Coaches discuss school’s top athletes
By Erik Buchinger
Eleven Hortonville High School Athletes were named to All-Conference teams in the Fox Valley Association and Eastern Shores for girls’ hockey.
Hortonville athletes finished with seven First Team honors, three Second Team awards and one Honorable Mention. Four Polar Bear wrestlers, two boys’ basketball players, two girls’ basketball and two hockey players received awards.
Wrestling
Eric Barnett (10, First Team All-Conference, State Champion): “This is Eric’s second First Team All-Conference recognition. Eric is an extremely talented wrestler. His technique is second to none, but he also is a ferocious competitor. He loves to win, but perhaps more importantly, hates to lose. Eric is also a great teammate, always just as excited for his teammate’s successes as he is his own. He is a great ambassador of our sport and our program, the way he interacts with youth wrestlers between matches at tournaments is amazing. He is a quality young man both on and off the mat!! Eric broke Hortonville’s season takedown and pins record this year. He already has 92 varsity wins in just two seasons. Eric is currently ranked No. 8 in the country by Flowrestling.com. Eric won his first state championship this season as a sophomore after placing third as a freshman.”
-Head wrestling coach Chris Gennrich
Jacob Barnett (12, First Team All-Conference, State runner up): “This is Jacob’s first All-Conference First Team award. Jacob has been a mainstay in our lineup for four years now. He has provided excellent leadership for us. I am very excited to see him earn First Team AC honors. Jacob has a style all his own, I guess you could call it “controlled funk.” He is very fun to watch and coach as he is so dangerous at any time in any position. Jacob, like his brother, has a talent to interact with younger wrestlers between matches. Young wrestlers are just drawn to him, and he always takes the time to acknowledge them and make them feel important. A testament to his true character. Jacob is the poster child for what hard work, determination and never giving up can do for your wrestling career. He did not come into the high school room with a ton of youth accolades. But he leaves as one of the best wrestlers in Hortonville history. He is the first of only two four-time state qualifiers. He has 147 career varsity victories, which ties him for third most all time in a career. Jacob ended his senior season as a second place state finisher.”
-Head wrestling coach Chris Gennrich
Colin Schuler (10, First Team All-Conference): “Colin finished as a conference runner up last year as a freshman, so it was very nice to see him take the next step. Win a conference title and garner All-Conference First Team recognition. Colin moved up several weight classes this season. He struggled a bit early. But to his credit he stayed positive, was open to coaching and made some small changes to his style that he needed to make in order to wrestle at the higher weigh class. He saved his best for last and was wrestling extremely well at the end of the year. Colin is a very quiet, polite young man off the mat. But has the ability to be all business on the mat.”
-Head wrestling coach Chris Gennrich
Elliott Luker (12, First Team All-Conference, State runner up): “This is Elliott’s second First Team All-Conference award. Elliott has been a force in our lineup for four years. Elliott has a calm, cool, confident demeanor, nothing seems to faze him, no stage is too big. This helped him tremendously to win some big matches. Physically, Elliott is very strong, stays in good position and is very tough to score on. Elliott has represented Hortonville wrestling for four years with quiet confidence and dignity, a young man who is a great role model for our younger wrestlers. Elliott holds some major records in the history of Hortonville wrestling. He is the other four-time state qualifier and holds the mark for the most varsity wins in a career with 157. Elliott also placed second at this year’s state tournament.”
-Head wrestling coach Chris Gennrich
Nathan Lichtfuss (12, Second Team All-Conference, fourth at state): “Nathan finished as a Second Team All-Conference representative after gaining First Team accolades last season. Nathan is a great example of understanding your strengths and weaknesses on the mat and wrestling a style that really accentuates his positive attributes. Nathan was great at developing a game that he needed to use to defeat opponents and sticking to it in the heat of battle. He frustrated many, many talented opponents by completely taking them out of their style of wrestling. Nathan is a great role model for our younger student-athletes. His charter is second to none, plus he carries a perfect 4.0 GPA. Nathan leaves Hortonville wrestling with a 128 career varsity wins, which places him sixth on the all-time list, and was a fourth-place state place winner.”
-Head wrestling coach Chris Gennrich
Boys Basketball
Ryan Krueger (12, First Team All-Conference, All-State Team): “Ryan had a tremendous year earning First Team All-FVA. In a very strong league, Ryan saw difficult matchups the entire season and did a nice job adjusting and continuing to improve on his game. Although our team didn’t succeed as well as we would have liked, Ryan more than deserved First Team. Great kid who puts in a lot of hours trying to improve at the game of basketball. Also a tremendous student and person in the community who our youth players can look up to.”
-Head boys basketball coach Matt Hintz
Charlie Schabo (12, Second Team All-Conference): “Charlie was Second Team All-Conference this season, and without a few injuries could have possibly been First Team. He more than played like it at the end of the season. Tremendous player with a great work ethic and passion for the game, tough kid that has earned everything. Charlie is another great kid in this program on and off the court, he represents the basketball program and community the way you want your student athletes to.”
-Head boys basketball coach Matt Hintz
Girls Basketball
Morgan Allen (12, First Team All-Conference, All-Conference Defensive Team, All-State Honorable Mention): “Morgan was a consistent leader and player for our team all season long. She was a presence inside and was a focal point to every opponent’s game plan. She was a player that didn’t settle for anything less than her best and had a contagious desire to become a student of the game. Morgan plays the game with incredible poise and intelligence. She was the ultimate teammate who made others around her better. The Hortonville girls’ basketball program thanks Morgan for all her dedication and hard work through the years and wishes her the best as she continues her education and basketball career at IUPUI.”
-Head girls basketball coach Celeste Ratka
Shay Frederick (11, First Team All-Conference, All-State Team): “Shay is one of the most skilled and intelligent high school basketball players that I have had the pleasure to be around. She is committed to her craft and spends the time necessary to be successful. She is fearless when it comes to taking the big shot and loves the responsibility that comes with being a take on player. Shay was a top priority on every scouting report and found a way to be an impact player night in and night out. She is a player who is loved and respected by all her teammates and someone that was looked to for leadership all season long. She had a tremendous junior season, and I look forward to watching her continue to grow as a player and leader.”
-Head girls basketball coach Celeste Ratka
Girls Hockey
Alli Mork (12, Honorable Mention All-Conference): “Alli was a key member of my defense that held opponents’ shots to the lowest total in the state and contributed on and off the ice with her leadership. She was a four-year player for me while not putting up big offensive numbers but was steady and reliable member of the D core. She logged a lot of minutes and was someone you could trust on ice during those critical times during the game. She finished with three goals and 10 assists.”
-Head girls hockey coach Jeff Fox
Maddy Jablonski (9, Second Team All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-State): “Maddy has a skill to score goals and proved that during the season. She was able to score a point in 23 out of 27 games and finished with 26 goals and 23 assists. We are looking for a lot of good things from Maddy in years to come and build on a outstanding first year. She is a hard worker and has that finishing touch. She was able to score goals while drawing attention from the other teams’ top defensemen. She was able to make her teammates better and made a lot of good plays with the puck during the season.”
-Head girls hockey coach Jeff Fox