Stratford is off to a quick 3-0 start

By Casey Krautkramer

Stratford’s varsity boys basketball team is off to a promising start to the 202324 season. Stratford began this season with a nice 43-41 non-conference home win against Neillsville. The Tigers then achieved their second straight home victory, 62-45, against the Prentice Buccaneers. Although Prentice is a member of the Marawood North Conference, this crossover game still counts toward Stratford’s record in the Marawood South Conference. Stratford then won its first road game of the season, 66-36, against Athens on Tuesday.

Tigers head varsity coach Curt Schmidt is back for his 19th season at the helm. His middle child, senior guard Brady Schmidt, is Stratford’s only returning starter from last season.

Stratford’s top returning varsity players besides Brady Schmidt are senior guard Payton Glenn, senior forward Henry Zaleski and junior guard Drew Bruesewitz. The Tigers’ top newcomers to the varsity squad this year are junior guards Reid Miller, Alec Chapel and Caleb Wrensch.

Bruesewitz led Stratord with 13 points and Zaleski added 12 in the team’s seasonopening win against Neillsville. Glenn paced the Tigers with four assists and Zaleski with five rebounds. Glenn and Zaleski led Stratford with three steals each.

Curt Schmidt spoke about the importance of the team winning its season opener this season against a solid Neillsville squad.

“It meant a great deal to get a win in the first game of the season,” he said. “We need to work on having consistent outside shooting and finishing easy baskets. We will have to improve our conditioning so we can play better defense. I will emphasize the importance of rebounding the basketball with this team.”

Last season, Stratford lost twice to Marathon during the regular season and also in the WIAA Division 4 regional championship. The Tigers concluded last season with a just over .500 record of 13-12. Curt Schmidt outlined what his team needs to do this season to return to winning Marawood South Conference championships.

“We will need to defend well,” he said. “We need to shoot the ball well by taking good shots. We need to take care of the ball and rebound well.”

Stratford’s defense didn’t allow an Athens player to score double-digit points in Tuesday’s 66-36 road win. Bruesewitz led the Tigers with 18 points and Brady Schmidt added 13.

TIGERS VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM- Introducing the 2023-24 Stratford varsity boys basketball squad. Players pictured, from lef to right, front row are: Jett Schoenherr, Brooks Vanderhoof, Reid Miller, Payton Glenn, Brandon Gebelein and Caleb Wrensch; back row: Drew Bruesewitz, Henry Zaleski, Brady Schmidt, Brady Berg, Kaden Foster and Alec Chapel.

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