The Polar Vortex seems like it could be going away soon. We can only hope.
As I write this on Tuesday night, a lot of the grass is showing in my yard thanks to a couple days of balmy 40-degree weather.
I honestly feel no need to embark on any Spring Break shenanigans because 40 degrees in Burlington feels like a 70-degree paradise in Panama City Beach. Minus the drunk hooligans wearing next to nothing, of course.
But 40 degrees means no winter jacket, just a hoodie, so that’s my version of getting wild and crazy.
While it’s fun to make fun of how awfully pathetic the weather has been over the last few months, but it’s quite another thing to forecast the bleak chances of a warm, normal spring anytime soon.
One area softball team practiced outside for the first time Tuesday, but snow was expected on Wednesday. If you thought cancellations were a pain in the winter, you ain’t seen nothing yet, area sports fans.
Teams will be lucky to hit the baseball and softball diamonds by April 20, and soccer players can look forward to a muddy snow mix for a few weeks.
So let’s take a second to look at the best athletes, coach and team of the winter season, which will conclude this weekend with the girls basketball state tournament.
These are the top performers from Burlington, Catholic Central, Waterford and Union Grove high schools. Next week, I will pick my all-area basketball teams.
So sit back, enjoy, and pray for some sunshine and temperatures in the 50s. The spring sports season depends on it.
Male Athlete of the Winter
Max Fisher, Waterford wrestling
The 145-pound junior made history this season for the Wolverines.
The Southern Lakes Conference wrestler of the year set a school record with 51 wins, including 47 in a row to finish with a 51-3 overall record.
He earned a fifth-place medal at the WIAA Division 2 state tournament as well.
The accolades don’t stop there, as Fisher won the Ed Steche Invitational, was named most valuable wrestler at the Fort Atkinson tournament and posted a second straight conference title.
“I thought it was a good year and a good showing at state this year,” Fisher said. “My goal was going to state and winning the state championship.”
Though he didn’t reach his ultimate goal, Fisher was ranked No. 1 in his weight class by Wisconsin Wrestling Online at one point.
Next year, Fisher wants to win a state title, and he will also take part in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling for the Burlington club team.
As a starting linebacker for the football team and a beast on the mat, Fisher has only scratched the surface.
Also receiving votes: Andrew Kazikowski, Union Grove basketball; Ben Geiger, Burlington basketball; Josh Bird, Burlington wrestling; Ben Hornickle, Burlington wrestling.
Female Athlete of the Winter
Molly Benavides, Burlington gymnastics
In a year of twists and turns for the Burlington-Badger-Wilmot gymnastics team, the junior gymnast was part of the glue that held it all together.
One of few BBW athletes to participate the entire season injury-free, Benavides made up one-third of the Big Three with Bailey and Jenna Fitzpatrick.
When Jenna and Bailey each suffered painful injuries toward the end of the season, Benavides stepped up and helped the Demons win a sectional championship and fourth straight second-place finish at state.
An all-around performer, Benavides, a Lyons native, was recently named the SLC Athlete of the Year for her efforts.
Her finest moment came at the individual state gymnastics tournament, where she won state titles on the beam and vault.
With Bailey Fitzpatrick hobbled by a knee injury, Benavides was able to shine one day after the team suffered a heartbreaking team state defeat.
“I knew I just had to clear my head, because I knew if I didn’t it would affect my performance,” Benavides said of her individual state performance. “I just do what I do, and the judges like it, I guess.”
At team state, the Demons missed out on the school’s first state championship by the slimmest margin in state history. Benavides came up huge, though, posting a 9.7 on floor and a 9.683 on both beam and vault.
“Even though we didn’t take first, team state was filled with emotion. We fought as hard as we could and made unforgettable memories.”
Benavides has now won two state vault titles and a floor and beam state championship in her first three years.
As seniors next year, expect Benavides and Bailey Fitzpatrick to be the strongest duo in the state.
Also receiving votes: Jenna Fitzpatrick, BBW gymnastics; Bailey Fitzpatrick, BBW gymnastics; Madison Blair, Waterford basketball.
Team of the Winter
Union Grove boys basketball
The preseason pick to win the Southern Lakes Conference lived up to its billing all season long.
The Broncos, led by five returning starters and plenty of experienced leadership, were in first place in the SLC standings from November all the way through the end of February.
The front-runners knocked off Westosha Central, and a Wilmot loss to Lake Geneva Badger clinched the Grove’s first conference title since 2007.
With balanced scoring coming from beyond the arc and inside the paint, the Grove came at opponents in a variety of ways.
The Broncos earned a No. 1 seed in the Division 2 playoffs and knocked off Burlington in a regional semifinal before losing to eventual state qualifier Greendale on a last-second dagger of a 3-point shot.
Union Grove finished 19-5 and had all the ingredients to make it to state had they not lost on that last-second triple.
Andrew Kazikowski led a balanced attack with 12 points per game and was named the SLC player of the year for his efforts.
But any great player is an extension of great teammates, and Kazikowski relied on a plethora of capable contributors.
Alex Hale (11.9), Grant Beck (11.2), Cody Walters (8.2) and Jake Fink (6.4) could all light up the scoreboard, and Ben Miller and Alex Van Dyke provided even more depth.
Defensively, the Grove’s press caused teams fits, and the Broncos’ length down low made opponents work for every basket.
Burlington and Waterford owned the SLC the past four years, but the Grove proved in 2014 there’s a new kid on the block.
Also receiving votes: Burlington wrestling, Burlington gymnastics, Waterford girls hoops.
Coach of the Winter
Eric Henderson, Catholic Central boys basketball
Any good coach gets the most out of his or her players.
No matter the odds, he or she pushes players to the limits and expects only the best. The coach teaches the necessary skills, and he or she makes sure each piece is in place to maximize potential.
Eric Henderson got the most out of the Toppers this winter.
Catholic Central finished 21-5 overall, advanced to a WIAA Division 2 sectional and nearly won one of the state’s toughest conferences only one year after finishing 8-17.
Henderson’s positive energy and skilled expertise rubbed off on his players, who showed grit and toughness night in and night out on both sides of the floor.
The Toppers knocked off Racine St. Cat’s and Kenosha St. Joe’s and held their own with three-time defending Division 4 state champion Whitefish Bay Dominican.
Catholic Central also toppled D5 state qualifier Sheboygan Lutheran, a larger school in Westosha Central and a solid Williams Bay team.
Henderson, in his fifth season as Toppers head coach, enjoyed his first winning season, took second in the Metro Classic Conference and was only two games from state.
The Toppers enjoyed four all-conference selections in Tegan Miles (first team), Ben Heiligenthal (second), Spencer Wilker (honorable mention) and Bailey Wright (honorable mention).
Wright summed up the team’s transformation.
“We put CC back on the map for basketball,” Wright said. “We gave Hendo (Henderson) his first winning season. This team was different from your average team.”
Henderson, former college basketball player and the current principal at Catholic Central, stressed team play, and it paid off for a magical season the city won’t soon forget.
“I’m extremely proud of the boys and their effort the entire year,” Henderson said. “It was an extreme pleasure to coach this group of young men. Our balance and ability to play together took us a long way.”
Also receiving votes: Jade Gribble, Burlington wrestling. Diane Biedrzycki, BBW gymnastics. Dena Brechtl, Waterford girls basketball.
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