BY MIKE WARREN

MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield High School boys’ basketball team set a new standard of excellence last season, when the Tigers won the school’s first-ever outright Wisconsin Valley Conference championship.

Now, with an undefeated conference run and eight graduating seniors behind them, this year’s Tigers and their coaches have a lot to live up to.

“Going into last year we had a feeling we had a good team,” recalls Head Coach Chris Fischer. “We didn’t think we’d go undefeated in the conference and go 19-5, but I think we thought we’d be pretty competitive,” Fischer adds. “And no one was really talking about it. But, what those eight seniors did for us last year, they left their mark on our program, and it felt really good and we made sure to enjoy it along the way.”  

Normally, eight seniors walking out the door would devastate any basketball program, and leave a huge void to fill. Luckily for Fischer and his coaching staff, they have nine seniors coming into this season, along with the largest number of players they’ve seen in three years.

“I’ve never had higher numbers,” the third-year head coach says. “And then down at the middle school level, we’ve got 65 boys playing seventh and eighth grade basketball. So, I think there is a genuine excitement about basketball in the entire city of Marshfield,” says Fischer, who encourages his players “to be themselves.” He adds, “We want them to make plays and not run plays. We don’t want them to be robotic. We just want them to react to what they see on the floor, and hopefully we can find success that way.”

Fischer and his coaches will have to find that success with nine seniors and two sophomores on this year’s varsity roster. “I remember Coach Len Leudtke Sr. saying a while back, back to when I was a player for him and then an assistant coach, he would always mention the value of seniors,” Fischer recalls. “When we can lose eight seniors and replace them with nine, we have a chance to do some damage and be successful this season.”

Three seniors who were on the varsity roster a season ago – Luke LeMoine, Marcus Neve and Owen Hanson – will lead this year’s Tiger squad. Braxton Kurth is another senior Coach Fischer will lean on. “He got limited minutes last year, but he got better every day, practicing against Chase Hinson and Gavin Fravert and those other guys,” Fischer said. “Same thing with Jeff Marsh.” Also coming back is 6’3” senior Sam Meverden, who missed last season with a knee injury. Ryan Donovan, Bennett Lang and Carson Matis round out this year’s senior class. “It’s a really tight-knit group that’s been together and gone through a lot athletically in every sport.” Mix in sophomores Brooks Hinson and Landon Lee, and Coach Fischer says, “We’re really excited about what we may accomplish this year.”

The challenge now is to repeat what last year’s team accomplished. “The (Wisconsin) Valley Conference is very unique, in that every team brings something different to the table,” Fischer says. “D.C. Everest is going to be really talented this year. They’ve got a kid that’s signed to play at UW-Green Bay in Marcus Hall, a kid that we haven’t figured out how to guard yet,” Fischer adds. “And then around him are really good shooters and really talented players, and they’ve got a new coach in Oliver Drake that’s coming from the college ranks, so that throws a different spin to it. And then when you think about Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau West, Wausau East and Merrill, every one of them does something different that you have to prepare for differently. So every night is going to be a different challenge for us. And I know this is cliché, but we really have to focus on one game at a time.”

The Tigers open their conference schedule on Friday, Dec. 9 at Wisconsin Rapids. 

Marshfield’s non-conference schedule includes Appleton East, Eau Claire Memorial, Eau Claire North, La Crosse Central, Kaukauna, Janesville Parker, Brookfield East, Chippewa Falls, Holmen, Hudson and Kimberly – the same team that bounced the Tigers from the post season last year.

The Tigers opened their season on Tuesday, Nov. 22 with a non-conference win at Rhinelander, beating the Hodags 69-38. Marshfield was led by Luke LeMoine’s 16 points. Owen Hanson and Brooks Hinson each added 10.

Fischer has also realized another big challenge he faces with this year’s team. It’s not last year’s.

“Our guys are excited to create their own legacy,” he says. “The guys that were part of it last year certainly enjoyed it, but for this year they wanna make their own mark.”