Mounder boys set sight on another D-SC basketball crown

By Cara L. Dempski

ELK MOUND — After losing two of its first seven conference games a year ago, the Elk Mound boys went unbeaten in their second go-round of conference contests to finish atop Dunn-St. Croix basketball standings at 12-2, one game better than runner-up Durand. But the Mounders, who finished 17-6 overall, made a quick exit from the WIAA tournament when they lost 66-51 to Mauston in the first round of Division 3 regional play.

That conference championship team lost seven players to graduation and had successful head coach Chris Hahn step down to focus on his new position as Elk Mound’s middle school principal.

This turn of events might be a recipe for disaster for some schools, but newly-crowned head coach Michael Kessler doesn’t seem terribly worried as the Mounders set their collective sight on a second consecutive Dunn-St. Croix title.

“We will rely on our seniors and juniors who have seen significant minutes to lead us early on,” Kessler said. “We hope the athletes who don’t have as much experience can pick up the level of play quickly.”

The seven seniors who left the team – Alex Hollister, Colin Svee, Brandon Bohl, Cole Tyman, Elliot Johnson, Erik Strand and Justin Erpenbach – provided a sizeable portion of Elk Mound’s scoring and athleticism. Coming off a season where the team racked up 1,477 total points and its opponents only scored a total of 1,201, Kessler knows those seven pairs of shoes will need to be filled quickly.

Dane Lew, a senior, and Ben Lambele, a junior, are two returning letter winners who will be stepping into those shoes. The pair was Elk Mound’s top scoring duo last season.

Lew led Elk Mound in scoring last season with 13.2 points-per-game average over 17 games. He also pulled down 62 rebounds.

Lambele was hot on Lew’s heels for scoring with his own 13.1 point-per-game average. The junior scored 288 points in 22 games last season and was the team’s leading rebounder with 148 to his credit.

Seniors Chandler Schreiber and Carter Pritchard also return as letter winners. Schreiber averaged 4.6 points over 15 games, pulled down 29 rebounds, and provided 21 assists. Pritchard logged 42 rebounds in 20 games, had 20 assists and averaged 3.4 points per game.

Jameson Rubenzer and Noah Zurbuchen complete the senior class of letter winners. Rubenzer scored an average 1.3 points over three games and took credit for two rebounds, while Zurbuchen spent last season sidelined.

Juniors Dylan Black, Ryan Mohr and Brandon Redwine complete the letter winners on the roster. Black led the team in assists as a sophomore, and is credited with 65 over 22 games. He averaged 3.4 points per game and grabbed 49 rebounds.

Mohr logged a 3.7 point-per-game average in seven games, and is credited with 10 rebounds in four games. Redwine provided four assists in nine games, logged 16 rebounds, and chalked up a 2.1 point-per-game average over seven games.

Other juniors hoping to make a contribution are Conner Mavis, Logan Bergh, William Muzynski, Dylan Curry, Nathaniel Schreiber, Blake Rosenthal and Jonas Kohls.

Seven sophomores are also hoping to see enough minutes on the court this season to gain experience and assist the team. These team members are Brady Redwine, Brett Lew, Bryce Maves, Colton Ward, Jake Mentzel, Marcus Kinblom and Rian Flynn.

This year’s crop of freshmen includes Kyle Deling, Blaze Todd, James Javanovich, Cade Hanson, Chase Rhude, Cole Steinhorst, Derek Falkner, Dominic Hall and Ethan Rubenzer.

Coach Kessler could be considered a freshman himself, since this is his first year at the helm of the Elk Mound boys basketball team. Jon Linzmeier and Jim Day will assist coaching the varsity team, David Lew will coach the junior varsity team, and Dennis Arneson is the coach of the c-team.

Kessler said the Mounders’ greatest strengths this season would be their chemistry, work ethic and athleticism at guard. His is worried about a lack of presence at the post right now, but said the team’s main goal this year – as in other years – is to be playing its best basketball by the time tournament season rolls around.

The Elk Mound coach said this year’s toughest competition will come from Colfax, Mondovi and Durand. He credits the excellent coaching and team athletes on all three teams with the ability to beat any team on any given night.

This is the second year WIAA teams are playing two halves instead of four quarters. Kessler said he feels the change has given games a better flow and added extra minutes for other athletes to play.

The Mounders opened their season November 21 in Altoona and host Fall Creek for their first home game on November 29.

2016-17 Roster

Seniors: Dane Lew, Chandler Schreiber, Noah Zurbuchen, Carter Pritchard, Jameson Rubenzer.

Juniors: Ben Lambele, Conner Mavis, Dylan Black, Logan Bergh, Ryan Mohr, William Muzynski, Brandon Redwine, Dylan Curry, Nathaniel Schreiber, Blake Rosenthal, Jonas Kohls.

Sophomores: Brady Redwine, Brett Lew, Bryce Maves, Colton Ward, Jake Mentzel, Marcus Kinblom, Rian Flynn.

Freshmen: Kyle Deling, Blaze Todd, James Javanovich, Cade Hanson, Chase Rhude, Cole Steinhorst, Derek Falkner, Dominic Hall, Ethan Rubenzer.