Blugold career in the Blugolds 88-81 loss to UW-Superior.

 

Heads or tails? Unless there is an upset between now and the end of the WIAC Women's regular basketball season a coin flip could decide whether it's UW-Eau Claire or UW-Whitewater with the # 1 seed and home-court advantage in the WIAC Women's basketball tournament. UW-Eau Claire and UW-Whitewater split their regular season meetings and have the same record in all of the tie-breakers so it could come down to a coin flip.

 

The WIAA Board of Control last week approved a couple of rule changes for the upcoming football season. In overtime the ball will be placed on the 25 yard-line (like it already is for college football ) instead of the 10 yard-line. Coaches will also be allowed spend 5 days with their players during the summer instead of 4 and those days will not have to be consecutive days.

 

Neillsville alum QB Cody Craig who was the Midwest Conference offensive player of the year for St. Norbert College this past season has signed a professional football contract to play for the River City Rage of the United Indoor Football League. The River City Rage are located in St. Charles, Missouri.

 

The Big Rivers boys and girls basketball conferences could be decided in the next few days. On the girls side North plays Memorial Friday night and on the boys side North hosts Chippewa Falls on Tuesday.

 

Here are the area high school athletes and coaches selected to play in the WFCA All-Star football game this summer.

 

North squad

 

DB Dakota Smith-Colfax

DB Evan Kowalski-Somerset

DL Mike Schaaf-Chetek

DL Kyle Flynn-Plum City

LB Nick Zander-Eleva-Strum

LB Dustin Kroeplin-Owen-Withee

DE Burt Guerkink-Somerset

QB Kyle Thorpe-Stanley-Boyd

OL Eric Phillips-Menomonie

OL Mike Brunner-Elmwood

WR Jon Heimler-Menomonie

TE Zac Berry-Eau Claire Regis

 

Coaches of the North squad from this area

Chris O' Connell-formerly of Eau Claire Regis

Randy Peiffer-Plum City

Bobby Diaz-Thorp

Bruce Larson-Somerset

 

The WCFA All-Star game will be played on Saturday July 19th in Oshkosh.

 

Somerset senior football players Burt Guerkink and Tony Martin have been selected to play for Team USA in the 2008 U-19 Global Challenge Kawasaki Bowl in Japan on March 22nd.