Westosha Central boys golf punches ticket to state tournament

There have been team state appearances from the boys basketball, girls golf, boys volleyball and baseball teams – all within a span of 12 months.

Now, the boys golf squad can be added to the list of Falcon excellence.

That’s because on Tuesday afternoon at Brighton Dale Links, the Falcons shot a 325 to edge out third-place Muskego (329) and qualify for the WIAA Division 1 boys golf tournament.

Central’s second place finish was well behind sectional champion Kettle Moraine, which fired a 309.

“The Falcons did what they have been doing all year – staying mentally tough and finishing strong,” Westosha coach Mark Olsen said. “As usual we were led by Dylan Bruni, who finished with a 77.”

“From that point it was very balanced scoring. With Evan Pelli shooting 82 and Connor L’Esperance and Matthew Martin finishing with 83s. The greens superintendent, Jim Wallace, had the White Course in superb shape for the event and as usual Brighton Dale proved to be a strong test for the high school golfers. Muskego went out early and posted a 329, and that was the score that Westosha Central had to beat in order to move on. Every one of the Falcons put the ball in the fairway on #18 and hit the green to seal the deal.”

“I’ve watched many teams over the years in that position fail to get the job done. To say the least, I am very proud of this group.”

WILMOT 6, DELAVAN-DARIEN 4: In a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal Tuesday night, the host Panthers earned their second playoff win in less than seven days.

Wilmot played #1 seed Milwaukee St. Thomas More Wednesday with a sectional berth on the line. Results were unavailable by deadline, but will be in Friday’s Kenosha News.

As for Tuesday, Wilmot, the No. 4 seed, continued its improbable run with timely hitting and solid pitching.

Wilmot (10-14) got timely hitting from Max Haley and Noah Canella, who came through with a clutch, 2-out, down-in-the-count single to tie the game at 4-4.

In relief, Wilmot’s Isaac Fitzgerald tossed four strong innings.

It was head coach Karl Richter’s daughter’s 10th birthday Tuesday, so maybe luck was on the Panthers side.

“I feel good about our chances moving forward,” Richter texted Tuesday night. “We have our #1 going (Wednesday) and our most steady reliever fresh and ready to go.”

“I am sure we will face their #1, but we have competed with good arms all season, Switalski, Kay, Questad, Luke Schuler, as well as others in the SLC.”

According to Richter, the team’s ace pitcher is Hayden Christiansen, and the best reliever is Jake Christiansen, the son of Wilmot Athletic Director Herm Christiansen. If you’re wondering, the answer is no. Hayden and Jake are not related.

Jake Christiansen and Haley each went 3-for-3 to lead the offensive attack, and Hayden Christiansen and Canella both added two hits.

Cody Pappadakis added an RBI double, and freshman Chance Ruby led off and collected a hit, plus Ruby started on the mound, going three innings and allowing three earned runs with two strikeouts.

TREMPER 2, RACINE CASE 1: The Trojans improved to 16-10 overall after winning a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal Tuesday at Andy Smith Field.

Ryne Lesnik had an RBI triple with one out, and Cam Prickett added an RBI single with two outs, and the 2-0 lead in the first inning was all Tremper needed.

When a pitcher is dealing like Richie Dibble, you don’t need much hitting.

Dibble went six solid innings, striking out six, walking two and allowing only two hits.

Fifty-four of his 92 pitchers were strikes, and Dibble walked two batters.

Tremper travels to No. 4 Greendale (18-9) Thursday at 7 p.m.

“Richie gave us six very solid innings, and made some huge pitches, and Ethan was able to come in and get us to the finish line,” Tremper head coach John Matera said. “Ryne and Cam had clutch hits in the first inning. It’s important to make the most of scoring chances in the playoffs, and we got some big hits in that first inning to take the lead.”