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Prep Chatter: FVL's Wendland, Hortonville's Bednar step down as head coaches in basketball, girls volleyball

Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent
·4 min read
Jay Wendland has stepped down after four seasons as head coach of the Fox Valley Lutheran boys basketball team.
Jay Wendland has stepped down after four seasons as head coach of the Fox Valley Lutheran boys basketball team.

APPLETON − Jay Wendland is resigning as head coach of the Fox Valley Lutheran boys basketball team and as an educator at FVL at the end of June.

Wendland will be taking a job with Edwards Jones as a financial adviser in De Pere. Wendland was 79-22 in four seasons with the Foxes and captured three consecutive North Eastern Conference titles. The Foxes also earned a sectional semifinal berth in March.

"It has been a joy coaching at FVL the past four seasons," Wendland said via email. "We have great kids, parents and administration that I will miss. I am thankful for the opportunity I had to coach and for the support from the community."

The Foxes were 24-3 overall this season and 18-0 in the North Eastern Conference, led by first-team all-conference seniors Adam Loberger and Sam Ferge. Loberger was chosen the conference player of the year.

Bednar steps down as girls volleyball coach at Hortonville

Hortonville is seeking a girls volleyball coach as Carley Bednar stepped down as head coach recently.

Bednar compiled a 96-57 record in five full seasons as head coach, including a 29-9 mark last season. The Polar Bears finished second in the Fox Valley Association last fall.

Bednar shared head coaching duties in 2018 with former Polar Bears head coach Laura Johnson before taking over for Johnson the following season.

"Choosing to step away from coaching was not easy," Bednar said. "Volleyball has been a large part of my identity since I started playing in seventh grade. And now, being a mom, I need to dedicate more time and energy into raising my boy. I am really proud of the way my staff and I have built on to an already successful program, and I know they are in good hands. I am looking forward to supporting them as a fan this coming fall."

Hortonville's Carley Bednar has stepped down as head coach of the Polar Bears girls volleyball team to focus on spending more time with her family.
Hortonville's Carley Bednar has stepped down as head coach of the Polar Bears girls volleyball team to focus on spending more time with her family.

Area softball, baseball and girls soccer rankings

Here is the second edition of the softball, baseball and girls soccer rankings for the Appleton area. Records are through Monday's games.

SOFTBALL

1, Kaukauna (6-0): Three-time defending WIAA Division 1 state champs have allowed just four runs and have five consecutive shutouts. Kaukauna's winning streak is at 87 consecutive games and the Ghosts have outscored their opponents 53-0 over the past five games.

2, Freedom (4-0): Two-time defending Division 2 state champs have outscored their first four opponents 38-6. Freedom beat Luxemburg-Casco 9-4 on Monday and will travel to Clintonville on Thursday.

3, New London (8-0): Kenna Mix was 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA and 27 strikeouts entering Monday's game and is batting .368 with two home runs and 11 RBI.

4, Kimberly (3-0): Papermakers have averaged 10 runs over their first three games.

5, Neenah (3-1): Kyleigh Mathe is 3-1 with 28 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched this season. Rockets suffered tough 2-1 loss to Oshkosh West on Monday.

Also: Hortonville (5-3), Chilton (4-2), Fox Valley Lutheran (3-1), Waupaca (5-3), Manawa (5-3), St. Mary Catholic (4-2), Wrightstown (2-1).

BASEBALL

1, Kimberly (4-0): Papermakers off to strong start and are coming off a doubleheader sweep at Burlington by the scores of 9-2 and 6-2.

2, Chilton (4-1): Tigers bounce back from loss in season opener with four-game winning streak in which they've outscored their opponents 54-4.

3, Hortonville (4-3): Polar Bears are 3-1 in the Fox Valley Association. Infielder Rece Much leads team with seven RBI.

4, Wrightstown (6-0): Tigers lead North Eastern Conference with 5-0 mark. Aiden Humphreys had a complete-game shutout of Fox Valley Lutheran on Monday, striking out nine.

5, Appleton North (2-2): Lightning opened season with wins over Kaukauna and Appleton West before dropping the last two, including 11-1 against De Pere on Monday.

Also: Shiocton (5-1), Menasha (3-1), Kaukauna (3-2), Little Chute (4-2), St. Mary Catholic (2-1), Freedom (7-5), Brillion (3-1), Fox Valley Lutheran (3-3).

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GIRLS SOCCER

1, Kimberly (4-1-0): Papermakers senior forward Senah Hanes, a UW-Green Bay commit, has 10 goals to start the season.

2, Appleton East (4-0-0): Wreath sisters, Addison and Marley, have scored 11 goals combined to start the season for improving Patriots.

3, Neenah (2-1-0): Rockets have important Fox Valley Association matchups against Appleton North and Oshkosh North this week before a showdown with FVA leader Kimberly on April 29.

4, Appleton North (1-1-0): Brinley Dunsirn had the Lightning's lone goal in 2-1 loss to Bay Port on Friday.

5, Seymour (2-0-1): Thunder has tough week ahead with Bay Conference showdown against West De Pere on Tuesday and nonconference matchups against Kaukauna (Thursday) and at Marinette (Friday).

Also: St. Mary Catholic (2-0-1), Menasha (1-1-1), Xavier (1-1-2), Winneconne (2-0-0).

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: FVL's Wendland, Hortonville's Bednar step down as head coaches