Sports Wrapups: April 20

The Franklin boys tennis team opened the 2010 season with a pair of convincing victories.

In a 7-0 home win over Muskego in the SEC opener April 13, Jacob Kossoris, Evan Bauer and Mitch DeMario and the doubles teams of Brad Heale and CJ Malek, Zach Bartels and Kyle Hoffman and Steven Petershack and Eric Bauer all won in straight sets. Sam Miller added a three-set win at fourth singles.

Two nights later, Franklin earned a 5-2 nonconference win over visiting Catholic Memorial.

Miller picked up another three-set win, and DeMario won at third singles. The Sabers also swept doubles, including a victory by Patrick Donovan and Jake Ruetz at third doubles.

"Despite the windy conditions the team played very well against an improving Muskego team and a talented Catholic Memorial team," Franklin coach Gail Champion said.

Whitnall boys track

Scott Erickson's 1-2 punch in the discus and shot put were among the many impressive efforts for the Falcons, who were sixth at the 15-team Racine Horlick Invitational on Saturday.

Erickson was nearly uncontested in the discus. His throw of 146 feet-5 inches was almost seven feet better than the field. Erickson also settled for second in the shot put with a 51-0½, second only to Oak Creek's Rafael Saez's 55-1.

The Falcons' 400-meter relay of Bob Grim, Luke Garven, Ben Schaefer and Jake Streim was less than half a second off the pace set by Racine Park and took second in 44.91 seconds.

Other top-five Whitnall efforts included Nikolai Miskov's third-place run in the 100 dash (11.79), Jake Lehmann's third-place time in the 800 (2:02.95), Pablo Bras' distance in the triple jump (41-0¾) and Miskov, Grim, Garven and Schaefer taking fifth in the 800 relay (1:36.17).

Oak Creek track

Rafael Saez flip-flopped with Whitnall's Scott Erickson at the Racine Horlick Rebel Invite on Saturday.

First, the junior was runner-up to Erickson in the discus with a 139-7. But in the shot put, Saez's 55-1 bested Erickson's second-place effort of 51-0½.

Saez's performances helped Oak Creek take ninth at the 15-team meet.

The Knights got help in other areas besides the throws. In the high jump, Tony Hagans and Zak Lenski were second and fourth with a heights of 5-10, Thomas Overland placed seventh in the triple jump with a 38-8 and the 400 and 800 relays were both sixth.

The Knights also took second of seven teams at the M-Club Relays in Mukwonago on April 13.

Saez had the best individual effort in both the discus (141-0) and the shot put (53-2½) to spark the Knights to second and first in those events.

Also at the M-Clubs, the Knights girls were fifth of 10 squads.

Alyssa Parker (5-0) and Carla Edwards (4-10) were second and third individually in the high jump to lead the Knights to a win in that relay. Parker was also second in the long jump to carry the Knights to second in that event, and the 800 sprint medley was also second.

Oak Creek soccer

The Knights went 2-1-0 at the St. Mary's Springs Tournament at Marian University on Friday and Saturday.

In a 3-0 win over Lake Country Lutheran, Morgan Kokta got Oak Creek on the board with a goal in the first minute. Around 30 minutes later, she assisted Mariah Ferri and, late in the second half, Ferri assisted Desha Neal.

Brianna Reid scored twice in the Knights' 2-0 win over the host school, and in a 2-2 tie with Sheboygan South, Neva Moniriarani and Neal scored one goal each.

Goal keeper Aylssa Schenzel made 22 combined saves in the tournament for the Knights, who also lost to Racine Case, 3-0, at home on April 13, the Southeast Conference opener for both teams.

Greendale soccer

The same match that yielded the Panthers' first goals of the season also provided the squad with its first victory.

After being shut out in three previous matches, Greendale got a pair of goals by sophomore Lauren Rutkowski and one each by junior Amanda Jonas and freshman Briana Pawlowski in a 4-1 victory at St. Thomas More on April 15.

"The team is very young, consisting primarily of freshmen and sophomores, but quite talented," Greendale coach George Knezic said. "They never give up and seem to improve as the season continues."

The Lions also lost, 2-0, to visiting New Berlin Eisenhower two days earlier and began this week 1-3 overall, 1-1 conference.

Franklin track

The Sabers won three events at the M-Club Relays in Mukwonago on April 13.

For the girls, senior Lindsay Fons and a trio of freshmen - Katelyn Thomas, Jenny Eickhorst and Katelyn Salzburger - won the distance medley relay, and juniors Jessica Zeman and Farrah Brown and sophomore Olivia Lampone won the pole vault.

The boys 400 relay of Lance Baretz, John Janicek, Will Campbell and Derek McElroy was also victorious and is now ranked 17th on the state honor roll.

Whitnall girls track

The Falcons flexed their distance-running muscle at the Catholic Memorial Crusader Classic on Saturday.

The 3,200 relay of Mary Erickson, Katherine Crivello, Danika Johnson and Leah Windt picked up an impressive win in 10:11.11, just ahead of Waukesha West's 10:16.58.

Crivello was also eighth in the 800 and Erickson ran ninth in the 1,600.

Also, Rachel Stave was fifth in the 400 (1:01.75) and sixth in the triple jump (33-0).

Franklin softball

Junior pitcher Jayme Love held the Sabers in their opener April 15, but Franklin's offense did not provide any help.

Love struck out eight batters and allowed only four hits but was the losing pitcher in a 2-0 defeat in the first game of a doubleheader.

Junior outfielder Natalie Kay picked up Franklin's lone hit against Muskego ace Ashley Gnacinski.

In the second game, Gnacinski was touched for only four hits as the Warriors beat the Sabers, 7-1.

Muskego's Megan Henneberry's two-run double in the fifth snapped a 1-1 tie.

Greendale tennis

The Panthers picked up a 5-2 win over De Pere in the fifth-place match of the Waukesha South Super Eight Invitational on Saturday.

Middleton won the season-opening event with a 4-3 victory over Whitefish Bay.

Whitnall soccer

The Falcons picked up their first win of the season but entered this week riding a two-match losing streak.

Sara Mogensen tallied a pair of first-half goals in a 2-0 victory over visiting Brown Deer on April 13. Dana Steffen assisted on one of Mogensen's shots.

Steffen scored a goal of her own with an assist from Mogensen on April 15 at Pewaukee, but it was all Whitnall could manage in a 4-1 loss.

In a nonconference match Friday, Whitnall lost to visiting Slinger, 6-0, and began this week 1-3 overall, 1-1 conference.

- David Cotey