"Doctor, we're sick; we're running a temperature," said Lance and Billy.
"Don't worry, boys, you'll be fine. You just have tournament fever. It's part of March Madness." It could have been triggered by the quintuple overtime hockey thriller the other night or maybe the sight of Niko the strongman in the Telegram. We've even heard of people in the Minong area turning green before big games. To cure your ills, you must attend as many tournament games as possible.
The fever will still exist but you boys will have fun."
Here are some recommended antidotes:
l New Richmond at Superior in boys hockey at 1 p.m. Saturday at Wessman Arena. The winner goes the WIAA state tournament. Leading scorer Mitch Kontny is back from an injury, defenseman Chris Bishop is in top form and senior Joel Pettingill guards the net. Enough said.
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l Wrestling at the Kohl Center in Madison. Three local kids began a quest yesterday for a state title. Ryan Miesbauer and Nathan Nelson of Northwestern, and the strongman Niko Bogojevic of Superior hope to bring back the first title since Tiger Mike Kauther won gold mover than 10 years ago.
l Somerset at Northwestern in boys basketball at the new gym Tuesday in Maple. First step in a possible back-to-back state run for the Tigers. Donnie Hissa, John Darwin, Tim Follis, Lee Brown, et al., want to show they can do it without injured superstar Steve Tecker. So far, so good.
l Solon Springs and No. 1 seed South Shore will also host games at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and Northwood will be at Siren in Division 4 action. In that region each of the past two years teams with 7-13 regular season records advanced to the historic Spooner Sectional so anything can happen.
l On March 6, the state-ranked Superior Spartan boys will play the winner of Marshfield and Chippewa Falls. Marshfield has a 7-foot center and another 6-8 starter and led the Wisconsin Valley Conference but only got a No. 7 seed. It will be the last home game for the Spartan seniors. To get to state the Spartans have a road filled with tough teams: Eau Claire North and 6-11 Badger recruit Evan Anderson, unbeaten Antigo with 29-point per game scorer Jordan Mach, Big River Champion Eau Claire Memorial, and Wausau West of the Wisconsin Valley Conference. Could this be the year?
l The UWS Yellowjacket men's basketball team continued its resurgence with a playoff win Tuesday; did they win last night at Whitewater? If so, they play for the WIAC championship on Saturday. Wouldn't that be great? Like Woody Allen in Zelig, we'd be in the crowd.
l If that isn't enough, the WIAA girls tournament starts the next week and with the Northwood Evergreens ranked No. 1 in the state in the AP poll, a crescendo of excitement will occur as we get into true March Madness with more state tournament trips on the line, faces painted in school colors, and spring snowstorms looming.
(Lance and Billy) "Thanks, Doctor, we like our prescription and we will do our best to get over our tournament fever."
Opinions and/or story ideas can be e-mailed to dleigh1273@aol.com or wgranlund@centurytel.net
