When the Sevastopol girls cross country team takes the course in West Salem on Saturday afternoon, many of the teams they will be competing against will have already run.

COVID-19 has forced the state meet to divide up by division. Those divisions are then divided into three different sessions for the girls and boys to compete in during the course of the day. The Pioneers will hit the course at 3:30 p.m., by which time eight other teams and three other flights of individual qualifiers would have already ran. Senior Olivia Stenzel is not a stranger to the state meet, but even this is a little unique for her.

Joining Stenzel on the course at Maple Grove Venues in West Salem are Jolene Luedtke, Kylie Newton, Bea Dramm, Libby Ash, McKenzie Wiesner, and Rachel Wilke. They will be joined by Gillett, Ozaukee, and Catholic Memorial.

The Sevastopol girls cross country was certainly trying to do the math in their head at last week's Manitowoc Lutheran sectional.

The Pioneers tied Lourdes Academy with 46 points but were able to advance to Saturday's Division 3 state meet thanks in part to their sixth and seventh runners, Mckenzie Wiesner and Rachel Wilke. Their finishes ahead of the sixth and seventh runners for Lourdes Academy gave them the tiebreaker. Wiesner, a senior, describes the reaction with her fellow seniors Kylie Newton and Olivia Stenzel.

With the season in doubt due to COVID-19, qualifying for the state meet was not lost on freshman Libby Ash.

The Pioneers will be some of the last runners to tackle the course hosted by Onalaska High School in West Salem. Their race is the final session of three different girls races on Saturday, which begins at 3:30 p.m.

Picture from Sevastopol School District

Senior Olivia Stenzel won the race out of the scoring-elgible teams, but it was an entire team effort that punched the ticket to the state meet for the Sevastopol girls cross country team.

The Pioneers finished with 46 points, two points more than first place Gillett and was tied with Lourdes Academy. Tiebreakers decided the state berth with the Pioneers finishing with the better cumulative time and average time (21:45.8 108:48.8 ) and their sixth and seventh runners, Mckenzie Wiesner and Rachel Wilke, finished in a higher place than Lourdes Academy's. Olivia Stenzel took second overall with a time of 19:51 on the 5K course. You can find Sevastopol's times below and the full results here.

2. 46 Sevastopol (21:45.8 108:48.8 3:37.0) 
1 1 Olivia Stenzel 12 19:51.7
2 6 Jolene Luedtke 9 21:24.9
3 9 Kylie Newton 12 21:42.1

4 12 Bea Dramm 9 22:21.4

5 18 Libby Ash 9 23:28.7

6 ( 24) Mckenzie Wiesner 12 24:49.9

7 ( 25) Rachel Wilke 11 24:57.3

The girls will run at West Salem next weekend.

The Pioneers' three boys competing Saturday also had strong days. Bailey Henrickson was the top finisher for the team, coming in 20th place with a time of 18:39. The other two Pioneers, Noah Tomaszewski and Scott Andreae, finished one after the other. Their times are below and the full results can be found here.

20 Bailey Henrickson 12 Sevastopol 18:39.6 6:01

27 Noah Tomaszewski 12 Sevastopol 19:34.8 6:19

28 Scott Andreae 12 Sevastopol 19:42.8 6:21

Picture courtesy of Sevastopol School District

Correction: Olivia Stenzel got the points for finishing first out of the scoring teams, but actually took second overall behind Manitowoc Lutheran's Brooklyn Luebke. The story now reflects that. We apologize for the error.

The Sevastopol girls cross country team and three others could all head to West Salem together if they can master the field at Manitowoc Lutheran on Saturday.

Olivia Stenzel is a past state qualifier and could be joined by teammates Jolene Luedtke, 

Kylie Newton, Bea Dramm, Rachel Wilke, MacKenzie Wiesner, and Libby Ash after they tackle the 5K course. Bailey Henrickson, Noah Tomaszewski, and Scott Andreae is running on the boys' side.

The 10 runners know plenty about success this year, having won several meets this including last week's Packerland Conference meet.

Just like the frozen custard at Culver's, sometimes a second helping is necessary.

Even parents of other runners on the team urged NEW Radio Sports Network to honor Sevastopol senior cross country member Olivia Stenzel a second time as the Culver's Student-Athlete of the Week after earning the honor last year for her first-place performance at the Chief K Invitational in Fish Creek. Stenzel won her fourth Packerland Conference championship last week at Cherry Hills Golf Course in Sturgeon Bay and recently took top honors in the subsectional meet held at Lena on Tuesday with a time of 20:13. Sevastopol head coach Annie Kapolnek has appreciated her leadership this year as well as her talent.

Stenzel hopes to help her lead the Pioneers girls team to state when they run in the sectional meet at Manitowoc Lutheran on Saturday. Last year, Stenzel ran a 19:56 on the 5K course, which was good for third overall and a berth to the state meet in Wisconsin Rapids.

The Sevastopol Pioneers girls cross country and three members of the boys' team will head to Manitowoc Lutheran on Saturday after qualifying for the sectional meet on Tuesday.

On the boys' side, Bailey Henrickson (18:01), Noah Tomaszewski (19:36) and Scott Andreae (19:40) will represent the Pioneers after all three posted sub-19:40 times. Sam Abel just missed the cut with a time of 19:44. The team itself finished third in the five team, scoring 59 points behind Gillett (42) and Coleman (54). Full meet results can be found here.

The girls qualified as a team, finishing with 46 points behind Gillett's 32 points. Olivia Stenzel won the subsectional on a cold day in Lena with a time of 20:13. All five scoring runners finished in under 24:20 on the 5K course. Jolene Luedtke (6th, 21:45) and Kylie Newton (13th, 21:51) finished in the top 15. Full results available here. 

The Sevastopol Pioneers cross country team hopes to start the road to state on Tuesday when they hit the course in Lena.

Both the boys and the girls' teams saw great success during the truncated 2020 campaign, including last week's conference championship. They were led by Olivia Stenzel, who won her fourth individual conference title. A few of the teams' wins were on the hilly Cherry Hills Golf Course. Head coach Annie Kapolnek says they are looking forward to running on flatter terrain in Lena. 

The Pioneers will travel to Lena for their subsectional race, which is scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m. They will be racing against NEW Lutheran, Gillett, and Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas.

The road to state begins on Tuesday for area cross country teams on Tuesday, but it will certainly look different than in years past.

For starters, there will be fewer total teams competing thanks to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. Approximately 75 teams opted for the alternate spring season before the fall got underway. Since then, other teams have jumped the alternate season. At the meet itself, teams will compete in two separate waves. That means a total of four races (two boys, two girls) will be held. Only Sevastopol, Luxemburg-Casco, and Southern Door will be competing in Tuesday's subsectional meets with full previews being posted at NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com at that time. Below are the subsectional and wave assignments for each school competing. Kewaunee, Gibraltar, and Sturgeon Bay opted for the alternate season while Algoma chose to not participate in WIAA tournament events.

LENA SUBSECTIONAL

Sevastopol, 2 (Races Begins at 3:30)

LUXEMBURG-CASCO SECTIONAL

Luxemburg-Casco, 2 (Races begin at 3:30)

Southern Door, 2

Sevastopol's Olivia Stenzel left no doubt in her final Packerland Conference meet, capturing her fourth straight title on Thursday at Cherry Hills Golf Course.

Stenzel finished approximately 50 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher from Peshtigo with a time of 19:33. The Pioneers top scoring runners all finished in approximately 24 minutes and under. Additional runners include:

Jolene Luedtke 21:08

Kylie Newton 22:07

Bea Dramm 23:00

Rachel Wilke 24:02

MacKenzie Wiesner 24:54

Libby Ash 25:46

That was good enough for the Pioneer girls to win conference with a score of 18, outpacing Southern Door (44) and Oconto (58). Peshtigo and NEW Lutheran did not have enough runners to qualify.

The Pioneer boys had just Oconto to compete with for a team title and edged them out 25-30. Peshtigo had three runners complete the 5K course in less than 18 minute, but only four runners total. Caleb Smith won the race with a time of 17:21. Bailey Henrickson paced the Pioneers with a time of 18:29. The other times for the Pioneers include:

Noah Tomaszewski 18:57

Sam Abel 20:07

Spencer Evenson 20:17

Ezra Linnan 20:38

After a season where they hosted their first home meet in 15 years, the Pioneers head to Lena for subsectionals.

Sevastopol will take over the reins for at least one year as the host of the Packerland Conference meet.

The Pioneers will host Sturgeon Bay, Oconto, NEW Lutheran, and Peshtigo on their home route of Cherry Hills Country Club. Head coach Annie Kapolnek says the course is challenging and believes their early season work has paid dividends. 

Senior Olivia Stenzel is looking to win her fourth straight Packerland Conference meet. Kapolnek says Stenzel continues to be a hard worker while also being a leader.

The Packerland Cross Country meet is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. 

Sevastopol High School found itself without an opponent again and has opted to move the rest of its football season to the alternate period this spring. Last week, two opponents canceled their game against Sevastopol. The Pioneers were initially scheduled to play Auburndale in a return match from their Week One contest. That was switched to a road game at Wausaukee, which was called off on Thursday. 

The WIAA had set a deadline of this past Saturday for schools to notify the governing body of their intention to move to the alternate fall schedule in early 2021. Sevastopol held a team meeting and chose not to pursue that action as they had three games slated through early November. This Friday’s game had to be canceled early in the week due to a scheduling conflict. Athletic Director Brooke Tanck says that the WIAA gave Lena’s original opponent, Gillett, clearance to resume play after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Since Gillett is in the same conference as Lena, the WIAA said that matchup takes precedence. Sevastopol left without another game, petitioned the WIAA to allow them to opt for the alternate schedule two days late, and that appeal was granted.

 
Seven total games are allowed between fall and spring. Sevastopol is 1-1 and eligible for up to five contests beginning in March.

*Photo courtesy of School District of Sevastopol Facebook page. Cole Dvorak scores against Lena in Week Two.

After being canceled earlier this year, the Sevastopol PTO is reviving its holiday tradition.

The Door County Turkey Trot, albeit runners and walkers will be participating on their own courses. PTO President Tracy Wautlet posted on the school's website that the "PTO couldn’t bear the thought of not adding this year’s t-shirt to our collections" and decided to host the virtual event based on feedback it received. Participants have until Saturday to sign up for the event online and then can complete their own two-mile or four-mile course between November 6th and 14th. Race registrations include a commemorative t-shirt and all proceeds benefit the Sevastopol PTO.

You can sign up by clicking this link or if you don't want to run or walk, you can buy the t-shirt on the school's website.

After Friday’s matchup with Wausaukee was canceled on Thursday, Sevastopol will not be playing this weekend but will be traveling to Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas next Friday. The Pioneers were originally set to play Algoma next on October 16 but Algoma canceled their season. This will be the second time in three weeks that the Pioneers will match up with the Titans. In the first matchup at home, the Pioneers were in control from the start as they led 40-6 at halftime and cruised to a 40-20 win. Sevastopol is currently 1-1 on the season.

The Sevastopol cross country team won both the boys and girls race for the second consecutive meet on Thursday. The Pioneer boys were able to edge out the victory over Oconto by one point 27-28. The Peshtigo boys did not have enough runners to qualify as a team but had the top three finishers including Caleb Smith who won the race with a time of 17:56. The Pioneers were led by Bailey Henrickson who took fourth overall with a time of 18:30. The other scorers all finished in the top 12.

Scott Andreae 19:24

Noah Tomaszewski 19:28

Ezra Linnan 20:46

Sam Abel 20:57

As for the girls, Sevastopol was one point shy of a perfect score and won with a 16. Oconto took second with a 49 and Peshtigo didn’t have enough runners to qualify. All five of Sevastopols’ scorers finished in the top eight including Olivia Stenzel who won the race with a time of 19:54. The remaining scorers for Sevastopol were as follows:

Jolene Luedtke 21:54

Bea Bramm 24:18

Rachel Wilke 24:24

Cassie Rankin 25:12

Sevastopols’ next scheduled meet is October 15 at Cherry Hills Golf Course for the conference title.  

Sevastopol football has had a hard time playing the opponents that were on their original schedule. Last week, Algoma decided to cancel their football season and the Pioneers were able to schedule Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas. This week, their original game against Auburndale was canceled and Sevastopol was able to schedule a game at Wausaukee. On Thursday, Wausaukee informed Sevastopol that they would be canceling the game due to COVID-19 concerns. Sevastopols’ Athletic Director Brooke Tanck said, “It can be challenging to find games but it’s much harder on the coaches and the athletes. It’s hard to prepare to play an opponent and have the game canceled and then turn around and try to prepare for someone else.” At the moment, Sevastopol does not have a football game scheduled for this weekend. 

The Sevastopol cross country team will look to sweep again in their third meet of the season on Thursday against Oconto and Peshtigo. Last week, the Pioneers were able to beat Green Bay N.E.W and Southern Door in both the boy’s and girl’s race at Cherry Hills. The boys were led by Bailey Henrickson as the Pioneers won with a score of 27 as Green Bay N.E.W. and Southern Door didn’t have enough runners to qualify as a team. Henrickson won the race with a time of 18:32. Sevastopols’ Scott Andreae and Noah Tomaszewski finished in the top 5 with times of 19:31 and 19:37. The girls were just as dominant as Olivia Stenzel and Jolene Luedtke finished first and second with times of 19:29 and 21:05. Sevastopol tied Green Bay N.E.W. with a score of 36 but won the tiebreaker due to N.E.W. not having a sixth runner. 

Thursday’s meet is set to start at 4:00 p.m. at Cherry Hills Golf Course. 

For the second time in as many weeks, Sevastopol High School’s football team finalized its matchup just days before kickoff. The Pioneers will be on the road for the first time at Wausaukee. The Rangers are 1-1 like Sevastopol. They even share a victory over a common opponent. Wausaukee beat Lena 34-18 in Week One, while the Pioneers bested the Titans 40-20 last Friday. Wausaukee’s loss came against North Central High School. The Jets, from the UP of Michigan near Escanaba, soared to a 54-6 win. 

Sevastopol was originally scheduled to play a Saturday matinee against Auburndale with kickoff at 1 PM. The Wausaukee game is slated for Friday at 7 PM.

The Sevastopol football team was able to bounce back in a big way Friday night with a 40-20 victory over Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas. After falling to Auburndale last week 76-22, the Pioneers came out and dominated the Titans. After a failed onside kick by Lena to start the game, Sevastopol was able to take advantage of the short field and scored on a 7-yard touchdown run by Spencer Evenson to take a 6-0 lead. Lena was able to answer back almost immediately by driving down the field in two minutes and scoring off a Sam Marquardt 20-yard run to tie the game. Less than one minute later, Jack deYoung was able to hit Cole Dvorak for a 34-yard touchdown pass to take a 12-6 lead. The game turned when Sevastopol was able to get a goalline stop on the next possession and followed it up with a Spencer Evenson 94-yard touchdown run. Once the Pioneers held a 19-6 lead, Lena abandoned the run and Sevastopol was able to take control of the game from that point on. deYoung was then able to hit Dvorak again for a 55-yard touchdown pass and shortly after Frankie Ash added on with a 5-yard interception return for a touchdown. Sevastopol held a 40-6 lead at the break and then cruised in the second half while most of the starters sat out. Lena would add two late touchdowns in the fourth to make the final 40-20. 

Sevastopol looks to avenge their week one loss when they travel to Auburndale next Saturday in a game you can hear on 104.1 WRLU.

The Sevastopol cross country team was able to dominate Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran and Southern Door on Thursday. In a meet held at Sevastopol, The Pioneers were able to win the boy's race and tie the girl's race as a team. Sevastopol scored a 27 in the boy's race while N.E.W and Southern Door didn’t have enough runners to qualify. In the boy's race, Bailey Henrickson from Sevastopol was able to win it with a time of 18:32. Scott Andreae and Noah Tomaszewski also finished in the top five for the Pioneers with times of 19:31 and 19:37. The other scoring members were able to finish in the top 10.

Sam Able 20:43

Ezra Linnan 21:59

In the girl's race, Sevastopol and N.E.W. tied for first with scores of 37 but Sevastopol won the tiebreaker due to N.E.W. not having a sixth runner. Southern Door wasn’t far behind with a score of 46. Sevastopols’ Olivia Stenzel and Jolene Luedtke finished first and second with times of 19:29 and 21:05. The other scoring members of the team finished in the top 14.

Bea Dramm 23:26

Rachel Wilke 23:48

Mckenzie Weisner 25:36

Sevastopol competes next on October 8.

The Sevastopol football team is looking to bounce back from an ugly season opener. Last Saturday, the Pioneers hosted the Auburndale Apaches and lost 76-22. The Apaches broke out of the gates to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter and led 48-16 at the half. Even though Sevastopol lost the game, there were still some good things to build on moving forward. They moved the ball more consistently as the game went on and ran for 200+ yards. The Pioneers week two opponent, Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas is also looking to get their first win of the season as they lost their opener 34-18 to Wausaukee. 

104.1 WRLU will be broadcasting the game on Friday night. The pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. and kickoff is at 7:00 p.m.