6 Small Towns With Hidden Talent

<p>I was born and raised in a small town in central Wisconsin.  In my high school, they pushed and still push 3-sport athletes (now 4-6 sport athletes) that are also involved in music, the arts, Forensics, French Club, FFA, FHA, FBLA, student council and participating in school plays.  I’m sure I missed a few, but the question is, why are they so strongly encouraged to be stretched in so many directions?  One answer could be that the schools want to offer the opportunities that big schools do, but in order for those activities to function, they need participants.  While only a few may have a serious interest in the activity to pursue as potential vocations, the bodies are needed. </p> <p>Another answer could be that the faculty running the activities, programs, etc, all try to involve certain individuals because of their potential or leadership among the student body.  The athletes we highlight here are from these small schools where the pressure to do everything can get to be a bit much.  Whether they decide to wear multiple hats or focus on one or two activities along with their academics, they all rock!  Their choices don’t make them any better or worse than their peers, and no matter what their involvement, they are such an important part of the community. Here is a list of six "volleyballers" that are just a taste of small town Wisconsin. </p> <p>*In my search I was looking for a high school located in a town with less than 2,000 in population.  Each town and player is a diamond in the rough, and there are so many more to be found!  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80225" first="Aubrey" last="Schoeneman"] – 2020 – 5’11 - Outside Hitter/Middle Hitter – Mercer HS – Northwoods Extreme</strong></p> <p><strong>Mercer – Population: 1,732</strong></p> <p>Mercer hasn’t won a state title in volleyball in a while, but they consistently have a successful program.  Schoeneman had a solid junior season.  She led her team with 458 kills and a .371 hitting percentage, while also recording 119 digs and 34 aces.  Her game is evolving and her volleyball IQ increases every time she steps onto the floor.  Mercer will have a solid team returning for the 2019 season, and you can expect to see them make a push in the post season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80272" first="Kaelyn" last="Isaacson"] – 2020 - Libero – Prentice HS</strong></p> <p><strong>Prentice – Population: 463</strong></p> <p>Isaacson could be a college prospect at libero with the right club and connections to guide her.  In 2018 she had over 500 digs, and if she can replicate that performance in 2019, she could hit the 1,000 dig milestone.  Prentice had a solid season going 30-8 and fell short in a loss to Newman, but with the graduation of 4 key players, can Isaacson lead her team to another top season?   </p> <p><strong>Maggie Godfrey – 2022 – 5’10 - Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker – Argyle HS</strong></p> <p><strong>Argyle – Population: 822</strong></p> <p>Godfrey can really play any front row position during her first season for Argyle High School, which is near the southern Wisconsin border.  She nailed 172 kills and added 101 digs in 2018.  Godfrey will return for her sophomore year, along with fellow freshman<strong> </strong><strong>Grace Ganshert </strong>(5’5 – Outside Hitter), who added 108 kills in 2018.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80177" first="Olivia" last="Liddicoat"] – 2020 – 5’10 - Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter – Iowa-Grant HS</strong></p> <p><strong>Livingston – Population: 643</strong></p> <p>On the border of Grant County and Iowa County, there is Livingston, a village with just over of 600 residents. Some Division 2 schools are bigger than the entire village of Livingston.  Liddicoat is your classic small school 3-sport athlete.  In 2018 Ganshert was 1^st Team SWAL All-Conference with 295 kills for a hitting efficiency of .258 and 94 total blocks.  </p> <p><strong>Sarah Fluhr – 2020 - Setter – Benton HS</strong></p> <p><strong>Benton – Population: 973</strong></p> <p>Fluhr is the main distributor for her Benton team, and she had over 600 assists and over 100 digs in 2018, leading her team to a 24-3 record.  Fluhr runs a 5-1 for Benton, and I’d be interested to know if she is playing club.  Benton will be losing a fair amount to graduation, so they will need players like Fluhr to lead in 2019.</p> <p><strong>Skylar White – 2020 - 5’7 – Middle Blocker/Defensive Specialist/Outside Hitter – River Ridge HS</strong></p> <p><strong>Patch Grove – Population: 197</strong></p> <p>Patch Grove is located in the southwest corner of Wisconsin and consists of about 80 households in the small village.  River Ridge was flying under the radar last season, led by White and Taylor Langmeier, to the Resch Center.  White is still under the radar, but if she can lead her team back to the Resch in 2019, she could really make her mark.  White was a solid contributor in 2019 with her .393 hitting percentage, 286 kills, 236 digs, 32 blocks, and led her squad with 58 aces.  </p> <p><strong><em><u> </u></em></strong></p>