Will Bay Be Playing for a Title in Tosa? A Preview of Boys Sectional Eight

CONTENDERS

Brookfield Central, Brookfield East, Shorewood, Wauwatosa East, Wauwatosa West, Whitefish Bay/Dominican

2009 RECAP

Wauwatosa East over Wauwatosa West in four.

2010 RANDOM NOTES

• Brookfield Central Senior setter Steven Dusing and senior middle Michael O'Brien were both honorable mention Greater Metro all-conference last season.
  
• Brookfield East Junior Kyle Rohde was second-team Greater Metro all-conference in 2009 and a member of this summer's 16 open national champion, West Allis Lightning 16.
  
• Shorewood Much will be asked of senior middle Nicholas Yannett. They'll also count on Adam Kessenich, another member of this summer's 16 open national champion, West Allis Lightning 16.
• Wauwatosa East Senior outside Aaron Uden and senior setter Ryan Hoffland were both honorable mention Greater Metro all-conference in 2009. Senior outside Alex Conway had 87 kills for the Red Raiders in 2009.
  
• Wauwatosa West Senior leadership will be provided by, among others, middle Mitch Lahmann and senior outside Alec Radlich.
  
• Whitefish Bay/Dominican Senior Charlie Sather was first-team Greater Metro all-conference in 2009 and senior Aaron Rafeet earned an honorable mention nod.
  

PREDICTION

Whitefish Bay over Wauwatosa East in five.

Next: Girls Division Four Sectional One

Will You-Know-Who Make It to State Again? A Preview of Boys Sectional Seven

CONTENDERS

Milwaukee Marquette, Pius XI, Waukesha North, Waukesha South, West Allis Central, West Allis Hale

2009 RECAP

Milwaukee Marquette defeated Pius XI in three.

2010 RANDOM NOTES

• Milwaukee Marquette The link to the left appears to be a rather complete roster. Junior setter/libero Michael Schneck was second-team Greater Metro all-conference in 2009. Both he and junior outside Peter Hutz were on the West Allis Lightning team that won at nationals in July. Hutz also ranked second on the Hilltoppers in kills last season with 234 kills. Look for additional key contributions from, among others, senior middle Steven Berg and senior outside Sean Foley.
• Pius XI We haven't been able to track down all that much information about the Popes, but senior Andy Roedel played for Southwest 17s, sophomore Daniel Griese played for West Allis Lightning 15s and sophomore Jake Tenaglia played for North Shore 15s.
• Waukesha North The link to the left appears to be a rather complete roster. We're not familiar with the players beyond that.
• Waukesha South We haven't been able to find much information on the Blackshirts. Any help would be appreciated.
• West Allis Central The Bulldogs will probably rely heavily on senior outside Jake Reuter and senior setter Zach Richardson.
• West Allis Hale Senior Ray Saroczek was second-team Greater Metro all-conference last season.

PREDICTION

Milwaukee Marquette over West Allis Hale in three

Tomorrow: Boys Sectional Eight

Will the Rebels Find a Most Worthy Cause in November? A Preview of Boys Sectional Six

CONTENDERS

Greendale, Greenfield, Heritage Christian, Racine Case, Racine Horlick, Racine Park, Racine St. Catherine's

2009 RECAP

Racine Horlick over Racine Case in three.

2010 RANDOM NOTES

• Greendale Senior Kevin Walsh played for Southwest 17s this past club season.
• Greenfield We weren't able to find any information on this team. Can anyone help us with some names or other information.
• Heritage Christian We weren't able to find any information on this team. Their school site lists boys lacrosse, but not boys volleyball, in the navigation along the left side so we're a little worried about what that could mean (it is listed as one of their fall sports elsewhere). Anyone have any insight?
• Racine Case All we could find on Case were several players who competed at the club level this past season: senior Michael Leslie played for Southport 18s, sophomore Dylan Berry played for Southport 17s and junior Ian Chamberlain played for Next Level 16s. Four seniors are also listed on the WisSports roster link: libero Cody Chamberlain, setter Jim Gullberg, middle Josh Neumiller and setter Nick Rauenbuehler.
• Racine Horlick It will be hard to replace the 340 kills of Missouri State-bound '10 graduate Dillon Martinez. Much of the burden will likely fall on senior middle Aaron Schinkowitch, who was was honorable mention all Racine County in 2009, and junior outside Mitch Greiner, who had 83 kills during the 2009 regular season.
• Racine Park Junior Alex Sadowski was honorable mention all Racine County last season.
• Racine St. Catherine's Junior Alex Grycowski was first-team all Racine County last season. Senior Marcus Boehme was second-team.

PREDICTION

Racine Horlick over Racine Case in four.

Tomorrow: Boys Sectional Seven

Will the Sabers Savor a Trip to State? A Preview of Boys Sectional Five

CONTENDERS

Franklin, Kenosha Bradford, Kenosha Tremper, Muskego, New Berlin United, South Milwaukee

2009 RECAP

New Berlin United defeated Franklin in three on its way to the state championship.

2010 RANDOM NOTES

• Franklin The Sabers field a very strong team with much experience. Seniors John Jablonowski and Riley Stone were first-team Southeast all-conference last season. Jablonowski was also honorable mention all-state. Senior Nick Romanowski and junior Steven Fons were honorable mention.
• Kenosha Bradford Seniors Dustin Day and Kris Sexton were honorable mention Southeast all-conference last season.
• Kenosha Tremper Returning starters include senior middle Brian Quinn, who was honorable mention Southeast all-conference last season, as well as junior setter Adam Landgraf, junior outside Jay Trimmer and junior opposite Isaac Quinn. For more details about the team, be sure to check out their website.
• Muskego Senior Sam Benson was second-team Southeast all-conference in 2009 and senior Taylor Nordstrom was honorable mention.
• New Berlin United They graduated Jeremy Dejno and several other high-profile seniors, but they return some big middles from the state championship team. Junior middle Nick Olson had 159 kills last season and senior middle Mike Beeler had 146 kills. Both Olson and junior outside Matt Nieberle was on the West Allis Lightning 16 team that won a national title in Austin last month.
• South Milwaukee We've got nothing. Can anyone provide insight on this team? Thanks in advance.

PREDICTION

Franklin over New Berlin United in five and the fifth will go 19-17.

Tomorrow: Boys Sectional Six

Will Tosha Be in Tosa This November? A Preview of Boys Sectional Four

CONTENDERS

Beloit Memorial, Burlington, Madison Memorial, Madison West, Middleton, Mukwonago, Westosha Central

2009 RECAP

Middleton defeated Westosha Central in three.

2010 RANDOM NOTES

• Beloit Memorial Senior Cameron Roegner was second-team Big Eight all-conference last season.
• Burlington Senior Louie Pawela played for Southport 18s and junior Jake Hinds played for Southport 16s this past club season.
• Madison Memorial Senior middle Tru Burnette was honorable mention Big Eight all-conference in the 2009 campaign.
• Madison West Senior Stefan DeLong was honorable mention Big Eight all-conference last season.
• Middleton Senior middle Caleb Zimmick was second-team Big Eight all-conference last season and is poised to make a significant impact this fall.
• Mukwonago They've done well in summer tournaments at Nicolet and could surprise this year. Senior Brandon Wagner and Chris Caporale were honorable mention Classic Eight all-conference last season.
• Westosha Central Senior setter Dayton Erickson was first-team Southeast all-conference last season and honorable mention all-state. Senior outside Nick Manning and junior outside Mike Michelau were both honorable mention all-conference. Expect a significant contribution from sophomore outside Caleb Mobile as well.

PREDICTION

Westosha Central over Middleton in five.

BONUS PREDICTION

Middleton over Mukwonago in five in the sectional semifinal.

Tomorrow: Boys Sectional Five

Will Memorial Make a Memorable Move Through the Playoffs? A Preview of Boys Sectional Three

CONTENDERS

Catholic Memorial, Fort Atkinson, Kettle Moraine, Madison East, Madison La Follette, Waukesha West

2009 RECAP

Kettle Moraine defeated Catholic Memorial in four.

2010 RANDOM NOTES

• Catholic Memorial Junior outside Trevor Novotny will play a key role on this talent-laden squad. In addition to being first-team Classic Eight all-conference, he was named MVP at the recently completed 16 Open championship in Austin. Juniors Tim Heyrman and Connor Braun were also on the national champion West Allis Lightning 16s team. Other returnees include senior libero Dan Casper, who was second-team all state last season, as well as junior outside Ryan Taugher.
• Fort Atkinson Senior middle Evan Hill will be one of several seniors who will be called upon to help lead the Blackhawks this season.
• Kettle Moraine The Lasers return senior middle Greg Duma, who was second-team Classic Eight all-conference, and senior right side Connor Keating.
  
• Madison East The Purgolders bring back six starters: senior middle Ben Chastain, senior libero Brad Fraser, who was honorable mention Big Eight all-conference last season, senior setter Joe Toman, senior outside Joey Topping, senior outside Garett Lytle and junior right side Nick Herbig.
• Madison La Follette The Lancers return senior setter Jake Amend. who was honorable mention all Big Eight conference in 2009.
• Waukesha West Junior Alex Jelacic was on national champion West Allis Lightning 16-1 and received a honorable mention Classic Eight all-conference nod in 2009.
  

PREDICTION

Catholic Memorial over Kettle Moraine in three.

Tomorrow: Boys sectional four

Will a Month on the Road Lead to a Road Trip to Tosa? A Preview of Boys Sectional Two

CONTENDERS

Arrowhead, Fond du Lac, Germantown, Homestead, Neenah, Nicolet

2009 RECAP

Nicolet defeated Homestead in three.

2010 RANDOM NOTES

• Arrowhead The team that lost a five-set heartbreaker to Homestead in the sectional semis last season will get senior leadership from Daniel Umhoefer and Brian Barry, among others. [There are apparently two Joseph Humpals who play volleyball in Wisconsin. One Joe Humpal is a senior at Arrowhead and played club for Southwest 17s and the other is a sophomore who attended Whitnall last year and played for North Shore 15s. Let us know if this is accurate. Thanks.]
• Fond du Lac Beyond the roster link at the left we have no information. Any help would be appreciated.
• Germantown We don't have any information on this team. Any help would be appreciated.
• Homestead The Highlanders lose first-team all-stater Brian Hoffman and a bevy of other 2010 grads. Junior Daniel Hagemeier will be among those stepping into more prominent roles. Seniors Anthony Bichler, Mitch Hauser, Tyler Steck, Adam Sweet and Joey Werner all played for Power Alley 17s this past club season.
• Neenah We don't have anything on this team beyond the roster link, but we're hoping the Facebook page they started last year will be active again this season.
• Nicolet Although the Knights lose first-team all-state setter Anatoli Berezovsky and second-teamer Rob Mayer, they return plenty of firepower, led by second-team all-state outside Matt Klingspohn. They also return senior libero Patrick Bieser, junior outside Dan Mulcahy, senior middles Christian Griggs-Williams and Steve Ellmauer, plus senior opposite Jon Fuqua. Stepping into the setter role will be junior Michael Shklover. One early hurdle will be the solid month of away games they'll have to play until their gym is ready.

PREDICTION

Nicolet over Arrowhead in five.

Tomorrow: Boys Sectional Three

Will Tosa Be a Ghost Town in November? A Preview of Boys Sectional One

CONTENDERS

Appleton East, Appleton North, Appleton West, Green Bay Preble/Green Bay East, Green Bay West/Southwest, Kaukauna, Kimberly

2009 RECAP

Appleton North defeated Kaukauna in four sets in the sectional final.

2010 RANDOM NOTES

• Appleton East They had a winning record in the Fox Valley Association conference last season and return seniors Chris Flood and Ross Johnson, as well as junior Taylor Collar.
  
• Appleton North Last year's sectional champion loses tall setter Micky Flynn, but returns junior Sam Moua, who was second-team Appleton Post-Crescent all-area. Players with club experience include , as well as sophomores Ryan Albers, Conner Gross and Brandon Miller.
• Appleton West Unfortunately, we haven't been able to track down any information about the Patriots. Any help would be much appreciated.
• Green Bay Preble/Green Bay East This combined-school squad returns senior outside Shane Heyrman to the team that staged a mild upset of Appleton East in the first round of last year's playoffs.
• Green Bay West/Southwest We don't have any information about the TroCats.
• Kaukauna The Galloping Ghosts went undefeated in Fox Valley Association play last season and were 2009 sectional runner-up. They return senior middle Mason Stumpf and outside John Stumpf. The roster will also likely include juniors Philip Uitenbroek and Alex Judkins.
• Kimberly Third in Fox Valley Association in 2009, the Papermakers return senior Brian Stark, who was second-team Appleton Post-Crescent all-area in 2009. Others with club experience include juniors Elliott Van Dyke, Kyle Klandermann and Brock Van Duerzen.

PREDICTION

Kaukauna over Appleton North in four.

Tomorrow: Boys Sectional Two

Note: Please don't hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail us at vbuberalles@gmail.com if you have any corrections or additional insights.