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By A.J. Gates, Herald Independent
Brianna Kirsch, Sr., Lancaster girls golf team
VERONA — The illustrious prep golf career of Lancaster senior Brianna Kirsch came to a close on Tuesday, Oct. 10, with a fifth-place finish at the WIAA Division 2 Girls Golf State Championship held at University Ridge Golf Course.
Kirsch, who earned Southwest Wisconsin Conference MVP honors this past season, as well as individual regional and sectional medalist honors, walked away from the 2023 girls golf season with another state medal around her neck.
Her fifth-place finish at this week’s state meet gives the Lancaster senior three state medals in all, after finishing sixth last year as a junior and third as a sophomore in 2021. She also competed at state as a freshman in 2020, finishing 13th.
During this year’s two-day state competition, Kirsch played her way into the top five on day one, and remained their with another steady performance on the second day. After shooting a 10-over-par round of 82 during last Monday’s opening round, Kirsch was sitting in a two-way tie for fourth place among 39 division 2 golfers.
Her front nine consisted of three pars and six bogeys, while finishing her round with one birdie, three pars and five bogeys on the back.
Starting off on the back nine on day two, Kirsch began her round with a par on the par-4 10th, followed by a bogey on the par-5 11th. She then went on to par the 12th hole, followed by three consecutive bogeys, two pars and a bogey on the 18th.
On the front, Kirsch started out with a bogey on the first hole before parring holes two and three. She took a double on the par-four fourth, and followed up by playing the last five holes at one under par with four consecutive pars and a birdie on her final hole.
With a two-day score of 161, Kirsch finished two strokes behind fourth-place finisher Aliisa Helminen of Xavier, and two strokes ahead of sixth-place finisher Sophia Baek of Notre Dame.
Winning this year’s Division 2 individual state title was Colfax/Elk Mound’s Belle Kongshaug, with a two-day score of 157, which was one stroke better than Somerset’s Ava Pesha and Jefferson’s Payton Schmidt who tied for second.
As a team, the Flying Arrows finished fifth in the six-team Division 2 state field with a two-day team score of 758, shooting a 408 on day one and a 350 on day two. Prescott won this year’s D2 state title with a two-day score of 704.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order)
Joe Haas, Jr., RB/LB, Potosi/Cassville football
Filling in for injured senior Eli Adams, Haas rushed for a career-high 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns, caught two passes for 78 yards, including a 54-yard catch and run down to the one-yard line to set up Braden Fishnick's game-winning QB sneak with 17 seconds left in Potosi/Cassville's 34–26 victory over River Ridge last Friday night. Haas also recorded eight tackles on defense in the comeback win as the Chieftains' scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth-quarter to rally from a 26–14 deficit after three quarters to clinch at least a share of this year's Six Rivers title.
Nora Jillson, Jr., and Aleya Kliesner, Sr., Boscobel girls cross country
Jillson (18:45.1) and Kliesner (19:16.3) finished first and second out of 121 runners at last Saturday's 18-team Riverdale Invitational. The Lady Bulldogs (66) also finished second out of 13 complete teams behind Lancaster (48).
Erin Knowles, Sr., MH, Boscobel volleyball
Knolwes tallied a team-high 62 kills, 16 digs, 10 aces and 10 blocks if five matches to lead the Bulldogs (10–17) to a 3–2 record and a third-place finish at last Saturday's six-team Cashton Invitational. Knowles had her best match of the day with 20 kills, four aces and three blocks in a 26–24, 25–23 sweep of De Soto in the fifth and final round to clinch third place. Knowles also had a team-high 15 kills, nine solo blocks and 22 service receptions to help the Bulldogs take a set from SWAL-leading Mineral Point (23–5, 11–0 SWAL) Tuesday night in a 25–19, 25–18, 23–25, 25–17 loss to the Pointers.
