EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday or Friday throughout the calendar year.
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal, Fennimore Times, Boscobel Dial
Isaiah Groom, Sr., LB/FB, Potosi/Cassville football
POTOSI — Potosi/Cassville senior fullback Isaiah Groom was all over the field on both sides of the ball in the Chieftains' 21–14 WIAA Division 7 Sectional Final victory over Six Rivers rival River Ridge last Friday night. Groom rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries and led the Chieftains defense with 18 tackles and one forced fumble to lead the #1-ranked and undefeated Chieftains (12–0) to a berth in this Friday's WIAA D7 state semifinals against Stratford (12–0).
On the Chieftains' first offensive play, quarterback Dawson Weber connected with Konner Spitzack for a 14-yard gain, which was Potosi/Cassville’s only completed pass of the night. From there, Potosi/Cassville marched the remaining 34 yards on six running plays, getting a 3-yard TD run from Groom with 5:54 to play in the first quarter, and Aaron Edge added the extra-point kick for an early 7–0 lead.
After the Timberwolves took possession at their own 19-yard line following a Potosi/Cassville turnover, the Chieftains recovered a Ridge fumble three plays later at the 19-yard line. It took seven plays for Potosi/Cassville to find the end zone for the second time, getting a four-yard TD plunge from Groom with 31.6 seconds to play in the third quarter. The extra-point kick was blocked, leaving the score 13–7.
Groom goes into Friday night’s state semifinal game with 808 rushing yards and a team-high 17 touchdowns on 155 carries this season, and leads the Potosi/Cassville defense with 179 tackles, including 44 solo stops and four tackles for loss.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Jaxcyn Berntgen, Sr., Setter, Platteville volleyball
Berntgen was recently named the SWC Player of the Year after passing out a conference-high 824 assists, served up a team-high 44 aces, with a 97.7 service percentage, had 107 kills, 44 totals blocks and 313 digs in her final season for the Hillmen (24–11, 8–2 SWC) to a share of this year's SWC title. Berntgen finished her career with 2,374 assists, 236 digs, 116 total blocks, 103 aces, a 97.8 career service percentage and 975 digs, while leading Platteville to a 63–48 overall record in three years as a starter, including 20–10 in the SWC.
Aurora Fritz, Sr., Platteville/Lancaster girls swimming
Platteville/Lancaster senior Aurora Fritz placed eighth in the 100-yard butterfly and swam on the seventh-place 400 free relay and the eighth-place 200 medley relay at Saturday’s D2 McFarland Sectional. Fritz was the top individual finisher for the Hillmen with an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly (1:09.26) to help the Hillmen finish ninth out of 13 teams with 120 points. She also teamed with juniors Sophie Burr and Kirstyn Pennekamp, and sophomore Clara Marenes to place seventh in the 400 free relay (4:13.79), and combined with Burr, and seniors Jojo Dressler and Annabel Tennessen to finish eighth in the 200 medley relay at (2:05.76).
Nolan Hanke, Jr., RB, Lancaster football
Hanke rushed for a career-high 207 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries, but the No. 2 seeded Flying Arrows came up just short in a 35–32 season-ending loss to No. 8 seed Belleville (7–6) in last Friday's WIAA Division 6 sectional final at Lancaster High School. Hanke finished the season with a team-high 889 yards and 9 TDs on 144 carries in seven games for the SWC runner-up Flying Arrows (8–4, 5–2 SWC).
Anna Hennessey, Sr., MH, Highland volleyball
Hennessey was recently named the Six Rivers West Player of the Year after leading the Cardinals (21–7, 12–0 SRW) to the conference title. Hennessey recorded a team-high 233 kills, a .243 hitting percentage, 59 blocks, 26 aces and 160 digs in her final year at Highland.
Blake Thiry, Sr., RB/LB, Prairie du Chien football
Thiry rushed for a game-high 169 yards and 3 touchdowns, caught three passes for 64 yards and one TD, and recorded three tackles, including a sack, in the SWC champion Blackhawks' 39–0 WIAA Division 5 sectional final victory over Milwaukee Academy of Science (11–2) last Friday night. Prairie du Chien (12–0) will face fellow unbeaten Stratford (12–0) in a D5 state semifinal Friday at 7 p.m. The Tigers are coming off a 34–11 victory over Lake Country Lutheran. Prairie du Chien has not allowed a single point in three playoff games, outscoring its three playoff opponents 143–0.
Ella Vosberg, Sr., OH, Cuba City volleyball
Vosberg was recently named the SWAL co-Player of the Year after leading the Cubans (30–2) to a third-straight conference title. Vosberg posted a conference-best .318 kills with a .323 hitting percentage, a team-high 286 digs, 252 service receptions, 22 blocks and 15 service aces this fall.
