WISCONSIN HIGH SCHOOL CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS - Both Medford teams win twice at state

WISCONSIN HIGH SCHOOL CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sometimes the placement of a few rocks can make the difference between a win and a loss.

That was the situation for the Medford girls curling team on Friday morning as it faced Stevens Point in the first game of the State High School Championships held at the Wausau Curling Center.

Medford’s team of Caidyn Zenner, Erica Brandner, Stacey Dassow and Kaya Fortin came into the tournament as the 13th seed and were in a pool that included fourth-seeded Stevens Point, fifth-seeded Kimberly and 12th-seeded Marshfield. The team with the best record advanced from pool play into the semifinal rounds.

The Medford girls had lost twice to Stevens Point earlier this season and were looking to break that streak and start their state championship appearance with a win. Up until the eighth end it looked like that would be a strong possibility.

Medford scored one in the first end and allowed Stevens Point to answer back with two points in the second end. The Raider girls had a big third end scoring three points to jump to a 4-2 lead. Stevens Point attempted to claw its way back into it picking up a point in the fourth end.

Medford answered back, capitalizing on scoring multiple points with the hammer and put three more points on the board in the fifth end. In the sixth end, Stevens Point scored two rocks, but the Raiders answered back with one rock in the seventh to give the Raiders an 8-5 lead coming home.

The Raider girls continued their strategy of putting guards up in front of the house to try and prevent scoring. The risk of this strategy is if the opponent is able to get behind those guards and into scoring position it can be next to impossible to dislodge them.

Stevens Point ended up scoring four in the end to take the win.

The Medford girls rallied for the rest of their tournament play, defeating Kimberly 8-6 and getting a lopsided win over Marshfield on Saturday morning in their final game to win 11-3.

Stevens Point advanced out of pool play and semifinal rounds, ending up losing to defending state champions Poynette in the finals.

Medford head coach Stu Amundson said he was pleased with how the team did in the tournament and noted that without the one bad end against Stevens Point, the girls would have gone undefeated and advanced in the tournament.

The girls team ended their season with a 6-11 overall record. The state tournament performance and progress over the season showed the growing potential for the young team to be a power in girls curling in years to come.

Zenner, a sophomore, finished her second year in the skip position with junior Brandner gaining confidence in the third position. Freshman Dassow stepped up through the season to be a solid sweeper and shooter. The girls team’s only senior was first-year curler Fortin who threw in the lead position. With a core of experienced returning players, the girls are looking to build on their successes in coming seasons.

Boys beat East, Portage II

The Medford boys curling team state tournament appearance came down to capitalizing on their opponents’ missed opportunities and avoiding making their own miscues.

The boys team of Alex Wilson, Nathan Willman, Austin Klinger and Jaeden Brandner came out strong in it first game against Wausau East I. Medford had split against Wausau East in the regular season.

The Medford boys were the ninth seed in the 16-team tournament and played in a four-team pool that included top-seeded and defending state champions Wausau West 1, eighth-seeded Wausau East 1 and 16th-seeded Portage II.

Medford’s confidence showed on the ice Friday morning as it handily defeated Wausau East 9-3. East’s only points came in the fourth end when it scored three points. Medford jumped out to a threepoint lead in the first end to set the tone of the game and then following it up with an additional point scored in the second, third, fifth and sixth ends. Medford scored two more in the seventh end.

Medford’s second game on Friday afternoon was with Wausau West and, just as with their previous three match-ups against the Warriors, it resulted in a lopsided loss. The Raiders were outplayed by the Wausau team who seemed to capitalize on every opportunity to get in scoring position. That game ended with a 9-1 loss.

Medford was far from the only team to fall to Wausau West. The squad rolled through pool play and the semifinals and won the competition with a 9-7 victory over Poynette in the championship.

Medford shook off the loss and came back playing to win in the final game on Saturday. The boys faced Portage II, a team they had lost to earlier this season.

Throughout the tournament, Medford skip Wilson had called a strategy of putting a lot of rocks in the front of the house and relying on third Willman and himself to get rocks into scoring position.

In their final game, the boys scored two in the first end, but then faltered as Portage II racked up a series of single point ends in the second, third, fourth and fifth ends leaving the score at 4-2. Medford kept things alive by scoring three rocks in the sixth end to take the lead. However, Portage II answered back with two rocks of their own in the seventh end.

Coming home in the eighth end, Medford had hammer, but was down by one rock. Medford had four rocks in the house with one for sure in count thrown by Willman. Medford’s rocks were all sitting on the 12-foot ring with two biters in the back right of the house and two rocks sitting full in the 12-foot at about the 10 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions. Portage II had a well-guarded rock on the top of the 12 foot.

The Portage II skip attempted to take out the front Medford stone but went wide. Wilson attempted to draw the center port but ended up bumping into a guard and closed up an opportunity on the right side of the house. The Portage II skip attempted to draw in on the left side, but was swept out of the house by Willman. With Medford having the number 1 and 2 rocks in scoring position, Portage conceded and Medford came away with the 7-6 win.

The boys finished their season 7-11 with a 2-1 record at state.

The Medford boys will be in rebuilding mode next year as Brandner will be the only returning player. Wilson and Willman graduate after four years with the team along with first-year player Klinger.

Medford’s Nathan Willman and Austin Klinger put their brooms to work during their state contest with Wausau East I Friday. The Raiders won 9-3. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS BRIAN WILSON/THE STAR NEWS